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Well ... 8 months of anticipation with highs and lows as we heard new stuff and I finally got to play with an X1 at a Vodafone store.
First thoughts .... very narrow ... obviously the 3" wide screen feels smaller than the equivalent 2.8" normal aspect ratio.
The build ... well ... although I'm sure the front is metal ... but the black one at least looks like a brush plastic ... it didn't have the standout quality feel I was led to believe. The chrome / polished metal or metal look plastic around it's waist and the edges of the keyboard definitely looks a little bling to me ... again ... doesn't look / feel like expensive kit.
You open the keyboard ... and as I'd noticed in pictures, there is a much larger gap around the waist than a TyTN or TyTN II. This looks a little odd. There is also far more play on the front edge of the mechanism that the TyTNs. Clearly a different type of mechanism ... but to me ... the open close and solidity is not as solid as either my TyTN or TyTNII. It feels more like my 8GB N95 before I had the slide replaced.
So ... in short ... for me at least ... the 'quality' of finish is not evident. Where as in practise it maybe as good or better than the TyTN II... as the TyTN II has no pretence to being made of metal etc ... it gives a more honest quality feel about it. This was a huge surprise to me ... particularly given my wife's T650i with mineral glass really does feel kind of special.
Anyway ... for me the talk of massive quality over the HTC devices is a myth.
Looking into the device ... The panels ... I kind of liked and the basic ones that come out of the box seemed to work well and perform fine. The delays only seemed to be graphical transition ... i.e. synthetically imposed. I'm sure the delays others mentioned maybe there ... when playing harder ... but there was nothing I noticed in the 15 minutes I played.
Memory has been confirmed by others now ... I just saw what had already been shown in screen shots.
Opera fails to open ... but on this one apparently just because there was no comms (no SIM or active wireless) .... I think when you use the panel browser that launched PIE without error ... again .. not Opera as others mentioned.
The keyboard ... initial feeling was ... very positive. I found the keys nicely spaced and noted there was a definite tactile feedback ... you knew you'd successfully hit the key. When trying to type ... I kept missing keys ... so it was a lot slower and less predictable than the TyTNII. I'm not sure ... this may just be experience with something different .. if so ... aside from the missing arrows and for me .. the CTRL key that no device has ... I'd very more than happy. It certainly felt more solid and reliable than the TyTNII keyboard which on occasion made me think one or two keys may pop off (they never did).
The Dpad ... for me ... it seemed fine. I had no problems with the up press at all ... possibly slightly less movement than the other directions but plenty nevertheless. The optical ... I agree ... it is too recessed to be useful. If there was a mouse pointer like you get with the BT Stowaway mouse ... or the 4700 touchpad ... then it may get more use.
Other buttons ... ok ... but to be honest ... not as good quality feel as I got with my TyTNII ... the V1615 variant (people complained about movement of the buttons ... but I never really had that issue).
The camera ... well stills seemed ok (at least with the zoom available on the screen) ... the video on the other hand was worse than rubbish. It may well have had the VGA resolution ... but it's response / refresh was so poor that anything that moved ghosted. This makes little sense because on paper it should have been as good as the N95 ... aside from the optics of course (i.e. the movement should have been crisp). This really means that it is no more useful than the TyTNII camera .... it doesn't offer you a viable carry anywhere camcorder which the N95 did. What a waste.
My general feel was that it didn't feel like a poor PDA (slow ... tatty) ... but it didn't really feel (even with the WVGA which felt too small) like a real improvement over the TyTNII. Massive disappointment.
I guess I will try the HD ... but without a soft dpad (which I'm told by Clove who had a near finished one in the other day ... is almost definitely not there). They also said there was no evidence of TV-Out - although the HTC guy suggested it maybe different with the final version ... I think that is unlikely .. things don't change that quickly.
So ... I probably won't invest in that either.
My only hope now is that the Galxy7 does actually get released. Given the rumours were for end October announcement ... I'm not feeling confident there.
Just to summarise ... the X1 is a good device when compared to what is currently out there ... what it isn't is the standout device - quality or performance wise - that 8 months of marketing and rumour as well as the massive price suggested.
Paul.
Nice review, its good to hear some honest opinions!
I used to have N95 as well and I agree that none of these new PDAs can beat its camera quality and speakers. Camera as mentioned above. Speakers are loud and clear with wider frequency response. Not to mention it's stereo too! I missed these two.
Got to disagree with you on your comparison to the TyTn II.
I've had the Xperia a week now and the TyTn II looks and feels like a fisher price toy next to it.
The build quality and screen quality are in a different league and the resolution increase makes such a difference.
You're right about part of the back being made of plastic. The top and bottom sections are, but if they weren't the cell and GPS radios would struggle for the reception. The rest of the phone is definitely all metal as in the morning it is cold to the touch. It certainly doesn't look bling to me or anyone who's seen it and I am the world's most anti bling person.
For me one of it's greatest improvements over the TyTn II, is the speed in which the screen rotates - it's pretty much instant, which is how it should be.
The panels aren't what I expected and I don't use them a huge amount. I tend to stick to the MS Today Screen or the Fishes. I might just be a little weird though - I've tried TF3D and think it is gimmicky (but pretty) and on my TyTn II I've tried pretty much every homescreen replacement from Ultimatelauncher through WAD to Todaylife and none of them have lasted.
ETA: The d-pad is pretty annoying actually, but I get on fine with optical pad, so I'm not too bothered about that. A ctrl key on the keyboard would be very useful though.
pgamble said:
the video on the other hand was worse than rubbish. It may well have had the VGA resolution ... but it's response / refresh was so poor that anything that moved ghosted. This makes little sense because on paper it should have been as good as the N95 ... aside from the optics of course (i.e. the movement should have been crisp). This really means that it is no more useful than the TyTNII camera .... it doesn't offer you a viable carry anywhere camcorder which the N95 did. What a waste.
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That's odd, the captures that have been posted on this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=434409) look pretty fine, no ghosting is evident at all.
What country are you in? could this be the difference between eu/us versions of the xperia, the x1i and x1a?
Stills are ok ... it is the Video that is awful. I'm in the UK so it is the 640x480 at 30fps.
If you shoot video of a still scene ... fine (ish) but if anything moves it is awful.
Re the materials .. I wasn't questioning the metal ... what I was saying is that it didn't look particularly like metal ... two different things ... my feeling is that it didn't look and feel like a jump in quality over the TyTNII. I'm not saying it isn't ... it just doesn't give the impression that is when held close up.
I so wanted to love this device as my previous postings show ... it just doesn't live up to it.
I'm also not questioning the WVGA ... all I'm saying is that seeing a 3" WVGA for the first time since the G900 ... some time ago ... it seems really small ... so small infact, for me, I think I'd rather have the 3.5" Galxy7 or the 3.8" HD (although I'm discounting that because of really really poor camera / video, no tv-out (apparently) and no soft or hard dpad.
The comparison with the TyTNII for me really centres around relative practical differences ... I know there are many extras like the radio and vga video and WVGA but if they aren't well executed or have other issues, it isn't worth the upgrade to me.
Very subjective though.
I think a phone should be small (screen size max. 3-3.5"), a pda should be middle-sized with larger screen (4"), and then comes the UMPC/netbook category. The Xperia (Diamond, Touch Pro, etc) fits fine in the first category as a phone, no need for larger screen. Touch HD is already between the phone and pda category, it is a bit too large to be a convenient phone. I know that nowadays everything is about iPhone and touch-screens, but we don't need to have "brick" or "portable" phones again
yes .. I agree ... it is this cross over need that makes it difficult.
for QVGA ... 2.8" is fine.
As you move to VGA and WVGA ... I think you are looking at a more media cross over device ... which requires a slightly bigger screen ... at least so the short length is the same as the short length of a QVGA device ... this is about 3.5".
The Galxy7 ... which will probably never come out ... seems the perfect compromise ...
Just a reflection on the ghosted video.
Did you look at the video in the phone or did you transfer it to a PC ?
I noticed that the phone can't handle the VGA resolution in 3gp when played back. And even when recording actually .
When you look at the recording on a PC it still has 30fps without ghosting.
I've got mine this morning, and I must say I disagree completely with the OP opinion on video. There's very little ghosting (I haven't owned a TyTN or TyTN II) in comparison to a Touch Pro.
When viewing a VGA video on the phone there's some occasional stuttering, but when transferred to a PC it looks, well, quite amazing for a phone video to be honest.
I haven't seen a video shot by an N95 for comparison either, but it's certainly not "rubbish".
for reference mine is an x1i, in the UK, from Vodafone (and branded as such).
edit: After playing with the phone in different light conditions there is a fair bit of ghosting, I think it depends on what you're filming.
which would you guys pick...BUT DISREGARD THE KEYBOARD PART...just simply everything else other than the hardware keyboard....which would you guys choose
The Touch HD, bigger screen, no cracks in case, g-sensor etc.
Indeed. Generalized a lot, the Touch HD is an X1 with a bigger screen and without keyboard.
I chose the xperia because of looks keyboard and I what really made the difference that I found a really cheap 2nd hand phone still in the box.
My friend has the Touch hd and it's also very nice but I really like the keyboard.
If that doesnt matter to you, you should choose the HD.
which one has better battery life?thanks.
tornado000013 said:
which one has better battery life?thanks.
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Definately the Xperia, so far at least. I think it´s partly due to the HD screen taking much more power and that the bttery is smaller in the HD. I love them both though...
Touch HD: Big screen, accelerometer
Xperia: Hardware keyboard
xperia for me.
they keyboard, the metal case, the extra buttons (optical pad, d-pad and probably teh OK button (acts as close and so on ...)
the HD has by far the better/ bigger screen, but it doesnt feel liek a cellphone after all. its a little bit to big for my taste. xperia fits my hand better.
having a gyro is fun but its not like u realy need it. i abrley used gyro features in my old phones. defacto i disabled them cause they rotated my screen when i didnt want to.
if u realy dont want a keyboard, gor for the HD.
For me the Xperia is the choice for me
1. Smaller
2. Opital pad is awesome for browsing & emails and means the screen stays clean
3. battery life is brilliant
4. Screen res is better, just smaller
5. Camera is much better. Proves pixels aren't everything. Has a light too!
6. Build quality and being all metal is nice (but heavier)
My bro loves his HD as he watches heaps of movies, so the bigger screen is a clear winner if this is your need.
Listen, both are great devices and it really depends on your needs.
Good luck.
Dev
So I wasn't the only one who had this dilemma, I was thinking exactly the same, like all previous replies, they are basically the same in terms of specs. I really like the big screen on the HD but I went for the X1 only because O2 doesn't bloody sell the HD directly and it means I would have to pay GBP15 extra a month for the line rental if I went for the HD... so the decision for me was I love my money more than a bigger screen. Also, the keyboard on the X1 is really good, although I think the virtual keyboard would probably be as good. I would say if you don't have any loyalty waiting for you from your network provider, then go for the HD, but I would guess the battery might not be as good. My X1 can last up to 3 whole days with normal usage (couple of calls, good few texts, messing about, and some internet).
Sure whichever you go for, you will have loads of fun.
Its really unfair to disregard the keyboard, because the X1 relies on this aspect of its design so firmly. Most would choose the HD over the Xperia if the keyboards are disregarded, but i don't think its fair to leave out one phone's strong point in a comparison. The X1 has a keyboard and one has to consider this when making a purchase choice, there is no changing that. Either way, i would go with the Xperia, its screen is more sensitive, it has at least one US 3G band either model, it has that awesome metal finish and really beautiful design, and is just so smooth and stylish overall, as well as having that huge battery.
when the THD was announced i did consider it along with the X1. but the size of the thing just puts me off..
its so wide across and taller than the X1. ive held the iphone and it didnt feel good in my palm. and the THD is slightly wider...
I was unsure of which to take from those 2, but i got the xperia and now after nearly 2 weeks i am satisfied with my decision, i wanted a bigger display for video but opted for a hardware keyboard and a light flash (HD no flash at all).
Now i find myself happy with it, the hardware keyboard is useful when i want to type more than 2-3 words, lot easier than onscreen keyboard.
so how about the web surfing?i saw video shows that x1's opera won't reflow text when zoom,does that cause any inconvenience?
i would go for the hd.. bigger screen. i do like the x1 for being small but if the x1 screen was 3.2 or 3.5 than it would almost be perfect for me.
in my eyes right now, the most ideal phone for me would be
the Xperia with a 3.2-3.8" screen
8-10mp camera with Xenon Flash
and
hadware keyboard lol
i know..i know..i can only keep dreaming
elite-fusion said:
in my eyes right now, the most ideal phone for me would be
the Xperia with a 3.2-3.8" screen
8-10mp camera with Xenon Flash
and
hadware keyboard lol
i know..i know..i can only keep dreaming
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haha, I would love that, size has never been a problem for me when it comes to phones, although I was forced to have the horrible C092 (insurance replacement after having lost my W960) but based on your requirements, the phone would probably be the size of a netbook, but the price of a proper computer...
Does anyone else here think having a bigger phones nowadays is more stylish than having those tiny mobile phones?
Also I agree being a woman with slightly smaller hands, I think the X1 is probably the biggest I can handle with pleasure, I have always liked the iphone (being a Mac user) but the size is a bit of an issue...
After all, I am bitter coz I didn't even have a chance to choose the HD coz O2 doesn't do it... I think it's fair to say it all depends on if you like coffee to tea, both tasty and keep you awake...
Xperia for me cos...
1.Optical pad etc buttons, better handle music in -5° with u gloves on +Faster to handle
2.Better sound? Dont know never heard HD's sound quality, but in X1 it's just awesome.
3.Better battery.
4.qwerty-keyboard.
5.Looks better, imo, metal case etc.
6.Smaller.
But HD is great also.
hello, im new to xda and i need a new phone asap. i cant decide between these 2 phones. i dont need a keyboard but would really like one and i dont need a big screen but it needs to be big enough to watch movies on, do word docs and powerpoints. anyone who has the x1, is the screen small for you? if you had to choose one of these phones and u had the money, which one would you get?
Touch HD: Big screen, accelerometer
Xperia: Hardware keyboard
I have both, and my vote goes to Touch HD. Mostly because of the screen size (big, but not too big. And it's finger friendly!).
The hardware keyboard on X1 is really nice however. So if you type often, go for the X1.
Everyones taste is different, so I recommend going to the closest retail store and check em both out
i might as well wait for the touch pro 2, only .2 of an inch smaller than the hd but also has a keyboard. also has a tilting screen and it looks like its made of metal.
catsrule30 said:
i might as well wait for the touch pro 2, only .2 of an inch smaller than the hd but also has a keyboard. also has a tilting screen and it looks like its made of metal.
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Sound like a good plan
do you know if its made of metal or plastic?
This has been discussed before, but more than a million words, better take a look at the POLL (link on my signature)
dogans said:
Touch HD: Big screen, accelerometer
Xperia: Hardware keyboard
I have both, and my vote goes to Touch HD. Mostly because of the screen size (big, but not too big. And it's finger friendly!).
The hardware keyboard on X1 is really nice however. So if you type often, go for the X1.
Everyones taste is different, so I recommend going to the closest retail store and check em both out
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The keyboard is good until it gets unresponsive.
catsrule30 said:
i might as well wait for the touch pro 2, only .2 of an inch smaller than the hd but also has a keyboard. also has a tilting screen and it looks like its made of metal.
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dogans said:
Sound like a good plan
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Wait for the Touch Pro2.
gtrab said:
This has been discussed before, but more than a million words, better take a look at the POLL (link on my signature)
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Do other users have a big banner in their signature asking for people to vote for their device?
my vote goes for the X1, better battery, better support (here in Sweden) hardware keyboard (very needed) and flashlight (better camera) I don't watch movies on my phones, but yes it looks good when watching with the Xperia screen, otherwise I use my PSP or my HP TX1020 (12") if I really need to watch movies when on a trip or something
imo the touch hd only have one advantage and it's the screen, I don't see the accelerometer like a "big" thing...
Just come across a Chinese site with direct comparison of X1 and TP2 in picture.
http://digi.tech.qq.com/a/20090311/000053.htm
I missed the "Tilt" design of my AT&T Tilt.
Awesome....
That touch pro 2 looks damn good...
Is there any words about the official release?
mid june...look so bulky.
The more I see of it the more I think it looks like the kaiser.
Personally I'm still angling towards a thoth, but would settle for a HD, I love the X1, but am finding it a bit small sometimes..
i guess its just me then, but i think the xperia has a unique design and it's way much sexier, tp2 looks more like an iphone with a slideout keyboard...even the xperia slideout keyboard looks sleeker than the tp2...just my opinion
I'm with you spike... X1 looks much better. But then, it's not all about looks
crabby
personal i dont like the design its bulky and again material is cheap, i am still happy with my X1 and the TP2 is not an device which can replace it, i am more interessted on devices with the new snapdragon inside 1000mhz yeahhhhhhhhhh, anyway right now only Toshiba is announcing an device with it, and i think we wont have an option to customize it, so i will have to wait for an HTC device with good specs.
Regards,
cHarOn
TP2 is way to big for a phone....
touch HD is just as big as it should get. anything bigger is just silly......
Diamond 2 is a good looking phone though
If the TP2 has usb host capability - I am buying it!
The display is the only benefit of this TP2. I personally don't like the design. It's like an iPhone clone. It's too big I think, and above all, I do not like the huge tilt of the display. It's way too much. I would better buy TP1 instead of TP2 if I'm looking for display comfortability. The tilt reminds me of the tilt of N97.
TP2 is a strange product, finding itself between TP1 and Touch HD. I personally thing that people will choose TP1 or Touch HD, based on their needs instead of choosing some kind of mix between them too, what the TP2 looks like.
But time will show. I will look further for the TP2 future.
Here are a couple of pics comparing the 2 screens(as requested on another thread, I have tried to keep everything as similar as possible brightness on max etc.
Text: The x10 is super sharp when it comes to text, thats one of the major differences i noticed when I got my galaxy S. The galaxy's screen just wasnt as sharp when web browsing etc( but you only notice this if you stare at your screen really close like i do).
Images: This is where the sgs shines, refer to pics. Some say its over saturated some say its just vibrant, either way its definitely better to look at.
Believe it or not, the sgs screen is actually on.
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As you can see I have both phones so this is no fanboy comparison.
As i said on the other thread i like the SE Red roses better.
Wow, great job, dude. Black is black on SGS, no doubt.
Thanks a lot
Quick question.
Did the X10 have any screen protector on it when you took these pictures???
berbecverde said:
As i said on the other thread i like the SE Red roses better.
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I have to agree it does in the picture, but thats probably my cameras fault
Zenghelis said:
Wow, great job, dude. Black is black on SGS, no doubt.
Thanks a lot
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haha yh it is lol, no problem.
macr59 said:
Quick question.
Did the X10 have any screen protector on it when you took these pictures???
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I think it had that pre applied one that is stuck on when you buy it, the sgs also had a screen protector which i had applied myself.
just wondering.. correct me if i'm wrong.. but i thought sgs has a 4.0 inch amoled screen. why does galaxy screen look so smaller in this picture?
oh andi think x10's looks more saturated.. and sgs looks more concentrated... does that make any sense?
Would be interested to see the comparison once the X10 has received the 2.1 update.
But the SGS looks good, nice clear colours.
mayamo said:
just wondering.. correct me if i'm wrong.. but i thought sgs has a 4.0 inch amoled screen. why does galaxy screen look so smaller in this picture?
oh andi think x10's looks more saturated.. and sgs looks more concentrated... does that make any sense?
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Thats a good point i was wondering myself why the sgs look smaller in the pictures and i have no idea why. I kinda get your second point especially when looking at the rose picture.
+1 on that. Actual visible area of screen looks smaller on SGS.
The text defo sharper on X10 imo altho pink roses better on SGS but red roses better in the later picture on the X10.
I guess its a matter of each to our own and whats available to you at the time you made your purchase. I still love my X10.
suzed said:
+1 on that. Actual visible area of screen looks smaller on SGS.
The text defo sharper on X10 imo altho pink roses better on SGS but red roses better in the later picture on the X10.
I guess its a matter of each to our own and whats available to you at the time you made your purchase. I still love my X10.
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I love both
I didn't read it because I don't care but I had to comment because the title is great.
Edit I just read it. Interesting stuff. Since ur not a fanboy would you mind doing an in depth comparison?
gavriel18 said:
I didn't read it because I don't care but I had to comment because the title is great.
Edit I just read it. Interesting stuff. Since ur not a fanboy would you mind doing an in depth comparison?
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I can try, anything specific would like to know? If not i will try to find any subtle differences and will write it up tomoz
Nothing in specific. I just thought a comparison from an xda member would be much better than the garbage online.
Next week I'm gonna compare my x10 to the liquid e and iPhone 4.