I'm very torn on this decision. I am an OG Droid user and have loved it since day 1 but it's time to move on. I use the hardware keyboard quite a bit so switching to a touchscreen only phone is kind of scary, that's the only reason the D2 is even in play here. I know the D2 and DX have locked bootloaders though, which can somewhat limit hacking them, or at least they did the last time I checked several months back. I love hacking my phone, although I know hacking the Galaxy s phones is much harder than hacking my Droid from experience, as my girlfriend has a Vibrant.
I love her phone, it's super slick and super nice which is why I'm leaning towards the Fascinate. Can any former DX or D2 users chime in and tell me what they like better about the Fascinate? I'm concerned that since the Fascinate came out after the rest of the Galaxy S phones that its hacking userbase is smaller (its development section has signifcantly fewer posts than the others). Is Cyanogen available on the Fascinate yet? I noticed sombionix has a Fascinate and is working on development for it, which is great because I put his rom on my girlfriend's phone.
Anyway I'm on the fence and would like help one way or the other. Please post any feedback you have on any of the 3 phones I listed, and why I should pick the Fascinate over the other 2. I'm also considering waiting until the next gen phones come out, I know dual core phones are right around the corner, though I do have 2 upgrades available to me so I guess I don't technically have to wait.
The Fascinate userbase is smaller than the other GalaxyS phones, but we have tons of devs that are working actively on bringing this phone to its prime. We do have Cyangenmod, although it is a broken port at the moment. The only thing that is restricting us is the lack of avaliability of the Froyo source from Samsung.
I have used the Droid and the Droid X. Not particularly the Droid 2 though. The soft keyboard on the Fascinate and the Droid X is a less accurate and easier to mistype than a physical keyboard, obviously, but the many keyboards avaliable such as the Gingerbread keyboard, Swiftkey, and Swype will make sort keyboarding much easier and maybe even more enjoyable than on a physical one.
In terms of speed, the Droids trump the Fascinate in CPU related tasks. In games, the Fascinate dominates. In media, the Fascinate's extra avaliable codecs are extremely helpful, as I can play avi and move files no problem on the stock video player. The screen is also noticeably more beautiful on the Fascinate, although the Droid X is more than adequate. The extra screen estate on the Droid X is great however. GPS and Signal: Droid X is much better. The Fascinate GPS works, but not as well as even the OG Droid. Signal fluctuates on the Fascinate somewhat.
The Droid X, because of its bootloader, can't flash kernels and can't flash Cyangenmod roms and such. But the roms for it are still great, as well as the themes.
I can say that you can't go wrong with either devices, but if you can, just wait for a dual-core phone to come out. If not, pick from what I've said about each device.
Rockin' DJ05, Liberty Gingerbread, Clocked at 1.2ghz Voodoo
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Yes, still on 2.1, waiting on some Gingerbread goodness, but might flash Vanilla Froyo.
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DD username: TheSonicEmerald
I recently went from a D1 to a Fascinate. I considered the DX, but did not like the physical buttons (the reason I moved off the D1 was that my power button broke, and it seemed like more points of failure). I got the D1 the day it launched, first rooted it in February of 2010, and started installing custom ROMs shortly thereafter. I eventually landed on CM, and really like it. I miss CM7, but am excited by the level of work that seems to be going on right now on the Fascinate (I just loaded SFC 2.6 yesterday).
I rooted my Fascinate the night I got it. It took me about three hours (I missed a step the first time), and it is definitely more work than the D1, but once you get the hang of it (and especially once you get Red CW going) it is pretty familiar.
I personally did not consider the D2 because I found I rarely used the physical keyboard. I had been using Swype for the last couple of months on the D1 and was pretty happy with it.
I'm really happy with the screen size ... my D1 feels like a toy now it is so small in comparison.
Good luck!
TheSonicEmerald said:
GPS and Signal: Droid X is much better. The Fascinate GPS works, but not as well as even the OG Droid. Signal fluctuates on the Fascinate somewhat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since DL30 happened the GPS on my Fascinate has worked flawlessly. Instant lock every single time. A few seconds tops if I'm outside. It also regularly links right up inside my house, and from the bottom floor of my girlfriend's 2 story house! It's come a long way. It's amazing how quickly Fascinate development is flying along right now.
I wouldn't even think of a Droid. I love my fascinates feel in my hand, its light and the Devs here kick ass! I am running sc2.6 with the matted blues theme!
The fascinate rocks and not because of Samsung or verizon, but everyone here at XDA!
I just traded my D2 for a fascinate 4 or 5 days ago. It comes down to personal preference. The fascinate is a better device as far as screen size and quality, but the D2 is superior in every other way. Its nice to have the physical keyboard when your in a hurry and don't want a bunch of typos. The development is alot further too on the D2. The fascinate doesn't even officially have froyo yet. Liberty rom gives you an aosp experience, plus you get the liberty toolbox by jrummy there is 12 themes in the latest version of the toolbox that you can flash with the touch of a button.
So like I said, personal preference. I don't hate my fascinate, but I like option to be able to use the keyboard. If your gonna spend money you should wait for the thunderbolt our bionic
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
At this point, I'd find it hard to justify upgrading now even to a currently-top-tier device like the Fascinate or Droid X (particularly if you do 2-year contracts) when so many substantially better new devices are literally right around the corner.
But if you really do want to upgrade now, the best way to look at it is this: the Droid X/Droid 2 are superior phones, while the Fascinate is a superior media device. Which one is "better" totally depends on your own personal needs.
I have an X and a Fascinate and the X is collecting dust. The Fascinate is just a better fit for my hands and is much lighter and fits in my pocket much better. The X boot loader is a BIG problem if you plan on hacking and Moto is constantly making updates that change the keys so any leaked sbf files are rendered useless. (sbf files are used to recovery moto phones) Moto seems to go out of their way to f with the mod community and for this reason I personally have sworn off moto products until they change their ways.
If you decide you want an X I have one for sale already rooted and running the lasted apex ROM. I can return it to stock though if you want.
I personally love my fascinate but I can't recommend it because of lack of updates, specifically to froyo. Even though I like the phone I can't continue to support the company.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Phasze said:
I personally love my fascinate but I can't recommend it because of lack of updates, specifically to froyo. Even though I like the phone I can't continue to support the company.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh... eb01 is just as good as an official update, and the fascinate hardware is top shelf. I was in the verizon store the other day, yeah some other phones had froyo but they were cheap looking and feeling. The droid x is ok, but still not as slick as the fascinate. Actually, the iphone is the next best as far as hardware, but i didnt say that
Sent from my rooted froyo Fascinate
Falcyn has it right, get the droid if you make lots of voice calls, the fascinate if you game/browse/plau video.
My wife has the D2 because long fingernails and capacitative screens don't mix well, but the device is solid. Reception and voice quality are better on the D2, but its much heavier and unless you're in direct sun, the screen doesn't compare to the fascinate. The wife borrows my phone at night to game on, and swype bridges the gap from the physical keyboard nicely.
Samsung blows as far as support goes, but the devs here are johnny on the spot with leaks, fixes, and roms. If I had to get a new phone today, I would go fascinate again based on gfx hardware, screen beauty, hackability, and audio playback quality. Also, if you put your phone in a pants pocket, fascinate if the way to go due to weight and form factor If I wasn't under the gun for time or lived in a 4g coverage zone, I would gladly wait on the next iteration of handsets.
theraptscallion said:
Falcyn has it right, get the droid if you make lots of voice calls, the fascinate if you game/browse/plau video.
My wife has the D2 because long fingernails and capacitative screens don't mix well, but the device is solid. Reception and voice quality are better on the D2, but its much heavier and unless you're in direct sun, the screen doesn't compare to the fascinate. The wife borrows my phone at night to game on, and swype bridges the gap from the physical keyboard nicely.
Samsung blows as far as support goes, but the devs here are johnny on the spot with leaks, fixes, and roms. If I had to get a new phone today, I would go fascinate again based on gfx hardware, screen beauty, hackability, and audio playback quality. Also, if you put your phone in a pants pocket, fascinate if the way to go due to weight and form factor If I wasn't under the gun for time or lived in a 4g coverage zone, I would gladly wait on the next iteration of handsets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You say this phone had good audio quality. Is this in comparison to other droids? .. This is my first android, I came from a blackberry storm 2.. And I was very disappointed in the headphone output. The blackberry had far more bass and clarity at low volumes. the fascinate seems to clip bass notes at high volume too.. So it seems as if the audio is under powered.. Any comments?
Rocking dj05, themed superdark w/o swype mod, voodoo 5, with custom boot and shutdown..
I went to Verizon with my friend Friday since he wanted a phone and I wanted to go look at the Xoom. He ended up picking the Droid 2(Global, of course.) I noticed that calls sounded much nicer, the external speaker was louder, and it had better reception.
It also had issues. It lagged in CPU-intensive tasks, whereas my Fascinate performed considerably better. It just didn't perform as well in general use, and especially not in gaming. The odd thing is that it scored higher and outperformed the Fascinate in benchmarks. But load screens took longer, and it just wasn't as snappy. The touchscreen isn't as accurate, and Swype is harder to use because of it. And the screen looks awful in comparison. I couldn't go back to an LCD screen on a phone. And the locked bootloader sucks. I'm not sure about the DX, but I'm sure it has similar issues.
While the Droid 2 and Droid X are great phones, but I would go with the Fascinate. It has a better screen, better CPU and GPU, and I find it nicer in general. The keyboard is nice on the D2, the DXs screen is bigger and nice, the GPS, call quality, and reception are better, but overall, I find the Fascinate better than either.
Related
I wasn't planning on buying the Droid X but because of the unknown arrival time for the Fascinate, I picked up the X today. I am going to put it through its paces and will do the same when the Fascinate arrives. Then I'll sell the lesser of the two phones.
I am so sick and tired of the issues with the Eris that I needed to get something. At least with the Droid X, it has bluetooth voice dialing with Android 2.1 whereas the Fascinate won't have it until 2.2.
I bought the X today with only the intent of having it until I could buy the Fascinate, or for 30 days if it wasn't out yet then and I'd pay for a month of service on my old phone.
Then, I tested the GPS. Holy Christ. I've never in my life seen a GPS perform like the one in this phone. It was lightning-quick with the directions, I couldn't discern any lag whatsoever in the directions it was reading off, and it synced seemingly instantly. I did enable the quick GPS update in the settings, and I turned the GPS on before opening the car dock app, but still; it worked AMAZINGLY well. It seems like Motorola put a good, powerful GPS chip in this phone. Damn them, I may have to stick with the X long-term now, lol.
Like everything you buy, you have to give more weight to some items than others based on what is important to you. One of the things that's was driving me crazy on my stinking Eris is not having BT voice dialing. The Voice Command on the X is fantastic! I'm so impressed with this phone.
im waiting on the fascinate
I had the x for 2 days and did not like a few things.
Moto blur garbage.
Super quiet ringtones
super quiet voice navagation / hard to hear.
Blurry photo's
Slow charge and quick discharge
Moto blur garbage.. had to mention it twice.
The screen was nice and big, but after seeing the side by side with the fascinate and the Droid x.. The fascinate has 2x the quality of the screen...
sprintrjm said:
I had the x for 2 days and did not like a few things.
Moto blur garbage.
Super quiet ringtones
super quiet voice navagation / hard to hear.
Blurry photo's
Slow charge and quick discharge
Moto blur garbage.. had to mention it twice.
The screen was nice and big, but after seeing the side by side with the fascinate and the Droid x.. The fascinate has 2x the quality of the screen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too have found a few things lacking,
Quality of physical buttons (and difficulty of depressing small physical buttons when stretching my thumb down that massive screen)
Uncertainty of non Motorola ROMS (I know this has been debated in great detail elsewhere)
Random software issues (screen waking on it's own, for example)
I am most likely going to return the DX and hope it doesn't take too long for the Fascinate to come out. I wanted to like this phone so much but it just doesn't feel right.
The Droid X is like a giant... Probably because I'm 5'4
I played around with both models quite a bit before settling on the Fascinate. The Fascinate has an overall better chip in it, and I've always been a fan of Samsung phones in general. The GPU is noticably better, and I can't wait till Froyo hits. Downsides were the lack of HDMI out, and the 5 MP camera. Still and all, the pics look better than the DX, and the camera is a hell of a lot more responsive.
The biggest drawbacks to the DX IMO are the lockdown on the kernel, which will hinder, or at least slow development, and the fact that it won't fit comfortably into the pocket of anyone not named Kirsty Alley.
About that 5mp shooter on the fascinate. I've owned both and its also been proven that the Samsung galaxy phones take a much better pictures.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
ksizzle9 said:
About that 5mp shooter on the fascinate. I've owned both and its also been proven that the Samsung galaxy phones take a much better pictures.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I'm a bit of a digi-photo buff, and that was a big selling point for me.
I'm hoping to get some help in making this decision by asking the expert community here at xda. I have a Fascinate now & while it's been fine in most aspects it seems to have connectivity issues with the stock email app. I live & work in a rural area & need this to work reliably. I'm coming from a Droid Eris that had no problem in this area. My 30 days isn't up yet so I can switch to something else if that will solve my problem. All Big Red has done so far is push new prls to the phone. Is the X better with 3g reception?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
IMO the Motorola Droid X has the best antenna ever created under Big Red, has one of the best 3G reception, little to no drop calls with my DX, compared to the other android devices out there.
I'm glad you've had that experience with it so far, but can I ask what kind of area are you in? Is it metro or rural or a mix of both? How's email perform?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I live in a small town (2500) and I am 60 miles away from a large town. I have always had issues with my reception from verizon with my last 2 smart phones. Had the Imagio and dropped calls all day long. Now I have the DX and drop calls all day long.
My wife has a palm pre and never drops calls. Not that I would suggest a pre. I am just saying- unless you can talk to another X user in your area - the answers here aren't going to be a great help.
I haven't had any problems receiving emails though. But the 3G signal on the X where I live is very sporadic. I have a strong signal, I have a weak signal, I have no signal, back to strong, all within 5 minutes seated at the same desk.
And you can forget wifi tether on the X (at least my experience and many others I have read). USB tether works fine- but wifi tether is a lost cause. Constant disconnections.
I will also add this- if you want to do modifications to your phone or any sort of customizations- stick with the fascinate. Motorola has locked the boot loader on the X. We have root. But it doesn't look good for "TRULY" custom roms.
Just my input.
Are there any ex-Fascinate owners that have gone to the X? Anyone with an X in Northern Michigan?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
garywojdan81 said:
I'm glad you've had that experience with it so far, but can I ask what kind of area are you in? Is it metro or rural or a mix of both? How's email perform?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in a metro area and sometimes travel to the rural areas, but mainly metro area. Emails are good, except i hate the push option on the DX native email client TBH, sometimes it doesn't always work properly. Thats my only issue. If your in a rural area and your option is the DX or Fascinate, the better option is the DX, it has a better antenna design which the Fascinate lacks in signal strength.
I carry a DX while my wife carries a fascinate, and from what I can tell you about the two phones is this...
first off we both first had the Drois Eris...
I recieved my DX @ launch... and my wife recieved her Fascinate @ launch... so we've had some time to mess with these devices
The fascinate is a beautiful phone, the screen is amazing and it extremely snappy. The signal is equal to the DX in Surprise, AZ and the 3g speed is just about the same... as for the "GPS Issues" with the Fascinate, I have yet to see any problems with the gps on the phone.... I'd say that the phones are very equal in speed and signal... I'd reccomend the fascinate to anyone looking for a new android handset on vzw.
I love my X.. there's no way I would go to the fascinate... but this is my opinion... I'd suggest playin with both first before taking my opinion to heart
The DX feels like it was made to last... I pick up the fascinate and I wonder if i hold it to tight will it snap in half... I'm also not a fan of the Super-amoled screen, yes the colors are better, the contast is amazing, and generaly is just plan 'ol better than TFT... but no thx, I like the DX screen... I hate the fact on the amoled that I can make out each individual led... it drives me crazy.... and the weight of the fascinate isnt impressive... Yea it's light... but i want to feel like I have something when I pick it up... I want a little weight to it...
So here's my opinion
if you don't have a DX yet... get a fascinate
if you have a DX allready.. stick with the DX...
if you came from the Eris... get the Facinate ( better for people used to Sence UI )
if you came from the Droid... get the X ( or the D2 )
that's my $0.02
thepolishguy said:
I will also add this- if you want to do modifications to your phone or any sort of customizations- stick with the fascinate. Motorola has locked the boot loader on the X. We have root. But it doesn't look good for "TRULY" custom roms.
Just my input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought there were already a couple custom ROMs out there?
I know the bootloader is locked (still) but I have confidence it will get hacked eventually. It is my understanding that the ROMs that are there are pretty well customized.
My problem with the Fascinate is the lockdown that was put on it by Verizon. I can't wait until it's rooted and someone releases a ROM so I can de-crapify it.
EtherBoo said:
I thought there were already a couple custom ROMs out there?
I know the bootloader is locked (still) but I have confidence it will get hacked eventually. It is my understanding that the ROMs that are there are pretty well customized.
My problem with the Fascinate is the lockdown that was put on it by Verizon. I can't wait until it's rooted and someone releases a ROM so I can de-crapify it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no custom roms yet, just deodex themes, not the same thing...
still being worked on, yes...
fascinate is already rooted... roms in the making...
Just to clarify, I've got the Fascinate now & am just trying to find out if moving to the X would be any better for me performance-wise right now. I have no doubt that the devs and modders here at xda will do everything possible to get both phones to their full potential. Thanks for all the input, btw.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
dr154 said:
no custom roms yet, just deodex themes, not the same thing...
still being worked on, yes...
fascinate is already rooted... roms in the making...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong...there are custom roms, just not custom kernels. Tranquility, FlyX, and rubiX are not deodex themes...
The DX will provide you with better signal where reception is typically poor. If that is your main priority, then the DX is for you.
At this point, the bootloader being cracked is bordering a lost cause. If you're fine with debloating your phone of crap, using themes, and maybe a ROM or two during your time with the phone.. the DX is fine. If you really want to do things like overclock the phone or the like, the Fascinate will be your best choice.
Anything beyond those 2 aspects are merely subjective opinion between any 2 people you pick to ask.
rehpyc said:
The DX will provide you with better signal where reception is typically poor. If that is your main priority, then the DX is for you.
At this point, the bootloader being cracked is bordering a lost cause. If you're fine with debloating your phone of crap, using themes, and maybe a ROM or two during your time with the phone.. the DX is fine. If you really want to do things like overclock the phone or the like, the Fascinate will be your best choice.
Anything beyond those 2 aspects are merely subjective opinion between any 2 people you pick to ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well put. I agree with this man right here. This should be how you decide.
garywojdan81 said:
Just to clarify, I've got the Fascinate now & am just trying to find out if moving to the X would be any better for me performance-wise right now. I have no doubt that the devs and modders here at xda will do everything possible to get both phones to their full potential. Thanks for all the input, btw.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if u have the fascinate now, apply lag-fix and enjoy ur device.
TBH, the fascinate has better specs then the DX does, its just the carrier downsized both devices for consumer's.
1Ghz Hummingbird processor, 512MB ram, 512KB L2 cache, dedicated GPU (PowerVP SGX 540), SAMOLED display.
I can say after playing around with the fascinate a little more that the camera on the samsung is alot better than the one on the X
I have the Incredible, my wife has the X...and I just got done setting up a Fascinate on my account for my mother. I LOVE my Incredible. That said, if I could have convinced my mom that she wanted my Incredible more, I'd have kept the Fascinate. Holy crap, that phone is gorgeous. Slim, AMAZING screen...
I'm not a fan of TouchWiz, but it was SUPER easy to root. Using titanium, I "froze" the bloatware so it won't load/run/appear in the app tray. It can be "unfrozen" in order to un-root and upgrade to 2.2. It's far snappier than both my Incredible and my wife's stock 2.2 X. The screen can't be touched.
The ONE complaint: WiFi signal strength seems to be weak. Also, 3g signal appeared lower than my Incredible in the same location, however, speed tests were almost identical every time.
google project voodoo it wont say its out for the Fascinate officially until version 5
check the post out under Samsung Fascinate---> Development---->[RELEASE] Voodoo (v0.2) ext4 lagfix for Fascinate!
Im sorry I tried to post links but it wont let me yet
I have a Fascinate my wife has the Droid X. I held off on the Droid X to check the Fascinate out. I use both phones Daily and I can honestly say I didnt think the Fascinate would compare oooh i was so wrong. performance wise if its better and after you visit the links I posted alot better. Someone said that the Fascinate feels frail feels sturdy to me just thin I have this gel case for it that makes it feal very sturdy like the X I havnt had a dropped call on the Fascinate or Droid X (unless I talk to family that have tmobile lol). take it from someone who was had bias at first and looked down on the Fascinate untill I got to try it out Keep the Fascinate. My 30 days arrent up but I definately wont go back for the DX. I almost forgot the Fascinate doesnt have a locked bootloader anything can happen but I highly doubt that it will be cracked.
droid x all the waay, but the Incredible is a good choice to just throwing that out there
I switched to a droid x from a fascinate. Gave the fascinate to my wife.
Fascinate screen is way more vibrant. Deeper blacks, brighter colors. The droid x screen is bright, but the colors don't pop out like the fascinate, and the black levels are nowhere near as deep.
I like the larger feel and the rubberized accents of the droid x, the fascinate was too small and slippery feeling.
The droid x camera doesn't do low light pictures as well as the fascinate in my opinion. The fascinate seemed to take pretty decent indoor pictures, most of the ones I've taken with the X are slighty blurry.
The X seems more polished to me. I had significantly more hangs and freezes with the fascinate. I don't think I've had a single hang or freeze with the X to date. Maybe that will get better on the fascinate with time and Froyo updates.
I felt like I could swype better on the X than the fascinate. Maybe the slight screen size difference helps out in typing.
I think the call quality on the X is better than the fascinate as well.
I think the fascinate has the potential to be an excellent phone with some updates, but the X is an excellent phone today.
The only thing that has me really "worried" about the X is the lack of true custom roms and if/when they will ever be available.
Summary- Scroll down to get a better description -------------------------------------
Droid X Pros:Gorilla Glass, Default App is Google, Google Maps instead of VZ Navigator, HDMI Port, Original Android Feeling with a little of blurr, built good so it don't feel cheap, Larger screen, Physical Camera button
Droid X Cons:Large, no Super AMOLED ( so not as vibrant as samsung), Lagged a few times on me on the lock screen.
Samsung Pros: Super AMOLED Screen, Large screen but very accessible, have not seen too much lag
Samsung Cons:No physical camera button, Samsung's UI (personally do not like it), Made of flexible Plastic and you don't feel like you have anything in your hand
Detail Description --------------------------------------------------------
I got the Samsung Fascinate when it was buy one get one free. Brother picked up one and I picked up one.
I dislike samsungs UI compared to the original android on HTC's like the G1, as I got that when it came out a while back. This would be his first Android phone so I knew he wouldn't really know the difference so he would be fine. But I saw the droid x in the store and it was in back order I just picked up the Samsung but not even more than a week I traded somebody for a droid x brand new in the box and I am happy to say I am loving the droid x.
Also Droid X has Gorilla Glass so it isn't as vulnerable as the Samsung
I use the HDMI port a lot so thats a big factor. & also take a lot of pictures and the camera is a little bit better on the X.
BIGGEST PRO: You can use Google Maps as the default app on the car dock where-as the Fascinate you have to use VZ Navigator. And Bing isn't set to the default search engine. ( I have heard the 2.2 update will fix this but I am impatient lol )
I'm hoping to get some help in making this decision by asking the expert community here at xda. I have a Fascinate now & while it's been fine in most aspects it seems to have connectivity issues with the stock email app. I live & work in a rural area & need this to work reliably. I'm coming from a Droid Eris that had no problem in this area. My 30 days isn't up yet so I can switch to something else if that will solve my problem. All Big Red has done so far is push new prls to the phone. Is the X better with 3g signal reception?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Keep the fascinating ate. When its all said and done it will get much more attention from the dev community
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I had an X and have a Fascinate and i am considering going back. It is weird.
I like the feel of the fascinate in my hand better. Both devices had/have lag issues but the X seems to be not as bad as the fascinate on lag. I am not sure what I want to do. The Incredible seems to be the least laggy of the 3. I might hang on to the fascinate in hopes of cyanogen coming.
I am torn.
I appreciate the input. How have you found the signal strength of each? For me, it has to come down to day-to-day functionality first and I need to have the best possible connection for data.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I think the X may be slightly better on reception.
Droid x is a solid phone, but depending on what you want to be able to do with your phone is what you should look at.
Ie, modding custom roms - Fascinate
Solid feel -Droid x
Locked boot loader- droid x
E fuze- droid x
Can you tell that im a little preferential ?
But seriously, the droid x is solid phone if you have no interest in running custom roms.
jarlaxle said:
I had an X and have a Fascinate and i am considering going back. It is weird.
I like the feel of the fascinate in my hand better. Both devices had/have lag issues but the X seems to be not as bad as the fascinate on lag. I am not sure what I want to do. The Incredible seems to be the least laggy of the 3. I might hang on to the fascinate in hopes of cyanogen coming.
I am torn.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that about answers my question before even being asked
id go with fascinate
X vs Fascinate
I work in an office where everyone was on Berries or various iOS devices and have slowly been making converts of them all. Most of the guys here carry either Xs or Galaxy S variants for the different networks.
I have a Fascinate and honestly the biggest difference I have found between the two is peripheral support. Moto seems to do a much better job of getting "extra" hardware out and known.
Software wise it is WAY easier to work in and on the fascinate because there is no fear of tripping that fuze or fuse or whatever it is officially called. As far as performance goes, none of us really see much difference although the S seem to have brighter\crisper screens in a wider range of tests.
I've owned both phones, and I prefer the Fascinate. I like it better because it feels better in my hand, and in the end, I think it's going to be a lot more customizable.
Thanks for all the advice. Has anyone noticed any other issues with the Fascinate? How's call quality been? Battery life? Display? Camera? All these areas have threads in the X forums as well & what I'm seeing so far is alot more ex-X owners here than ex-Fascinate owners there. I guess that should tell me something.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Well, to be fair, the Droid X has also been out longer than the Fascinate so it follows that there are fewer ex-Fascinate owners.
Another tricky thing to consider--the Droid X is going to be EOL'd (end of life) in March of 2011 according to an internal Verizon document leaked via droid-life. Presumably, Motorola will be releasing a refresh or replacement model around that time. However, Moto released updates for the original Droid well after Verizon stopped selling it, whereas Samsung is infamous for halting software support altogether once carrier(s) EOL a device. Whether or not they'll do that with their high-profile Galaxy S line at the cost of their own credibility/brand equity in the global smartphone market remains to be seen.
The consensus in the market is that the X has superior voice call quality and a more accurate GPS. If either of those factors is decisive for you, you might want to just go with the X. Also, its LCD screen displays text more crisply than the SGS' S-AMOLED screens (out of the box anyway), although the still underway Project Voodoo is aiming to help remedy this, but it's not available yet and there's no guarantee that they'll be able to make it superior, just less fuzzy than it currently is. Having said that, if you can live with the text resolution, the display on the SGS devices is truly impressive for image/video and also useable outside in sunlight! Oh and Galaxy S devices are compatible with more codecs and, despite lacking an HDMI outlet and Moto's fancy noise cancellation for phone calls, have a dedicated audio chip that makes for exceptional sound quality for music.
Samsung has promised to get Froyo and other fixes for the Fascinate out by the end of the month. A comprehensive GPS overhaul doesn't appear likely anytime soon, but the form factor is still dreamy and the fact that the bootloader is unlocked means many of the device's shortcomings may find custom ROM solutions more easily than the X.
Essentially, you'll have to decide what your priorities are and trust your own judgment. Good luck!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
I just got my Fascinate this past Sunday and these are some of the things I noticed:
- My GPS works really well in my opinion. Once in a while, it might take like 30 seconds to lock, but the GPS I was using before took just as long, if not longer (although granted, it wasn't a top of the line GPS). In any case, I really don't find any issues with the GPS.
- I don't like where they put the lock/unlock button. I keep accidentally pressing the volume rocker on the other side of the phone. Does anyone else find this annoying?
- I have noticed that reception always seems rather low. Now, I generally don't care much about how many bars of reception are displayed, but when using Google Voice to send text messages, I often get the error "Message could not be sent" and then I'd have to try again and it'd work (and I may end up sending the message twice by accident). This happens many, many times in a day, even when I appear to have good reception or am outside, etc. Does this happen to anyone else?
Anyway, after doing a lot of research between the Fascinate and the Droid X, I agree with the other person that the Fascinate is the best choice if you want to do a lot of customizing, and if you trust in the community, the Fascinate's future has more potential. I think my biggest concern for the Fascinate is the reception, which is the main thing that makes me wonder about switching to the Droid X. Other than Google Voice constantly not being able to send a message, I don't have any major issues with reception (i.e. no dropped calls in unusual places or anything else I can remember). If you don't care too much for customization and control, I'd say go with the Droid X. It is definitely a solid phone, right out of the box.
Other things about the Droid X that may factor into your decision:
- Reported to have a low speaker/ringtone
- Has an LED notification light
- Official Froyo release
I just played with both at a local wireless store. For some reason, the droid x has a lot better reception/signal. It had 5 bars, while the fascinate only had 3. Also, I ran that Speed Test App to see how fast Verizon's 3g was in my town, and the droid x got around 600, while the fascinate only got around 350. Strange. If I had to pick, I would get the droid x simple because: bigger screen, 8gb internal storage, and better signal.
"You are holding it wrong."
I had the Droid X from launch and I have them both sitting here as I type this. One of them has to be shipped back. The Droid X was meant to replace the Fascinate that replaced the Droid X.... lol ... Since the Droid X launch
Droid X (important to add I have a 32GB sd) Rebooting issues
Evo Solid Phone only drawback was space, and that was not serious.
Droid X long fight to get VZW to send me battery, back chargers ( 2 FCC complaints resulted)
Vibrant (2x on $99 dollar day) The best of them all in my opinion. Lol I still have the Avatar movie in hopes of getting past the drm on it. 16gb + 32gb. Only problem T-Mobile Customer service! Sales in English / Customer Support I don't understand English! (FCC to get refund and cancel service)
Droid X minor issues once I recieved a new one
Fascinate 1st brick, 2nd strange shut offs could be setcpu issue in hindsight.
Droid X Froyo update, working well, but (see below)
Fascinate (currently using)
As you can tell I've had some experience on this debate. I mentioned a couple other phones because they do play into my choices.
I wanted to decide between Epic, Vibrant, Fascinate or Droid X. Customer service is a big deal to me. I work for Verizon (not wireless) and this is the first time I'm using my discount on the VZ network.
Epic very nice phone, but small rom. I did have a nice discount and 4g was nice. Very hard not to take this phone
Vibrant ... Customer service killed it
Droid X amazing hardware on this phone. I can even live with the screen not being Super Amoled, but the software is terrible!
locked bootloader
No DLNA support to stream to device. Moov Atom different than most DLNA devices so Mezzmo who would create a profile is useless! Bootloader prevents cifs so not possible to mount drives (or I never found a solution). Only real option is Androstream in my opinion.
The Droid X does shine when it comes to syncing. Moto's Link tool is very nice to be free. I had no problem finding something that worked out of the box.
Fascinate small rom, but codec support is amazing! 5.1 audio. I want the option to listen to music and or watch tv shows on the go like I did with my iPhone through AirVideo. Cifs manager I can mount shares and watch anything! If I needed to I can use Twonky, Tversity, Playon and Mezzemo (they have a profile and it works well). I couldnt send a simple 5 second movie on the DX through mms, just would get an error. Fascinate converts and sends. Once this phone gets flash, native Playon support it will be perfect.
My real complaint is the fact this Version does not have the Kies option in the sync settings for Samsungs sync software. Media Monkey is the best option I've found.
The media hub now works (something happened in last couple days). Able to use my iPhone armband to workout with it as well as my
http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Research-ARWH1-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B00195HS28
I just read that HTC is going to start locking down their phones, so I might stay with Samsung a while.
I put alot of thought into this decision and if not for my just getting an iPad I would have more to say about the media issues.
It's been mentioned before. You want a solid multimedia phone for the average user. Droid X is the way to go.
Honestly buy the Fascinate it comes with a Droid X free! Buy one get one of the same or equal value promotion will always trump the Droid X on its own, I have two this way! You would laugh if you knew how many screen protectors I went through in the last couple of months. Not that I'm hearing the Samsung Tab might be 399 with 2yr or 500-600 instead of the 1k first rumored, I believe that is where my next gadgit fix will go. Google Voice + Whistler = free phone anyway on my iPad, so its going to be interesting what options I have with the Tab.
[/rambling]
INeedYourHelp said:
I just played with both at a local wireless store. For some reason, the droid x has a lot better reception/signal. It had 5 bars, while the fascinate only had 3. Also, I ran that Speed Test App to see how fast Verizon's 3g was in my town, and the droid x got around 600, while the fascinate only got around 350. Strange. If I had to pick, I would get the droid x simple because: bigger screen, 8gb internal storage, and better signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is some talk that the DX inflates its signal strength. i have seen a couple of reviews on the web with the DX and the SF next to each other and the SF showed less bars(not only cell but WiFi as well) and the SF was faster. this was also one of the problems with the iplop's signal strength before they claimed they "fixed" it with an update. i messed around with both at the local VZN store and the SF was faster opening apps and on the web. one thing i didnt like about the DX was when swiping to the next screen it always seems to over slide then slide back to center. the SF did not do this, it had a nice smooth slide from screen to screen. as for the screen, yes, the DX is larger but i see that as a down fall. there are times i slip my cell in my pocket and the larger phone is a PITA. i dont want to have to have it in a holster all the time. one shining point of the DX is the miniHDMI out. as it sits the SF doesnt do video out via a cable. of course, i dont have HDMI on my TV so its not that big of an issue. i would have preferred tthat it had the video out like the SF should have once 2.2 comes out(at least im hoping). right now, from where im sitting the SF edges out the DX but not by much. its all in what the end user wants to do with there phone.
I now have voodoo on my Fascinate and I would not go back to the X.
Battery life is on par with the x. The screen and multimedia features se much better than the x. The camera and video quality are much much better on the fascinate. And the fascinate will be much easier to customize. I've had the DInc, X, D2, and now the fascinate. Of all three the only thing I dislike the most about the fascinate is the lack of froyo. We will have that too, soon enough. Not to mention is has the best CPU/GPU combination in the mobile market anywhere. The iPhone 4 is know as a heat gaming phone. Ell guess what, the x has the powerVR SGX 530, the iPhone 4 has the powerVR SGX 535, and last but not least the Fascinate has the POWERVR SGX 540. Not to mention the sixaxis accelerometer. Its a great phone.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I had a droid x for about a week before i switched to the fascinate. Honestly i wanted to like the droid x but everything just felt slower on it. I had an epic before i dropped sprint for verizon and moving to the droid x felt like a step backwards. Even running the blurless roms for the droid x i still noticed little hitches all over the place where my epic had been totally smooth. To be fair though the gps and battery were better om the droid x for me, but i just felt like the entire system was slower in comparison to the galaxy s phones. I am really enjoying the fascinate so far though, gets better batery life than my epic did plus its so damn thin i've had a lot of peole comment on how nice this phone looks and i agree.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Cant decide which one to get. vote and Post why you chose the one you chose.
the only reason why i am leaning towards the fascinate is no locked boot loader and fast GPU for games. but i dunno if those are real issues....
Fascinate for the screen and faster hardware. Droid x is nice to just wanted the faster phone so I bought the Samsung.
fupamobile said:
Cant decide which one to get. vote and Post why you chose the one you chose.
the only reason why i am leaning towards the fascinate is no locked boot loader and fast GPU for games. but i dunno if those are real issues....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
considering you're asking this on a fascinate forum, full of fascinate users, i'm gonna go ahead and bet that the fascinate is probably gonna win this poll. just a crazy guess....
I picked fascinate over x or 2 because of screen type and size, cpu and gpu are better and improve battery life, unlocked loader, overall design is better imo, software was a slight let down on this but root fixes that and 2.2 and choose to fix that aswell. those were my reasons anyway
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate using XDA App
On fascinate the following are worse than droid x (and even my droid eris):
-Cell antenna gets worse reception by 10+dbm at all times
-gps antenna catches less satellites, and more slowly
-g-sensor/accelerometer is less accurate and responsive
But, I got this for the screen and processor. My regret is that I travel all around and with the poor cell antenna and gps, I find myself turning to my old Eris almost daily.
I'd probably get the x if I could go back. But this IS an amazing phone, don't get me wrong. You'll be happy either way.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
bbuummppppppp
I dunno, I kinda feel like my reception has been better with this phone than my Eris. The GPS has issues, but there are workarounds while we wait for a fix (it's a software issue, surprise surprise).
Sent from my Fascinate using the XDA app
I've been researching this same question WAY too much. The following sums up several of the best posts on the subject:
The fascinate seems to be a better media/entertainment/hacking phone:
-better gpu for gaming and faster chipset
-better screen for media & viewing outdoors
-Better audio chip and louder speaker
-Slightly better camera/video although less mp
The X seems to be better from a basics standpoint... internet, phone, gps
-Slightly better cell reception
-Very good mic sound quality and noise cancellation
-Slightly better battery life
-Solid GPS
-Larger screen makes browsing and using the keyboard a bit easier
I chose the fascinate over the DX after playing with both in the store extensively and carrying a dummy around in my pocket for a day (my local VZW store has great customer service).
I went fascinate because, frankly, its way lighter and the screen is amazing. Also, as a former WinMo person I found the idea of flashing ROMS and radios very attractive.
The only times I regret my choice are when I'm in a car with my wife (who has a Droid 2, her fingernails prevent her from typing on a capacitative screen) and we need to use GPS. Hers locks on in under ten seconds every time, whereas the fascinate can take upwards of 2 minutes regardless of the fixes I've applied.
had both, i prefer the samsung. when i got the moto it seemed plagued with problems from the get go...
samsung has had no problems yet. love the screen and all of the features...
Just got the Fascinate over the Droid X. I played with both in the store for a while. The fascinate seemed snappier overall and the X was just a bit too big for daily use. From what I've read, the X seems a bit better as a phone, but the Fascinate has better overall hardware for apps.
Both phones are great, I would have been happy with either. But the F called to me a bit more.
I got the Fascinate because I was able to take advantage of the Free Phone Friday promotion Best Buy had last month.
They are both great but I love the screen and how it feels in my hand along with the amazing camera.
The only thing is thatafter GPS had been turned off for a while and them back on it takes a while to lock but after that its instant.
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate using Tapatalk
ROM: Blackhole 1.3
Kernel: StupidFast 1.2.3
Fascinate - unlocked bootloader
Cant decide which one to get. vote and Post why you chose the one you chose.
the only reason why i am leaning towards the fascinate is no locked boot loader and fast GPU for games and it seems more smooth and snappy. but i dunno if those are real issues....
on this forum, it looks like the droid X is only slightly more popular.
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/09/07/samsung-fascinate-review/
my bigest concern is that no 2.2 means no official flash support. and since it recieved an maintanance update recently its not coming for a bit (otherwise they'd role it all into one). that and i hate bing. following birdman's tweets... there seems to be a lot of odd things with the root folder structure as well.
its all personal preferance, i look at the fascinate more as a toy.
bmac420 said:
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/09/07/samsung-fascinate-review/
my bigest concern is that no 2.2 means no official flash support. and since it recieved an maintanance update recently its not coming for a bit (otherwise they'd role it all into one). that and i hate bing. following birdman's tweets... there seems to be a lot of odd things with the root folder structure as well.
its all personal preferance, i look at the fascinate more as a toy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im kinda out of the loop right now. whats the story with the droid x and 2.2? that is somewhat of a big deal.
IMO, all the X has over the Fascinate is:
a lot heavier (5.47oz vs 4.1oz),
slightly larger (127x66x10.2mm vs 125x64x10.5mm),
bigger screen (4.3" vs 4.0"),
bigger camera lens (8mp vs 5mp).
*better reception*
And, oh yeah, Froyo!
Latest word from Samsung, Fascinate will have Froyo "by the end of the year." I prefer a 4" SAmoled to 4.3" LCD and I've read the Samsung takes better pictures even with the smaller lens, So I'm leaning Fascinate as well. But NOT impressed with Samsung's support.
I have a vibrant running a leaked TMo froyo, and I've played with the DX, everyone is different but I much prefer the Galaxy. Screen, feel, non-blur, really good developers, super easy to root/customize and the phone has some millions... lots of support.
I just went through 3 replacements in 7 days. I like the hackabliity of the Fascinate and the screen is gorgeous but its too thin and between TouchWiz being stock and Samsung still not having Froyo out on the eve of Gingerbread I'm not impressed. I have a Droid X on the way and couldn't be happier. Motorola has the best reception and data speed IMO. As long as I have root and WiFi Tether I'm fine. Someone will crack the bootloader eventually. The devs here are amazing.
I should add "Better reception" to my above post, that is a significant plus for the Droid X. Thanks for that, Jeffnucci. However, if you think the Fascinate is too thin you are going to be disappointed to learn the Droid X is actually thinner. Thinner and heavier may mean more fragile due to increased momentum from a 3' fall.
I think the bootloader on the Droid X is like 2.2 on the Fascinate - just don't have it yet but won't be a significant difference in several months. When they are running the same software, it's just the differences in hardware that will matter.
SupraLance said:
I should add "Better reception" to my above post, that is a significant plus for the Droid X. Thanks for that, Jeffnucci. However, if you think the Fascinate is too thin you are going to be disappointed to learn the Droid X is actually thinner. Thinner and heavier may mean more fragile due to increased momentum from a 3' fall.
I think the bootloader on the Droid X is like 2.2 on the Fascinate - just don't have it yet but won't be a significant difference in several months. When they are running the same software, it's just the differences in hardware that will matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The X is heavier though is it not? Thin and light gives me the feeling of cheapness in my hands. The X feels like it has a nice heft to it.
I played with the fascinate a bit and did not really like the feel of it. I like the fact that the DX is made of metal and has a larger screen. IMO AMOLED screens suck in bright sunlight. Almost unusable in my experience. I have owned samsung phones in the past and my experience with samsung support is sub par. Combine the DX with the Fission Rom and that equals awesomeness...lol
das7771 said:
I played with the fascinate a bit and did not really like the feel of it. I like the fact that the DX is made of metal and has a larger screen. IMO AMOLED screens suck in bright sunlight. Almost unusable in my experience. I have owned samsung phones in the past and my experience with samsung support is sub par. Combine the DX with the Fission Rom and that equals awesomeness...lol
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Click to collapse
whats so special abou the fission rom???
Fission is a vanilla android experience. It's blazing fast and doesn't have blur crap. It's a brand new phone I'm holding in my hands.
Yes it is really fast. They have worked out most if not all of the bugs and will have an official release on monday. The speed, amount of ram, and battery consumption are just a few reason to use it.
Droid x is better I had the fascinate for a month it is too buggy and cheap feeling went back to the x it is just a better phone.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
jeaton313 said:
Droid x is better I had the fascinate for a month it is too buggy and cheap feeling went back to the x it is just a better phone.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Agreed. I just got my X and it is the best phone I've had yet. I've owned an iPhone 4, a BlackBerry Torch, a Fascinate, a Droid, etc. This is fast, it feels good in my hands, it looks nice, I love it.
I had an incredible (rooted). Sweat got behind the screen so my local verizon store gave me the option of another inc or the facinate. I took the facinate. Voice quality sucks, signal sucks but the screen is unbelievable. Due to reception issues I can swap for an X but after comparing screens I just can't pull the trigger. The X's screen colors seem very washed... Is this normal or is there a fix?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
two words: "unlocked bitloader".... i am sick of this crap and this will be the last moto i own if it continues.... i wouldint buy a laptop if it had the same thing...
I have had every single phone VZW has to offer. (smart phone wise) I had the Fascinate and honestly loved it. The screen in AMAZING. I couldn't believe how nice it was and the picture quality is literally as good if not better than the X. I currently have a X and really enjoy it but i find myself missing my Fascinate from time to time. A lot of people are saying it felt cheap because of how thin it is... But i kind of liked that... The thiness i mean
irishguy0224 said:
I have had every single phone VZW has to offer. (smart phone wise) I had the Fascinate and honestly loved it. The screen in AMAZING. I couldn't believe how nice it was and the picture quality is literally as good if not better than the X. I currently have a X and really enjoy it but i find myself missing my Fascinate from time to time. A lot of people are saying it felt cheap because of how thin it is... But i kind of liked that... The thiness i mean
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Click to collapse
About the cheap feel, With the kickstand case on it, its a different phone. I don't think I can return it lol.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I went with the X due to reception, mics (noise cancellation and sound quality), battery life and the build quality.
I love the form factor and the samoled screen on the fascinate but I wasn't comfortable going with that phone due to the wonky GPS. I don't use the GPS that often but when I do I need it to work.
azturbomini said:
I had an incredible (rooted). Sweat got behind the screen so my local verizon store gave me the option of another inc or the facinate. I took the facinate. Voice quality sucks, signal sucks but the screen is unbelievable. Due to reception issues I can swap for an X but after comparing screens I just can't pull the trigger. The X's screen colors seem very washed... Is this normal or is there a fix?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The X isn't washed out, the Fascinate is just massively oversaturated. Just the nature of OLED displays. A day of not using one and you'll realize the X in fact has a very lovely screen. And technically very close to color correct.