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I have prepared this thread to help myself and others compare and contrast the different phones and hopefully come to a decision here. If anyone has anything to add to the comparison that I have missed, please list it and we can get it all chocked up.
For the record. I have only listed something as a "Disadvantage" if I believe that the category is below what we would expect of the average Android.
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Advantages:
ATRIX
Battery Life - This is a big thing for me. I can make my vibrant last through a 14 hour day by crippling every single possible feature. But people here are saying that the Atrix runs solid though 30 hour periods. This is a huge plus for me.
Higher Resolution (even if its fake) - Even though this resolution is fake and can actually cause text to blur, I can say first-hand that I saw the screen in action at a local wal-mart and found it to be acceptable by my standards. I think it may help overall with browsing. The GS2 has a larger screen size, and no pentile matrix display, which could possibly be considered better. This is one that may work out to be a tie.
Tegra 2 - I list this as an advantage not because it is faster, the various benchmarks for either processor seem to be inconclusive at this point. I am listing it as an advantage because it has its own series of games optimized specifically for it, and because Google has chosen to build their framework around tegra 2.
Webtop - I am initially hesitant to even mention this. The phone has a webtop environment, it is most likely Debian Linux and it is said to also be very sluggish. If, in the future, devs gain access to this environment and find ways to optimize it and add in worthy apps such as Chrome and open office, then this will be a massive advantage, but right now it is pretty much just a gimmick.
The webtop interface retains its session when you disconnect it. So you can plug the phone back into another dock and go right back to what you were doing. This is one of the good things about webtop.
Laptop Dock - We all know it is hideously overpriced right now and maybe in the future a cheaper solution will be available. But regardless of how you get the dock, it is an advantage to run your apps in full screen, even if you don't use the sluggish webtop interface and firefox.
The dock charges your phone, but plays sound through your atrix speakers, it has no speakers of it's own, you can answer calls by removing the phone, picking it up on bluetooth or by just yelling at it from behind the laptop. The phone retains its session when you remove it and there is no special unmounting procedure, you just grab it and run.
GALAXY S2
Screen - Bright beautiful and extremely rich. Those who have seen the screen firsthand have claimed that there is nothing like it at all and that it is miles above even the old Super Amoled display. The 4.3 inch size is also a bonus for those of us with large hands. This is probably the best overall feature of the Galaxy S2.
Camera - 8 Megapixels, and 2 megapixel front facing camera. People say that megapixels don't really matter in the long run but the Atrix camera is also said to have a purple wash to it and that the video can be splotchy in certain situations.
Design - Even though it looks way too much like the iPhone, this phone actually looks exceptionally nice. I like the three button design much better than the 4, the search button is pretty useless overall. The thinness of this phone is also amazing if you are into that sort of thing. Naturally it may come down to the US carriers to ruin the design, but by it will likely be summer before that happens.
32GB internal storage - Expect to pay for it, but it is there, you get 64 gigs total with this phone.
Gingerbread - The Atrix won't likely get gingerbread until at least this summer, this phone will have it much sooner if you get the international version coming sometime this quarter.
Gyroscope - This phone has it, do any apps support it? Not sure, but it is there.
NFC - In the off chance that any stores upgrade to NFC this year, you will have the ability to use it. NFC may have other uses that we haven't envisioned yet. It is a protocol, so it can be applied to just about anything. You could potentially set it up to unlock your home, cars could start with it, whatever.
So it has a lot of potential use other than having your money stolen from you.
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Disadvantages:
ATRIX
Bootloader - To sum it up for those not familiar, the phone can be rooted, a custom ROM can be flashed, but the kernel cannot be altered at all. (someone will likely correct me here) but if part or all of the webtop code is contained in the kernel somehow it will be difficult to alter it to add new software or make it run more efficiently. This would be a terrible shame.
I can tell you that Team Whiskey has made my Vibrant browse faster than I have seen in Atrix videos, with half the memory and a single core processor. It is scary to think of what this phone could actually accomplish if Moto decided to allow it.
Motoblur - I read that this requires you to sign up for an account before you can even use the phone. I find it alarming that Motorola has decided to help themselves to all this information and it makes me wonder just exactly what they really have access to and why.
Crippled FM radio - WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY. All of these phones have both transmitters and receivers for FM. So can someone tell me why in god's name anyone would disable them? FM radio has many more uses than just listening to local stations and why again should I have to burn my limited data on
internet radio when there is a receiver right in my phone?
GALAXY S2
Heat - My current Galaxy S runs very hot already, if the screen is active while the phone is being charged it will heat up to what seems to be a very dangerous temperature. The pre-release Galaxy S2 was said to be scorching hot after running with the screen on and the charger active.
Fail File System, Hideous and crippling lag - Update: the galaxy S2 is said to not use RFS. Chock one up for Samsung.
Updates - Samsung has a horrible reputation for updates when working with US carriers, even for new phones. If it was not for this community I would have likely given up on Android and Samsung altogether. Although I know that part of the update delay has been t-mobile, it is also in Samsung's interests to ship out new phones instead of updating their old ones.
Battery Life I have a feeling that Samsung tried to push the limits to get their phone to be as thin as possible and I am worried that they have done so at the expense of battery life. We won't know for sure until it gets in people's hands but I expect the battery life to be subpar.
NO HID Bluetooth Support (possibly) - I have had a black wiimote sitting here for 6 months waiting to connect to my Vibrant. I love emulated classics but action games are near impossible to play with the on-screen kb. So if you want this feature, I would make sure that the GS2 has it first, because it is not likely that it will.
Availability - What it really comes down to now. Unless you want to shell out over 1000 for the phone, you will probably need to wait 5 months from now for any kind of US availability this summer. And don't doubt that those versions will become crippled and even more bloated in the process. But again there is no locked bootloader here.
Ok I think that covers it. Having written all this down, I think I am really leaning more toward the Atrix. There just doesn't seem to be anything else out there now that will be able to match it at the moment. And as you can see, our experience with Samsung has not been exceptional.
Good comparison there. I am also looking at the exact 2 models and thank you very much, looks like Atrix will too be my choice.
I guess I'll get the atrix laptop dock too and prays for the devs here to make it all better. Otherwise, I think its still a good piece of hardware I don't mind owning.
""Samsung's dual-core, Gingerbread-powered Galaxy S II has appeared on Play.co.uk alongside a tentative SIM-free price and release date. According to Play, which is currently taking pre-orders for the phone, it'll ship Mar. 31 for £599.99 (~$960). Pre-release prices are never guaranteed to be accurate and are always subject to change, but £599 seams like a realistic price point for the Galaxy S II, as it's slightly higher than current single-core offerings from other manufacturers.""
Just published at androidcentral. £599.99 (~$960)?? Get a grip..
Not bad, just a couple of things to note that I thought of while reading. First, the screen resolution can be arguable considering the Pentile screen that the Atrix uses. That gives the SGS2 more sub pixels, but then it's a bigger screen, so less (I believe) pixel density still... it's really kind of a toss up, but I think they will both look great. I think the lower resolution and bigger screen on the SGS2 will look just fine with the full 3 subpixels per pixel.
Also, the SGS2 looks nothing like an iPhone. I wish people would stop saying that about every phone that comes out. Apparently every square black phone with a screen is an iPhone now.
And also it's been reported that the SGS2 does not use RFS.
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
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The updates aren't really an issue for people who visit sites like this. I would never rely on Samsung to update my phone. My Captivate has been running 2.2 for ages while they just released the update for everyone else. Yes, Samsung sucks at updating, but the hacking community will always get it done regardless.
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
eallan said:
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
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I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
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Man_of_Leisure said:
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
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I wouldn't mind if the buttons were hardware, thats another debate. I just want all four of them!
The back button is beyond crucial. Maybe back and home should be two hardware with the other capacitive? For symmetry, obviously a concern for samsung .
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
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King Shady said:
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
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****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
AJerman said:
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
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The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
SGS2 is apparently RFS-free. Also, some versions will have Tegra2 instead of Exynos - hope this includes us.
People knock Samsung's plastic designs, but they're actually a lot harder to break than the "well-built" iPhone 4.
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
By looking at my signature, you can see that I just got the Atrix as well, and I love the phone. Amazingly fast, awesome screen (love the higher density and the effect itbhas on the overall experience), and the battery is pretty good too.
I'm seriously thinking about buying the laptop dock, but I don't know how well that will perform, and I haven't seen any live videos of it.
I really like the design and specs of the GS 2, but there are a lot of possible problems holding me back....
Rooted/ROM Captivate (For Sale)
Rooted Atrix
FLAC Vest said:
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
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Thanks a lot, bro.
I am no engineer and I can't build tools. But I can put a few thoughts together and provide someone with some information.
This is an amazing community and what people do here is outstanding, I just want to do what I can to add to that.
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
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S2 looks like meizu m9
I have both and a Galaxy S 2 on order
Why? I really liked the Captivate. My plan was to use both but the Atrix is so much more fun to use I'm selling the Captivate. Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Yesterday after I removed the SIM card and replaced it, the Atrix went bonkers with freezes and instability issues. After numerous soft resets, two factory resets and replacing the SIM card, SD card and battery a couple of times it seems to be back to normal. I suspect I had reinserted the SIM card incorrectly but maybe there was another issue.
So why would I pay $1000 for the Galaxy S 2? The Captivate was that much fun. Although I'm sure we will be able to do more custom rom's shortly on the Atrix, the Galaxy S 2 sounds like an even bigger blast than either. And boy oh boy does that LG 3D look interesting. But you have to draw the line somewhere.
Here is what the Atrix has that the Captivate does not:
1-better graphics and screen quality, dynamic and vivid visuals, a joy to read and watch (text as well as video quality is sharp and crisp, very clear)
2-more interactive features with outside devices (i.e. computers)
3-interacts more efficiently with e mail, voice and text programs (really like the way it handles multiple incoming calls especially when you are already on one-notification, instructions and directions for handling)(I can now actually use Excel spreadsheets and Word documents) (works well with contacts)
4-updated browser can handle more types of video content and pop up windows better
5-it feels better when you hold and talk or watch or do most anything with it (I did make one call and even though I could hear the other party clearly they could not hear me-I do not what happened.)
My friends all tell me I should get an iphone. I had one for years and the Androids are far more fun. I'll never return. I don't think. LG 3D anyone?
I think Tegra2 is actually a disadvantage for Atrix 4G.
As a new generation dualcore processor, it's early, but not strong.
It's video playback ability of H.264 is limited, but H.264 is currently the most frequently played format.
It has no neon support, big loss on processing power.
Till now Tegra2 has not proven itself in Graphics power. In benchmarks it's no superior to Hummingbird.
However the performance of Mali400MP on GS2 is also questionable, so just wait and see...
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
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+1 great post!
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
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See, I don't understand that. There is far less plastic on the Captivate than the majority of the phones out there. The front is all glass, and the back is mostly metal. It's only the top and bottom on the back that are plastic, and they have both felt very solid to me since I got the phone on launch day. I came from an iPhone 4 as well, and granted nothing compares to the iPhone 4 in build quality, the Captivate definitely doesn't seem bad at all to me.
As long as you're happy with what you have now though, that's what matters. I just think the Inspire is a bit of a waste of money considering it's lack of power compared to all the other phones coming out now. It feels like it's last generation still. I did play with it a little at the AT&T store though, and it seemed nice. If it had come out last summer with the Captivate (even if it didn't have 4G), I might have gotten it. Now I'm going to wait until a dual core offering I like though.
Ok guys ive been reading mixed comments about the Atrix that its good and that its not. I was in 2 minds whether to get the Atrix or the LG Optimus 2X. Originally I was gonne get which ever I could get my hands on 1st. Both have their pros and cons i.e. camera, ram, locked bootloader, screen quality, internal memory etc
Well I decided to get the LG and this comment made in the o2x forum sealed it
Ive been using my atrix couple weeks an am falling out of love with it fast, after yesterday it ramdomly shut off 2x an today once sofar. The screen is beging to bother me the screendoor washed out look. Allready returned lapdock, that cant even compare to a real laptop in my opion. So im looking hard at the Lg 2x for an upgrade of camera, gyroscope, performance, faster upgrade to gingerbread, real mirroring, 1080p recording an play back, 7.1 sound, totaly unlocked phone. Yes 512mb memory is trade off, but operating system will handly that, an the battery is non issue, I'll have a spare battery or a charging source anyway. Not to mention not paying 20/month to not tether, an having my data speeds throttled down to 1.5mb down an 310kb up lat of 350-800. An Atrix doesnt do LTE
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But now im stiill thinking what to do as Im so impatient and want a dual core phone asap. So I made this poll to see everyones view
Coming from a N1, there's not that much improvement. I'm satisfied, but not amazed by this phone. Still debating if I should return it and wait it out.
My impressions:
-Definitely faster, everything is much snappier, but browsing-wise there's not much of a difference.
-Screen is bright and sharp (as long as you don't put your face within inches of the screen you won't really notice the pentile display. But it's still an annoyance when you notice it)
-Camera is marginally better. Pretty disappointing for a flagship device. Plus the media gallery lags like this is a 2 year old phone when zooming in and out.
-GPS is amazing
-Pretty much Motorblur slows this phone's speed and potential. If this device was stock or able to flash truly custom ROMs, it'd be screaming in speed and blow every competitor out of the water.
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Custom ROMS would make it a whole lot better.
19 voters.. 2 responses.. lol
I think it lives up to the hype.. couple quirks I miss from my captivate but.. besides that the phone is solid.
Now I just got to wait for Tango to support our phones :T
Came from the LG Expo. A much better improvement than the last generation phones. The phone just beats about everything out of the expo. Only thing getting to me is that the expo's fingerprint scanner doubled as a trackpad (would've been nice to have for editing text's)
harolds said:
Custom ROMS would make it a whole lot better.
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This pretty much summed it up
I think this is a situation that there is not enough tangible usage of a dual core for majority of people. Most of people wont notice any improvements in UI speed. We need evolution of software just like in iOS that despite this same architecture people could understand what the new software is bring them.
It feels a bit like a premature technology and we are all living dreaming of tomorrow while we are beta testing for Motorola/Samsung/HTC.
Just 2 cents.
Believe what you want but I love the Atrix. Had a captivate and it doesn't compare. My phone has never rebooted or lagged- I don't know what others do to theirs but my phone is rock solid.
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I'm lovin mine all around. For people who return it because of locked bootloader, I'd say that you knew that when you bought it if it's a dealbreaker.
The webtop dock alone has made this phone exceed the hype. All thanks to the devs
You guys rock
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i have a nexus one and now and atrix and have had it for about a week and i love it. It works great, no random reboots or anything ... just smooth sailing.
I know i can not customize it like I could my N1 but I think that day will come in time. I'll wait ...
Yes, it lived up to the hype in my opinion.
Came from Nexus One. Love the Atrix. It fast and solidly built. Im not sure why everyone said motorblur slow the phone down. I use ADW launcher and it scream.
The Atrix doesn't live up to the Best of CES 2011 hype. The locked bootloader, 1080p "coming soon" recording, overpriced lapdock, overpriced multimedia dock, and good-but-not-great screen keep it from living up to the incredible hype it garnered when it was announced.
Your poll is worded slightly differently: Was the Atrix worth it?
I just came from an ancient Iphone 3g, so the Atrix is absolutely amazing in pretty much every way compared to it and finally getting to use my upgrade was absolutely worth it!
I originally tried out a Captivate for about a week back when I first came up for an upgrade last november. It kept turning itself off (not sleep, total shutdown so I wouldn't receive calls, txt, email ect.) which was a deal breaker. The useless GPS didn't help it's case either. Screen was gorgeous, speed was decent, build quality was ok, battery life was ok. Anyways, I sent the Captivate back after a week, I couldn't have a phone that didn't take phone calls.
First and foremost I love the speed. This thing is lightning fast and seems to have horsepower to burn under the hood. Second is the battery life, I get home from work most of the time with over 40% battery power remaining which is absolutely astounding, my iphone couldn't make it through a full day without getting some juice at my desk and while the captivate did, it was usually at 10-15%. I'm also using the Atrix more than either of the others because I don't feel like I have to conserve battery power to make it through the day.
After those two big features, there are a bunch of less important things that I like:
Finger print scanner is great, I can unlock the phone without even looking at it. I know this doesn't sound important, but it's surprisingly useful when I'm just trying to pull information off my phone quickly and can have it already unlocked as I'm pulling it out of my pocket.
GPS is the best I've experienced on a phone, and better than some dedicated GPS units I've had the displeasure to work with.
Build quality (contrary to some reports I've read) is quite good imo. The phone itself is very sturdy feeling when held by the sides. The back cover is a bit flimsy, but it is also what convinced me to skip getting a case for the Atrix, if it gets scratched I'll just get a new back.
Gorilla Glass is not glued to LCD. Should keep repair costs down.
HDMI out is great, webtop with working firefox extensions is awesome.
Some good, some bad:
Screen resolution is good (colors not so much). The auto-brightness seems to be set a little low imho. I only notice a pentile effect on particularly small+thin fonts.
Camera is surprisingly good in low-light and indoor conditions. Not especially great overall though, tint seems a little off. May just need to set up a custom photoshop filter to correct it.
Call quality is good in quiet conditions, very clear reception and a detailed microphone. Not so good in noisy or windy conditions, the mic picks up a lot of extraneous noise, people are often asking me what's going on or where I am now based on background noise.
I haven't had much reason to use the front facing camera...frankly with AT&T's network I think video chat is a gimmick more than anything else.
I wonder about the finger print scanner/button longevity.
I wouldn't necessarily say the Atrix is the best phone around, but it was the best phone that fit my requirements (ATT, asap, batt life, fast) and so far I like it a lot.
Running ADW Launcher and really like the Advanced Clock widget.
I took mine back and have the Nexus 1 now; I liked the speed but for the most part, my 2.3.3 phone is about as fast; the main thing slowing these phones down now is the network speeds anyway.
If I'm on a wifi network, they're all pretty much the same speed.
Living up to the hype? Definitely not. There are a lot of small problems with this phone that a lot of people don't like; to me, it feels slightly rushed.
I came from an iPhone 4 and I haven't missed the iPhone experience yet. I started with the HTC Inspire which is a nice phone but the battery is rotten and the volume from the phone was pathetic. The Atrix has been an awesome phone for me. It has pretty good battery life so far and yes there are no truly custom ROMs but Adeo (REDUX) has made the UI lag go away on my end and I know others have said the same thing. I am loving the experience of this phone.
Just know that anytime you get a phone shortly after a better one will come out. It's all user preference and what you want and what you think is important. I'm happy but guy x may not be happy. So use one and if you don't like it don't keep it.
I went from a HTC Fuze directly to the Atrix. I love it. (almost) Everything about it. I have played with the Inspire and a couple other 2.1/2.2 devices (girlfriends captivate) and this thing stomps the crap out of them. The colors are just a little off, but that's probably just me going for an extreme upgrade from the phone I had before.
The *ONLY* gripe I have about it is the locked HSUPA. But with all good things come some bad, I think I'm gonna stick it out with the Atrix. Not only that but Spectral Souls looks amazing on it
Guys, please, help me to make a right decision.
Is it possible to buy AT&T version of Motorola Atrix and use it outside US? Is it simple to unlock it? Or where do you recommend to purchase unlocked phone.
P.$.: does motorola have any plans to upgrade it 2.3/3.1 in the future? As I know it's not the trivial to customize firmware for motorola phones (my old G1 can be customized without any problems).
Thanks a lot.
The phone is great nuff said.... We are all a bit too picky but for what its worth this is really the only phone out right now that can take down the iphone 4. My iphone 4 has just been sitting on my night table since I got the Atrix. Atrix has so much more potential and the Android os is so much more pleasing than iIS. Once the bootloader gets cracked its game over!
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Genixoid said:
Guys, please, help me to make a right decision.
Is it possible to buy AT&T version of Motorola Atrix and use it outside US? Is it simple to unlock it? Or where do you recommend to purchase unlocked phone.
P.$.: does motorola have any plans to upgrade it 2.3/3.1 in the future? As I know it's not the trivial to customize firmware for motorola phones (my old G1 can be customized without any problems).
Thanks a lot.
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Yes, I am using Atrix on my business trips to EU using local sim cards.
Probably, but the timing of updates is another question.
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I'm on Cappy #3. And now my speaker doesn't work.
I'm going to argue a lemon and see if ATT can't let me have a different phone.
I was looking at the Atrix but- has anyone used both the Captivate and Atrix? Why would I chose the Atrix? I'm using Serendipity ROM, it's great, fast...
I don't really use GPS much (mainly because it sucks- but also because I just don't use it). So overall I'm happy, I'm just tired of the Captivate hardware issues.
What scares me about the Atrix is the locked bootloader. If it works out of the box, great, but you sure do limit support with a locked bootloader. But maybe Motorola actually updates it and there's not a need for custom ROMs?
My other options, were perhaps waiting for the SGS II (or something else). It's still Samsung, but I have a feeling, just like the Captivate, the draw of the specs and beautiful screen might be too hard to resist.
June iPhone 5 launch isn't too far away, either. But the problem with both of these, is I don't know if ATT will let me get a brand new-just-released device, you know?
I also considered getting the iPhone 4 and just living with the Apple nonsense world until this summer- and selling it (iPhone fanboys pay crazy money for those devices, I could flip it easily).
But even with the retina display, I don't know if I could live with an LCD display. ???????
Ideas?
I've got the vibrant, the captivate and just picked up the atrix last week.
Only thing that really bothers me is the screen, the colours are so much less vibrant, its not a deal killer but i don't like the washed out look.
the camera app on the atrix is kinda odd too, i prefer the galaxy one, but you get used to it, its slow to focus and no spot focus.
i miss the quiet mode alarm clock of the captivate too. i liked being able to access the wifi off on and by dragging down at the top, the motoblur is initially annoying.
took me a little while to get used to the power button placement, i dig the fingerprint reader. the usb connection is in an annoying location (off to the side) and at least you get and hdmi cable with it.
its a lot more fluid speedwise, dont get the lag i was used to with the galaxy.
Screen vs. Screen, captivate kills it. The motion blur is so noticeable on the atrix its almost a slap in the face.
The screens between the captivate and atrix are completely different and appeal to different people. Yes the captivate is much more vivid and bright but the atrix's qHD display is much more accurate and crisp and the graphics when gaming blow the captivate out of the water imo.
The NVIDIA processor and gpu make a big difference in screen quality and quicker rendering of images and videos.
I have both a captivate and atrix but I use my atrix as my daily phone due to the battery life and stable gps.
Don't get me wrong though i love being able to mod my captivate which is a big reason why I have not sold it yet.
If you have the option to grab the atrix, take it, it will be a major upgrade.
Atrix wins hands down. While the screen is more vibrant on the cappy, i think the quality is better on the Atrix. Even though the first atrix i got had some sort of hardware issue, i was just able to return it and have it work. WIth the cappy i was stuck with a terrible GPS no matter how many times i'd return it. The camera on the captivate seems to be much better tho unless you're dealing with night shots or out door shots in the bright sun.
While i miss the community of the captivate and all the possibilities of Roms, i'm quite content with my atrix knowing with almost certainty that i'll get gingerbread and i won't have to wait almost a year for it.
The screen really isn't good on the Atrix; I compared tthe Captivate, Nexus 1 , and Atrix aide by side and ended up taking the Atrix back and selling the Captivate.
If you want a higher resolution, just go and get a LCD density app off the market.
As for speed, the Atrix really isn't that much faster. Foe the most part, all apps aside from games aren't really CPU heavy, it's the allocation of apps all running at once that slows people down. If you properly manage your running apps then you shouldn't see much of a seed difference. (My N1 and Atrix are nearly identical).
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
TexUs said:
I'm on Cappy #3. And now my speaker doesn't work.
I'm going to argue a lemon and see if ATT can't let me have a different phone.
I was looking at the Atrix but- has anyone used both the Captivate and Atrix? Why would I chose the Atrix? I'm using Serendipity ROM, it's great, fast...
I don't really use GPS much (mainly because it sucks- but also because I just don't use it). So overall I'm happy, I'm just tired of the Captivate hardware issues.
What scares me about the Atrix is the locked bootloader. If it works out of the box, great, but you sure do limit support with a locked bootloader. But maybe Motorola actually updates it and there's not a need for custom ROMs?
My other options, were perhaps waiting for the SGS II (or something else). It's still Samsung, but I have a feeling, just like the Captivate, the draw of the specs and beautiful screen might be too hard to resist.
June iPhone 5 launch isn't too far away, either. But the problem with both of these, is I don't know if ATT will let me get a brand new-just-released device, you know?
I also considered getting the iPhone 4 and just living with the Apple nonsense world until this summer- and selling it (iPhone fanboys pay crazy money for those devices, I could flip it easily).
But even with the retina display, I don't know if I could live with an LCD display. ???????
Ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't see the iPhone 5 in June lol.
-Sent from my Galaxy Tab
After two weeks of experience with the atrix and a few months with the captivate I can say this:
The atrix has a better build quality,awesome fingerprint scanner (no one can use my phone/log into my bank account but me and I'm too lazy to type a code or dawing shapes everytime I want to use it) ,amazing GPS reception (works even indoors!, sometimes I get 1meter accuracy!) a better battery and a better performance (twice the ram the cappy has (great for multitasking and battery juice), dual core cpu (less noticeable at this time), etc)
The Captivate has amazing screen colors but lower res (it took me a few days to get used to the atrix, I sure would give up on qhd for led) More games support it at this time,thicker&lighter,neat camera (way better than the atrix, at least at day light) looks better (from my point of view) and much more customizable (due to unlocked bootloader - endless roms, kernels, etc)
Horrible GPS reception and annoying build quality (I heard "clicks" when texting) made me dump the cappy and buying the atrix.
If you don't use GPS much (I use it all the time) and you don't care about
build quality (acceptable on the atrix but far from being htc) you can
stick with your GalaxyS, overall, it is a pretty good phone.
Bottom line is, from my point of view, is that the atrix is for more mature and professional usage/business, and the GalaxyS is better for teens/early 20's (better multimedia capabilities) - Since I just turned 26 I changed it
Both phones have terrible laggy home screens so I didn't consider using touchwiz nor motoblur and I didn't even took it as a feature (gde with
odestrian/launcherpro will make your handset happy)
Me, after having I7500 and Captivate, I'm done with Samsung, at least for now, looks like I'm gonna stick with my atrix for at least two years (but who knows..)
I prefer to the qHD resolution. Color on Atrix is not that bad it is acceptable. I also have a Samsung Wave with Super Amoled and i can still live with Atrix's screen. It is not that biggie as many people are telling. First time i looked at Samsung Wave's screen i fell in love with it and bought it. Then i showed it to friends and they were impressed and jealous. But now i even forget i have a Super Amoled to watch photos and play games. Many people look at my Wave dont show their impress even though they have never used any better than an LCD phone.
So, with the Captivate, an unlocked bootloader means we can custom ROM it and strip the crappy UI out and use whatever we want (and also do things like Voodoo).
That does not exist on the Atrix. That's part of my worry??? Are you content with just using Launcher Pro?
Let me ask this, I'd definitely consider the iPhone 4's to be the best looking LCD out there right now in a phone, how does the Atrix compare to it?
Design Gears dumped the Atrix, eh? That isn't too reassuring, lol.
I took my atrix back. Couldn't stand the screen, horrible viewing angles horrible color and the phone overall imo was junk. I had too many freezups and had to do 3 master resets on it in a matter of 2 weeks. 1 of those weeks it sat in its box on the fridge.
I would wait for something else to come along. It won't be much longer before new phones hit the market. I would stay away from iphone also unless if you don't mind eating spaghetti every day.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
TexUs said:
So, with the Captivate, an unlocked bootloader means we can custom ROM it and strip the crappy UI out and use whatever we want (and also do things like Voodoo).
That does not exist on the Atrix. That's part of my worry??? Are you content with just using Launcher Pro?
Let me ask this, I'd definitely consider the iPhone 4's to be the best looking LCD out there right now in a phone, how does the Atrix compare to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from a Nexus One where it seemed like I flashed a new ROM every week. I now have an Atrix and have been very happy with it. Locked bootloader... doesn't bother me. Everything I have wanted to do with it have been possible with root access and Launcher Pro Plus. IMHO, the screen is fantastic (both resolution and colors) (it took a few day of getting used to the colors), motoblur does not slow the phone down (from a skinning standpoint, it's ugly but I have fixed that with custom icons/widgets (screenshot), and I will be keeping this phone for a while now.
edit: oh, and the phone is crazy fast!
Well, i just broke my sgs for the third time , and im not fixing it anymore, in fact, just sold it as it is.
sgs2 is too expensive for me, and im thinking in something diferent too. So i must choose for atrix, or optimus 2x. my first choica fas the o2x, but on its forum, ppl said crap against this phone lol. so im here to ask, what do you think about atrix, does it worth?
thanks!
oh hell yes worth every cent !
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
I like my atrix.
i like the size, the speed.
i like its accessories like the car dock and the lapdock.
and i love the fingerprint reader. love it.
it's a good phone. solid.
and i found out not evan a monkey can break it trying to root and unlock it aslong as it can read
instructions
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
This is true, but we sadly do have a lacking development community to some extent. One reason why I'm considering leaving this phone. Although we do have ICS and MIUI on the way, probably in the next month or too. Ill stick around until I had my fun with those. But anyways its a solid phone with good specs that could really last you for a while.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
My gf has an Sgs2 and I have the Atrix. The SGS2 only has a better camera( which in my opinion is not a big deal as I love the 5 megapixel camera on the atrix. It satisfies ask my needs) and it also has a gorgeous screen, which again is not a big deal for me because my battery life is 24+ hours with brightness tuned to Max. I love the screen on the atrix although the one on SGS2 is better.
I think that the atrix is the most underrated phone ever. This thing can do more....a lot moee than what the SGS2 can do + it's got unique features like fingerprint scanner.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
you guys really made my mind. my choice is made, gonna buy an atrix tomorow. Thanks and welcome to me haha
infestedd said:
you guys really made my mind. my choice is made, gonna buy an atrix tomorow. Thanks and welcome to me haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go with the samsung galaxy s 2 for development. The phone is being supported by miui offically and you will get the lastest updates. If it costs to much for you .. you should probably save up.
just one last question: in latin america atrix dont have gingerbread yet. would be too hard to flash an international version? and 2.2 bootloader is locked, and 2.3 is open right? thanks! the version i would buy is atrix mb860
cannot (not yet at least) find out a phone which fits my needs as Atrix
I dont have an idea to make a PR or the comparisons between GS2, Op2X... or so on and the Atrix, but I would like to share my experiences as well as cons./pros of this phone so that you may have more exactly choice to pay money.
- Firstly, this is the best phone which has been offering me the highest quality of voice call, gsm, gps and wifi signals. Such the things satisfied me in the intensity and the stability of radio. I've been owned some other brands of smartphone before switched to the Atrix so that I can surely share this experience to anyone.
- The second pros is the huge battery that in fact impressed me more than the Moto's advertisements or disparagements somewhere out there. With the Atrix, the annoying issue of battery lifetime that I faced before is fully disappear .
- Atrix is so far so good in providing the strong secure ability under hardware level through the biometric sensor which is well known as Fingerprint scanner. Not only adding a mediocre feature of unlocking screen by fingerprint authorization, but it also added valued security options for protecting any sensitive things in my phone such as the business data, PIM data, apps, accounts... Such an ability performs security checks excellently while still keeping no change of speed for me in accessing the phone by myselft. Yeah, I mean that I dont need to enter the boring password or swipe the pattern to unlock the phone or launch an apps, etc...
In special addition, the fingerprint scanner on the Atrix also has the ability of operating as the track pad including the touch click like a mouse when you use the CM7-Fingerprint version at here
- The forth, Atrix offers valued entertainment features. I mean the lapdock and the webtop expansion. Though it wont works for replacing a laptop or your PC, but it offered me an excellent entertainment with a HD TV in games or Web surfing like a PC. Along with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, I even forgot I were playing on a phone! Becos it is really like a PC with a huge screen! If you cannot figured out this, just imagine that you are lying at now on the bed for relax with your TV before going into sleep, you always have a wireless keyboard and a mouse somewhere at the top of your bed, just take them and get started surfing the web, or maybe the facebook or anything else including games,... Well, you have the 3 in only 1 entertainment device, that are the TV, the PC and the smartphone. All of them are integrated into one big TV screen. And whats up when you feel now asleep? You give an eye to the docked phone (yes, its Atrix with the multimedia dock), seeing that is 11pm and the 60% battery in charging! Well, just leave it alone till next morning it will be ready at 100% charged for you for new working day. And for now, simply go to sleep!
Still not stopped at there, with a multimedia dock station you also are provided the great convenience in review or backup photos/videos/documents or anything else in the phone to your external storage such as an external drive, an USB drive or both..., just by plugging them through the USB ports on the dock station and using buil-in File Manager in webtop to browse data
Above are things that cannot be supported by another device till now, in my opinion
- For the biggest disadvantage of this phone, Atrix I mean, as my own view it is the Pentile screen. It is really not smoother and glitter than some others like GS2, Sensation, Galaxy Note...
Once you rooted & nlocked bootloader & tried the various Roms you find them to be a much of a muchness.
The stock rom is laggy, GB & froyo.
Rommed it's much better but nothing special.
Hardware it's prety cool, music played through power amp with flac is fantastic. Not much else is outstanding
If I knew then what I know now - I would avoid like the plague - Motorola Europe are pants.
Get a HTC or a Nexus, anthing but a Motofail - I'll never buy on again
Sorry it's bad news
well i came to a new problem now. the seller just offered me an milestone 3 (droid 3 xt860) . the price is not mutch higher. should i get it instead of atrix?
infestedd said:
well i came to a new problem now. the seller just offered me an milestone 3 (droid 3 xt860) . the price is not mutch higher. should i get it instead of atrix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the MS3 you gain different advantages such as the physical keyboard, the 8MP camera... but at the same time you lost 512MB of RAM compared to the Atrix
Sent from my MB525 using XDA Premium App
The Atrix is a very solid device and if you are looking to go the cheap route, it is definitely a strong option. Keep in mind however, that because of Moto's early bootloader debacle, the dev support for the phone isn't quite up to par with some of the higher profile phones like the SGS2. I would say that the two glaring drawbacks of the Atrix are the pentile screen and camera. When you pay close enough attention, you can tell that there are gaps between the colors, especially noticeable on the battery indicator. The camera on the Atrix is just sub-par. The colors seem too washed out and images aren't too sharp when compared with other phones out on the market. IMO, the quality of the recorded video seems better than the images, and it seems that something in the GB update made both just slightly better, but the camera is still on the bottom of my currently cycled phones.
That said, there still is legitimate development going on for the Atrix, and it is very likely going to get some form of ICS in the future (possibly not official from Motorola). The phone is coming up on a year old, but it's still one hell of a workhorse. My Galaxy Nexus is supposed to be coming in later today, but I can definitely still see myself using the Atrix from time to time. The build quality feels really solid.
The pentile display is actually not much of a problem for me. Anything is okay for me if it saves significant amount of battery life and moreover the display still is more than enough for me. Never like the oversaturated screen on my friend's captivate.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
Pentile matrix is really an advanced technology which gives a higher brightness, higher contrast and sharper screen. Hence it allows the manufacturer to decrease the intensity of the back-lit torch for saving power. But, as a cost, the "gaps" phenom is known as the characteristics of this technology. It can be corrected by increasing the pixels intensity of the screen, e.g. to HD resolution, so this technology is really a chance for the new handsets in the future. As for the Atrix, this is a loveable cost for major of people to gain the more attractive benefits that is the less consumption of battery power.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
Yes get it. ATRIX is on the list of supported phones for the gta 3 that's coming out soon. Check engadget.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Hello everybody,
Im planning on purchasing the atrix only for the finger print security feature. Do you think its a good move. Im currently using samsung galaxy W.
Does it have a functional CM9 with camera and finger print scanner. Is it easy to use or just an over hyped feature?
Hows the battery life?
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA
Sensor is easy to use but you still have to press and then swipe. I am currently using it on CM7. I am not sure if it is working on CM9.
IMO, this phone isn't worth a penny now. You should look into a more recent phone that already has ics.
Atrix_Owner said:
IMO, this phone isn't worth a penny now. You should look into a more recent phone that already has ics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But isnt this the only phone with a finger print sensor? I love the galaxy nexus but the hardware on atrix seems good enough combined with this unique security feature.
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA
tanveer55 said:
But isnt this the only phone with a finger print sensor? I love the galaxy nexus but the hardware on atrix seems good enough combined with this unique security feature.
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are 100% sure that you want a phone with a finger print sensor then yes, the Atrix is the only one. I personally find the screen size of the Atrix which is 4 inches too small nowadays. The CPU quickly overheats even with browsing the internet or watching a video. Yes, the 1GB of ram and the dual core are nice but I would personally go with the galaxy nexus since you will be getting Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) that Google just announced a few days ago.
She has been kicking butt.
I'm not sure why "Atrix_Owner" is being so negitive about the Atrix, unless there has been some trouble.
The specs on the phone are decent, and it has been very responsive. At the moment CM7 is still far more tested than 9, and If you want proper support for the array of docking accessories, I would suggest a blur rom (I have reverted to using NottachTrix).
I would say if it fits your budget and you are wanting a print scanner, it is well worth it. If nothing else, the battery life is pretty amazing once you are away from a stock rom. Just make sure to search the forums for instructions on battery calibration.
Atrix is a good buy considering price / performance ratio and its unique features.
This phone is really good, and there are many cm7 based roms with working fingerprint. If Motorola honours its commitment to give us ics, then we'll have really good cm9 roms as well. I do hope the ics drivers carry over to jelly bean as well, since I highly doubt Motorola will provide an update for that once its released.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
i have dual booted my atrix and it runs both the roms with zero lag !!
so hardware-wise you're not falling behind unless you want a quad core !
buying it now totally depends at the price you would be getting it !
also battery life and audio quality is excellent on this device !
still one of my favourite devices :good:
If you get the phone for less than $50, go for it. Otherwise...get a flagship phone.
I like the Atrix because of the scanner lock, I dont think it is a feature that most people use or need but for me it is a reason I am keeping my phone. If I want to surf the web or watch a movie I use my Xoom.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
Thanks alot guys for the help and your advises. Its always good to recieve feedback from actual users of the phone.
Brand new costs 400 usd but there is a guy selling a sealed brand new piece for 265. I guess id go for it.
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA
I have 2 atrixes. They are good phones for the price. I lucked out I think and got them both at 150 a piece used. Just found out my warranty is good on both still and sent one back to motor( there latest update messed it all up). If u want to spend more money you can get something better but in my opinion you get plenty bang for your buck
Atrix_Owner said:
If you are 100% sure that you want a phone with a finger print sensor then yes, the Atrix is the only one. I personally find the screen size of the Atrix which is 4 inches too small nowadays. The CPU quickly overheats even with browsing the internet or watching a video. Yes, the 1GB of ram and the dual core are nice but I would personally go with the galaxy nexus since you will be getting Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) that Google just announced a few days ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might as well wait for the Note 2 if you are going to waste money on a GNX.
ICS is overrated anyway for all the hoopla it gets.
Basically like when people go so excited over GB. *yawn*
I have 1 week with a used atrix (preview owner of a xperia play) i was always a sony fan but seen the screen of the atrix i have never seen any xperia (even the new ones) with a screen so nice.
If you check specs on new phones this one is on the top. Maybe the battery is weak (if you use it for intense gaming) .
ICS? i liked it on tablet but not on my phone. I own a motorola xoom and it was a relif when ICS came because it was made for table but on phones it only adds few changes worth the upgrade. Motoblur got it right with gingerbread. ICS looks to black and bland :S
The phone is pretty good if you get it REALLY cheap.
It has some hardware features which I adore such as dedicated HDMI port, the fingerprint scanner and a pretty decent battery but the tegra 2 chipset is just weak, unless you're using CM7 you'll have animation lag and the developers community is rather dedicated but relatively tiny compared to the flagship devices from google, samsung and HTC.
If you're just looking for great performance, ROM stability and variety
get a nexus or S3, the smoothness and the ROM variety is remarkable.
I purchased my atrix for the webtop. I really hoped that it would be something I could take for some light web browsing and note taking and it was a horrible, laggy and broken experience.
Only now with a relatively stable CM7 the webtop experience is getting pretty good but instead of utilizing the full screen resolution, it simply mirrors the phone with a sub-par resolution.
Current CM9 roms can't record video, have a really unstable cam and often have graphic related issues which are not in any way a developer's fault since they have to manage without any moto libraries for the ICS.
Motorola promised ICS sometime in Q3, which means it wont be available until the last day of September and I'm being optimistic.
The device is not bad. I've seen so much worse, however it's not a middle range or a cheap device. It might be more than a year old but it's still a flagship.
I personally feel offended that my old Samsung captivate has a smooth, fast fully functional ICS that works heaps faster than my CM7 atrix.
I really hope that sometime later this year I'll take my words back, but so far I can't recommend the device as it is.
andrew.cambridge said:
If you get the phone for less than $50, go for it. Otherwise...get a flagship phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-1
Somebody could offer me $200 for my Atrix and I still wouldn't sell it. This may be the first smartphone that I may NEVER sell. (I've owned close to 20 of them too).
Currently I just got a SGSII, and I keep putting my SIM back in my Atrix since there's too many things that don't work properly on the SGSII. For example text to fit (reflow or double tap manually doesn't work on the default browser) is just one issue. There's others.
IDK I keep looking over @ my SGSII and wondering if I may just sell it off to my friend willing to buy it. If i keep it, it will probably be for a few months. Sad that my Atrix without ICS does more than my SGSII with ICS. Really the only thing that I like about the SGSII is the screen. Yeah it really is that good, but the flaws are kinda bringing it down.
@OP yeah get the Atrix, IMHO $300 or less (being dead serious about that price) is still worth it for this phone... (and yes battery life is amazing)
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Well..
Atrix 4G's fingerprint security feature is
very cool.
But There are only unoffical CM9 and it has lots of problem.
You should wait until 3Q for offical ICS.
(This is plan for U.S)
So, it is better to do not buy Atrix 4G for
ICS
Sent from my MB861 using xda premium
I have a contract coming to an end and started looking around for a new phone. Did some research on ICS and found networks can detect tethering on ICS but not on Gingerbread.
Looking at new phones, Sony have nothing of interest. Why buy a Nexus with only 16Gb of storage? Galaxy S3 is too big. I love HTC phones but all the new HTCs are rubbish (like the Nexus, never buy an android phone without an sd card slot!). And I don't do Apple, I'm no fruit muncher.
Then I came across the Atrix. Brand new, unused, in box, 150. Webtop, hdmi, dual core, bluetooth keyboard/mouse, docks with full size usb sockets, takes 64gb sd card, mugen battery. Great custom ROMs, webtops etc. Name one new phone that does all of that!!
OK, at the moment it is gingerbread only, but Motorola will release ICS for ATT version later this year and there will be some good custom ROMs after that.
I jumped at the chance to own this android icon.
At $150 or 150 €, the Atrix is still a very interesting buy...