Database Users

Christmas miracle :')

Two days ago operator made me an offer of any smartphone for free, I narrowed it down to the most expensive hehe: Iphone 4, Desire HD or a sgs and don't know which to buy. This is a once time deal I can't wait for dual cores and whatever else comes out next year I need to reach a decision this week.
What should I buy? I have seen and used all OSs . The only thing I like about the ios is the app store, I generally dislike Apple and Idrones.
I'm relatively tech savvy (in the non-douchy kinda way xD
Except some minor annoyances here and there I love android. Can any one give some advice? Thx and ho ho ho

iPhones kinda nice but not as much for the geek in you.
HD Desire ??
SGS awesome phone. Too bad they're blowing up left right and center.
Android app store is choke full of goodies and I've found cool stuff my bro can't get on his iphone4

Imo the SGS, the screen is just beautiful and the processor is a monster compared to the Desire HD and iPhone 4 is just not my cup of tea.

SGS will most likely be more optimised after Nexus S is release, I realy think it's already fast and powerfull, and it will only get better!
Camera is amazing and Night mode is franckly pretty amazing, you'd get more than what you can see!
HD Videos is pretty good also!
Sync is all with your GMail account, so pretty simple and straight forward. You can sync your outlook with GMail if needed.
And if you need to access the files on the device, the USB can be mounted so it's pretty fast to transfer things.
Only down I can see on the SGS is the "sometime" flawing GPS, not all the time but can be anoying sometimes :|

Videonut said:
SGS awesome phone. Too bad they're blowing up left right and center.
4
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Say whaat?

I think you should go for the Desire HD. It's got 768 MB of RAM vs. the 340 MB available (out of a claimed 512 MB) on the SGS. And it's got a bigger screen, almost an equally powerful processor, very snappy, and it's already got 2.3 Gingerbread.
If you need a powerhouse for games, SGS is the way to go though. Nothing matches it's GPU at the moment.

ed10000 said:
I think you should go for the Desire HD. It's got 768 MB of RAM vs. the 340 MB available (out of a claimed 512 MB) on the SGS. And it's got a bigger screen, almost an equally powerful processor, very snappy, and it's already got 2.3 Gingerbread.
If you need a powerhouse for games, SGS is the way to go though. Nothing matches it's GPU at the moment.
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but i hear the battery wont hold me the entire day thats kinda important for me
and how does it have gingerbread ? the nexus s isnt even out yet i assume its just ripped from the emulator

calexus1182 said:
Say whaat?
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Click to collapse
The internal SDCards are crapping out...

hmmm isnt that becouse of the ****ty samsung filesystem and/or bad kernel
and should i be concerned about only 339 ram?

Buy the iPhone 4, sell it for $600-$800 off contract, buy whatever phone you want. Personally I'd says Desire HD simply because Sense is much better than Touchwiz and it has the Sense.com features (free remote wipe, GPS tracking, text through phone through website, etc). However, the battery is kind of weak so I'd recommend a bigger one if you can find one.

calexus1182 said:
but i hear the battery wont hold me the entire day thats kinda important for me
and how does it have gingerbread ? the nexus s isnt even out yet i assume its just ripped from the emulator
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They ported it from Nexus One to Evo, and Desire HD is basically a variant of Evo

Damm I'm more confused now than when I started...
Iphone: don't really like how it feels in my hand, really small screen, absolutely no customization whatsoever.
good things: apps, no major bugs and better shades of blue lol.
Desire HD: seems to have the worst hardware out of the three (cpu and gpu) piece if crap battery, seems if it falls once is over, ****ty battery and sim cover and imo the camera that sticks out like the evo is really effing ugly
Good things: most ram out of the three, htcsense.com, biggest screen (preferences but I think 4" is perfect)
SGS: plagued by software bugs apparently, random data corruption, no flash, needs most tweaking out of the box
Good things: best screen cpu & gpu, the nexus s is almost the same phone which means better development porting the works(here's hoping) and best battery life
By comparison seems that the sgs wins overall categories

Its easy. If you want the best smartphone the its sgs.
Iphone is not as good many say.
I did have one and i did sell it.
Iphone has more good games. That's the only good with it.
The rest is much better with sgs.
HD phone is not better either.
It has more serious flaw then both sgs and iphone together.
Sgs is a powerhouse and it got the best screen of all phones.
Sure sgs can be laggy out of the box, but that is easy to fix.
So right now there is not a phone that's has anything to compete with.
The sgs will win it all the time.
**Using my own JPU kernel, z4mod, 339MB Ram and ext2 filesystem**

My father has an iphone3g and my uncle has the iphone 4 I jailbreaked it for him honestly I wasn't that impressed with the phone. The only thing I like about it is the apps mainly the games are much more refined than on android phones
Also why has the sgs only have 340ram ? On every page I looked it says 512. Will that bite us on the ass later I mean the dhd almost has 800 and phones are moving on 1gb .are you telling me the sgs has as much ram as my old ass hero?

calexus said:
Also why has the sgs only have 340ram ? On every page I looked it says 512. Will that bite us on the ass later I mean the dhd almost has 800 and phones are moving on 1gb .are you telling me the sgs has as much ram as my old ass hero?
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It does use a 512MB chip, but only ~340MB of it is visible after you're booted up. Out of the other ~172MB, there's around 40MB that's unaccounted for (we don't know where its being used) and the rest of it is "reserved" (even when the functions it's reserved for are not in use) for stuff like video playback, 3G calling etc.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I'd have to say i agree with Product F(RED)
Desire HD is the best phone on the list IMHO. But getting the ipoop and selling on will mean you can get the HD desire and still have some cash in your pocket

sgs is the best (imho!) it's a pain out of the box but that's why we love it so much, let's face it, most of us like tweaking and playing with our phones, it's half the fun. Flashing new roms, installing different lagfixes, uninstalling new roms, uninstalling new lagfixes, whoops I've broken it, nope, it's going again. The sgs is a geeks wet dream and in my experience it is very difficult to fully brick.
So if you want a phone that you are going to have to fiddle with, get the sgs. Jpu seems to have ironed out a lot of problems, I get perfect gps now, although it was pretty good before. I'm actually a little disapointed that jpu works so well, it kinda takes the fun out of it all
If this doesn't appeal to you then get the hd, it's a good phone, screen is not as good and it doesn't feel as fast as my tweaked sgs, but overall it's definitely a winner and you won't be disapointed
The iphone is also a good phone and not to be sniffed at, if you don't mind being spoon fed by apple.

i have to say SGS, because of the most powerful hardware, software is not important, because we can fix that easy , as surprise Samsung also tries there best, i think with JPU Firmware they show that they are willing todo everything, Hardware we can't fix, SGS has currently the fastest CPU + GPU specially the GPU!!!!! is amazing, why do you think Google went with Nexus S , because of Hardware, Speed, Quality, Availability.......
Nexus S and Android 2.3 Gingerbread was made to give game developers the best available Hardware and with Gingerbread many things which will make Game development easier and because of the CPU + GPU, which is almost the same as Iphone 4 has (SGS a little bit better), it will also make porting games from iphone to android pretty easy now.
About HTC Sense i agree it is a nice homescreen, but on the other hand it is a memory, cpu and battery monster! why do you think they have 768MB Memory and if we look at different homescreen replacements (ADW, Laucher Pro, Zeam,.......), then i really don't see the big advantage at all, but thats a taste decission
So for me i have to say i am very happy that i went with the SGS, i really can't understand users who say that the SGS is built cheap, i have the SGS now since the beginning, i don't use a screenprotector, the plastic is thin but it still looks like new also after falling on the floor (shame on me), compared to my previous HTC Units which where loosing color on there great metal casing and not by falling on the floor but because i used a leather case, the signal was often a issue for me (metal), dust was behind the screen after a short time,........
I have to say that the Samsung Hardware is such an improvement compared to HTC that i won't anytime soon look back to any HTC unit even if it would have a killler hardware.
But that are just my 2 cents on it

Go for the iPhone 4 unless you really need flash. It has the best screen of the three(the pentile matrix of the SGS is just horrible) and works correctly out of the box.

Toss3 said:
Go for the iPhone 4 unless you really need flash. It has the best screen of the three(the pentile matrix of the SGS is just horrible) and works correctly out of the box.
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Care to elaborate on this? The iphone does have a gorgeous screen, but to call the sgs screen horrible is a bit like saying that Angelina Jolie is a dog. Sure there are better looking girls out there than her, but would you kick her out of bed? Most definitely not, unless you bat for the other team of coursee, in such a case swap angelina for brad or whom ever floats your boat.

Atrix \ Galaxy S2 Comparison

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

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.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
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
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

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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Click to collapse
****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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

HTC HD2 VS HTC Sensation

Are you trying to decide if you should get an HTC Sensation and upgrade your HD2? Looking at those super awesome midnight deals over at T-Mobile.com for FREE sensations, and find it somewhat irresistible?
HAVE NO FEAR!
I have an HD2, and I just added a second line so my girlfriend could get the FREE Sensation, and I just spent a little bit playing around with both of them side-by-side.
They've very similar, I didn't really notice that big of a difference in speed between the phones. The brightness and vividness of the Sensation is of course much better, but it doesn't really "BLOW AWAY' the HD2. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice display, but the qHD didn't make me gasp or anything. (unlike the SUPER AMOLED+).
In quadrant, she got 1440, and I got 1348. In speedtest.net, she got about 3.1 MB/s down, and I got 2.7 MB/s down.
The weight, thickness, height, and width are all about the same, with the Sensation being slivers less in each category.
The back of the Sensation is rounded, letting it sit in your hand better, but I think it also makes it feel less "sturdy". Maybe that's just because I had a rubber case on mine.
I was insanely jealous of her for the last few days while knowing that her phone was coming and she'd have a better phone than me, but honestly, now that I'm playing around with it a little bit, I'm not too worried. Sure, it has better technical specifications, dual core, more RAM, dual camera, better screen...ect... but it's nothing crazy awesome.
If you're on the fence on whether or not you should upgrade to the HTC Sensation or not, don't get me wrong; it's an amazing phone, just not "necessary".
Anyways, save a bit of your money, and instead just buy an extended battery for your HD2, or save up for the Galaxy S2 or Samsung Hercules, or whatever else is coming after that. I know I will be. Plus, with the incredible support by the community here for hacking new ROMs onto it, I'd stick with the HD2 for the time being.
Just my 2 cents. Hopefully you find this thread helpful.

FriedSushi87 said:
Are you trying to decide if you should get an HTC Sensation and upgrade your HD2? Looking at those super awesome midnight deals over at T-Mobile.com for FREE sensations, and find it somewhat irresistible?
HAVE NO FEAR!
I have an HD2, and I just added a second line so my girlfriend could get the FREE Sensation, and I just spent a little bit playing around with both of them side-by-side.
They've very similar, I didn't really notice that big of a difference in speed between the phones. The brightness and vividness of the Sensation is of course much better, but it doesn't really "BLOW AWAY' the HD2. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice display, but the qHD didn't make me gasp or anything. (unlike the SUPER AMOLED+).
In quadrant, she got 1440, and I got 1348. In speedtest.net, she got about 3.1 MB/s down, and I got 2.7 MB/s down.
The weight, thickness, height, and width are all about the same, with the Sensation being slivers less in each category.
The back of the Sensation is rounded, letting it sit in your hand better, but I think it also makes it feel less "sturdy". Maybe that's just because I had a rubber case on mine.
I was insanely jealous of her for the last few days while knowing that her phone was coming and she'd have a better phone than me, but honestly, now that I'm playing around with it a little bit, I'm not too worried. Sure, it has better technical specifications, dual core, more RAM, dual camera, better screen...ect... but it's nothing crazy awesome.
If you're on the fence on whether or not you should upgrade to the HTC Sensation or not, don't get me wrong; it's an amazing phone, just not "necessary".
Anyways, save a bit of your money, and instead just buy an extended battery for your HD2, or save up for the Galaxy S2 or Samsung Hercules, or whatever else is coming after that. I know I will be. Plus, with the incredible support by the community here for hacking new ROMs onto it, I'd stick with the HD2 for the time being.
Just my 2 cents. Hopefully you find this thread helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know exactly what you mean, yesterday i was with a friend that bought the S2, I was so jealous ), but only until we putted our phones side by side, there wasn´t a difference between speeds, the screen is much bright of course, but it feels somewhat artificial to me, the camera has very nice colors, more vivid than the HD2 runing Android, better but not huge difference, and what blowed me away was that my HD2 was faster to open some apps, I know that the his S2 is bone stock but that reminded me that the time to upgrade to something new hasn´t come yet, and when i started to boot 4 different roms my friend couldn´t believe it..
The HD2 is still a great phone..

FriedSushi87 said:
Are you trying to decide if you should get an HTC Sensation and upgrade your HD2? Looking at those super awesome midnight deals over at T-Mobile.com for FREE sensations, and find it somewhat irresistible?
HAVE NO FEAR!
I have an HD2, and I just added a second line so my girlfriend could get the FREE Sensation, and I just spent a little bit playing around with both of them side-by-side.
They've very similar, I didn't really notice that big of a difference in speed between the phones. The brightness and vividness of the Sensation is of course much better, but it doesn't really "BLOW AWAY' the HD2. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice display, but the qHD didn't make me gasp or anything. (unlike the SUPER AMOLED+).
In quadrant, she got 1440, and I got 1348. In speedtest.net, she got about 3.1 MB/s down, and I got 2.7 MB/s down.
The weight, thickness, height, and width are all about the same, with the Sensation being slivers less in each category.
The back of the Sensation is rounded, letting it sit in your hand better, but I think it also makes it feel less "sturdy". Maybe that's just because I had a rubber case on mine.
I was insanely jealous of her for the last few days while knowing that her phone was coming and she'd have a better phone than me, but honestly, now that I'm playing around with it a little bit, I'm not too worried. Sure, it has better technical specifications, dual core, more RAM, dual camera, better screen...ect... but it's nothing crazy awesome.
If you're on the fence on whether or not you should upgrade to the HTC Sensation or not, don't get me wrong; it's an amazing phone, just not "necessary".
Anyways, save a bit of your money, and instead just buy an extended battery for your HD2, or save up for the Galaxy S2 or Samsung Hercules, or whatever else is coming after that. I know I will be. Plus, with the incredible support by the community here for hacking new ROMs onto it, I'd stick with the HD2 for the time being.
Just my 2 cents. Hopefully you find this thread helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how's web browsing, pinch to zoom, scrolling when the page is loading (on default browser) & ofc, flash video/website loading times?

awesome post. Exactly the info I needed. Yeah, waiting is the best bet (if you can wait)

Moon2 said:
So how's web browsing, pinch to zoom, scrolling when the page is loading (on default browser) & ofc, flash video/website loading times?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of those are about the same on Sensation stock as they are on HD2 CM7...

This makes me feel so much better, but at the same time feeling disappointed that there hasn't really been a major improvement in easily recognisable performance

Moon2 said:
This makes me feel so much better, but at the same time feeling disappointed that there hasn't really been a major improvement in easily recognisable performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, we are comparing custom ROMs with bloated stock ROMs so it's not really fair.
If you loaded up a fully working CM7 ROM on a sensation it would obliterate the HD2, but that is far off, so for now the HD2 for me is the preferred phone. I may even wait for some quad core action before I upgrade.

with hd2 in some ROMs you can get 3000 points in quadrant with a bit of overclocking and of course playing around ppp/rmnet, switching roms, you can go up 3,3mbps in download, but we got an awesome development on this awesome phone, and we're still waiting for new Desire Kernel and GB to solve all current problems
i will not buy the htc sensation because i can buy 3 hd2 with that price, and i wouldn't feel the BIG difference, but in the future, sgs2 will be my phone (i never buyed a phone >180€, maybe i'll have to wait 2 years and i'll use rock solid custom ROMs )

Have to disagree, the Sensataion is far superior on every level, the camera/video is arguably the best out there, the colours are vivid (dense and rich), the speed is obviously faster, it boots in seconds. Opens apps very quickly (as quick as my g2x which has been modded with cy 7, netflix and web browsing, lightening on the 4g network... It feels very comfortable to hold, and you don't sense your holding a large phone, great design..Don't get me wrong, I love my Hd2 (I've owned about 4 or more) and the spare battery helps. But honestly, the Sensation is a truly exceptionaldevice... The camera and video is quite incredible....

evereste said:
Have to disagree, the Sensataion is far superior on every level, the camera/video is arguably the best out there, the colours are vivid (dense and rich), the speed is obviously faster, it boots in seconds. Opens apps very quickly (as quick as my g2x which has been modded with cy 7, netflix and web browsing, lightening on the 4g network... It feels very comfortable to hold, and you don't sense your holding a large phone, great design..Don't get me wrong, I love my Hd2 (I've owned about 4 or more) and the spare battery helps. But honestly, the Sensation is a truly exceptionaldevice... The camera and video is quite incredible....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a sensation for about 2 weeks, couldn't wait to get back on my HD2, the stock ROM on the sensation to me is pretty bad, the UI lagged, the camera was ok but 8mp isn't a must have for me. It didn't seem to open apps that much faster than my current CM7 ROM, 4G was slightly faster than HSDPA, I dunno, just didn't wow me.

evereste said:
Have to disagree, the Sensataion is far superior on every level, the camera/video is arguably the best out there, the colours are vivid (dense and rich), the speed is obviously faster, it boots in seconds. Opens apps very quickly (as quick as my g2x which has been modded with cy 7, netflix and web browsing, lightening on the 4g network... It feels very comfortable to hold, and you don't sense your holding a large phone, great design..Don't get me wrong, I love my Hd2 (I've owned about 4 or more) and the spare battery helps. But honestly, the Sensation is a truly exceptionaldevice... The camera and video is quite incredible....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think it's worth the money, especially when there's the g2x for a much cheaper price?

I'd take a Sensation over the g2x because
1) there is going to be much much more development for it.
2) qHD
3) the g2x will probably never be able to run Sense.

evereste said:
Have to disagree, the Sensataion is far superior on every level, the camera/video is arguably the best out there, the colours are vivid (dense and rich), the speed is obviously faster, it boots in seconds. Opens apps very quickly (as quick as my g2x which has been modded with cy 7, netflix and web browsing, lightening on the 4g network... It feels very comfortable to hold, and you don't sense your holding a large phone, great design..Don't get me wrong, I love my Hd2 (I've owned about 4 or more) and the spare battery helps. But honestly, the Sensation is a truly exceptionaldevice... The camera and video is quite incredible....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, the Sensation IS superior on every level. But it's not so incredibly better to warrant purchasing a new $600 phone. (Unless you have tons of disposable income.)
I know that the Sensation bootloader just got unlocked (or at least is planning to become unlocked in the near future according to HTC). So that'll give it some hacking support, but still....
Yes, the camera is much better, but nothing to blow someone out of the water.
For comparison, I went from a HTC: G1 original Android phone, to a HD2, and patiently waited with the WinMo 6.5 until Android on SD was released. It's a WORLD of difference between a Android HD2 and an original G1.
I think I can justify waiting for a Samsung Hercules, or a Samsung Galaxy 3D.

FriedSushi87 said:
or a Samsung Galaxy 3D.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whaaaa??
is that foreal?

orangekid said:
whaaaa??
is that foreal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung's answer to the HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D is set to arrive in Q4, making it the perfect Christmas present.
The Samsung Galaxy 3D is said to be very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S2, with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 4.3-inch touchscreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blog/988411/samsung_galaxy_3d_set_to_land_by_christmas.html

what a lot of us dont really get the point is to accept that yes..the HD2 is getting old and yes other HTC device's are getting better hardware and software in comparison with the HD2.
However we still claim HD2 to be the best device..just because we have the power to run multiple OS's. No doubt thats a strong point but we will have to let it go someday.
I am thinking myself to go for the HTC Sensation....but doesnt mean i will not use my HD2...

backlashsid said:
what a lot of us dont really get the point is to accept that yes..the HD2 is getting old and yes other HTC device's are getting better hardware and software in comparison with the HD2.
However we still claim HD2 to be the best device..just because we have the power to run multiple OS's. No doubt thats a strong point but we will have to let it go someday.
I am thinking myself to go for the HTC Sensation....but doesnt mean i will not use my HD2...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the reason is that we can run multiple ROMs of the same OS optimized to run about as well/better than the stock sensation ROM, the only thing the sensation has over the HD2 IMO is the camera and 1080p playback, other than that I would much rather have CM7 on my HD2.

backlashsid said:
what a lot of us dont really get the point is to accept that yes..the HD2 is getting old and yes other HTC device's are getting better hardware and software in comparison with the HD2.
However we still claim HD2 to be the best device..just because we have the power to run multiple OS's. No doubt thats a strong point but we will have to let it go someday.
I am thinking myself to go for the HTC Sensation....but doesnt mean i will not use my HD2...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, what I actually mean to say, is although hardware and software is getting better and better on other devices, it's worth it to wait and continue using a still very relevant HD2, updating the ROM's to current OS's, so you can hold off buying a new phone and instead save money to get an even BETTER piece of hardware 4-6 months down the road.

orangekid said:
No, the reason is that we can run multiple ROMs of the same OS optimized to run about as well/better than the stock sensation ROM, the only thing the sensation has over the HD2 IMO is the camera and 1080p playback, other than that I would much rather have CM7 on my HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true that. but look after a point we too know that a native android device will still have an advantage over our Hd2 roms. You know...i have been running the American android SD version for months now..but when it comes to NAND somehow I cant make my mind...i still love WM6.5 and the battery life is great....something which i am a little skeptical on nand android !
FriedSushi87 said:
No, what I actually mean to say, is although hardware and software is getting better and better on other devices, it's worth it to wait and continue using a still very relevant HD2, updating the ROM's to current OS's, so you can hold off buying a new phone and instead save money to get an even BETTER piece of hardware 4-6 months down the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah...of course i agree....we can continue to use it i believe atleast for the next 1-2 year..unless somesort of amazing phone technology comes up making my HD2 obsolete.
my friend has a Thunderbolt and now he wants a Sensation...!! lol...

backlashsid said:
true that. but look after a point we too know that a native android device will still have an advantage over our Hd2 roms. You know...i have been running the American android SD version for months now..but when it comes to NAND somehow I cant make my mind...i still love WM6.5 and the battery life is great....something which i am a little skeptical on nand android !
yeah...of course i agree....we can continue to use it i believe atleast for the next 1-2 year..unless somesort of amazing phone technology comes up making my HD2 obsolete.
my friend has a Thunderbolt and now he wants a Sensation...!! lol...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting rid of a Thunderbolt for a Sensation is ridiculous.

Desire Z and the "outdated" issue

I want to start a thread with my own review, but im placing it here cause it's more like a thread-starter than actual review.
Usage of smartphones general, and why is Desire Z still extremely useful phone:
1. Hardware keyboard: there are many YT videos showing speed typing on various devices, like iPhone, and Android tablets/phones, but nothing can compare to the actual keyboard. the main advantage, in my opinion is the fact that for a very short time, one can learn to type like using a PC keyboard - without looking. and that feature makes this phone as an actual mobile station for all sorts of stuff that emulate laptop usage. second advantage is clear screen when typing. that is pretty much the reason why I cant imagine to type on a non-hardware phone anymore.
2. material quality - hard casing, and not just compared to other companies, but also compared to the other HTC devices. This phone is like an homage to early indestructible phones that were not intended to be like that (3310, 6210, 7650) Is it weight, is it experiment from HTC (there are 20+ types of plastic for making plastic stuff like casings) or something else, but this phone is the hardest phone I had, and I had Samung Android, iPhones, SE, you name it.
And on top of that, keyboard hinge wont break. I cant find more than 5 forum posts using google where someone complains of broken Keyboard hinge.
And, on top of top of that - "Vision" are the last in HTC production line to have licenced Cornig Gorilla Glass. Sensation XL and phones after that have HTC's substitute glass. (God knows why)
3. Screen - let's start with SLCD - You will find many reviews stating that it's a bad product, cause of the viewing angles. Viewing angles being the MOST retarded property of a screen, marketing vise. WHO watches a screen from an angle, more than 3 seconds, in their life ? So, when we putt aside that property - you have screen (PVA panel) that produces colors maybe even better than IPS. People get easily tricked by Samsung marketing, when they read stuff like: "SUPER AMOLED 2" - like a trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. And it is in fact - regular OLED screen with active matrix, and digitizer stuck onto the screen itself. Oh my, what a wonder. It was, for sure, made so when you break the SGS2/Note screen, you pay arm and a leg for replacement. Buying digitizer and screen at the same time. And the worst part is that AMOLED is nowhere near that good, saturation is awful (my personal opinion), and >4.0 inch phones with AMOLED have bad colors (google "Note screen problem", "SGS2 screen problem"
Resolution of screen - How come that people get so hyped by late Steve, whenever "retina" was mentioned .. ? ~250PPI is better than "retina" (326PPI)!!!
My neighbor is a rich bastard, and he has every single product Apple made, so I had a chance to see that "retina" and it hurt my eyes. Reading non-zoomed web pages on Desire Z is barely possible, doing the same on 4s is NOT possible.
it is not the pixelation of a font that is problem, it is the possibility of reading such small font. Any other aspect for that matter, is just a marketing trick.
250PPI is perfect. I dont care what journalists say about the new iPad, I dont see anything near suggested with the "retina" hype.
4. High-end phone properties - CPU
CPU is similar to the last of the x86 Intel CeleronD single core series - insanely overclockable. and like that, VERY usable. SGS2 exynos (ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.2Ghz) on stock clock has a problem of playing "Ice breaker" game (for some reason this game draws FPS lag on many devices) and on 1.5Ghz OC-ed DesireZ it runs smooth. "Fragger" game slows down extremely on SGS2 when 3 bombs are thrown simultaneously, and that doesnt happen on 1.5Ghz DZ. Dont know about other games on other phones, or Benchmarks for that matter, but this is my personal experience with SGS2 VS DZ (my brother has Samsung). Never really believed Benchmark scores since Intel started to temper with official results back in 2008 (Benchmark software in favor of Intel, compared to AMD)
I am aware of single core/dual core differences, but that is why one can flash DZ with G-slim or G-lite and enjoy the speed.
5. High-end properties - features
apart from resolution that is constantly growing on new devices, name 1 thing that DZ doesnt have ? This is NOT a midrange phone for housewives to share instagram photos, this is a serious device
Flaws -
1. it comes with crappy headphones. I myself soldered Koss Sparkplug earbuds to HTC stock headphones so I could enjoy the sound and still have cable-control buttons.
2. It is heavy. I see how many people could have problem with that but for me it's a good thing, cause I tend to lose phones, but with this one, I know where it is (pocket, jacket, etc..) and it "feels right" when holding it.
conclusion - This phone is Awesome. If I would buy a new, more expensive phone, I would like it to be 4.0 exact design like DZ, stronger CPU and slightly greater resolution. nothing more.

My only real problems with the phone is that it's too thick and heavy at times, it has severe death-grip reception issues with both wifi and mobile reception at my house where i have very little reception. Then, the thing that seems to let it down the most is the limited 512mb of RAM that it has, which makes it difficult to run Sense 3.* ROMs and such. Otherwise, i'm very happy with my phone and i agree with the points that you made . This is the best phone i've ever had!
Actually, my keyboard is slowly deteriorating >.<, a bunch of keys have stopped responding upon soft presses and need to be pressed firmly for any feedback.

Still a mid level phone. Everything i need is with DZ.

ttyykkee said:
Still a mid level phone. Everything i need is with DZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how it's a mid level phone. Maybe performance wise, but it feels quite premium in almost every other aspect.

Wow, that was a kind of a roundhouse kick against all actual hypes.... i like!
I am totally at ur side. The only things i would like to have improved ist cam and ram, and size of screen. But thats kind of wishing, while taking a look at actual state of the art phones...
...at least a HTC ONE S with a HWK sounds nice to me (without AMOLED )

@crestofawave - I believe that he forgot to put "not" word after the "Still" word cause that way it makes sense.
@Superfr34k - Android users are real, compared to Apple, and even they fall under marketing influence. there are many things that do not make sense today, like when you buy a big LCDTV, you see on samsung producsts feat that says:
2 billion colors
standardized results via experiments gave 100.000 colors (human subjects), and biological calculations gave 10 million in the best case. So, this "2 billion" number stands only for Cylons and Terminators. not humans.
high resolution phones make sense, not because of the "retina" and other stuff, but because of only this feat: Wireless Full HD display mirroring. cause I dont see how one can use 1080p on a 5inch device.
all that stuff is the reason why this phone offers 90% of usage, and thats not for an average user, im talkingh about advanced users and their needs.

well
I think that the let down is the wieght, and cpu, it was 1ghz many people say it would be slightly faster which is good enough for me.
I hope they release another HTC Desire Z 2 like motorola releases droid 1 ,2 ,3 etc
If not I might have to get Galaxy S3 which Im not happy about touchscreen only phones nothing beats a qwerty keyboard

This is correct place to put a review since its general and nothing else. Op mentioned to put it here since not an "actual" review...no place else to do it
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

Totally agree with everything in this article, and I know a whole lot of others do as well.
Unfortunately, it seems the cell phone market is swinging away from good phones like the G2/Desire Z. I will be keeping this phone until I see a worthy successor w/ hardware keyboard.

In all honesty, this is the best Android powered phone that I've owned, and that includes having previous phones like the Samsung Galaxy S, LG Optimus T and MyTouch 4G. The only complaint that I ever had with this phone is that I wished that the camera was a little sharper, as the full sized 5 MP pictures always seem to come out a little grainy. Usually decreasing the photo size with photoshop or other software solves that problem.
The camera is just a minor complaint, and I honestly don't expect high quality digital camera type quality from a phone camera. It would just be nice to have... that's all Other than that... it was a great phone when I got it, and it continues to be a great one. It runs all the apps I need it to, and I don't have any random crashes or force closes.

@Igoritza All the same.
I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with you. Especially the points you raise about the screens, Samsung with AMOLED, and Apple with Retina. Merely marketing baloney for their mindless fanatics.

I had no idea our desire z's screen were made of gorilla glass, Mayb I should drop it down the stairs to see how it holds up????
Bottomline there isn't many devices like the HTC Vision

The viewing angle on my screen is amazing. I did get a replacement screen a while ago so maybe mine is a newer revision?
Sent from my Desire Z using xda premium

I love this phones' keyboard - it is made perfectly.
I have used Galaxy S before, and must say, that modified Desire Z is much faster than modified GS.
What I hate in DZ is its PERFORMANCE. Probably it's android systems natural drawback, that with designed UI like sense it's so slow, laggy and buggy.
Our phone runs smoothly only the AOSP GB what is really annoying.

I'n using Sensewich rom and it makes Desire Z feel like a brand new phone, even CM7 doesn't come close to this. I'm sure that once those changes make their way to other ICS roms and bugs are ironed out most of us will be satisfied with DZ for another year or so.
It's soooo smooth, *drool*

@shadal, I'd have to disagree with you. While our phone is obviously not iPhone smooth, it is a considerably fast device with a bit of overclocking (about 1.0-1.2GHz), on anything but Sense 3.x, maybe MIUI as well. Other than that, just about every other ROM I've flashed has been very fast in general.
Sense really isn't that bad...well, 3.x wasn't the best HTC could offer but 4.0 is VERY promising, tried it and it was so incredibly!!! smooth.
So yeah, AOSP has and will have an edge in performance but it seems like HTC is closing the distance...

i love my dz as well, but thinking about buying a nexus because of the larger screen/amoled. want to read ebooks on the phone. but for the dailystuff, whatsapp/email/calls it´s more than enough. bought a mugenakku and i´m very happy with that combination. the only thing i don´t like is the lcd, it really drains more than amoled. but i think i´m gonna wait with a new phone, but i´m pretty sure a phone with quadcore isn´t needed, i think quadcore is only needed for games, but i rarely play games on my phone.

I have a G2 just to be clear.
I just flash the latest Ice Cream JIBwich 2.0 which is based on the Andromadus Beta 1. They added the newly released GPU drivers from Qualcomm and this thing is fast and smooth now. Gives it new life, way faster than it ever was with GB.
Pretty damn happy with these ICS ROMs.

@tarroyo - please dont drop it down the stairs Gorilla has frontal indestructability (doesnt get pierced by bullets or arrows) but it does not endure side pressure. it will crack
@Shure2 - maybe it's IPS and not SLCD. HTC made a special order to Sony for supplies of SLCD's for making new 3.8 phones, but their initial supplier of 3.8 screens was Hanstar - IPS manufacturer that supplies ASUS and Apple. It is Hanstar company fault that HTC had to find alternative because they blackmailed them. So, yeah, your replacement could very well be from initial batches.
@miscz - I tried Sensewich but I need teh cam the cam itself is not that good, but changig ISO from AUTO to 100 improves "everyday photo shoot", and people's faces quality, or should I say - grainy photos are less grainy and better looking. whoever didnt know about this, should try (less ISO means how much camera is sensitive to light, but it also means shorter shutter speed)
it would be nice if someone knew of an App that lets you alter aperture and shutter, thus improving custom settings and making better pictures with DZ cam.

I've been having great experiences with Andromadus. I regret not having rooted my phone in the first year of owning it, seeing as a simple overclock and new rom has made it so much faster.
The thing I'll miss the most when I switch to a new phone is the lack of a physical keyboard... none of the new flagship phones have physical keyboards, and I'm not convinced that I could type anywhere near as quickly on an on screen keyboard if it's not on a tablet.
@Igoritza: I don't think there will be any thing we can really do to our cameras to catch up to all the latest and greatest phones now =[ No matter how I try, pictures from the iPhone 4S or Galaxy Note are far better. I guess we can come close in extremely well lit environments, but even in conditions which are slightly sub-optimal, our cameras tend to perform worse than theirs.

HTC One, should I buy it now?

Hi,
I know I'm pretty late to the game since this phone launched on Feb and it's Sept already.
I just recently thought of replacing my phone and I always liked the HTC One.
However as time goes, the One specs appear to be shadowed by other competing devices. I know Snapdragon 600 is nothing to sneeze at, but I'm talking about, well a year later or so. Will it still be relevant?
I had a bad experience with my Xperia Pro, while Sony is nicely handing ICS upgrade, its hardware simply can't cope with modern, multicore and ram-hogging apps.
I'm leaning to Xperia Z1 but more-or-less turned off by its screen size. (I hate gigantic phone).
Camera is not a deciding factor.
There are rumours saying HTC going to release One+ or something, but I'm taking it with a grain of salt, most likely the Tablet One will come first.
Should I buy HTC One? Or get another more recent device? Or wait for M8?
I'm sorta long term user, will replace phone every two years if nothing is wrong with the current one.
Thanks in advance, I could really use any One's user advice.
Sent from my MK16i using xda app-developers app

I got one today, and it is by no means a slouch and I can't see it becoming slow anytime soon. Maybe in 18 months time, but it's perfect at the moment. It may not get Android 5.0 when it comes out officially next year (Maybe), but the developers on XDA will surely support it.

It's still one of the best phones available, however at this point in the year, I think I would wait to see what the N5 looks like officially.
I'm already tempted by the G2.

Same question. I know you all have the HTC one but to me what's the selling point? I got a gs4 and someone wants to trade me a 32g HTC one. Besides storage, beats audio, less bloat, and build quality. why would the HTC one be better than gs4? Sell me on it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

For OP I suggest Z1,G2 if you are looking from newest devices. If i were you i would buy one of this phones. But if you don't like big phones, then One is perfect choice. It's beautiful, strong, good software and not bad camera. Main disadvantage to me is battery and log charging. I came from S4 because of lag. but overall S4 is realy nice device - good battery, very nice camera (i used it when i was on my vacation in Greece), nice screen and size.
---------- Post added at 06:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 AM ----------
[email protected] said:
Same question. I know you all have the HTC one but to me what's the selling point? I got a gs4 and someone wants to trade me a 32g HTC one. Besides storage, beats audio, less bloat, and build quality. why would the HTC one be better than gs4? Sell me on it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are lucky with your S4 when i don't see why you should change to One

[email protected] said:
Same question. I know you all have the HTC one but to me what's the selling point? I got a gs4 and someone wants to trade me a 32g HTC one. Besides storage, beats audio, less bloat, and build quality. why would the HTC one be better than gs4? Sell me on it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, if you are an average user, which means you use smartphone just for read/reply email&news, social networks, gaming stuff, watch one or two videos, listen to music clips, then you are fine with this phone. The major features missing from other devices are Boomsound speakers, Zoe, Blinkfeed and soon to be released Android 4.3.
The other benefit is that you can find decent price. You can trade in an old iPhone or find special offers for HTC One easily. This doesn't happen for those latest devices.
ps. It might be better to keep the comparison stuff out of this thread. Otherwise this thread might be closed soon.:highfive:

@WhizzWr
you might want to see this
http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/123671-sony-xperia-z1-review
size, weight, screen and sound quality are issues on the Z1 as well as the high density camera sensors suffers in 1:1 precision due to the tiny pixel size

Came from the MK16i to the HTC One
After updating to ICS, the lag was horrible on my Pro. I rooted and flashed many ROM's but none were good enough.
So I bought the One.
If your main concern is that the phone will become slow within a year or so, then forget it. Google itself is pushing the new Nexus 7 which has a modified S4 Pro. The S600 on the One should be as fast as that one, at the very least. And because Google itself pushes new versions of Android every year or so, the One should be fast enough until after Android 4.4 Kitkat.
Now if you are worried about developers creating apps for S800 processors, then be cool. The S800 hasn't hit the Samsung Galaxy line yet at which point it will probably reach maximum market penetration.
And when you say memory hogging apps and stuff, I can only think of one case: games. All other apps like Facebook, Twitter and what not are designed to work on the maximum number of phones. Their aim is again market penetration and not faster performance. You can argue that it is a combo of both but I hope you see the point I am trying to make.
Now if you are thinking about games: fret not. The best/most demanding/a large number of games are usually made for iOS and then ported over to Android. So in this case you should probably be praying that Apple doesn't come up with better hardware than it already has. Because until this point Android phones and specifically Qualcomm has been able to reach upto or in some cases beat Cupertino's best hardware.
So relax, have fun and buy the One.
P.S: If you feel that the One is slowing down after a year or so, then again unlock -> root -> overclock.

True in regards to gaming, currently the GPU is faster than the iPhone 5 even when running at 1080p
Its pure performance lies between the iPhone 5 and 5s however when games are scaled from 720p or less they can still match the iPhone 5s (like Asphalt 8)
keeping in mind gaming on the HTC one requires root if you want to disable thermal throttling and boost CPU for accelerometer heavy 3D games and if you want to unlock it to full speed 487mhz
iPhone 5s GPU, Egypt HD offscreen 1080p: 56fps
HTC One GPU 487mhz 4.3, 3.17 firmware, Egypt HD offscreen 1080p: 48fps
iPhone 5 GPU, Egypt HD offscreen 1080p: 29.7fps

Everyone, lot of thanks for your opinion, I'd expected some bias since this is HTC One forum, but I think a lot of your answers are quite impartial. :victory:
@I Am Marino @pokosik
One thing I liked of HTC is its physical design: the dimension, colour tone and material.
Nexus devices are great, but I'm not really into Google's plain design, that's about the same with Samsung and LG. Those phones are definitely not bad, but if I can choose HTC One, I'll choose HTC One, if design aspect is the only single consideration.
I think I'm going to emphasize on the hardware durability and future-proof-ness aspect.
what are you guys thinking? (e.g @Liam0102 said One won't slow anytime soon, perhaps in 18 months).
@hamdir thanks for the review. I have read it. Z1 has some quirks, but they are relatively minor compared to its form-factor.
Big screen is nice. A lot of things like watching movie is better of bigger screen, but my problem lies within holding and handling a large phone. 5 inch phones feels and looks awkward when I hold it. Perhaps it's just a matter of getting used to it, but holding those 5 incher feels strangely like being an attention seeker shouting "here look at my phone" I'm not sure but I think it's also gonna be easier for those prying eyes LOL.
Yet another runours there going to be Z1 mini.. will definitely look at it.
IMHO Z1's slab glass design is classy, but i'll choose One anodized aluminium any day of the week.
I'm still open to any suggestion.
Cheers! :victory:

Which one do you guys prefer HTC one or galaxy s4?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

Switched from the s4 to HTC one yesterday.loving it so far. don't miss any of the touchwiz gimmicks from the s4, had rooted and gone with pacman Rom anyway.
Loving the build quality of the one.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

@WhizzWr
Well the HTC One is not that small either but certainly lighter and more pocketable than the Z1
but there is one factor you are forgetting here
both the speakers, earphones and sound recording quality on the HTC One are still unmatched, out of this world even
if you ask me its worth the asking price itself, equally if you like shooting photos of your friends and family HTC Zoe, low light and video highlights are gold
as for durability the HTC One is a sealed single piece design, also the metal is a little slippery, a cover like the official double flip cover or at least a transparent slim cover is a must, it also prevents you from feeling the heat during heavy use since the HTC One body is design as heatsink for the CPU, it can heat but it quickly gets of rid of it as well

Hmm, thx guys, maybe I'll switch
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

Don't forget there's the Z1 Mini! There are images rolling around with it next to the Z1. Rumored to have the same specs just with a smaller, iphone sized screen.
IMO I'd wait until after 4.3 if getting this phone. You may end up with one of the purple low light cameras. The final 4.3 release is supposed to fix it apparently.

getbacktosrinu said:
After updating to ICS, the lag was horrible on my Pro. I rooted and flashed many ROM's but none were good enough.
So I bought the One.
If your main concern is that the phone will become slow within a year or so, then forget it. Google itself is pushing the new Nexus 7 which has a modified S4 Pro. The S600 on the One should be as fast as that one, at the very least. And because Google itself pushes new versions of Android every year or so, the One should be fast enough until after Android 4.4 Kitkat.
Now if you are worried about developers creating apps for S800 processors, then be cool. The S800 hasn't hit the Samsung Galaxy line yet at which point it will probably reach maximum market penetration.
And when you say memory hogging apps and stuff, I can only think of one case: games. All other apps like Facebook, Twitter and what not are designed to work on the maximum number of phones. Their aim is again market penetration and not faster performance. You can argue that it is a combo of both but I hope you see the point I am trying to make.
Now if you are thinking about games: fret not. The best/most demanding/a large number of games are usually made for iOS and then ported over to Android. So in this case you should probably be praying that Apple doesn't come up with better hardware than it already has. Because until this point Android phones and specifically Qualcomm has been able to reach upto or in some cases beat Cupertino's best hardware.
So relax, have fun and buy the One.
P.S: If you feel that the One is slowing down after a year or so, then again unlock -> root -> overclock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aha! an ex-PRO user! you must also understand my lagging agony
...and your answer happens to be about the exact answer I'm looking for! :highfive:
The iOS port comment is especially insightful, I never thought of that! Thanks! that's a lot of explanation.
Additionally, While I'm a casual gamer, I'm a heavy multi-tasker (e.g switching a decent amount of apps, opening *a lot* of browser tabs, a little high on widget usage also).
Do any of you think One going to slow down in a year for that usage scenario??

hamdir said:
@WhizzWr
Well the HTC One is not that small either but certainly lighter and more pocketable than the Z1
but there is one factor you are forgetting here
both the speakers, earphones and sound recording quality on the HTC One are still unmatched, out of this world even
if you ask me its worth the asking price itself, equally if you like shooting photos of your friends and family HTC Zoe, low light and video highlights are gold
as for durability the HTC One is a sealed single piece design, also the metal is a little slippery, a cover like the official double flip cover or at least a transparent slim cover is a must, it also prevents you from feeling the heat during heavy use since the HTC One body is design as heatsink for the CPU, it can heat but it quickly gets of rid of it as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, 5inch vs 4.7inch isn't that far apart. You are spot on, pocketable is the keyword. I'm actually more a 4-incher guy, but One design is rather efficient in terms of space usage (no extra gaps, etc), thanks to it's unibody build.
Sound quality is a big plus, will note that.
I don't take photo a lot. Any decent camera will do.
Again I appreciate everyone who has give their share of opinion.

Thread closed,
Phone comparison threads are not allowed. Which this has turned into.