Currently with Sprint and have an EVO 3D. Really thinking about switching now that Verizon's offering 4GB for $30. Is the Droid RAZR as cool as it seems? Any comparisons to the Evo/Evo 3D? Thanks.
I just made the switch from the Evo 3D (had an Evo 4G before that) for the same reasons. Things I've noted:
Negative first:
- For me at least, the RAZR does have shorter battery life than the 3D. It appears to have some idle issues. Using the "smart" actions helps this, but I'm still not 100% satisfied relative to the Evo3D.
- I somewhat miss Sense on the 3D although I think the RAZR is smoother with less lag
Positives:
- Hardware is very nice. I really like the lighter weight and reduced thickness
- For my area at least, Verizon's network is a huge improvement. 3G is much faster and of course I have very fast 4G now
- Radios are better. Wifi has better range and I think the cell radio is better also. I was using the Verizon PRL hack on my Evo3D previously and it didn't perform as well as the RAZR on Verizon
Overall I'm very happy with the change, although a big part of that is just getting off of Sprint's worthless network. The only real complaint is the battery life issue and not everyone seems to be experiencing it, so YMMV. It's not horrible either. With light/moderate use I can get 10-15 hours. Basically a full day.
I'm also thinking of switching from my 3D to the Razr. With Amazon's $0.01 on new contract deal and the double data promotion, I'm very tempted. My only hesitation is whether or not to wait for the Nexus. Is the Razr worth getting or should I wait for the Nexus?
talon95 said:
I just made the switch from the Evo 3D (had an Evo 4G before that) for the same reasons. Things I've noted:
Negative first:
- For me at least, the RAZR does have shorter battery life than the 3D. It appears to have some idle issues. Using the "smart" actions helps this, but I'm still not 100% satisfied relative to the Evo3D.
- I somewhat miss Sense on the 3D although I think the RAZR is smoother with less lag
Positives:
- Hardware is very nice. I really like the lighter weight and reduced thickness
- For my area at least, Verizon's network is a huge improvement. 3G is much faster and of course I have very fast 4G now
- Radios are better. Wifi has better range and I think the cell radio is better also. I was using the Verizon PRL hack on my Evo3D previously and it didn't perform as well as the RAZR on Verizon
Overall I'm very happy with the change, although a big part of that is just getting off of Sprint's worthless network. The only real complaint is the battery life issue and not everyone seems to be experiencing it, so YMMV. It's not horrible either. With light/moderate use I can get 10-15 hours. Basically a full day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I switched from the Evo 4G on Sprint to the Razr on Verizon and I agree with everything above. The Evo was great - the Razr is better. But the big difference is how much better the Verizon network is compared to the crappy and unreliable Sprint network. It's just gotten terrible in the last year.
dstudios said:
I'm also thinking of switching from my 3D to the Razr. With Amazon's $0.01 on new contract deal and the double data promotion, I'm very tempted. My only hesitation is whether or not to wait for the Nexus. Is the Razr worth getting or should I wait for the Nexus?
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Click to collapse
Well you know you're going to get about a dozen opinions on that question.
My reasoning, which is not 100% based on fact, is IMO Motorola has some of the best radios and fringe reception was very important to me. I've also had some so-so experiences with Samsung which turned me off from the Nexus. But getting ICS and less bloatware, more pure Android would be nice. Just depends on what is most important to you. I have a friend that has the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint and is very happy with it (except for Sprints god forsaken network of course).
And I'm really jealous I missed the $.01 deal...
talon95 said:
Well you know you're going to get about a dozen opinions on that question.
My reasoning, which is not 100% based on fact, is IMO Motorola has some of the best radios and fringe reception was very important to me. I've also had some so-so experiences with Samsung which turned me off from the Nexus. But getting ICS and less bloatware, more pure Android would be nice. Just depends on what is most important to you. I have a friend that has the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint and is very happy with it (except for Sprints god forsaken network of course).
And I'm really jealous I missed the $.01 deal...
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Click to collapse
Just be careful to base your decision on more than software availability. ICS will come to every top tier phone, just be patient. Hardware should drive your choice; if you like the h/w, then get the phone, cuz h/w is the bottom line. No os or ota revision can completely eclipse the actual physical capability of the device.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
i also swapped from the Evo3D to the RAZR.. it's an awesome improvement. i used to think sense was great but the RAZR's UI is sooo smooth and the screen looks amazing compared to the 3vo.. not to mention the network, it's not even comparible.. i don't know how i lasted so long on sprint lol.. the look and feel of the phone is badass too..
definitely a good switch IMO
Well I still have sprint (just cant get over the unlimited data) and Have the epic 4g touch but I had an Evo 4g, and then a Evo 3d so I think I can chime in on this. Im one of what seems like only a few who loved the Evo 3d which to me the only problem I had with it was the thickness and weight. The Razr is light and thin and smooth but dont think that your going to notice a performance boost from the hardware alone, cause you wont.
Now network performance is another thing up until recently sprint had great reception for me but lately, its horrible and I know towards the end of next year and the next they will have completely changed the network and will have one of if not the best network out. But lets face it we pay our bill every month and lets just say in this instance time is most definetly money.
So to recap
Pros
Thin-Smooth-dual core- Will def see ICS sooner than later-NETWORK
Cons
No ICS currently-almost no development support as of now-camera
Get the phone you'll love it. And if your like me and getting it for .01 its a no brainer. Your practically getting the same phone as the Galaxy Nexus -ICS.
I did the $0.01 Amazon deal and ordered the RAZR today... I'm switching from Sprint and the Evo 4G. I just got so fed up with Sprint's crappy network. I go visit my mom (where I originally bought the Evo), and I have zero reception. I go to visit my dad who lives near a major city, and I have zero reception and have to charge my phone 3-4 times a day because of it unless I put it into airplane mode. Ridiculous. I was a little late placing my order today, so the phone is on back order until December 8. I'll update with my initial reactions in a couple weeks.
EDIT: Oh, and charging it 3-4 times a day because of crappy reception is with an extended battery, too!
talon95 said:
Well you know you're going to get about a dozen opinions on that question.
My reasoning, which is not 100% based on fact, is IMO Motorola has some of the best radios and fringe reception was very important to me. I've also had some so-so experiences with Samsung which turned me off from the Nexus. But getting ICS and less bloatware, more pure Android would be nice. Just depends on what is most important to you. I have a friend that has the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint and is very happy with it (except for Sprints god forsaken network of course).
And I'm really jealous I missed the $.01 deal...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't miss it, it's on til the 28th! I got mine for a penny, got it delivered the next day for free, and I couldn't be happier! I switched from Sprint (OG EVO-> EVO 3D-> Photon) because their CS SUCKS. After 6 EVOs (4 for me, and 2 for my fiancée after I upgraded) and nothing offered but crappy refurbished phones and insults, with no way to escalate issues, it was time to go.
I really loved my Photon, but after their CS made my fiancée cry, it was time to go.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my RAZR! It's like my Photon, but WAY FASTER! I'm only 3 days in, and the first day, I had some worries about battery life after it dropped from 100% to 70% after an hour or 2, but I was patient, and knew that it takes a few days for everything to settle in, and OS, UI & kernels to play well together. Yesterday, I got exactly 11 hours out of it with HEAVY usage.
I'm not a big fan of Blur, but after setting everything up the way I like (LP pro, widgets, and junk), it's amazing! Looking forward to ICS early next year, too!
My opinion may be biased, since instead of hunting down the CS rep that made my lady cry, I dumped them, but either way, I'm happy!
\\Carved into this thread by my RAZR//
http://android-gz.com
Related
Given same costs, which would you prefer?
I originally wanted to go to the Sensation, and I waited for it. But, lukewarm initial reviews, $5 more a month for a limited 2GB data cap (vs unlimited and LTE on VZW), and a more active development community with the Thunderbolt convinced me to change my order to VZW.
However, considering the terrible battery life of the Thunderbolt, the fact that I don't get LTE in my office or at home (1x and 3G are my normal connections), and the Tbolt being slightly inferior in the hardware department, I am thinking that i should switch back to the Sensation idea. I get 20% discount with Verizon, versus 12% on Tmobile.
I want to trust that upcoming Gingerbread ROMs for Thunderbolt will result in a better product on a faster network. I'm just somewhat underwhelmed with the Tbolt after a week.
Thoughts?
personally, i would look at it like this
1. what carrier has stronger signal strength where you are
2. LTE vs Hardware. your either going to get amazing download and upload speeds when LTE finally rolls out in your area and imo its amazing + its unlimited if you are grandfathered in; or you can get slightly improved specs which honestly, wont really matter in day to day usage. The only differences you'll really see are when you play high end games or something like that.
3. Which phone has a more developed community. As far as i know, the thunderbolt has a huge community just like the original incredible. Even now, after so many years the incredible is still getting roms. I saw a sense 3.0 rom on an incredible!
sooo up to you lol. your going to be using the phone not me :]
You know I was at the same exact crossroads. I just came off of my 2 year contract with T-Mobile and I was pondering buying the Sensation or switching to Verizon (which has much better coverage in my area). I like the Sensation just a tad better due to its dual core processor and how much shimmer it is. This goes without saying, the Sensation is one sexy phone. It all came down to the carrier for me. In my house I would average 1-2 bars. So I went with VZW and the Thunderbolt. Honestly I love the Thunderbolt. It's great. For you, I would say go with the carrier that has better service in your area which I believe is safe to say Verizon.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using XDA Premium App
if you don't get Ltd where you are most I would go with the sensation
Yeah, it is completely a coin toss. Look at the development community here vs. Sensation, the Tbolt is much more active.
Considering the hell that an AT&T buyout would bring to Atmosphere, I'd be far happier stuck on VZW for two years.
If I can just work around this battery misery, I think the Tbolt will be fine.
Sent from my TBolt using XDA App
BoulderGeek said:
Yeah, it is completely a coin toss. Look at the development community here vs. Sensation, the Tbolt is much more active.
Considering the hell that an AT&T buyout would bring to Atmosphere, I'd be far happier stuck on VZW for two years.
If I can just work around this battery misery, I think the Tbolt will be fine.
Sent from my TBolt using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im getting about 8-10 hrs. on mine right now
setup in sig
Sensation looks pretty sweet. If Verizon had it in their line up it would be a top choice.
Agreed with everybody else. Depends on the carrier. If no LTE get the sensation.
T-Mobile will throttle down your data after you hit the 2GB ceiling, get Verizon before the 7th of July and you're locked in with unltd data with no cap or throttle, be it 3G or LTE. Even if you don't have LTE yet, you will eventually. The majority of features on a smartphone use network data, so all the memory and processing power technology has to offer means absolutely **** when your data stinks.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
If you don't get LTE in your area, download LTE On/Off or a similar program and switch to CDMA Auto. This will greatly improve your battery life.
I would take a not-so-hot device on Verizon's 4G any day over a "hot device" on a non Verizon carrier any day!!
Plus, the TB is definitely hot
Let me offer my feelings, because I have just completed the exact same journey you are embarking on, meaning I had a Sensation on Tmo, and just witched to VZW for the Thunderbolt. Here are my impressions:
HTC Sensation 4G:
I used to be on my company's corporate plan with blackberrys but recently accepted a new job, which allowed me to get whatever phone/carrier I wanted. I had used Tmobile years ago and did the whole HTC HD2 custom ROM thing and had a really good time with it. The sensation always claimed to be on 4g mode and I got relatively good speeds. I could always stream music/videos without any delay, and Speedtest would report about 3mbps on average, with a peak of 8 on a couple of occasions. Coverage was excellent & no dropped calls.
The phone itself is a work of art. It's very light, had outstanding battery life under heavy usage, and Sense 3.0 is beautiful. The tweaked functionality of the camera app among other things was nice. My favorite feature of course being free built in hotspot/tethering. However something was missing.
I really missed the screensize of the HD2. While both are 4.3" diagonal, the S4G has a higher aspect ratio, so the phone is actually skinnier. I didnt like this. I really liked how readable text was on my HD2, and the proximity of icons/buttons when texting were. All in all, the HD2 was simply the perfect size for me.
Then I went to a VZW store and made then unbox a thunderbolt for me so I could try it out without those security wires attached to it. I immediately fell in love and knew within seconds that this was the phone for me. I ran out the buyers remorse period on tmobile just to make sure, and finally made the switch on Monday! I cant tell you how pleased I am. The phone just feels right in my hands.
Every time I used the S4G I was constantly judging it for its screensize. This was a huge bummer, because I could never enjoy the phone. Every time I picked it up all I could think about was how much more smushed and how much scrolling I needed to do to get the same screen real estate visible on the Thunderbolt.
Thoughts on the Thunderbolt:
People arent lying, the battery life is borderline abysmal, but this is actually fine with me since I work behind a desk. I am actually charging it via USB as we speak. I'll probably also plug it into my car charger so it's boosted by the time I get home. I seem to get about 4-6 hours of heavy usage out of it (I was recording myself giving seminars this morning, then surfing all through lunch using the kickstand). I dont mind the battery life since I can easily keep it juiced, but I would NEVER recommend this phone for anyone on the go.
The only thing I actually dont like is how bulky the phone is. Even my HD2 was slimmer/lighter. Maybe its the LTE modem, or maybe it's the kickstand, but the phone feels fat in my hand. In fact, I've basically traded one nuisance for another, nagging on the S4G due to size, and nagging on the TB due to weight. Time will tell if I begin to regret my decision, but I think the other benefits will make up for it.
On TMO, within my first week on the S4G I had already used 1gb. Granted I was playing around with it a bit more than usual, but still. I think we're all gonna hit 2GB a lot sooner than we realize, and the carriers on banking on this (hence the reason they made them). Having 100% unlimited grandfathered 4G with the TB was probably my second biggest selling point. I dont like using a phone and constantly checking the MyAccount app, or 3g watchdog to determine how close I am to running over. It kinda sours the whole experience. With the TB I can just kick back relax and know I'll never be bothered with it.
And speaking of bulk/kickstand issues, I just want to say how AWESOME this kickstand is. I am constantly using it (even though it's only been 3 days lol). I love being able to stand it up and flick through web pages with 1 finger while I eat a sandwich or pasta or something at work. I'm really shocked they arent doing this will all their phones now.
Oh yeah, one other thing, performance. Believe it or not, but the TB actually feels snappier to me running Froyo than the S4G. Dual core or not, the S4G's framerate when switching homescreens always had a little choppiness to it. This really blows and feels like you're using a bogged down phone. The TB always has wonderfully smooth transitions. Obviously this is due to lack of 3d fx, but I'd rather have a smooth simply interface than a clunky advanced one. The only feature of Sense 3.0 I actually used was the lockscreen widget. It's pretty hand to be able to open emails/sms messages from here, but it really only saves you from 1 extra step when you use a standard lockscreen. All the other upgrades apps were pretty useless. Yeah the new weather widget is awesome and I would just stare and stare at it for minutes at a time. That was on my first day. On the 2nd day I never even noticed it. I even used the weather as my wallpaper, and still I didnt notice it.
P.S. I was really nervous about this whole ATT thing too. ATT has given some blanket statement that existing 4g users on Tmo's network will be "given an opportunity to upgrade" or something along those lines. Basically you WILL have to get a new phone eventually. LTE is NOT what Tmo is using, and ATT wants that spectrum baaaaad. Believe me, once it's theirs they are going to use it, and completely redeploy it for real 4G as they can. If you're LUCKY, they MIGHT do it in a series of phaseouts, letting users of phones like the S4G exhaust their contracts before each little piece of spectrum is gobbled up and transformed into LTE space. And thats assuming they're going to play nice, and since when has ATT ever played nice? ATT is always the first carrier to impose some asinine rules or restrictions on their services. They are the last company I would trust to be fair and not just force me to renew my contract in 13 months or be dumped to 2g speeds forever.
Hope that helps!
Verizon + Unlimited 4G LTE on the Thunderbolt can't be beat.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write that up, RunNGun!
You've hit upon many of my concerns and observations. I was actually thinking that the Sensation's aspect ratio difference and smaller size would be a positive for me. the Thunderbolt with a silicone bumper case feels as massive as the old Apple Newton I had in 1994.
But, I'm a relatively substantial guy at six feet and 215lbs, so it's not overwhelmingly large. I think that the 4" AMOLED of the Samsung Galaxy S line is the sweet spot for me. but, when I had one on AT&T, I returned it within three weeks. And I am glad that I did.
I'm getting about the same battery that you are. I also have USB at work and chargers all over the house, cars and motorcycles so I'm quite covered for applying power. I might get 8 hours on the stock battery, with wifi off and green power on.
I'm holding off the root and flash until I am out of return period and whatever upgrade that may come has been seen. I did port over my TMobile number that I've had since 1998, so I am pretty much sold on the Tbolt. i did a Speedtest in the car at a stoplight the other day and got 30mbit! And, I've already burned through 5+ Gigs of data just letting the bloatware do its thing and playing some Pandora.
I had a very good experience with Tmobile on my old Nokia 5800. But that sucked so badly for data services, that i only had text and voice on it. However, i could always make a call, where my GF on iPhone 4 has about a 50/50 chance of getting service or an inbound call.
I've also had good experiences with VZW in the past, but CDMA is such dead tech, it is hard to buy into it in 2011. I'd prefer a true world phone for my travels.
Cheers again for a great synopsis.
So you got the TB then? I have to agree with you about CDMA, but with a carrier as big and powerful as VZW I guess it doesnt really matter, they've certainly proven that it is a reliable platform and they can do great things with it. I wish I could use my phone overseas too, but at least I'll always have my wife's HD2 which is GSM for those occasions.
BTW I forgot to mention that my battery life is stifled from use of bluetooth a lot. I basically leave bluetooth on 24/7, GPS too, even though I'm not really using GPS that much. I dont actually shut off the radio. WiFi is always off. The first day I actually got 12 hours out of it before charging, because I was just too busy to play with it. Hard to say what my ultimate average will really be.
Getting this phone in a couple of days. How much do you guys love this phone?!?! I'm switching from t-mobile to Verizon, so hopefully this phone will spank my old rooted mytouch 4g (which I know will)
ive had mine for about 3 months now and i was a motorola guy but i gotta admit the rezound is nice. even before i unlocked the bootloader it seemed to be smooth for transitions and loading apps/games. but ever since i unlocked it and currently running RezRom 3.1 i must say im very glad with my purchase. battery life is actually decent for a LTE phone but i only run a music widget and not much else on the homescreens. enjoy your new phone.
Thanks for the fast reply, but yea I can't go outside of HTC. I have played with moto and Samsung phones and they just seem too buggy for me
This is BY FAR, the best phone I have ever had And I have been a VZ customer for years.
This phone has a very strong antenna. While driving on a highway I pickup almost all the wifi signals. 4G is very strong. My uploads in 4G are actually double my wifi - simply amazing.
jmorton10 said:
This is BY FAR, the best phone I have ever had And I have been a VZ customer for years.
Click to expand...
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This.
The only thing I would change about it would be make it a non-removable battery and make it huge like the RAZR MAXX. The extended battery ruins the feel of the phone IMO.
I actually LIKE the feel of the extended battery better.
It fits my hand better and makes it easier to hold.
This is the first Phone I've had where the extended batt still looks like the stock battery.
jmorton10 said:
I actually LIKE the feel of the extended battery better.
It fits my hand better and makes it easier to hold.
This is the first Phone I've had where the extended batt still looks like the stock battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree 100%. I bought the extended battery and love it. It feels better, and at least doubles the battery life. This is by far my favorite phone.
jmorton10 said:
I actually LIKE the feel of the extended battery better.
It fits my hand better and makes it easier to hold.
This is the first Phone I've had where the extended batt still looks like the stock battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GrayTheWolf said:
I agree 100%. I bought the extended battery and love it. It feels better, and at least doubles the battery life. This is by far my favorite phone.
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Perfect example if to each their own, that's cool though that you guys like it better, I wish I could use them, I would love to extra batt life.
I don't regret trading my gnex for rezound, some ppl think I was crazy.
ditto what everyone else has said. i have the extended battery as well and like how it feels in my hand as well. i actually tried to return this to get the razr maxx, but glad they wouldn't let me.
Best phone I have had.... So far...
Sent from my highly modified ICS Rezound.
Best.Phone.Ever! I have owned Motorolas, Samsungs and HTC's. I am never leaving HTC again.
This is definitely the best phone I've ever owned. I had a Samsung Captivate on ATT and thought it was great aside from the terrible GPS. I truly loved that phone and hated to part with it but needed to sell it so I could afford to switch from ATT to Verizon. I was going to get a Galaxy Nexus (partially because I liked by Captivate so much and partially because of ICS) but decided to go with the Rezound after playing with a friend's (and the fact that it was $100 cheaper didn't hurt either). Honestly, I had no regrets at the time and I definitely don't at this point, after reading about all the issues with the gnex. I absolutely love this phone. Everything works the way it should, the screen is gorgeous, battery life is great, and it just feels solid and well built. I, too, have the extended battery and I think it really makes the phone feel great. It's larger and easier to grip, and I actually prefer the added weight. I find a heavier phone is easier to hold onto and I'm also one who tends to associate heft with quality.
Aside from the phone, I think making the move to Verizon was the smartest thing I could have done. Where I live, I literally had to travel five miles south to pick up 3G on ATT...or 45 miles north. There is about a 50 mile stretch of Interstate 65 where ATT is 2G only. With Verizon, I have only found a couple of very small and very rural areas where I'm unable to get 3G (and I rarely visit those areas). I get 3G everywhere I go and, as an added bonus, switch over to 4G at the same 5 mile mark south of my house. Since I work 30 miles south of where I live, that works out perfectly...and I know Verizon will have that 4G area expanded to my house within a pretty reasonable timeframe. In the three years I was with ATT, they expanded the 3G coverage in my area by a whopping three miles. That's right...I used to have to travel 8 miles south to get 3G.
RKight said:
Aside from the phone, I think making the move to Verizon was the smartest thing I could have done. Where I live, I literally had to travel five miles south to pick up 3G on ATT...or 45 miles north. There is about a 50 mile stretch of Interstate 65 where ATT is 2G only. With Verizon, I have only found a couple of very small and very rural areas where I'm unable to get 3G (and I rarely visit those areas). I get 3G everywhere I go and, as an added bonus, switch over to 4G at the same 5 mile mark south of my house. Since I work 30 miles south of where I live, that works out perfectly...and I know Verizon will have that 4G area expanded to my house within a pretty reasonable timeframe. In the three years I was with ATT, they expanded the 3G coverage in my area by a whopping three miles. That's right...I used to have to travel 8 miles south to get 3G.
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Excellent choice man! I always choose Verizon if I could. I get strong signal everywhere. I get LTE in most places I go. Everyone I knew who were on AT&T absolutely hated it, and complained how slow and unreliable it was. But when they switched to Verizon, they were blown away by how much of a difference it made.
Just got this phone and already loving it stocked... Will probably root soon
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
kryptik06 said:
Just got this phone and already loving it stocked... Will probably root soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the HTC Dev unlock and had it rooted on day two. I rocked the stock ROM for about a month or so and then flashed the latest ICS leak. I used that for a few days and now I'm on Scott's Clean ROM 4.1. It just keeps getting better. Lol
good phone, crappy battery life. i am getting a bit bored with no aosp or miui but overall id recommend it.
I recently came from T-Mobile as well, loving Verizon's service over T-Mobile. Didn't like their selection of phones though. As soon as I started playing with this phone in the store it was like it was meant to be. I prefer Samsung screens, touch sensitivity and ease of rooting. Out of all the phones I played with this was the only one that was remotely close enough to what I wanted. Battery life is terrible, but the service makes up for it if you have a charger all the time. Since you are an HTC person, this phone is vastly superior to other phones HTC phones I've used. I rooted a T-Bolt for my wife's father and I was just like get this away from me I'm tired of looking at it. Hopefully Verizon gets a SGS3 at some point so I can go back to Samsung. This resolution is awesome, needs some love on color and backlighting though imo. Some of my other rants about quick settings and what not don't really effect you though since you're used to HTC and not having quick settings at the top of the pull down with a quick button push instead of all crammed together with a horizontal scroll.
Which would u choose? I'm figthin the urge to go buy the galaxy nexus Sunday I love the photon and thinking it may be better to wait on a fully functional stable joker rom cuz I miss hbo go...I don't really believe Motorola is actually gonna update this phone to ICS in the future and I'm not worried about LTE just yet I'll jump on that train when it actually rolls out in my area
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
rruss said:
Which would u choose? I'm figthin the urge to go buy the galaxy nexus Sunday I love the photon and thinking it may be better to wait on a fully functional stable joker rom cuz I miss hbo go...I don't really believe Motorola is actually gonna update this phone to ICS in the future and I'm not worried about LTE just yet I'll jump on that train when it actually rolls out in my area
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely positively zero question, the Galaxy nexus all the way.
My friend has one, I've spent extensive time using it. Simply the best phone I've ever used, it was phone of the year last year.
Also, being a Nexus phone - you will get the first updates for new OS'es . My sisters Nexus S got ICS already. Effen Motorola said what... November?
Jokers work is awesome, and I thank him profusely. I hope Motorola hires him!
For me, this phone is a red headed stepchild. Moto only cars about Verizon customers. I'm never buying a moto phone again.
Jeff_in_LA said:
Absolutely positively zero question, the Galaxy nexus all the way.
My friend has one, I've spent extensive time using it. Simply the best phone I've every used, it was phone of the year last year.
Also, being a Nexus phone - you will get the first updates for new OS'es . My sisters Nexus S got ICS already. Effen Motorola said what... November?
Jokers work is awesome, and I thank him profusely. I hope Motorola hires him!
For me, this phone is a red headed stepchild. Moto only cars about Verizon customers. I'm never buying a moto phone again.
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Click to collapse
The Nexus is already obsolete. I'd wait and see what the Galaxy SIII has to offer when Samsung makes the announcement on May 3. I'm not impressed by Sprint's verison of the HTC One X. HTC lost me after releasing that piece of crap Evo 3D (always losing signal and roaming). And according to the FCC test results, the radio in the EVO 4G LTE seems to be crappy as well.
Question
galaxy nexus is be OK,I think that..
five40 said:
The Nexus is already obsolete. I'd wait and see what the Galaxy SIII has to offer when Samsung makes the announcement on May 3. I'm not impressed by Sprint's verison of the HTC One X. HTC lost me after releasing that piece of crap Evo 3D (always losing signal and roaming). And according to the FCC test results, the radio in the EVO 4G LTE seems to be crappy as well.
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Have you not been paying attention to all the Epic 4G Touch issues? For months the phone would just randomly drop service without letting you know and you had to reboot to restore it. The radio in it is garbage on top of that. The Photon radio is a serious step up. Every single phone Samsung has released for Sprint has had major issues.
I really dont like my Photon and it will be the last Motorola phone I buy. My wife has a DroidX2 Global on Verizon and its a piece of crap too. She's probably going to go to an iPhone (Its her work phone and they have discontinued Android devides so its either iPhone or BB) and Im going to get a HTC One when it comes up for sale on Sprint. Maybe Ill give her my Photon for her Sprint line. She has an OG Epic she uses on Sprint but she probably hasnt made 10 calls on it in a year.
five40 said:
The Nexus is already obsolete. I'd wait and see what the Galaxy SIII has to offer when Samsung makes the announcement on May 3. I'm not impressed by Sprint's verison of the HTC One X. HTC lost me after releasing that piece of crap Evo 3D (always losing signal and roaming). And according to the FCC test results, the radio in the EVO 4G LTE seems to be crappy as well.
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I'd hardly call it obsolete. Yes S3 series is going to get announced. HTC and Moto lost me, and a pure google with with no crappy skin is awesome.
Also, the Nexus community have dialed the roms in for that phone like race cars. The Roms and kernels are awesome.
Interesting about phones.. 5 months is considered obsolete. My intel i7-920 overclocked to 3.8Ghz is still an awesome computer. They chip was launched in 08.
My 2 cents!
MadFlava said:
Have you not been paying attention to all the Epic 4G Touch issues? For months the phone would just randomly drop service without letting you know and you had to reboot to restore it. The radio in it is garbage on top of that. The Photon radio is a serious step up. Every single phone Samsung has released for Sprint has had major issues.
I really dont like my Photon and it will be the last Motorola phone I buy. My wife has a DroidX2 Global on Verizon and its a piece of crap too. She's probably going to go to an iPhone (Its her work phone and they have discontinued Android devides so its either iPhone or BB) and Im going to get a HTC One when it comes up for sale on Sprint. Maybe Ill give her my Photon for her Sprint line. She has an OG Epic she uses on Sprint but she probably hasnt made 10 calls on it in a year.
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The Photon is the best piece of hardware Sprint has to offer right now.
The Galaxy Nexus is just a tweaked Galaxy SII. I was a big HTC fan until the EVO 3D and I know Samsung phones aren't known for stellar radio performance, neither does HTC.
I'm waiting on the Galaxy SIII, but back to the OP's question.
I would go with a Galaxy Nexus because the display is absolutely gorgeous.
I owned one for a few weeks. Took it back because I'm on the edge of 2 Verizon LTE towers and would lose signal quite often. I know it's not isolated to the Nexus because a friend of mine owns the Verizon equivalent of the Photon (can't remember the name right now) and has the same LTE issues problem.
i been kickin around the same idea, and this EVO LTE is looking even better with a 1.5 GHz processor!?!?!
BUT.... i look back on the pros and cons
If i switch to the Nexus or EVO LTE
Pros(even tho they end up sounding like cons
-Faster Processor (even tho we have 1.3 OC i still clock down to 1.0, so not too powerful of persuasion.
-LTE - BUT... sprint is adding this technology and it will be WIP.
Screen - no doubt its a better screen, BUT it will probably chew more power
-1080p camera (but the devs are working on this for the photon)
-Official ICS (BUT id end up wiping out and flashing CM9 so im back to where i am now)
-Lighter - this is one pro that i cant argue, the EVO LTE is a feather!
-Front camera - 1.3 v vga (not a biggy for me)
Cons
-Only CDMA, less radios, less cell signal probably
-$$$ it will take a few bills outta my pocket
-phone is bigger and will be bigger in the jeans pocket
-more attractive to be stolen at the gym
when i rethink everything through, i honesty am more tempted to go buy a second photon for backup. The photon is not at a huge hardware disadvantage. software wise... just think how fast joker has done what he has done with using code out of the air. Im sittin my fat ass down with the photon for a long time.
Once or IF sprint ever comes back out with a worldwide android phone that can beat the Photon in the ring, THEN ill switch over. but for now, the photon has too great of devs, and amazing radios that i cant ignore. a phone is for communications, and without great radios, well... your SOL.
my 2 cents
Just hope this great devs don't switch over to an lte phone lol
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
alot of great points being brought up i swore to myself i would never buy another samsung phone because i had a terrible experience with the epic touch signal wise i just didn't get the same signal i got with my photon in the exact same spots no arguing that. i would love to get the evo lte too BUT intergrated battery is too iphone-ish for me and i feel like it will be a HUGE disadvantage to rooters and another way for sprint to **** with me and take more money out my pocket if my phone gets screwed up if motorola werent on verizons jock i would wait for them to come out with a lte phone...by the way do you guys think that googles purchase of motorola will eventually lead to a Motorola manufactured Nexus? how awsome would that be
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Easy choice. The Galaxy Nexus. As much as I love the Photon, people need to look beyond the software UI when choosing a phone. Galaxy Nexus has LTE capability, Photon has Wimax capability. Wimax is on its way out while LTE is on its way in. The LTE footprint by Sprint will be nationwide whereas the Wimax footprint is standing put.
Get the Galaxy Nexus because even joker's rom is stock ICS which is what the galaxy nexus is anyways except you will get LTE capability at some point in the future depending on which market you live in.
rruss said:
alot of great points being brought up i swore to myself i would never buy another samsung phone because i had a terrible experience with the epic touch signal wise i just didn't get the same signal i got with my photon in the exact same spots no arguing that. i would love to get the evo lte too BUT intergrated battery is too iphone-ish for me and i feel like it will be a HUGE disadvantage to rooters and another way for sprint to **** with me and take more money out my pocket if my phone gets screwed up if motorola werent on verizons jock i would wait for them to come out with a lte phone...by the way do you guys think that googles purchase of motorola will eventually lead to a Motorola manufactured Nexus? how awsome would that be
Sent from my Thrive using xda premium
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Im with you there. I might be willing to try the Note but at this point, who knows if its coming or not.
Jeff_in_LA said:
Jokers work is awesome, and I thank him profusely. I hope Motorola hires him!
For me, this phone is a red headed stepchild. Moto only cars about Verizon customers. I'm never buying a moto phone again.
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why would they hire him?
And if you look at the amount of sold units between Vz and Sprint you would see why Moto caters to Vz. Sprint is no longer considered an Class A service provider by any OM.
photon all the way. with miui its a fantastic phone. and wouldnt trade if for anything. and yes. more is to come with this phone. it can only get better
How is a less functional phone fantastic? No 4G, no MMS
five40 said:
How is a less functional phone fantastic? No 4G, no MMS
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?????
five40 said:
How is a less functional phone fantastic? No 4G, no MMS[/QUO
I think he was thinking in terms of a fully functional ics rom and as far as 4g goes more people don't have it anyway
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
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halfdriven said:
?????
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My post was in response to the MIUI comment
Sorry I thought I quoted the post.
ICS is pretty cool but it should not be the primary driver in making this decision. The Photon is already running CM9 and it will get official ICS support later this year. You need to compare specs between these two phones and match them to your lifestyle. Me, I live in a suburban area where the signal strength is only OK. I used to get a decent signal outside and in different spots within my house but now that I have a Photon that has all changed. I get signal almost everywhere. I don't have 4G in my area so I'm able to run CM9 as my daily driver with zero complaints. In my opinion the Photon is superior but if I lived in the middle of Manhattan I'd probably be rocking a Galaxy Nexus because the city's coverage is much better and Manhattan will get LTE.
The Galaxy Nexus and Photon are really apples and oranges. One is a Wimax phone while the other is an LTE phone. There are some areas with both types of 4G, but for the most part if you're not in the buildout you'd be stuck with 3G data. One is $150 on craigslist and the other is $200 on contract.
Its better to compare the Galaxy Nexus to the HTC EVO 4G LTE. In that respect, the only advantage to the Galaxy Nexus is being a Google-supported device. That really doesn't mean much to me, since Google has shown that they only care about one generation past, and ICS only just came to the Nexus S 4G last week, even the HTC Sensation and the international Galaxy S2 got ICS before that.
Even if you have a fully functional Photon with ICS though, which doesn't exist, the Galaxy Nexus is still better. And you better be prepared to pay $400+ more for the privilege.
Hey xda. In March I switched to sprint and got an iPhone 4S, but I'm finding Sprint's service on the iPhone to be less than stellar (every single call I make or receive drops or cuts out). I know it's not my area (Houston-Dallas) as my father has Sprint on his EVO 4G and he doesn't have the same problems. I've been through every iPhone on AT&T as well as a Nexus One and an Atrix. I love the iPhone interface, but I'm quickly becoming disgruntled with the issues I'm having and am thinking about going back to Android. Would I be happy with an EVO 4G LTE, should I wait for the Galaxy SIII, or should I just keep my 4S?
absolutely 100% recommend the evo lte. i am still using the original evo 4g and love it. everyone else in my family has the 4s and i have to say it seems pretty limited sometimes compared to somethings i can do with my evo and i almost never have dropped calls accept for in extremely low signal areas which i pretty much no where by me haha.
edit: also i wouldn't bother waiting for the sgs3. its going to have the same processor as the new evo since no quad core currently supports lte and plus htc has much better build quality. so like i said i can't see you being dissapointed in the new evo if you get it. and if you don't like it theres always the 30 day return grace period.
thatoneguy247 said:
Hey xda. In March I switched to sprint and got an iPhone 4S, but I'm finding Sprint's service on the iPhone to be less than stellar (every single call I make or receive drops or cuts out). I know it's not my area (Houston-Dallas) as my father has Sprint on his EVO 4G and he doesn't have the same problems. I've been through every iPhone on AT&T as well as a Nexus One and an Atrix. I love the iPhone interface, but I'm quickly becoming disgruntled with the issues I'm having and am thinking about going back to Android. Would I be happy with an EVO 4G LTE, should I wait for the Galaxy SIII, or should I just keep my 4S?
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I am basically in your exact situation. I live in the Dallas area and I made the dumb mistake of getting a 4s. Two things made my decision; 1st I had the 3D and support for it was diminishing so I got bored and I had an opportunity to get the 4s new without using my upgrade for about $100. I hate it's speeds, it's connections, interface is okayyy, So many apps are pay that I got free or optioned to support on Android, iMessage never works ect... I deserve every flame I get. I honestly hate the 4s.
I WAS 110% on bored with new Evo but I would like a little more confirmation on LTE. I have owned 3 variations of the Evo (OG, 3D, Shift) and am a big fan but if DFW won't have anything better than 3G for awhile I might hold out. By the time I get a confirmation I am hoping the new iPhone specs are released since it too will be LTE finally and iOS6 is rumored to be a complete redesign. I'm not he greatest fan of iOS, I think Android fits me better but the iPhone 5 is shaping up to peak my interest.
I almost pre-ordered but I think I am going to stick it out awhile and let the phone hit the masses awhile. As far as the GSIII, if you are going back to Android stay HTC, the reviews of both the EVO is edging it out on everything but of course the screen cause no one can really beat Samsung except Apple but every review is saying the Evo is still a very high contender.
From what I hear, the voice quality on the evo lte is same if not better than on the galaxy nexus. I had a chance to play with the GN at a local store recently. All other things aside, the call quality was amazing, clear, vibrant, loud - in fact, with the ear piece on the maximum setting, it was TOO loud! I can't remember the last cell phone I had that had that capability (maybe an old motorola razr).
My wife has Virgin and she's sick and tired of her Samsung Intercept (what a shocker.) We want her to stick with a non contract provider, and it seems like most of the other carriers have sub par android offerings. The EVO V seems intriguing but I have 2 big concerns. 1. The phone is a year old. I know it had Good specs at the time and having ICS helps now but I want this phone to last more than a year. 2. I've read in some places that battery life is atrocious. Now my wife isn't a power user, but I also don't feel like hearing her complain constantly about the battery life. I'm leaning more toward this phone than the Milestone because I like the bumped specs and having a legit ICS is a big selling point. As far as a no contract Android goes, is this a good get or should I wait / keep shopping around or do others have some suggestions I may have overlooked?
dvandam said:
My wife has Virgin and she's sick and tired of her Samsung Intercept (what a shocker.) We want her to stick with a non contract provider, and it seems like most of the other carriers have sub par android offerings. The EVO V seems intriguing but I have 2 big concerns. 1. The phone is a year old. I know it had Good specs at the time and having ICS helps now but I want this phone to last more than a year. 2. I've read in some places that battery life is atrocious. Now my wife isn't a power user, but I also don't feel like hearing her complain constantly about the battery life. I'm leaning more toward this phone than the Milestone because I like the bumped specs and having a legit ICS is a big selling point. As far as a no contract Android goes, is this a good get or should I wait / keep shopping around or do others have some suggestions I may have overlooked?
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The battery life is about middle ground as far as Android high end phones. You can get a full day out of it if you need/want to. The phone, IMHO, still has plenty of life left in it. It fits great in your hands. And watching 3D videos on YouTube is awesome. I know people will say it is/was a gimmick, but I completely disagree. It is just an extra feature on a phone that sets it apart from the other ones. I think once the iPhone comes out with 3D, everyone will rush to get one and other phone makers will make it a standard feature on all phones. It was just ahead of its time on the Evo 3D. With hardly any other phones to share 3D images with, it makes it hard to show off how awesome 3D images and videos are without being next to someone and showing them on your phone.
I can understand people wanting to have the next generation of bigger and better phones, but just because a newer model is out doesn't make the Evo 3D magically stop working or cease to have a dual core processor with 1GB of RAM...which still runs every app and game, still makes phone calls, and send texts with ease.
This may or may not affect you, but could...the Evo 3D uses WiMAX and will that network will still be support for a few years in places where it is operational. Such as my little city. I have WiMAX and I use it as if my life depends on it. Sure, I could get the newest phone with LTE, but until Sprint gets it in my city, I'm stuck with 3G. And once you go 4G you can't go back.
I vote get the Evo 3D. And enjoy! I know I have enjoyed mine and will continue to...I am eligible for an upgrade, but I'm not sure I can do it yet because I love this phone and 4G data.
-Ken
Sent from my iPhone with the bigger Gee Bees.
It's a great phone at $100 off craigslist if you are already on sprint or can flash it somehow for another carrier. To pay $300 for it would be an incredible waste of money. Sprints wimax is worthless if you are moving and only ok if you are not. If your house is right next to a wimax tower you might be ok. I thought it has been said it has a few problems out of the box with sprints\virgins version of ics so be ready to flash\root it right away to make it work better. A lot of work for a $300 phone. The 3d part is really just a gimmick, kind of a add-on for the kiddies. These are the realities of this phone.http://voices.yahoo.com/3d-devices-smartphones-causing-headaches-eye-8858717.html
I love my Evo 3D now with ICS, but I wouldn't buy a new one now. Phones get old fast, your best bet is to buy the latest and greatest and it may last 2 years.
Buy it new for like $100 flash it to virgin. Its $300 cuz your not signing a contract. I'm running meanrom ics and I get days of medium use with absolutely no lag or issues.
Everybody gets the latest and greatest because that's how manufactures control the market. I don't think any other phone for this price is even comparable.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
notasimpleway said:
The battery life is about middle ground as far as Android high end phones.
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Those must be the magical unicorn Android phones...
I'm averaging 50% remaining charge after ~36 hours with everything enabled except 4G. You can get 2 days out of the EVO V easily with Harmonia 3 (a cleaned up stock ROM):
http://www.vmroms.com/index.php?topic=157.0
I can't report on stock battery performance because frankly I rooted and installed Harmonia 3 about an hour after I got the phone.
Of the smartphones I've owned (Palm Pre, EVO 4G, Optimus V, Optimus Slider) and used, the EVO V is by far the best all around. This phone with a no-contract Virgin plan is just about perfect (for me).
I suspect those reporting atrocious battery life are leaving 4G on.
sailio said:
Buy it new for like $100 flash it to virgin. Its $300 cuz your not signing a contract. I'm running meanrom ics and I get days of medium use with absolutely no lag or issues.
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There is a LOT of issues with flashing it to Virgin, he'd be better off flashing to Boost but regardless of which carrier it would involve cloning the MEID/ESN of a donor phone and I wouldn't suggest it unless you know a lot about phones and have a backup in case it takes you a while. It is worth it though even at $300, the specs are just as comparable to today's phones and over the time she would have the phone a couple of years it would have paid for itself several times in comparison to getting it on contract at a subsidized price. I would DEFINITELY suggest it, the phone's specs as I said are comparable to phones coming out today (even higher specs than some new phones) and whether or not it remains supported it'll still remain a good phone for a time to come.
Esn has nothing to do with flashing it to another carrier... Just firmware and pri. I work for radioshack so I deal with this on a daily basis
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Not to hate on HTC... but I would wait for new galaxy to drop in price. I think that is going to be the best phone out this year and honestly you will be good for atleast 2 years.
Battery is amazing if you are using a MEAN rom. Otherwise, so/so. Also... I would say the biggest concern is the crappy hardware. You are taking a chance at having a blown earpiece or failing digitizer. These are common issues and I suffer from BOTH.
sailio said:
Esn has nothing to do with flashing it to another carrier... Just firmware and pri. I work for radioshack so I deal with this on a daily basis
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
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lol it does when the carrier doesn't allow flashing Work at radio shack? I've actually flashed phones so I know Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile blocks MEIDs/ESNs that are not in their database. It's not like flashing to Cricket or Metro PCS because of this fact. You could flash to Boost or Virgin without changing it but you won't be able to put it on your account Go to Virgin or Boost and just try and activate an account with an ESN/MEID not in their database, it won't work and customer service won't do it either lol (nor will they add it)
The only and I mean *only* way to get a non virgin or boost phone working on a virgin or boost account is by flashing and changing the ESN/MEID.
Also, I HAAAAATE when people say "I work for Radio Shack" or "I work for Best Buy Mobile" or "I work for geek squad" and use it to say (hey I'm an expert) not to diss on any of these (in fact I'm sure a lot of them are very good), but the vast majority of people I know at these jobs know very little and only know what's part of their official training etc. Again not all of them but pleeeaaassseee don't be so sure in something you obviously don't have experience in and giving a user HORRIBLE advise in which they will likely regret it if they try and follow it In fact you probably shouldn't give advice on a subject unless you've tried it (which you obviously haven't lol)