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
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
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)
Related
I don't know how many of you have been in the same boat (or care, really) but I am just so torn as to what to do!! I have been with t-mobile for the last 10 years and haven't had too many problems other than small hiccups from time to time. And I got onto their no roaming charges plan fairly early on after i signed up. I don't travel very often, but it was nice to not worry about roaming charges. I would always look at verizon and see that they charged roaming fees and were generally more expensive than what I had. Then I got my first smart phone in 2006 and was hooked! However, t-mobile was pretty late in the game as far as 3G speeds were concerned, especially in my area. And sometimes, the "3G" speeds really suck!! Tho I have compared against people with AT&T and verizon, and when I have 3G speeds on my phone, they tend to be faster. Hell, I can even stream netflix movies through my phone! But now with the onset of 4G, verizon seems to be in a good position. Tho I just read that Salt Lake wasn't going to get complete LTE coverage until the end of the year. Which kind of bites. Anyway I am kind of wanting to jump ships now, however I would have to cut my allowed minutes in half (to 450), and service would STILL cost like 10-15 dollars more per month than what I already pay. But I really do have my eye on the thunderbolt. I have gone in like 3 times to the verizon store to play with it. I am a little bit concerned with battery life, and I don't want to pay extra for 2 GB worth for tethering. Yes, I understand you can root and put new ROMs on the device, but that process still confuses the crap out of me since I have never done it before. The other thing that i get stuck on is that I am a terrible decision maker, so I am kind of scared of making a bad move and regretting it (like buying an HD2.) So I guess that my question is (especially for you former t-mobile customers) is why do you like verizon? I'm not asking you to convince me to switch, I just want to know why you like verizon. Is there a reason you don't like verizon? I don't think I need to ask why you like or dislike the thunderbolt, since I have found plenty of posts for that. But hopefully a few of you will give your two cents
Well, from what I can say, I'd honestly say that if you main concern is speed, verizon is the way to go, if you lookin for a balance, maybe look into sprint. They have 4g phones (the evo, and the evo shift) being almost the same as the inc I just owned (I ran an evo rom, radios, and battery), as they have decent prices and coverage and 4g. T mobile I have never used or been a fan of, but if they work, why change? They will catch up in a bit I'm sure. I've always been with Verizon as I'm on someones plan, and could never afford the insane rates myself. really though I'l check to see what you need, what you want, and what you can afford. Assuming sprint is good in your area, I'd highly suggest an eve/evo shift as a balance, but I can't really give you a definite answer. I have a thunderbolt as of he last few days and like it. I can't say I love it even with the 4G speeds being impressive at the moment. Just waiting for some more hackers and HTC to give us the code we need then I may love it.
Hope that helps a bit and I didn't bore you.
I moved over from AT&T this past summer because well I really don't like AT&T and even as a priority customer on an iPhone I had terrible coverage/service. I made the move to Verizon initially for the superior network/service. I am paying significantly more as I'm no longer on a family plan w/ my brother who didn't want to leave his iPhone...
And if you do come to Verizon by the time the free mobile hotspot promo ends I'm quite sure the hacker/developer community will have greatly simplified the rooting process and there will be custom roms/kernels to optimize power. If not the extended battery add on doesn't cost too much and doesn't add to much to the overall size, I grabbed it for those days I'm traveling. And there are tethering options that don't require monthly payments/limits that don't require root.
I'm loving my thunderbolt, though I agree w/ kdb424 I'm looking forward to some further development on the custom roms/kernels front. I only have rooted currently to get rid of the bloatware & access to the root apps, but can't wait to have some more custom roms to play with. But well currently seemingly the community is waiting for HTC to release the kernel source.
But again I love Verizon for the service/quality of network/helpful employees & I am definitely liking the thunderbolt even though it is a significant change in size from my Droid Incredible.
Holy massive block of text!
I would recommend checking out which carrier best serves your personal needs. Verizon is a little pricey if you cannot get any sort of discount (through work, family, etc.)... but they also have amazing coverage and an impressive start on their 4G LTE network.
I understand why you may not want Verizon though. Sprint is a tad more affordable and can offer great devices and service depending on your area.
I was with TMobile for about 8 years before switching to Verizon a week ago (relocated for work and had no data coverage with TMobile at my new location).
Well I have looked at the options. I might get a new job in Elko, Nevada in which case only Verizon and AT&T have any decent coverage. This is also another reason why i ask. And I doubt Elko would be getting 4G any time soon.
Oh, decisions decisions!!
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
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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.
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.
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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...
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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
Hey everyone, most of you will know me from the Evo 4G, I am the creator of Azrael X and Stock Turbo ROMS. I loved my Evo 4G and I loved developing ROMS for it. I was due for Upgrade in July of last year, just in time to get the Evo 3D. I was excited because of the Specs of the Evo 3D and traded "up" for my "amazing Evo 3D". To be honest, I wish I had held out for the Samsung GS-II or switched to Verizon now!
Here is the issues I have had with the Evo 3D.
My first one: I take good care of my phones, I think in all the time I had my Evo 4G I dropped it once and it was in a case so no damage. One day, I went to use my Evo 3D's camera to take a picture of something funny to send to my friends. Well, my phone became unresponsive and then my phone's display got corrupted. I tried all the troubleshooting steps, redid the phone ROM, hard reset, EVERYTHING. No dice and I heard that sometimes the camera gets disconnected and you can press real hard and it will work again. Ironically I did that and it worked once, the next day I went to use the camera and it did it again, froze the phone for a few minutes and corrupted the display. So I went to a Sprint service center and they "could not fix it, my replacement would be ordered and I can pick it up in a few days." So I get my replacement and...
I get a replacement with Hboot 1.50: Hboot 1.50 really sucks, that is all there is to it. HTC lets you root your phone...for a price! You void your warranty (not completely but it's more or less at the discretion of the Sprint employee if your covered by warranty or not if you bring it in for service with an issue) and it's not even a full root! You cannot flash kernels or radios without jumping through hoops and your phone is not S-Off. There is no current method to get S-Off with Hboot 1.50 and all attempts thus far have failed. Why could they have not just fixed my camera on my original one? This is livable with but has taken away the desire from me to develop ROMS for this phone. Then there is the....
Other issues with my replacement Evo 3D: The new one likes to restart itself randomly. It actually caused me to nearly late for work one morning because my carefully set alarm went off when it decided to restart itself. Thankfully I woke up by myself and was able to rush, get ready, and barely make it! I no longer rely on it as my alarm unless there is nothing else available. This NEVER happened with my Evo 4G, it reliably served as my alarm. Then there is...
CIQ: Sprint and HTC are spying on you; even a tinfoil hat will not prevent them from logging your phone usage. I mean, I am sure there are ways that all phones and carriers can do this, but where did I sign a form that allows them to monitor my usage? Not to mention this logging still eats up memory, CPU cycles, and battery. Even if they took this out now, not to mention developers found ways to rip out CIQ innards from the phone, this is a lameness that I cannot fathom. Then there is....
Sprint:
They removed the "Sprint Premier" program, which is really stupid. Now you have to wait 2 full years to get an upgraded phone.
The Network seems worse than ever. 4G coverage around the south suburbs of Chicago is bad at best, not there at worst. There are a couple of dead spots I always hit on the way home from work on 294.
Rude employees at Sprint. I ended up talking to a lady who kept interrupting me and laughed at me when I said something about that. I have never said, "F%$ you" to a lady on the phone until then. I actually said that and hung up, I was fuming! (UPDATE: Yes I know any company has good and bad reps and it's always a chance you will get one or the other, but she took the cake for the rudest CS rep I have dealt with from any company maybe ever. It was not just what she said, it was how she handled my questions. I should also mention she is a manager.)
Other things that I do not like about the Evo 3D.
The Speakerphone: Both Evo 3D phones I have had have mediocre speakers. The first one is way quieter and has NO bass compared to my former Evo 4G. Minor but noticeable.
The signal: This may have been "early teething" problems but my Evo 4G seemed to pull in signal much better than the Evo 3D. This could be because of premature radio and PRL updates at the time but I would be interested now to see how they compare. My Evo 4G would have 5 bars while the 3D would have 1-3 bars.
The charger port: The Evo 4G was nice because the charging port was right on the bottom of the phone. This made it easy to charge it while you mess with the phone and/or want to charge and talk at the same time. The Evo 3D has the charger port on the upper-left side. If you attempt to charge and talk, you are putting stress on your cable and the port itself. Stupid placement IMO.
Less tinker friendly: Besides the already mentioned Hboot 1.5 (partial root and partial warranty breaker) you cannot use the volume or power buttons while the cover is off. This is of course REALLY being nitpicky as there is not much need for it. But when you need access to the battery, having to take the back off every time is an extra step.
Of course, the Evo 3D is a better phone than the Evo 4G as far as hardware specs and screen quality. I just wish it was better in almost all ways instead of just specs.
The good of the Evo 3D is quite numerous of course.
The specs
The 3D features are neat
Increased memory
The screen slightly better quality
No more light bleeding like on the Evo 4G
Hboot 1.5 is a stupid means of control and I cannot believe we void our warranty for the sake of a half-ass root! I had aspirations for Azrael X 3D but honestly I feel the Evo 3D has some great ROMS already and Hboot 1.5 is a big deal breaker for me.
I might have to pass on HTC and Sprint too next time around.
More on the next post, but I want to know if anyone else has buyers (and/or Sprint) remorse lately. I am thinking of moving to "Big Red" network.
Luckily I haven't experienced any of the issues you seem to be going through. I would recommend calling or stopping by sprint and have your replacement swapped out. Who knows you might get lucky and get one with 1.4, good luck man hope it works out.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
I would definitely push them to get you a replacement, it sounds like they gave you another defective one. If they give you a hard time about it showing "relocked" shoot me a PM and I may be able to help you out.
Man what's up. I remember your Roms and work for the EVO4G. Deff top notch.
Personally I don't have buyers remorse as mine has been great here no issues hardware wise.
As for the things you mentioned with sprint itself like the premier program...I'm with ya on that 100%. Hate it that they took that away. BUT according to the Sprint Advocates group that has conf calls with execs each month, Sprint has been researching a new loyalty program to replace it with to reward those of us again. Maybe the buy your upgrade back trial program is a slight form of it, though I know they have discussed more.
As for leaving sprint if you head to big red you pretty might end up with only getting Samsung phones as they have announced their stance on bootloaders and I wouldn't be shocked to see their future HTC phones not on the unlock list...
Personally i can't beat the price here and I really want to stick around with Sprint and see these NetworkVision deployments because network wise they will improve things 10 fold in many areas. The mere backhaul improvement being done at the towers is a giant leap in itself.
S4GRU.com has a ton of very very detailed info, a lot inside info too on this. Great site btw, any Sprint customer interested in the network and such I suggest heading over there and reading the enormous amount of detailed info they have, including some spectrum analysis...
Saw you mentioned Chicago specifically so I linked the two wall posts that discuss some info on that area specifically for ya.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/...nd-lte-deployment-details-emerge-for-chicago/
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/...-schedule-details-for-sprints-chicago-market/
As far as the customer service, that's a shame man and you really can't defend them for that.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
Hey ric, I thought you disappeared! I used to love your 4g roms. That sucks you've had so many issues. Good to see you're alive though.
We're comin from a pure power source.
Hey, I'm in the Chicago area too and I know there can be dead spots and sprint is the slowest of the carriers it seems. Where I'm at though, service is incredible. The Crestwood area. But I can't venture out too far before I see speeds drop. Signal strength seems to stay strong everywhere I go though. And I don't even bother using 4G. I can get it at home but not much anywhere else. And with wifi at home, what's the point? But I'm still happy with the service.
The phone I love too. I dropped it a couple times while in a case, no damage. Phone doesn't reboot, everything is responsive, etc. Maybe your replacement has something wrong with it.
Now, I did see lots of problems on custom roms or kernels or both for some reason. I trust the developers know what they're doing and I'm not a developer so I don't know why there were so many issues then. I didn't try every rom or kernel, but the popular ones I did always restarted and froze on my phone. It was like clock work. So I've stuck to the stock setup with some mods on top of it and have 0 problems.
As for CIQ goes, sprint removed it in the latest update I believe. But I wouldn't put it past then if there's some other way they're tracking us. Since the removal of ciq, things perform world's better too.
I won't get too into their customer service but I have had some really friendly support and I've had some that clearly don't enjoy their job but weren't rude to me. It happens everywhere.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
Sucks that you are having so many issues, my 3d has been rock solid but sprints data in my home town is horrible. Stuck in a contract til mid 2013. Hoping to see some improvement by then with the upcoming lte. Although i dont see much about florida in their upcoming deployments. Think i read awhile back about Miami, but that was it. Best wishes to you and hope things improve for all of us with sprint issues.
Sent from one Fresh Honey Sensed Evo 3D
CIQ is indeed removed, since the January 13th update. Most phone manufacturers and Sprint are working with eachother to remove CIQ if it hasn't been already. Be glad you didn't go with Samsung, I've had so many with issues it's not funny. If you are mad about a camera issue on HTC, wait till you see what Samsung can give you. Late (if ever updates), radio issues, physical KB keypress skips, crashing camera, you name it (depending on the model). The SII is lambasted with problems galore, google it. It sucks that the HTC is locked down more, but IMO, it's not like a Samsung so it's not entirely necessary to root because the phone itself doesn't have major experience killing issues.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
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i second this what the hell is going on nothing that was said was terrible.. explain ur reasoning >:O
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
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Freedom of speech does not apply on a forum.
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
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"Freedom of Speech" doesn't always comply with XDA forum policies.
You mind showing us the policy and how what was said went against the policy?
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
PM a mod if you have any gripes.
dylan6879 said:
You mind showing us the policy and how what was said went against the policy?
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
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I don't know what was said here but many of the rules here could be used to limit your speech and rightfully so. For example the rule 2.4...
Regardless PM the mod or a mod and ask, and you'll likely get an answer.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
templep2k2 said:
I feel compelled to reply an I never post I have like 3 maybe IDk. Reading your post you sound very frustrated I get that been there but you are/were a custom rom developer?? How many cell carriers have you been with?
I was with Verizon for years they do not give a **** about any of their customers. They are more expensive for everything and they will nickel and dime you anyway they can. Verizon does not have blazing fast data 24/7 that covers every square inch of the USA.
They dropped sprint premiere, so what if you call sales they will upgrade you almost anytime you wanna buy a new phone an lock you down for two more years. Sprint buys back phones they always have some deal or incentive goin on. You buy a Verizon phone you aren't getting an upgrade for two yrs forget it.
Yea its not uncommon to talk to an idiot on the phone I myself as soon as I hear an accent not of the English language ask to speak someone else because I cannot understand them but you own a phone that they prob couldn't buy with their whole weeks paycheck.
I've had all the issues that you have with reboots freezes and whatnot no camera probs this is my 4th one. But hey they have replaced them with no hassle I've been offered other phones the photon for example which I passed on.
Idk what else you ask of them when they replace the defective product you can't justify getting mad at them for replacing a defective device with the lastest and least defective software.
THIS PHONE IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE EVO4G which I had several of those I shattered the screen multiple times on all of them from dropping it. The speaker was a joke sure it was louder than the 3d until it blew the **** out. The 3D is sturdy and durable no problems from dropping not even a scratch on the screen I use no cases or protectors. Usb charging port is pathetic pos on EVO4g. 3D came out 1 year after 4G pretty dam good phone. There's nothing mind blowing that has come out since the 3D release I just don't get it. Were just now starting to see the next wave of technology that will soon outshine the phone.
Every other electronic device that you modify through software or hardware not provided by the OEM voids the warranty why does everyone feel cell phone manufactures/carriers shouldn't its just mind boggling. If you're fedup an rdy to tell sprint **** you kiss my ass it ain't always greener on the otherside even if its red.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
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I don't care about customer service, I have dealt with good and bad reps of ANY company I have ever dealt with.
Sprint has unlimited plans but their network is mark-ably worse then when I first started using it.
Verizon has much better signal everywhere. I have a Verizon Mifi device and when my Evo 3D or Sprint Wifi device (which I returned) could not connect at work at all I was getting decent 4G with Verizon! No connection vs connection with 4G. And we all know Verizon has a much faster 4G data rate.
There are pros and cons to every carrier. I have friends who have all carriers, I have tried all of them almost (AT&T, US Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint, Cingular) and there is plus and minus to all of them. But your post has some good points as well. Thank you for your reply and I agree with a LOT of what you said.
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
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I have no idea what you said but I am guessing your post was a typical "retaliation" thread against mine and maybe the mods removed it so this post does not become a back and forth. But 30 posts about how they removed your threads are taking THIS thread off subject, so please stick to the subject matter.
A lot of people reply to posts with counter arguments but many go overboard. Maybe you did and they removed it? I can only speculate....
Anyhow, you can disagree with me of course but keep it clean. I opened this post with MY feelings, if yours differ offer counter arguments but no need to be rude (not saying your reply was rude, but seems there was something up with it).
I added to my first post now with more information
Loved your roms on the 4G, basically the only reason I responded to this thread (usually stay away from xda now). Sorry about the problems you are having.
Hopefully you find a phone and a carrier that treats you as well as your last phone.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
ricsim78 said:
I don't care about customer service, I have dealt with good and bad reps of ANY company I have ever dealt with.
Sprint has unlimited plans but their network is mark-ably worse then when I first started using it.
Verizon has much better signal everywhere. I have a Verizon Mifi device and when my Evo 3D or Sprint Wifi device (which I returned) could not connect at work at all I was getting decent 4G with Verizon! No connection vs connection with 4G. And we all know Verizon has a much faster 4G data rate.
There are pros and cons to every carrier. I have friends who have all carriers, I have tried all of them almost (AT&T, US Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint, Cingular) and there is plus and minus to all of them. But your post has some good points as well. Thank you for your reply and I agree with a LOT of what you said.
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Hi Ric, I also loved your roms on the EVO 4G too. I also made the switch to red, not because of the EVO 3D. I loved the phone and it's a solid phone but I didn't have a 1.5 hboot either. I might have felt differently if I had one. I as you did got tired of watching my coverage get worse. I'm not that far from you and I was paying for 4G coverage and hardly getting it . Some may disagree but I felt my 4G was better when I had my OG EVO. I'm no longer under "unlimited" data but is sprint truly "unlimited" when there's threads about guys getting cancelled for using too much data when it's "unlimited"..Just my .02. I'm sure in true XDA fashion someone will say "good riddance" or "cool story bro" but I'm a forum veteran and have seen it all on forums of all types. If it helps with your choice I'm loving the 4GLTE coverage Ric.
Peace
OK, I know this question gets old, but I'm going to ask it anyway. I'm currently on a 4G LTE and became upgrade eligible on 8/1. The One seems like the no-brainer choice right now, but I'm reading a lot about upcoming phones like Nexus 5, Moto X, upcoming Sony phone, LG G2, etc. What would you guys do in my shoes?
My wife becomes upgrade eligible on 2/1, so I'm considering swapping my upgrade with her for now so that she can move from her iPhone 4s to the 5 (or 5s in Sept) and finally have 4G while I wait a few months for something else. That said, in the cell phone upgrade game, there's ALWAYS going to be something amazing on the horizon -- that's what makes these decision brutal. I've had every Evo since the OG, and right now I'm basically happy with my 4G LTE: rooted, S-Off, get 4G in my area, use tethering extensively, like the look/feel, and I love the kickstand. That said, some cons are that I'm not crazy about the battery life, I get launcher crashes fairly regularly on stock Sense and most Sense roms, and I don't feel that the radio is the strongest -- particularly at switching from 3G to 4G.
Thoughts?
One Max with bigger screen and faster processor, g2 with all x3 sprint lte band. The red One looks alright too. moto x is just soso with slower processor and lower resolution screen.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
abeln2672 said:
OK, I know this question gets old, but I'm going to ask it anyway. I'm currently on a 4G LTE and became upgrade eligible on 8/1. The One seems like the no-brainer choice right now, but I'm reading a lot about upcoming phones like Nexus 5, Moto X, upcoming Sony phone, LG G2, etc. What would you guys do in my shoes?
My wife becomes upgrade eligible on 2/1, so I'm considering swapping my upgrade with her for now so that she can move from her iPhone 4s to the 5 (or 5s in Sept) and finally have 4G while I wait a few months for something else. That said, in the cell phone upgrade game, there's ALWAYS going to be something amazing on the horizon -- that's what makes these decision brutal. I've had every Evo since the OG, and right now I'm basically happy with my 4G LTE: rooted, S-Off, get 4G in my area, use tethering extensively, like the look/feel, and I love the kickstand. That said, some cons are that I'm not crazy about the battery life, I get launcher crashes fairly regularly on stock Sense and most Sense roms, and I don't feel that the radio is the strongest -- particularly at switching from 3G to 4G.
Thoughts?
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Click to collapse
I'm in a similar boat but it's my wife that has the upgrade as of 8/1 and I just upgraded to the One at launch. She doesn't care much about her phone so long as it gets Facebook, has a good camera and can last her the day on one charge. We're waiting until the holiday season to see what devices are announced and what discounts are available. I'd suggest the same if you can wait. I wouldn't be able to and would have a One on 8/1, . I'm impatient. But if you're happy enough with your current device, wait for the 5s for her and get that or the discounted 5 and use your upgrade next year. You'll likely be in a similar situation though because new devices will only be a couple months away and will likely be announced in March.
There are pros and cons to buying any phone; radios, features, updates, etc. That being said, I would wait it out a little bit. Keep in mind that the One has been out for 4 months already. So if you're on a 2 year upgrade plan like most people are, the One will be nearly 2 & 1/2 years old by the time you'll be eligible again.
The next generation of phones is so much better. Have you seen the G2? It's crazy! 3000 mAh battery!
The One totally pales in comparison.
Plus, the One is riddled with defects and there's a very very high chance that you will get a defective device. Most of the people here (including me) have defects and just live with it because chances are we'll get a worse device back. Hopefully for the next generation, HTC will tighten their QC.
I would wait for a really high end Moto to arrive.
I don't recommend either Sprint or HTC, because I've had horrible experiences with both. Did you know that the one has no thermal safety system? That's caused several bricks and as far as we know, is still causing them.
Also, ask around for how good sprint is in your area. Some people got nice data with Wi-max but terrible LTE. HSPA+ is actually way faster than Sprint's LTE, and it's more developed. Of course, you would have to switch carriers to get HSPA. Sprint's 3G is usually unusable.
I really appreciate the feedback, everyone -- it's been really helpful. I've pretty much decided to hold off and see what's available in Sept/Oct, which is around the time the new iPhone would come out anyway. I'm pretty intrigued by the G2, but I think I'll regret missing out on the One's front-facing speakers, 32gb storage, and high quality body design. I've also had Sense for many generations, so I think I'll miss that, but I've got other Android devices as well and won't have a problem adjusting.
Feel free to chime in if you have an opinion on this...like someone else said earlier in the thread, it's easy to get impatient when it comes to phone upgrades -- I need a lot of convincing to hold off, lol!
My wife became eligible and I upgraded her to the One for similar reasons. Thing is I got a great deal at Target, believe it or not. They had the One for 100 upgrade, a $25discount when giving in your old phone, plus what the phone was worth. She had a blackberry and after everything the new phone was about $40. She's happy makes me happy.
Point is keep your eyes open for deals cause even though new phones are coming, some deals are hard to pass up.
My wife did the same with her BB Curve. Even after 3 years it had a $100 trade-in value and in the end, we ended up getting a gift card back from Best Buy with $22 on it! She got used to the HTC EVO Design after a week or so and won't look back to BB
photos?
if you primarily use the camera for social network stuff i'd say upgrade. it is a pretty good phone!