[Q] Photon worth buying today ? - Motorola Photon 4G

Is the phone any good ? I'm coming from an Atrix 4G and was wondering if the photon worth buying today..
Can get it cheap.
ICS coming any soon ?

One of my friends has Atrix 4G and I feel that Photon 4G is way too ahead in terms of development, roms etc. I think Photon is very very good phone. My GF does'nt likes her iPhone 4 when she sees my Photon lol and wants to exchange. But I get saved because she has micro sim lol!!!

If you are coming from Atrix, I don't think, Photon is worth buying. Just bigger screen and maybe some small improvements. But nothing new in terms of speed or roms.

getting the xperia sola tomorrow

Atrix development is a bit more evolved as they have had more time to work out the bugs. The only advantage the Photon really has is CDMA & GSM support. If none of these things matter the only reason to switch would be the cheaper plans Sprint has.

Lokifish Marz said:
Atrix development is a bit more evolved as they have had more time to work out the bugs. The only advantage the Photon really has is CDMA & GSM support. If none of these things matter the only reason to switch would be the cheaper plans Sprint has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not on sprint I live in Israel and I'm using Cellcom.co.il lol
Thanks though !
I find the Sola to be better then the Atrix due to it's GPU and CPU which use less battery and give awesome preformance
plus a sweet 3.7" display and 9.9mm thick...

nathan96 said:
I'm not on sprint I live in Israel and I'm using Cellcom.co.il lol
Thanks though !
I find the Sola to be better then the Atrix due to it's GPU and CPU which use less battery and give awesome preformance
plus a sweet 3.7" display and 9.9mm thick...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Photon is a nice device, well build and that. But the bootloader being locked and the NO SUPPORT from MOTOROLA, is not worth buying it, also the battery should last longer.
Honestly get something better if you can, like a samsung.
Good Luck

When I bought my photon, I originally planned to buy one atrix 4g but they had available and buy it by the characteristics almost identical to the Atrix 4G, the problem is that almost no roms or both development and for the Atrix 4G, in conclusion to my not worth buying, if anything buy a atrix 4g.
For example, something simple, no cifs.ko module for photon and what I had to do reading and reading until I found the way to do it.

Related

Anybody here switch from an EVO or EVO3D?

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?
Click to expand...
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...
Click to expand...
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

Fully functional ICS Photon or galaxy nexus?

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Sent from my Thrive using xda premium
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?????
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
halfdriven said:
?????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Is EVO 3d/ EVO V worth it?

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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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)

Still Trying to Decide

Hey LTE owners and lurkers, I'm stilling trying to decide if I'm going to move to this phone from the EVO3D. I can get this phone from bestbuy for $50. I know a brand new phone great price, but then again Mom could really use an upgrade, which Id give her my 3D. 2 questions, Does it look like there will be more development on this phone such as the original EVO compared to the 3D which is pretty sucky if you ask me, and also do you get charged extra for LTE? Thanks guys
You don't get charged any more for Lte than you do WiMAX, oh yeah that's right it wasn't a WiMAX charge it was a premium data charge. If you really need 4G check to make sure Lte is rolled out in your area before you make the switch because its only available in a few markets if any at the moment. As far as development goes, allot of the devs from the 3D came here and also some of the development for the one x can be used on the Lte also. Hope this helps.
Sent from my Evo Lte
my opinion
I came from an EVO 3D also (rooted with some rom, I forget). The LTE is great. I have no problems with it. Fast, much better screen, takes better pictures, much better battery life, ICS is great.
BUT, I forgot how bad Sprint 3g is. Oh my God does it suck. It's freakin painful. At least I was able to grab a 4g signal when I needed it. I'm finding that my mobile browsing habits are changing dramatically to adjust for these horrible 3g speeds...
Good luck.
Im on that wonderfully 3g lol. I live in the sticks of Western North Carolina, where if it aint Verizon, then its probably nothing lol. Yes they get lte here for Verizon, but I just cant see spending that much for Verizon, IMHO. I doubt Sprint will ever get LTE here where im at, but Im thinking its time to make a phone change. Been eligible for an upgrade since 02/12, and probably will check this phone out. Ive had all of the Evos so why not continue the tradition. Thank you for all the help guys
Go for it
In that case, I wouldn't hesitate. I've had all the Evos and this is the best by far.
Deeaycee said:
In that case, I wouldn't hesitate. I've had all the Evos and this is the best by far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i there that i have had all 3 evo's also and the lte is deff my fav out of the 3.. the only thing i dislike is that u cant take to battery out.. at first i thought i was gona hate it but reall its not bad at all.. i still wish i could remove it but its deff not as bad as people think.. this phone is hella fast!! and the battery life for me is off the hook!! i take my phone off the charger at around 8 am everyday and when i go to plug it in before i knockout.. i still have like 30-50% left and that at like 1 am.. that f in sweet if u ask me
I believe im gunna take the dive, and get it tomorrow at Best Buy. I want to Thank everyone who had an input in my questions. I know its been asked a million times, but I just wanted to hear it for myself. So off to BB tomorrow morning and I plan on rooting the thing and unlock it hopefully tomorrow as well. We will see how it goes!
Thanks everyone
This evo is almost perfect almost being no lte in Rockford illinois. I just came from TMobile a few weeks ago and there no comparison TMobile poops on sprint 3g tmobile 2g is faster. Even when i got throttled at TMobile it was faster than sprint but i banking lte will arrive soon.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium App
Whats the best way to go about Unlocking and getting S-Off. Do I really need to worry about the whole HTC unlocker method or is that just one of those things? I appreciate guys
At the moment the only way to unlock the bootloader is with htcdev. S-off isnt really needed with this phone. You can flash EVERYTHING through custom recovery. It would be nice to not have my phone on HTC's list but when will you ever use your warrenty?
Sent from my Evo Lte
Removable batter is great! I mean, the only time I removed it was to reset it but.. Yeah! /sarcasm
removable battery excuse is wearing old.
sent from my EVO LTE

[Q] Best possible upgrade from VM 3VO?

I was wondering, what would be the best phone to upgrade to from a Virgin Mobile HTC EVO 3D/V?
preferably from VM or Boost. which phone would be the best to get (value-per-money wise)?
im not really going to upgrade anytime soon, but i'm making plans to do so in about a year.
so far im looking into:
HTC Desire 601
HTC One SV
ZTE Supreme
LG Optimus F7
i'm mainly looking into for something with decent specs and community support. LTE is important, since i live in an area where 3G sucks, no 4G, but there's LTE all over. budget-wise, not willing to spend more than $250 since i paid $270 for my 3VO just to see its price drop it like its hot afterwards. some of the phones listed are over the budged stated, but remember i'm talking a year in the future. also, which other devices do you expect to see arrive to VM/Boost in the coming year?
None of them.
Currently in the same situation. The only logical clear cut upgrade would be the Galaxy S3.
Those phones lack in some area compared to the 3d in some areas be it type of display/resolution, development wise, and build quality. The galaxy S3 would be the only phone to give you a FULL upgrade in all areas compared to the EVO 3d.
1. 1280x720 AMOLED display
2. HUGE development community due to it being 99.9% similar to the sprint version
3. LTE
4. 4.8 inch screen
5. 2 gigs of ram
For the future maybe you can hope they put the LG optimus G(nexus 4 sister) for $250 sometime next year?
The zte supreme is a great phone only issue is development issues. Its been rooted but not much else. I believe there is a version of cwm available for it.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda app-developers app
i agree with Kippui. i took a closer look to all of them, specs, reviews, development, accessories, everything. i considered the ZTE Supreme until i found out the problems people are having with the display backlight, and its poor development. then fell down to HTC Desire 601, but i realized its really not much of an upgrade. i was gonna stick to it anyways, because of my limited budget. but i see the S3 got a price cut, plus i almost forgot i can get it off HSN without having to shell out the $300+ at the moment.
i consider anything more powerful than an S3 to be overkill IMO. so yeah, maybe S3 and flash Cyanogenmod or something.

Categories

Resources