Hello guys! After months of false starts, broken promises, sudden price increases ("Yeah I can do $300...well okay how about $320 and you pay shipping?"), and other bits of misfortune, I have finally gotten my hands on this amazing device. So I thought I'd share my thoughts on it after giving it a few days to try out. You never know who would be interested in such an opinion.
**warning
This thread is absolutely useless and is only your friendly neighborhood XDA News Writer sharing an opinion. Feel free to not take it seriously.
**Note
Yes, I am aware the phone was released awhile ago. This is my first impressions personally, not world's first impressions.
Okay, since I suck at review-type posts in general, I'm going to start typing now. Stop reading at the end or when you're bored
Screen:
The screen is gorgeous. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. The size and resolution of this phone is simply beautiful.
Camera:
Above average but not "omgzorz amazing". It is good enough to skip buying a point-and-click. Not good enough for photographers. Thankfully, I am not a photographer. The features for the camera are nice, but I'm not an Instagram person (or even a photo filter person). So half the stuff I realistically use, and half I probably never will.
Form Factor/Hardware/Buttons:
This is by far the thinnest phone I've ever owned. I came from the Galaxy Nexus (which is a great phone too), and this one is so thin I actually had problems handling it for the first day. I kept forgetting the phone was that thin. Personally, I like the capacitive buttons over the on-screen buttons. I know all my screen real estate is being dedicated to apps. None of that "4.65 inch screen...but really you're only getting 4.3 inches because of the soft buttons" crap. Everything else is well placed and looks good. The kickstand is way better than the OG EVO. The back plastic plate isn't nearly as hard to get off as video reviewers seem to make it sound (read: they're pansies ).
Performance:
Holy crap. Once I got it tuned to how I like it, not even Google Voice lags (it lags in Bluestacks running on my freaking 8-core processor for Christ's sake). When I first got it and it was first activated, I had some hiccups in the app drawer and pinch-to-zoom in Chrome. I've since installed a custom ROM (MeanROM), set the governor to ondemand, clocked by processor back to 1.5GHz (stock MeanROM comes 1.7GHz OC), and I've had no lag at all ever since. Usually a phone I own lags in some way that's slightly annoying but not a deal breaker (i.e. when scrolling a list in Plume, that slight "pause" when you switch the home screen right after turning the screen on, or taking unusually long to make menu selections). This doesn't seem to have that problem.
Battery/Temp:
The battery on this thing is incredible. Yes, it's not removable. I never used multiple batteries anyway. I actually moved today and the phone held up like a champ. After packing up my computer and TV, my phone was my only source of entertainment for a good while. At the time of this writing, I have 35% after 14 hours (on track for ~20 hours, if I felt like waiting that long). It was at least moderate usage. ~250 texts, frequent messaging via gTalk and Facebook Messenger, SNESoid gaming, a Billiards game I like to play, 25 minutes in phone calls, over 2 hours in screen on time with about 60% of my day spent on WiFi and 40% on 3G. Includes some random web browsing (I recovered my Xbox Live password with my phone browser and checked my bank account a couple of times), app updates, and general phone stuff. Screen shots below:
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What truly impressed me, though, is the temperature. I'd expect something so thin to vent heat well, but I also expected to get warm. It simply didn't happen. Once I put my CPU clock back to regular 1.5, my phone was an ice cube all day long, dropping down to as low as 20C, or 68F. My computer doesn't get that cool when it's turned off and tossed in the now in the snow. Admittedly, I wouldn't know, since I've never done something so stupid as to toss my computer in the snow. Screen shot below:
TL;DR (performance): I got a 6400 on Quadrant running MeanROM overclocked at 1.7GHz. My emulators run at 60fps and they stay there. My phone hasn't risen above 30C since I first turned it on (minus 5 minutes when I was restoring apps via titanium backup and when I flashed the custom ROM).
Call Quality:
I got 3 phone calls. They were all loud, clear, and wonderful. Didn't have to max out my speaker volume like with prior devices.
WiFi/3G/4G:
WiFi connects quickly and I don't lose signal ever. 3G is almost 2 times faster than it was on the Epic 4G Touch (in speedtest.net tests I neglected to screen shot. I got 300kbps down on Epic Touch, 550kbps down on EVO LTE...not great numbers but still better is better. Obviously YMMV). I have no 4G LTE where I live (damn you Sprint).
*Added*
Music Quality:
This is my first phone with Beats enabled. I freaking love it. I mostly use my phone to listen to music while in the car. Beats itself is a tad bassy, but I used my car's equalizer (primitive as it may be) to dial down the bass a bit and I got one of the fullest, best music experiences I've ever had with an Android phone. I blame it all on Beats, but hey this phone has it lol.
Root Stuff:
Creating a backup in TWRP 2.3.1 took 133 seconds (about twice as fast as it does on the Galaxy Nexus as of TWRP 2.2, I never tested on TWRP so it could be faster now for the Nexus). Restoring 45 user apps in titanium backup was faster than I've ever seen it go. I haven't had to restore a backup yet, but I imagine it's much quicker than I'm accustomed to. The S-Off process looks like it's going to be a lot of fun (currently just HTCdev unlocked) and I can't wait to try that out. I might make a video or something, who knows.
My pros:
1. Quick as hell.
2. Cool as hell (in both looks and actual, literal temperature)
3. Handles all games, all tasks, and all nonsense well.
4. My goodness I missed having a kickstand.
5. No connectivity problems (signal, data, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc)
6. Battery lasts for a really long time considering I used it more today than I ever will in a single day until I move again.
7. Great HTC build quality.
8. Sense 4.1 = best HTC Sense ever (it's still bloated, but not nearly as bad as older Sense)
My Cons:
1. Non removable battery isn't that bad, but I'd still like to battery pull when I need to.
2. Charging to 90% takes like 30 minutes. Charging from 90% to 100% takes twice that long for some reason.
3. Facebook as a system app? Oh hells nah!
4. That plastic back plate is ugly. And a finger print magnet. And it called my mom fat.
5. It doesn't pay my taxes for me.
Summary:
This is definitely among the top 3 best phones I've ever owned right up there with the OG EVO and the Galaxy Nexus. I include the OG EVO because it has one of the greatest dev communities ever. this phone doesn't have that huge dev community, but the devs we do have are talented and awesome (I know, I write about them quite frequently). Can't wait to start flashing random things and see what I can make this phone do.
Thanks for reading, don't forget to tell me how stupid it was and rate the thread a 1 star lol.
TL;DR
Please keep your crappy opinions to yourself.
(just kidding)
Thanks for the post and for reminding me why I love my EVO so much! If you like MeanROM, you should really give ViperROM a try, it runs like the road runner and has glorious customizations.
And, if you're not a huge fan of the Sense camera and wouldn't mind using an AOSP camera, definitely try the Paranoid Android ROM. You'll be surprised how versatile our EVO can be combining our awesome screen with the ability to customize how apps are displayed (each individual app can be run with a different DPI and in a separate workspace like tablet mode or regular phone mode)
Sent from my EVO
I plan on trying all the ROMs eventually. I needed something trustworthy and stable because I moved the day after I got this so I didn't have time to really troubleshoot potential issues with the more experimental stuff.
Glad you enjoyed it
Sent from my EVO LTE using xda premium
Nice to read this. I'm due for an upgrade in about two weeks and I've been debating between the EVO LTE and SGS III. I'm leaning towards the EVO as it stands right now. I've had a chance to play with both and I've also read some online comparisons. Both seem to be great phones.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
i want to sell my htc evo 4g lte..
because.. im moving to lumia 920..
just only one reasion..
because i cant play youtube player on my htc evo lte 4g..
this bad...
jan_set said:
i want to sell my htc evo 4g lte..
because.. im moving to lumia 920..
just only one reasion..
because i cant play youtube player on my htc evo lte 4g..
this bad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Y you moving to lumia?
FinZ28 said:
Nice to read this. I'm due for an upgrade in about two weeks and I've been debating between the EVO LTE and SGS III. I'm leaning towards the EVO as it stands right now. I've had a chance to play with both and I've also read some online comparisons. Both seem to be great phones.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the S3, EVO radios have too many issues especially with LTE. If you have no plans to use it for LTE in 2 years, and live in a very saturated signal area it is a great phone.
digiblur said:
Get the S3, EVO radios have too many issues especially with LTE. If you have no plans to use it for LTE in 2 years, and live in a very saturated signal area it is a great phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been reading about those issues. I've also been looking to see when LTE is coming to my area (Birmingham, AL) and it's not on the list of upcoming cities to even get it. Of course, we never officially got Wimax, but parts of the city have it.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
AbsolutZeroGI all we need now is myn to cook warm 4.0 for us and ill revamp warmblood for it. good to see you again bro. welcome to the LTE.
FinZ28 said:
I've been reading about those issues. I've also been looking to see when LTE is coming to my area (Birmingham, AL) and it's not on the list of upcoming cities to even get it. Of course, we never officially got Wimax, but parts of the city have it.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every native Sprint city will get it.
Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge
digiblur said:
Every native Sprint city will get it.
Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I know. It's just a matter of time.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
FinZ28 said:
Nice to read this. I'm due for an upgrade in about two weeks and I've been debating between the EVO LTE and SGS III. I'm leaning towards the EVO as it stands right now. I've had a chance to play with both and I've also read some online comparisons. Both seem to be great phones.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are both fantastic phones and it's going to be really tough getting an objective opinion on either of them (fanbois will be fanbois). For my purposes, I live in a saturated 3G area with no immediately 4G plans coming (although I do get WiMAX). I've experienced exactly 0 radio problems ever but I've also only had it for like a week. I got this phone because:
1. People on eBay, XDA Marketplace, Craigslist, etc seem to think that the Galaxy S III is worth $100 more than the EVO LTE when it's almost identical hardware (1GB of extra RAM and .05 inches of extra screen space is not a justifiable reason to charge an extra $100, even Motorola knows that).
2. I've missed having good build quality along with good specs. My last 3 devices were Samsung phones and while the phones are nice and sleek and gorgeous, it just irritated me that my phone was made entirely out of the same material as most children's toys. It's strictly a personal preference and I advise not making a decision based on it...but yknow. Other than build quality, OEM skin (TW vs Sense), that extra 1GB of RAM and that .05 inches of extra screen, there is literally no difference between these phones. Both have excellent 8MP shooters, both have the S4 dual core processor clocked to 1.5GHz, both have HD screens, both have front facing cameras, neither use on-screen buttons, and they both have those "little features" like NFC. So when it came down to it, I decided I'd rather have build quality over an extra gig of RAM (that I'll probably never use since I"m a kill app-aholic) and an extra .05 inches of screen (because, yknow, you can tell the difference). For others, they may want the extra gig of RAM...depends on what they want.
You can't go wrong either way, especially since you have an upgrade due and you'll get charged (closer to) fair prices for these phones instead of the ridiculous prices owners online are asking for. Best of luck and I hope you make the best decision for what you need and want. Don't let fanboyism get in the way!
Sinistertensai said:
AbsolutZeroGI all we need now is myn to cook warm 4.0 for us and ill revamp warmblood for it. good to see you again bro. welcome to the LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you sir! I'd love to see some Warm goodness and some warmblood goodness as well One of the best themes from the EVO 4G. There's a few devs who's names I recognize and I'm glad to see you hanging out in these forums! I need to go hunting to see if you've released anything
PoorCollegeGuy said:
They are both fantastic phones and it's going to be really tough getting an objective opinion on either of them (fanbois will be fanbois). For my purposes, I live in a saturated 3G area with no immediately 4G plans coming (although I do get WiMAX). I've experienced exactly 0 radio problems ever but I've also only had it for like a week. I got this phone because:
1. People on eBay, XDA Marketplace, Craigslist, etc seem to think that the Galaxy S III is worth $100 more than the EVO LTE when it's almost identical hardware (1GB of extra RAM and .05 inches of extra screen space is not a justifiable reason to charge an extra $100, even Motorola knows that).
2. I've missed having good build quality along with good specs. My last 3 devices were Samsung phones and while the phones are nice and sleek and gorgeous, it just irritated me that my phone was made entirely out of the same material as most children's toys. It's strictly a personal preference and I advise not making a decision based on it...but yknow. Other than build quality, OEM skin (TW vs Sense), that extra 1GB of RAM and that .05 inches of extra screen, there is literally no difference between these phones. Both have excellent 8MP shooters, both have the S4 dual core processor clocked to 1.5GHz, both have HD screens, both have front facing cameras, neither use on-screen buttons, and they both have those "little features" like NFC. So when it came down to it, I decided I'd rather have build quality over an extra gig of RAM (that I'll probably never use since I"m a kill app-aholic) and an extra .05 inches of screen (because, yknow, you can tell the difference). For others, they may want the extra gig of RAM...depends on what they want.
You can't go wrong either way, especially since you have an upgrade due and you'll get charged (closer to) fair prices for these phones instead of the ridiculous prices owners online are asking for. Best of luck and I hope you make the best decision for what you need and want. Don't let fanboyism get in the way!
Thank you sir! I'd love to see some Warm goodness and some warmblood goodness as well One of the best themes from the EVO 4G. There's a few devs who's names I recognize and I'm glad to see you hanging out in these forums! I need to go hunting to see if you've released anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently only sinister LTE. Got a lot of stuff almost ready for release on the pc though.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Related
So after trying to decide between the two for myself, I've decided to try to help other like-minded users find the phone that's best for them.
If you see anything incorrect or missing, please let me know!
I'll start with the Nexus S 4G
Software:
Ships with Gingerbread
Will receive upgrades first
Will likely run Icecream (HC reworked for phones)
AOSP
No bloatware, and no Sprint apps
Hardware:
1GHz Hummingbird Processor
512MB RAM
4" Super AMOLED screen
16gb internal storage
NO MicroSD card slot
NFC Capability
5MP rear camera
VGA Front camera
1500 mAh Li-ion battery
GPU rated as good, if not slightly better than EVO3D's Adreno 220**
Unique Contour display*
*The contour display can best be seen here. Essentially, the display curves slightly at the ends and reviews have reported it feeling nice against your face. Aside from the feel, the SAMOLED display grants more vivid colors, more luminance, and more contrast, making text easy to read at most sizes.
**Which means the Nexus S will be able to display graphics on a similar caliber of the EVO3D, which is much higher than the EVO.
Layman's terms? Have you noticed how bad the N64 Emulator is on the EVO? It should run beautifully on the Nexus S, and even better on the EVO3D.
Media
DLNA Support for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to your TV or computer
Supported video, audio, and image formats are not known yet, but we can safely assume the standards are there.
Release date: "Spring" 2011
Price: $199 on contract
Form:
An important spec of phones to some users is also their outside form. Here's what we've got on the Nexus
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Size and weight:
63mm x 123.9mm x 10.88mm
129g
4" contour display
Feel: CNET and user reviews say it feels light, and the material feels ´lighter´without metal parts.
This will make it feel more airy, smaller, and less bulky than the current EVO, which is very similar to the EVO3D
Users have reported a 'cheapy' plastic feel to the Nexus S, similar to the Epic. Other than that, there's no decision one way or another if that could be an issue when dropping the phone.
Advice? Don't drop your phone, no matter which model. Or buy a case of some sort.
Summary:
If you end up selling your EVO for $200 (easily done), you'll be able to upgrade to this phone for free. Why would you do that? Well, it's free, and it's a hardware and, eventually, a software upgrade from the EVO. While it boasts almost the same specs as the EVO, the processor is newer and the screen displays more colors with more vibrance.
Currently, the TMO Nexus S has benchmarks that run circles around the EVO and battery life that has been reported to last ~20 hours off-charger. Sound good to you? Same to me.
The phone will definitely last you through 2011, and likely a good chunk, if not all, of 2012. I anticipate it will also be receiving Android versions 2.4 and 3.1 (If that's Ice Cream), which will be more than capable of running on this phone, even if Quad-Core phones are released and run it as well.
Aside from the hardware, the software will be top-notch. You'll receive the latest Android software updates as soon as they're released, and the dev community should be buzzing on this phone, considering its AOSP nature.
Who is this phone good for?
Economically-minded users who want a boost from their current EVO and/or want a great developing experience. If the latest and greatest Google software is your thing, this phone is for you. Keep in mind that Nexus S already runs the Honeycomb SDKs and it will be a breeze to port the AOSP Honeycomb to the Nexus S once the source is released. Further more, AOSP will finally be developing code for WiMax chips, which will help ROMs like CM in incorporating WiMax. You'll also get WiMax on CM8 (When released) first, most likely.
Additional:
Miss having an LED notification light?
Here's your solution: BLN (Back Light Notifications)
http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-s-receives-bln-notifications-thanks-xda
Intro:
"How do you follow up one of the most popular, most successful, biggest and fastest phones of 2010? In the case of the recently announced Sprint HTC EVO 3D, you give it a higher resolution screen, 3D recording and playback capability, and you open up a whole new world of user generated content. Oh, and you make it even faster and more powerful."
-Source
EVO 3D
Software:
Ships with Gingerbread
Includes Sense 2.0 (?)
Includes Sprint Software
Hardware:
1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor
1GB RAM (Which can be expanded* into the External Storage, giving you up to 5GB RAM, which diminishes as you fill internal storage, down to a minimum of 1GB)
1GB Internal Storage (Previous rumors stated 4GB. This still isn't clear or confirmed at all either way.)
4.3" 3D qHD Display with a resolution of 960x540
Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included: supports up to 32GB
Dual 5 MP cameras used to capture 3D images and videos
1.3MP front-facing camera
1730 mAh Li-ion battery
HDMI port
No kickstand... Devastating, I guess?
*Much like a page file on a PC This has also been pointed out as a rumor, and is MOST LIKELY NOT TRUE
Media:
DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to your TV or computer
Audio supported formats:
Playback: .AAC, .AMR, .OGG, .M4A, .MID, .MP3, .WAV, .WMA (Windows Media Audio 9)
Recording: .AMR
Video supported formats:
Playback:.3GP, .3G2, .MP4, .WMV (Windows Media Video 9), .AVI (MP4 ASP and MP3), .XVID (MP4 ASP and MP3)
Recording: .3GP
Form:
The EVO3D is similar in look and shape to the EVO. Here's what we've got
Size and Weight:
126mm x 65mm x 12.05mm (4.96" x 2.56" x 0.47")
170 grams (6.0 ounces) with the battery
Feel:
Taken from Engadget's hands-on review:
"As we'd mentioned in our hands-on, we immediately noticed that the EVO 3D didn't feel particularly heavy or bulky in the hand; in fact, we would've guessed that it was a bit lighter than the 4G. Well, turns out they're almost exactly the same weight -- holding the two one right after the other, we couldn't detect a difference.
As for dimensions, the 4G is actually wider -- the 3D's quite a bit more manageable when you're holding it, especially if you don't have giant paws -- and they're right around the same thickness."
Price: unknown
Release date: "Summer" 2011 (June)
Summary:
If you want the latest Sprint power-phone with latest industry hardware and technology - You won't be disappointed. While there are mixed reviews and feelings about the 3D feature of the phone, it seems that 3D is completely optional and is simply an added bonus for buying this already great phone.
Battery life is undetermined right now. While it boasts an industry-leading 1730 mAh Li-ion battery and the processor is some times number more efficient than the current EVO, people speculate it to have as much batter life as the current EVO.
In short: Like your EVOs now, this phone will be fast, bold, and furious, taken to a new extreme.
EDIT: Since the question has been asked on the forums, I've done a little bit of research:
How will the EVO 3D's display hold up against iPhone 4's?
To answer it shortly, the EVO 3D has a slightly lower resolution (960x540) than the iPhone 4 (960x640). Being that the EVO3D has a larger screen and a lower resolution, this means that the PPI (pixels per inch) will be lower, resulting in a slightly less sharp display.
Who is this phone good for?
Power-users who want only the best for themselves. Want to play the latest 3D graphics-intensive games on your phone? EVO3D is for you (please don't mistake 3D graphics for 3D images)
If you buy into the 3D thing, you'll also be able to shoot and view photos and videos in 3D.
This phone has power, screen size, and speed that make it worthwhile to keep far into the future.
[reserved for side-by-side comparison and other things!]
dirkyd3rk said:
Great thread gmap heres a video for people who want to see differences in screens bud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1-zJ-MPR0o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING SPRINT:
If you didn't already know this, Sprint is changing the way they do their premier customer bonuses.
Basically, they've split premier bonuses into two categories: Silver and Gold
You qualify for Silver status if:
Your monthly base plan is between $69.99 and $89.98 for a SINGLE LINE or between $99.99 and $169.98 for SHARED PLANS.
Silver has the standard 2-year upgrades
You qualify for Gold status if:
Your monthly base plan is $89.99 or more for a single line, or $169.99 or more for shared plans.
OR
If you've been a Sprint customer for 10 or more years
GOLD PREMIER has the one-year upgrade eligibility on the primary line
If you are a student and already on Sprint or planning to switch
Check out this thread regarding a 23% online discount for students.
If you are not a Sprint customer and are thinking of switching over, here's a promotion for you
http://www.samacharexpress.com/2011/03/sprint-offers-150-50-to-wireless-defectors/
They offer $150 for you to switch from them, if you buy a smart phone. Pretty nice deal!
Deal running through 4/16, but call Sprint to check.
Thanks! I already knew all of this, but it'll help some people here for sure.
Also, the Nexus S has a contour display, which you didn't mention.
Oh right, thanks! I'll add that in for sure. Don't forget to hit the thanks button if you thought it was helpful Even if not for you.
I like how this was titled, Idiot's Guide.....for idiots.
No way lmao.
Haha, thanks man.
I'm in no way an expert, I'm a slightly above-average user when it comes to knowledge of hardware and software. I'm just compiling info that I dug around for myself and ask tons of questions on --- and I'm putting it in (hopefully) layman's terms.
Do you all think I should include a comparison of the two phones to the iPhone 4, since everyone seems to use the iPhone as a comparison tool?
So nexus s is a better phone the first gen Evo? I am within my 30 days so I can return my new evo and get the S, I don't want to wait for the 3D as I will be running a blackberry curve until release
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
cordell12 said:
So nexus s is a better phone the first gen Evo? I am within my 30 days so I can return my new evo and get the S, I don't want to wait for the 3D as I will be running a blackberry curve until release
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say so, yes.
The hardware is newer than the EVO (though still ~6 months+ old at this point).
The display also is much better
dirkyd3rk said:
Evo is only TFT and supports 16,000 colors. Nexus S is wvga super amoled and supports 16,000,000 colors LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention the Software upgrades you'll get with the Nexus. And that's just stock software. Devs will be all over optimizing the software.
Great thread gmap heres a video for people who want to see differences in screens bud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1-zJ-MPR0o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
gmap516 said:
Do you all think I should include a comparison of the two phones to the iPhone 4, since everyone seems to use the iPhone as a comparison tool?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No please don't.
phatmanxxl said:
No please don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noted. Thanks for the feedback.
dirkyd3rk said:
Great thread gmap heres a video for people who want to see differences in screens bud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1-zJ-MPR0o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I quoted this and added it to the third post. Thanks bud!
gmap516 said:
Do you all think I should include a comparison of the two phones to the iPhone 4, since everyone seems to use the iPhone as a comparison tool?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah just direct them to the vid it shows all they need to know since qhd and retina are pretty much the same. LOL
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Im so sick of the iphone presumably being the "standard" of all smartphones.
I am sick of it too! Everything is compared to Iphone, iphone is lame. Maybe its good for people who dont know any better, lol.
I took a long look at nexus s, it may be a bit better than evo 1st gen but I dont care for the look of it. The plastic back, reminds me of the Epic, feels cheap in the hand
You forgot to mention that the gpu in the nexus is actually just as powerful as the adreno 220 if not a little better
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
phatmanxxl said:
Im so sick of the iphone presumably being the "standard" of all smartphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean in 2007 they did set the bar for smartphone (touchscreens) but that might just be someones opinion :rolls eyes: Hate it or love it these companies all make their next moves based on apple. That means apple has the market by the balls. I'm not a fan boy but I speak the truth young Jedi.
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LoveisPeace2012 said:
You forgot to mention that the gpu in the nexus is actually just as powerful as the adreno 220 if not a little better
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Being that this is an idiot's guide for idiots, you'll have to explain that to me and put it in layman's terms. I know what a GPU is, but not what the Adreno 220
dirkyd3rk said:
I mean in 2007 they did set the bar for smartphone (touchscreens) but that might just be someones opinion :rolls eyes: Hate it or love it these companies all make their next moves based on apple. That means apple has the market by the balls. I'm not a fan boy but I speak the truth young Jedi.
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The truth indeed.
I know this is a sensitive subject, but....
I lost my iPhone 4 a couple months ago and picked up a Galaxy S2 last week. I have a few concerns that are making me want to go back and get a new 4S... was wondering if anyone had any comments or maybe this little list might be helpful to someone else deciding between the GS2 and an iOS phone. This isn't meant to start some war over iOS vs Android, but I think these are some fairly objective points about why one would possibly bail from the GS2 before their 30 days are up....
GS2 CONS
No silence switch- miss this a lot. Such a great feature of the iPhone.
No front/center physical/mechanical button- I cannot believe they took this away from the original (international GS2)!! Waking the phone up from sleep using the power button just feels so awkward to me! I am I the only one here that gets annoyed by this?? Maybe its because I'm left handed and have small hands... but I don't like this.
Battery life- I think this is probably my fault and needs some optimizing on my part, but I only got about 6 hours of web browsing on it the other day and am having to charge this phone more than I would like... Whatever I was doing with my ip4 was more efficient for some reason. Again, I may just be doing a crappy job here- but I'm not willing to root my phone yet which (from what I understand) opens the door to significant battery optimization.
Worse benchmarks compared to the ip4s- but I'm assuming in the real world the difference is negligible though except in the GPU department where the difference seems pretty huge. I also have read from a lot of people arguing that IF apps were "optimized" for the GS2's hardware they would run better. Can a developer reasonably justify doing this for this device even considering how popular it is? My guess is "no" seeing as the phone has been available for half a year yet I don't really see anything specifically optimized for it.
Lack of good games- I know someone in their mid-20s in med school really shouldn't be too concerned about this.... but I just wish they were there and I think this point is a little more deep than just games. I saw that by rooting I can use the Tegra games, but I'm not really interested in voiding my warranty quite yet. To further drive this point, what annoys me to no end is how a single android app/game apk is not always truly compatible across all devices. Not sure why, but I get pretty pissed when I see some app is "xperia optimized" etc. It sucks to have to worry about- I really loved the uniformity in the experience that iOS offers.
Worse screen resolution- I have a difficult time convincing myself that the bigger screen is actually better when I know that simply holding the ip4 closer to my face should achieve a better experience
Worse camera than the ip4s.
Feels cheaper than the all-glass and aluminum ip4- but I know I will probably be glad about this the first time I drop it.
Minimal 3rd party accessory support. And to add insult in injury, I really cannot fathom why Samsung would now have 4(!!!!) separate devices all called "Galaxy S2" that are being sold. This is going to be a mess.
Long-term value- maybe this is arguable, but I suspect the ip4s will hold its value much better than this phone will. After a year, odds are the ip4s will still be selling for retail while who knows where this relatively unique branch off of the GS2 will be by then if I want to upgrade to something else.
Siri- I don't actually care about this but am putting it here because I know someone probably will.
GS2 PROs
Bigger screen- perhaps the best pro in my opinion. Browsing web pages has been easier on the eyes (I think?). Again, see my comment under the resolution in the previous section.
All of the potential customization that goes along with android- I realize that this is a HUGE point for most people here, but I'm struggling to decided if this along with future prospect of ICS is enough to outweigh the Cons. I guess I will have a better idea on the 18th...
More RAM- 1gb vs 512mb in the 4S.
Was $50 less than the 4S when purchased from AmazonWireless
Please tell me what (if anything) I'm missing here. Does it really boil down to whether or not I have the desire/time to tinker with this device to make it a better experience than the iPhone 4S???
Look forward to hearing other people's comments....
[Grabs some popcorn]
This is gonna be good...
All I will say is that you sound like you want an iPhone. This is a great phone, but its not an iPhone, that was the single biggest selling point for Android for me. If you want an iPhone get an iPhone. Anyone that really want something else spends a whole lot of time complaining until they get what they want. That goes both ways, people that want an android phone and have an iPhone and vice versa.
Sent from my SGS II
Your question in this forum is like walking into a crack house and asking the junkies what would they prefer...crack or buttermilk cookies.
The reason behind the missing physical button is most likely because the legal issues between Apple and samsung.
I love this phone. I too was an iphone user but ever since the atrix and the infuse came out, i jumped ship and went to android. I love the fact that I can do pretty much what ever I want to my phone. Hell, I'm even trying to learn how to code.
I hope this helps.
I understand your pros and cons. I've used an iPhone 3gs for over 2 years. The only thing I miss about the apple experience is iTunes.
The screen on the galaxy rocks. The iPhones screen is too small. I've rooted my phone and am getting over 24 hours of normal use per charge. Juice Defender has helped alot.
If you hold the power button down you'll get an option to silence the phone.
Good luck with your decision.
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I am left handed and the power button does not concern me at all. I was bb user up until the Captivate was released July 18, 2010 and when I look at other non samsung android phone I constantly look for the power button on the right hand side of the screen. As for battery life here are a couple of screenshots from being at my house most of the day yesterday and charging this past friday until 5:30 pm.
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"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
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And no I am not using Juice defender at all. This is in a low signal, wifi on, bluetooth on, gps on and medium use to get emails, and take some pictures. Sounds like you prefer the iPhone, my sister has an iphone 4s, not a bad phone but in my opinion not for me at all. I like the openness of Android for custom roms. My phone is still the original rom, with it being rooted, sim unlocked and still has the bloatware and pulling 18 - 20+ hours between charges. Yes I can kill the battery fast but with heavy usage but for my normal usage, the phone keeps getting better battery life. Currently with 18.5 hours, I have 60% battery life. This phone in my opinion is the best device currently. My Captivate was getting similar battery life with 150 mah less battery, a single core cpu at 200 mhz slower, and .3 inch less screen size.. All in All not bad at all, considering my sgs2 is just a lot more powerful phone.
HTH,
Charlie
OP, I know where you're coming from. I've been a pretty avid iOS user off and on over the past few years. My first Android device was the Captivate and then the Infuse and now the GS2. I love this phone. But I won't lie and say that I don't miss my iPhone 4 from time to time. I also compiled a list just for myself which I'll post below. I weighted it (which I won't include) and still found the GS2 to still be the much better purchase over all.
Just giving ya some additional things to maybe think about and again, this is just from my point of view.
GS2
Pros -
.77" bigger screen
SD Card expandable
Open environment for modding w/ very active community
$50 cheaper
2MP FF camera
HDMI output via adapter
Photos/Videos can be manually set for low or high resolution. iPhone 4S is stuck at highest as of now.
Cons -
Battery life is pretty poor
Keyboard input can be a pain
OS can be sluggish and unresponsive sometimes (home and back keys, etc)
Very slippery - dropped several times already
Syncing isn't as simplistic as I'd like with PC/Mac
iPhone 4S
Pros -
Mac compatible out of the box
iTunes and store sync with zero problems
Phone is more solid feeling - better grip
Siri
Video Stabilization
Cons -
VGA FF camera
Closed system
Battery not replaceable
No mem expansion
$50 more expensive
I'll give you games, camera, accessories and resale value.
Everything else in the cons is ridiculous.
All I can say is for me,
Android > IOS
With that said, the SG II runs Android exceptionally well. Android in the hands of the tech-savy with custom roms, themes, and kernels far outweigh the stock options of IOS and iPhone.
+
The camera is nearly as good as the iPhone 4
Benchmarks are not fully accurate, ICS will unlock dual-core
My GF has an iPhone 4 and she thinks the screen is tiny compared to my SG II, she wants a SG II or a Nexus Prime (with ATT)
Call quality SG II is far better than my GF's iPhone 4.
Call drops a lot less often with SG II compared to GF's iPhone 4
External SD is huge for me as well
Also we go on a lot of mountain hikes and semi-dangerous trails. I bought a 2 pack of batteries for 18 bucks on Amazon. It's very nice never having to charge your phone, when it's dead just swap the battery for a fresh one.
Fanboy quote I know, but the last iOS device I purchased was the 3GS- good phone, had some fun with it, but I will never go back. Android has my <3.
Hammersuit said:
Fanboy quote I know, but the last iOS device I purchased was the 3GS- good phone, had some fun with it, but I will never go back. Android has my <3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 Gsii rock
Yea i was with ios since days 1 of the first 2g n upgraded all the way to the 4g. Just few months ago i jumped on the atrix n never looked back. Its my phone n i can customize it the way i want. I can unlock it n sell it. I don't have to wry about useless updates n lose my jailbreak everytime. I now have the gs2 n as a techy guy i would never touch an iphone again. Android really is freedom. I use to mock it but it lets me do anything i need. Just try it for a bit ull get hooked.
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Hi OP, I just bought the GS2 as well and have been tinkering with it over the past few days. I am replacing an iPhone 3Gs. I switched because I've been curious to try an open source alternative to Apple and the iPhone 4s just want enough to convince me that I should buy it. Maybe in another couple of years when the iPhone 5 comes out I'll consider switching back. I really like the larger screen so far. However, if you're not careful you can totally mug your battery in a matter of a few hours. For example yesterday I used the phone to take about 65 photos and upload them all (twice) to Picasa Web. Also did some (15 minutes) navigation while in the car (plugged in) and light browsing and emailing. My battery was dead by about 3:30pm.
Today I checked my applications and sync settings and found that email, Facebook, twitter and latitude were all set to sync every 15 minutes. I killed all of that and have 60% after about an hour of Pandora usage a well as light email and browsing (take the comparison for what it's worth).
The main pluses for me are no iTunes and the larger screen. I'm currently in the process of rounding up all of the music files that iTunes took upon itself to disseminate across hundreds of folders on my hard drive (had lots of wma files that iTunes initially converted). Talk about an American horror story!
Enjoying all of the flack I'm taking from the Apple users in my life and then providing their iPads with a wifi tether .
I'm committed to the change and an willing to give it a couple of years to really hook me. So far, leery good.... (damn auto-correct is gonna take a bit of getting used to!)
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When will we ever see the end to this crap. Mod please close this thread.
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I don't think this is a pointless thread.
Compare the iphone 4s to most other phones and the iphone wins. I personally feel the Atrix and SII are the first phones able to compete.
Before these phones the main competing point was openess. The option to do what I want. But now the hardware is there to back it up.
I predict 2012 will be the first real year of android. That currently, the "out of the box" experience is near par with the iphone. Imagine what 2.4 and eventually 2.5 will bring.
Now add onto that the openess and customizing that can be done without root. Being able to choose launchers ALONE is huge! Apple will likely never have that.
In picking a phone to take me into the next two years, android is my choice.
For someone looking for personal viewpoints on the SII, this is the best place to ask.
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Dxtra said:
When we will ever see the end to this crap. Mod please close this thread.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlike you, most people have taken the time to give constructive responses which I really appreciate. I'm not sure why you are so offended by this thread. This wasn't a simple "which is better" thread inviting fan-boys to spout off meaningless opinions.
From most people's responses it seems pretty clear that the GS2 wins in most people's minds here not because of the hardware anymore, but more because of the flexibility of Android. I think that is an important point to consider when deciding which to get.
Thanks for all of your responses. I guess I'm mostly going to see if Android grows on me over the next month to make a decision.
For what it's worth, the day the Nexus 1 was announced for AT&T I bought one at full price and never looked back at iOS. I really enjoy the AOSP roms, and I would HIGHLY recommend flashing your SGSII to one. I've got Cyanogenmod 7 running on mine and I absolutely love it. I simply don't like the customizations that manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola apply to their devices. I want to experience Android as it was intended to be experienced.
My N1 had a trackball, which I missed for about the first day when I switced to the SGSII. I've gotten used to having no physical buttons other than vol/power within the first week EASILY.
That said... Like another person commented. If you know that you want an iPhone, just get the iPhone.
Just get an iPhone. I gave up on trying to convince people to switch.
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Oh, come on!!!!!!!!!
How many threads about the same BS!!
Just bolloks!!!
Sent from my HTC HD2 running ( WM,Android,WP7,Ubuntu...& MORE!)
They are both fantastic phones.
When Apple lets me open up the back and replace the battery when I WANT TO!... I may consider one of their phones.
Have seen too many iPhone users be tormented by battery running low, worrying when will they find a wall outlet, then babysitting the phone next to the outlet until they have enough juice to continue or worst of all - hearing them say - I have to charge my iPhone so I don't want to - "insert any smartphone activity here" until I get home/office/starbucks and charge it.
That lack of freedom makes me shudder...
I hate typing from my phone but I had to get into this conversation....
I have both phones and I personally think they are both great and each has its pros and cons, but it really all comes down to personal preference.
For me the silent switch isn't a big deal. I mainly leave my phone.on vibrate to begin with so I don't really care.
The physical home bbutton is also unimportant to me. On the iPhone I tend to use the power button to wake the screen up because its more convinient/comfortable for mu large hands and also because all my iPhone home butttons wore out over time becoming less responsive.
For day to day use you will see very little difference. The only thing that runs faster on the 4s is the camera is quicker, but really not by much. Unless you are taking a bunch of upskirts at the bus stop, this isn't a big deal. I guess maybe if you have small kids it could be a game changer.
Benchmark tests aren't the best way to judge a phone. I have bee. Able tto tweak my phone to score 10k higher on quadrant with some minor changes.
The biggest factor I think is what do you want out of your phone?
For me I want to be able to do anything I want on my phone. What good is all this processing power if you are limited in its use?
For ios the answer to this is a series.of tweaks and mods that apple is constantly combatting. What works on one firmware version is likely to be fully squashed or broken on the next release. So you can opt to have the things you want and be left out of the new apple updates until the jb community catches up or be stock and limited to what apple says is ok. That's fine but after years of compromise I'm just worn out. Because when it comes down to it, a jailbroken iPhone does not perform as well as a stock firmware phone.
All the cool tweaks and stuff you put on the phone take away the overall feel of the phone... put barrel and a live background on your jailbroken iPhone and see how it handles it. Android does a lot of this stuff out of the box and runs well. So its hard for me to.say.ios is better or runs better.
Then there are tethered jailbreaks..
And wow if you have ever used one of these you know how useless they are.
The battery life of the 4s kills the s2 tho
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Which would you buy and which do you think will offer more roms. I'm available for an upgrade now.
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I had the same choice yesterday . I honestly picked the S3, HTC's UI gets boring and old after a while and i have an HTC phone right now. I wanna try something new and that 2gigs of ram is hard to pass on.
That's what I was thinking plus the larger screen is an added bonus on the s3.
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I wouldn't want to miss my 64gb microsd and an exchangable/extendable battery. So I'd go for a SIII. What a shame that HTC removed both.
Pretty sure the lte sprint version has micro sd. Battery not removable although weak, is yet a minor detail along with the multiple positives of the solid build of the physical phone itself, and sense upgraded goodness. My plan is to simply snag a portable charger from radioshack n be done with the quarells of non-removable battery. Not to mention you should go check out the EvoLTE forums and the bat life peeps are getting. If ya really don't care for sense, pretty sure aosp n AOKP will be dropped for it eventually n with that, even more battery life...
~Freshly re-acquired evo rockin' NRGZ; from the mogul up ta present, but then AOKP happened. P.S. f**k the police....
Both phones are very good. If you are on sprint then its a given, just go with the evo. If your not then you have more room to play. However I would recommend the evo over the Samsung GS3. First Sprint gives true unlimited data and already has the evo, not the GS3. Giving props to the GS3 for the slightly bigger screen is a no-no. It is only a tenth of an inch bigger. Besides the bigger the screen, the more cpu/gpu power used. Speaking of that the evo has a snap dragon krait @ 1.5 GHZ dual core while the Exnos is @ 1.4 GHZ dual core. The Krait is a fairly popular CPU and is extreamly fast and responsive for its generation. It also in many other devices with have a large development behind them, therefore the CPU will be better tuned and potently have a higher overclock the the exnos. If you are concerned about ram, why should you be? The evo can easily run all applications that can be thrown at it including games. For the record virtual ram is available now.... (ya it wont be as fast enitialy, but what if they were to mount it to the rom instead of the standard class 5 micro sd card...) And if you enjoy gameing your in luck Htc's one line is the first 3rd party company to exclusively be accepted by Sony's playstation, allowing you to be able to play some exclusive playstaion games. The evo, in my personal opinion has a far superior build quality then Samsung's cheap plastic mat finish. When it comes to Customer care, support and updates, htc will surpass samsung. There are a lot of cool new software features such as S Voice on Samsung though, although a lot of people say they are lousy, and just another selling point to compete with Apple's precious Siri app. IF you are conserned about the batterlife, the evo has a larger battery then the GS3, and even though its non removable, it last a long time. I own it and im a power user. I cant stop using it. If you look at the popular devices section you will see mainly samsung devices, although the evo is on there and shurely will reach #1 as its original, the htc evo 4g did ,witch was the #1 device for well over a year. Development will pretty much be even though, maybe the evo a little beter, having a starting chance. There is so much more info that i could talk about but im starting to ramble on and on. When it comes to picking a device I look for the best device weather it is a brand name or not and the amount of potential development it will receive. That being said I pick the evo and would recommend it as the best Smarthphone on the market to anyone looking to buy a new phone! I know this may seem very one sided, but i did my research before choosing between the two (yes these are the exact to phones i was comparing before making a final decision). I own many samsung products and am not saying the GS3 is bad, just not the best choice. Give me a thanks if I have helped anyone with this matter, and if not, be mature and do not flame me or others providing information to help the general public!
---------- Post added at 05:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------
MassStash said:
Pretty sure the lte sprint version has micro sd. Battery not removable although weak, is yet a minor detail along with the multiple positives of the solid build of the physical phone itself, and sense upgraded goodness. My plan is to simply snag a portable charger from radioshack n be done with the quarells of non-removable battery. Not to mention you should go check out the EvoLTE forums and the bat life peeps are getting. If ya really don't care for sense, pretty sure aosp n AOKP will be dropped for it eventually n with that, even more battery life...
~Freshly re-acquired evo rockin' NRGZ; from the mogul up ta present, but then AOKP happened. P.S. f**k the police....
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Click to collapse
It does have a micros sd card holder under the plastic portion under the top back of the phone that covers the camera, NFC, and all other antennas. You don't have to be tethered to a charger all day like many other smart-phones because the batter life is fantastic. Have you ever heard of Sedio? They are making a battery case for the evo right now. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1667613 (all thanks go to the OP!) Sense is so well optimized that you forget its even there. All of the features you loved remain. It feels like AOKP/AOSP but with the option of adding sense widgets!
Hi5josh man you need to do some research. First off they will both share the krait s4 processor that you think so highly of. Second of all the S3 has a bigger battery than the Evo LTE. Hey listen if you like the Evo LTE thats cool but dont post information unless you get it correct (no offense). One more thing honestly the whole Sony thing is a gimmick they didnt announce or show any games yet. Dont expect any ps1, or 2 games to be played on your EVO that would just defeat the purpose of the Playstation Vita. HTC will probably get some Homebrew games from third party developers through Sony. Samsung has already had a game center so not missing much there at all.
Hello all,
Apologies if this is not the right forum to post this question, but it seems like the most appropriate one.
I was just wondering if anyone here has used both the htc evo 4g lte and the samsung galaxy s iii ? I'm going to be upgrading my current phone (evo 4g) in a few weeks and I'm trying to decide which phone to go with. I'm leaning towards the evo. I like that it supports encryption and google wallet. But I like that the galaxy has a (slightly) bigger screen.
So I'm just curious if anyone here has been able to do a side by side comparison of the two. Any problems or pluses with either of them when compared to each other?
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
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Moving to Q&A
Well the Evo has sense 4.0 which i truly love.I am a huge fan of sense and I strongly recommend it.Both devices feature the same processor so the speed is similar between the two.I also must admit that samsung did a good job with touchwiz 5.0 it is also very fluid and fast.But in the end it all comes to your preference although I strongly recommend the evo regardless of the unremovable battery.
The evo lte has an un-removable battery? I really dislike that. Although to be fair I don't think I've had a cell phone battery go dead before I wind up getting a new phone.
I'm leaning towards the evo since I also like sense. And I like that the evo has google wallet and supports encryption. I just haven't used a samsung phone before so not sure what their interface is like, or if there's a big enough difference in the screens to take that into consideration when deciding between the two.
merkk said:
The evo lte has an un-removable battery? I really dislike that. Although to be fair I don't think I've had a cell phone battery go dead before I wind up getting a new phone.
I'm leaning towards the evo since I also like sense. And I like that the evo has google wallet and supports encryption. I just haven't used a samsung phone before so not sure what their interface is like, or if there's a big enough difference in the screens to take that into consideration when deciding between the two.
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Click to collapse
I've owned both the EVO and the first gen EPIC since they around the time they came out. I've also used both the Samsung Galaxy S III (briefly played with a Sprint demo) and own the EVO LTE and bought my fiancee the Nexus S 4G about a year ago which I've also used quite a bit. There is no noticeable screen size between the EVO and the SGS III. That one/tenth of an inch is not noticeable IMO. Also for once HTC has trumped Samsung on screen technology in the same generation: the SLCD-2 screen blows the HD Super Amoled PenTile screen away in everything except the deepness of blacks. Depending on what you spend your time looking at this may make a difference to you or not.
Also there is really not a lot of performance difference right now between the SGSIII and the EVO. I don't think current Android architecture knows what to do with that extra gig of RAM. At the moment, the One X and EVO are still beating the SGSIII with the Qualcomm S4 in all of the benchmarks I've seen. Here is the most thorough one: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/20/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-review-shootout-atandt-vs-sprint/
Since you are asking for an opinion, I will put it this way: Samsungs are like suped-up rally cars (think Subaru WRX or Mitsubushi EVO). They have every feature under the sun, but would you really want to drive your boss to lunch in one? On the other hand, an HTC is like an Audi--performance plus refinement. If you have already gotten used to Sense on your EVO then the way things are done on the new EVO will just make more sense (pardon the pun).
One Example: HTC changes the ICS standard interface on Settings so that unlike most ICS phones (including Nexus and Samsung) the menu has a white background with black text. Well, that's not the way Google did it. However, when you are in direct sunlight outside, even with your sunglasses on, you can make out the display and adjust the brightness up or turn on autobrightness. With Samsung, the Nexus or any other ICS phone that is hewing more closely to Google's design standard, your screen will just be a big washed out mess.
That is the kind of thought that HTC puts into their devices.
For an EVO user, that has not had an upgrade since the OG EVO 4G, the new EVO will be a whole other world for you. The biggest difference is over 2GB of usable storage for apps and 9GB for data (of 16GB total).
However, make sure you test for your wifi connectivity where you use it most thoroughly. I did get one of those devices that seems to drop Wifi randomly and need to swap it out. After that, I am also going to root and probably run the Charmeleon rom with the storage swap--I am a packrat and even the 9GB of onboard storage is not giving me enough elbow room. However there is a mod to swap your external_sd card for the internal one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1713737
That would make my 64GB SanDisk my primary storage, and once LTE get's lit in Houston next week, that should be just about perfect.
I actually do really like Audi's and would pick one over the WRX - although i've test driven the WRX when it first came out and it is a fun car also
I'm going to order the EVO LTE tomorrow - hopefully I wont run into too many problems when i try to keep my sero plan.
So, I thought this could be interesting. This could be a thread for all people that still use HTC EVO 3D.
We can discuss here: WHY? Why do you still use it
This model dates back from 2011, and it never became a popular model, like some other HTC models.
I bought mine in 2012, and I use it to this very day. It's still preserved, almost in mint condition, even though I use it every day. It only has a little scratch in the lower left corner.
During these 2.5 years, the phone was taken only once to the repair shop (digitizer broke), it was around a year and a half.
Since then it works like a charm.
I never played video games (except things like Mahjong), I use it for internet, calls, messaging and I watch a lot of videos on it. Battery life is good, the only downside it hasn't received any official update for any of the newer Androids. It's really massive, and I like the casing. Some Samsung models (like Galaxy S2, and even S3) look like toys (light and plastic) compared to EVO 3D Interesting fact - I never used the 3D camera, and I never heard someone else did
What are your thoughts?
I use it as MP3 player and activated it on freedompop. Contemplating buy m7 since that has LTE. I am also using cm11 with no gaps with Amazon app store installed to preserve battery life
I was really hot on it and shelled out quite a bit when it appeared 2011 on the European market, and I will use it as long as possible for my money I consider myself not a heavy but steady user, that is I read my xda, newspaper pdf and my comics in a browser everyday. It has enough memory to preload my 30 comics web pages so when I commute by train an the net is spotty I can still read everything. Oh and yes, I indeed use it to take 3d pics every now an then, that was the original idea when I bought it back then. I use to take 3Ds with my regular 3D cam as well, and so my gallery's 3D pics take quite a share on the 64GB sd card.
anecdote: Just for fun I once loaded 54000 pics (a decade's worth of pics) on the sd card. worked ok, but the indexing of the gallery took forever, every boot...
Apart from not top speed compared to newer phones it still is fast enough, thanks to heavy modding and custom ROMs. No need for Lollipop so far, still on ICS.
I still love it!
Cheers!
i bought it on march '12 since it was cheap at the time (one s and one x were around the corner so i just picked a nice sale)! the phone is still capable of running basic things, and the only reason i would upgrade is camera, i simply hate evo's one! for the moment i'll keep it, i wanna wait and save some money since i want my next phone to be a BIG upgrade in every aspect! this is the reason i won't buy phones like moto g: it's a great phone, maybe it would be good enough for me, but 1gb ram really pisses me since i already have on my evo!
we'll see
oh, and by the way, it survived a nice fall in a Sabaton's concert few days ago, not even scratched another guy wasted his nexus 5 instead
EDIT: here's my evo's point of view (bad audio because i was really close to speakers) https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/80890387/2015-02-03 21.12.38.mp4
I still use my evo 3D because i have no money now to change it!
But I would have waited until this year anyway because this year there will be a revolution with the new 20nm processors of Snapdragon! (My dream would be the htc hima).
2014 it wasn't a year of innovations! if I were to change now my phone, I would buy a LG g2 for 250 Euros.
Then i will wait I think this summer or maybe the end of 2015 to change the phone, hoping that my HTC alive until that day!
Meanwhile I expect @Hahaburger continues its glorious project (cm12) on our phone! And with a 3.4 kernel I hope still in a sense 5 a day
@Snoob25 I assure you that even in the disco the effect of the audio is the same
Sent from my Evo 3D GSM using XDA Free mobile app
Great to read this much anecdotes.
I'm glad the topic picked up
As a mp3 player in my car, and activated on freedompop to stream music or even use GPS. Using CM11 no gapps with amazon app store and browser to side load apps not available. FP for what ever reason is not taxing data when streaming. Not at all complaining. I have also used it as a hot spot except spring 3G speeds are abysmal at best. I am surprised at how well streaming works most of the time
I bought mine last year for $50 including the hdmi adapter.
3d screen and camera are fun. They merit development even though HTC bowed out.
too bad ics is the only way to have that camera.
us cdma, virgin mobile, $35 plan, by the way.
my evo does pretty well running a really stripped-down stock 4.0.1 with varying kernels (currently jcfunk's butteredtoast build) with xposed, aide, terminal.
alongside chroot armhf ubuntu 14.04 with xserver xsdl instead of vnc, which even allows a certain amount of gl acceleration from ubuntu.
no chroot sound yet have I figured out though.
It keeps up with the Toshiba laptop I was using until last year (though I had 2gb ram shoehorned into that) but I can't use the android build system on arm, even if I had something fast enough to use it properly.
I can build kernels and other software fine on it though, and have.
it entertains me while I work to pay the bills, supply the children's never-ending need for new commodities, and consider when I'll be able to save enough for a desktop to replace my poofed one that died in December.
my evo streams well sometimes, and 3g bites but it doesn't matter whether it's 'throttled' or not, it has the same top end speed.
good for the GPS and phone functions too. I use it daily for work, and gave up my $25 plan and optimus v for the GPS software, mostly. My V has limits on what it'll run with tiny ram and armv6.
If I buy one $35 plan once every six months, I can keep 3g radio accessible, and use droidvpn to hack it and get free 3g for next 5 months. I made a YouTube video about it
Will always be the best phone,
well if my G3 had 3d, never mind lol.
I have a 3d I got off a ebay for $8.00 it was dead but my blessed hands put life back into it, except it likes to touch it's self. Still think it functions as while as my G3 just with a smaller screen. If I can figure out what Chad G. did to the kernel to make it so fast, I will do it to the G3.
I use mine everyday at work streaming music.
Why am I still using EVO 3D
I ask myself that every day. Well, I didn't have to pay for it. My Mom had bought it new a few years ago, but didn't like how it would spontaneously do stuff - take pictures, call people, etc. She put it in a drawer and bought an iphone. When I lost my old phone (Samsung Rugby Smart), she gave it to me. I had to switch from AT&T to Sprint to do this, but they gave us each a tablet, so that was a big incentive (We love our Galaxy tablets and use them every day). That was about a year ago. I replaced the battery in the EVO 3D with cheapie I bought online, and that mostly solved the power problem, but the screen sensitivity thing has gotten worse.
I use it to take pictures and listen to audiobooks through Overdrive, but it is not a success as a communications device - it calls and texts people by itself and usually the screen locks up so I cannot end these calls once they are started. I can't make selections in a voicemail menu (most of the time). I would like to try rooting it but I don't think I know enough to manage it by myself. (Also I am not sure that Overdrive would still work). So I really need to either get this phone fixed or replace it soon. I need to have a dependable phone since I am looking for a job, but can't afford much on what I make now as a temp. Even if I had the money, I couldn't see spending $600+ on something that will be broken, lost, or, at best, obsolete after a year or two. So I guess I'm looking for a phone that's old and reliable versus old and unreliable.
Helpmelearn said:
I ask myself that every day. Well, I didn't have to pay for it. My Mom had bought it new a few years ago, but didn't like how it would spontaneously do stuff - take pictures, call people, etc. She put it in a drawer and bought an iphone. When I lost my old phone (Samsung Rugby Smart), she gave it to me. I had to switch from AT&T to Sprint to do this, but they gave us each a tablet, so that was a big incentive (We love our Galaxy tablets and use them every day). That was about a year ago. I replaced the battery in the EVO 3D with cheapie I bought online, and that mostly solved the power problem, but the screen sensitivity thing has gotten worse.
I use it to take pictures and listen to audiobooks through Overdrive, but it is not a success as a communications device - it calls and texts people by itself and usually the screen locks up so I cannot end these calls once they are started. I can't make selections in a voicemail menu (most of the time). I would like to try rooting it but I don't think I know enough to manage it by myself. (Also I am not sure that Overdrive would still work). So I really need to either get this phone fixed or replace it soon. I need to have a dependable phone since I am looking for a job, but can't afford much on what I make now as a temp. Even if I had the money, I couldn't see spending $600+ on something that will be broken, lost, or, at best, obsolete after a year or two. So I guess I'm looking for a phone that's old and reliable versus old and unreliable.
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Digitizer seems bad, lucky there easy to replace and cheap, about $7 now. It's a very common issue with the phone. Also at less for me, using the oldest or first radios and 56xxx prl, gave me the best 3G speeds. 1 Mbs down
Because I'm broke. And yes, paying an obscene amount of money for a new phone about every 2 years is ridiculous.
Cause I have a 3d TV and no one wants to buy it lol
Revenant Ghost said:
Because I'm broke. And yes, paying an obscene amount of money for a new phone about every 2 years is ridiculous.
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Yep! Same here besides I don't even use it for a phone at all mostly for music, videos, & camera all on WiFi. Besides that thing is damn near indestructible. Dropped too many times to count ran it over once even dropped thing in bucket of water, hell to root tho.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Free mobile app
It's sad for me, but I've been very lucky to find a buyer for my more-than-3 years old evo, so I caught the opportunity! It's been fun 'till it lasted, now I got myself a G3
Why are you still using EVO 3D?
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Poverty
I still use mine as an mp3 player. I hate sense but with a good custom ROM it works well.
I'm still using mine because the Nexus 6P is not available I think that 4 years with the same smartphone have been a good run