Im looking for a phone with a long battery life, candybar style , 3.5inch+, dual core and for a GSM network and not too expensive.
I have owned the htc g2, vibrant, captivate, mytouch 4g slide, mytouch 3g, blackberry 9300, iphone 3. But so far the iphone and blacberry have the longest battery life, and all the androids phone i have owned dont come even close. I dont want to switch back to bb os or ios and stick with android but the battery life is a big problem. I know that there is battery extenders, but I wear tight clothing and i dont want it to stretch.
I also have Tmobile carrier and the s3 is not an option, because it is way to expensive, anyone have any other idea?
I also found a phone called motorola photon, it looks promising but not sure if I can use tmobile 4g :\.
I would recommend maybe the SII, its a very modest phone with a decent battery life and 1.2ghz dual core, fairly cheap and has a 4.3" screen. If you want to splash out a bit maybe wait for the s4 (just a suggestion)?
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I picked up the atrix to replace my failing original droid almost a month ago. The AT&T service has been, meh okay, the phone has had a few bugs but otherwise works well and has serious potential to be really awesome. luckily i can still go back to verizon within my return policy on the atrix.
what's your opinion, should I jump back to verizon for the thunderbolt?
reasons to:
Verizon network, true 4G
HTC phone therefor cyanogenmod will get ported to it
atrix locked / signed bootloader not allowing cyanogenmod (okay, one reason there)
reasons not to
t-bold has weaker cpu
potentially horrible battery life
larger size phone (love the 4" qHD screen on the atrix) - atrix is higher resolution
thoughts?
How much more time do you have to decide? I would wait to see what the battery life is like if you can; common sense says there's a strong possibility it will be awful (especially with 4g).
Sent from my HTC Magic/Dream using XDA App
i picked up the atrix on launch day, i think that was the 21st or so, since feb only had 28 days, i should have till the 23rd.
good idea... battery life aside, thoughts?
i had debated for a while before the atrix came out on whether or not to get the tbolt or the atrix. i was actually on at&t at the time but decided to switch to verizon (got a droid x off of craigslist so i still have an upgrade available) and wait for the tbolt. i decided against the atrix primarily when i read about at&t disabling HSPUA on "4g" devices like the atrix and the inspire. i thought it was ludacrious that first of all at&t's 4G which is actually hspa+ (or 3.5G) wasn't reporting that much faster speeds than 3G and furthermore was actually limited by the company from reaching top speeds. it's sad that they are finally making efforts after being slammed by the better business bureau on this charade.
so if you are looking for a faster network like you had said it would be a good move to switch to verizon, at&t could improve their "4G" but it still wouldn't be as good as verizon's lte, IMO.
other factors than network, i'd stick with the atrix if you purchased those docks since it is the only phone that works with them (however, i am assuming that docks aren't a factor since you are keeping the option to return the phone).
i do think that the screen would be better on the atrix but that doesn't mean that the tbolt has some crappy screen, it'll still be very vibrant and pleasing. the screen wasn't a huge factor for me as much as specs and usability. specs are stronger with the dual-core atrix, but i've read a bunch that dual-core for the most part isn't necessary on smartphones yet and there are very few games/apps that actually utilize both cores. i believe that the dual-core power on the atrix is only there to support the docks designed for it, and without the docks it's not that big a deal.
i am currently on a droid x with verizon and have it rooted and customized how i like, and since roms like cyanogen are a plus for you it seems that you would appreciate the tbolt's rootability and customization more than the atrix's locked down bootloader.
tbolt has a better camera (8MP vs. atrix's 5MP) so +1 for that. they both have front-facing cameras.
tbolt has kickstand, some may see it as a gimmick but there are times i've watched things on my droid x and thought "man, a kickstand would be super-useful right now"
another point for verizon's network is that 4g/lte is starting with unlimited data plans, while i'm pretty sure at&t kept the tiered caps from 3g.
atrix has that fingerprint scanner which is only as useful as you want it to be. so meh.
as a previous poster mentioned the tbolt battery is an unknown factor since it is the first phone on LTE, and atrix comes with that monster battery which i think is somewhat limited by having to run dual-cores.
size was a factor for me too as i wasn't sure that i wanted a huge device in my pocket all the time but having had the droid x for a few weeks and its 4.3 inch screen, it's not so bad and i got used to it pretty easily (although i did have a blackberry bold 9000 before which was slightly bulky so maybe i'm not the best judge on size).
tbolt comes with 32GB sd card which is nice.
so there you have it, reasons why both phones can be good/bad but i think the tbolt wins strong points for being unlimited on verizon LTE, which is supposed to have awesome speeds.
In terms of development for these two devices which phone would be better to have? Right now I have and HD2 running the Typhoon CM7 of 2.3.5 by tytung. It's rooted, flashed, I recently got it unlocked, and it's running great. Overall I'm very satisfied with it.
The other day I saw a post on craigslist for someone who was interested in trading a galaxy s 4g for an hd2 straight up. It got me thinking about a few reasons why it might be something I would consider. First and probably most importantly the galaxy is 4g enabled on the t-mobile hspa+ network and can theoretically download at speeds of 21 mbps. While the hd2 maxes at 7.2 mbps on the hspa network. whether or not I would actually experience a much faster connection on the galaxy isn't exactly sure since much of that depends on t-mobile's cell towers.
Next on my list is that the hd2 does not have a dedicated lock screen button since it is not a native android device. I have attempted to fiddle with settings on my ROM to modify the end button's behavior to only function as a lock screen button but have been unsuccessful. This only bothers me when I'm on a phone call with earbuds in and I have to wait for the phone lock the screen by itself before I can put it in my pocket and not worry about it ending my call or doing any other funky stuff while the screen is unlocked.
The galaxy s 4g also has a much nicer super amoled screen than the hd2 although it is smaller it adds a cosmetic appeal to the device. Along with the cosmetic appeal the galaxy has a much larger battery at over 1600 mah while the hd2 is only around 1230 i think.
Despite all the great things about the galaxy s 4g I don't know if these minor details are truly enough reason to give up the hd2. The hd2 also has an entire gig of ROM and slightly more RAM than the galaxy.
Lastly I just saw some of the new development on the hd2 done by dorimanx that has allowed his hd2 to post quadrant standard scores of 3000....
So my ultimate question is if you had to choose between the hd2 or the galaxy s 4g for a phone that you would be using for atleast another year or more which one would you prefer based on some of my observations as well as any of your own?
Thanks for your time
if i could atleast get some votes on the poll i'd appreciate it
Having a tough time deciding which of these 2 phones I should get. I will be modding and all of that. Does either have better rom support or is better for modding?
Would the extra 256MB of RAM in the mytouch 4G even be noticeable, or ever come in play? And is the galaxy display NOTICEABLY better than the 4G? the extra 0.2" to me is not a huge deal at all. Honestly, for one hand operation I think the galaxy may be too big actually. Having camera flash is nice... does one take better quality pictures though?
So torn between the two. Virtually exact same price to buy on craigslist right now. I would be using it on the WIND network in canada so I'm not even sure if I'd be able to use the HSDA+ or not. Mind you 21 or 14.4 Mbps doesn't even matter....
The main thing probably would actually be if either of these devices have better rom support or are better for modding. Can anyone help me out??
I wouldn't buy both of them as a motorolan but from my experiences with both brands, i would get the mythouch 4g. It is overally better cause of xtra ram and better build quality.
Oh, I should also mention that since I'll be using the phone on WIND I can only use T-Mobile phones. So I don't know if I really even have a good Motorola Android option.
Lean towards to HTC models which include 1700mhz 3g bands. If atrix had 1700mhz i would suggest that but like you said, motorola and t-mobile broke up after the Cliq2.
Hello all!
I've been reading through this forum and wanted to ask you all a few questions.
First, let me start by saying I have been to a local ATT store and played with the Note. I found it to be a perfect fit in my hand. The screen size and resolution is flat out amazing. I also looked at the specs and found them to be on par with most devices these days. However, I have read that the processor in the ATT version is a Snapdragon with an okay GPU chip...any thoughts? The internal storage is 16GB and up to 32GB external (although in this forum, I have seen it as high as 64GB)...good to go as well. No default notification indicator...boo, but not a deal breaker and an app can fix that. I also have read that the camera is okay, but can be tweaked to make it better.
Next, I am not new to tweaking my devices...actually, I love too! I read, read, read everything and usually don't have any problems. I am definitely a power/advanced user and do much more then text and check email. I use devices to fullest extent as possible.
I am not asking you all to tell me to buy this device or switch networks, but instead I'm asking you all for real world answers. So here are my questions.
1. Looking through the forums, I saw about 3 solid custom ROMs and several stock rooted ROMs. My question is, do you all have a solid base for development? I also saw that there is no AOSP CM7 ROM for this device either...is that correct? With ICS expected on this device soon, will there be development (the international version has ICS already I believe)? I'm rocking the OG HTC EVO 4G and development is rock solid...even with the device about to turn 2yrs old (6/4/12)...so development is a huge deal for me.
2. Okay, Sprint doesn't have the best network and 4G/WiMax is a total joke. When I was at the local ATT store, I ran several speed tests on the display Note (using ATT's LTE) and was floored by the down/up speeds! My question is how is battery life with it connected to LTE all the time AND using the crap out of it. I ask this, because with my EVO, I very rarely use 4G/WiMax. We can turn it on/off at will thru settings or a widget. Also, I always connect to my WiFi at home. It looks like on the Note via a custom ROM, turning LTE on/off is controlled through the build.prop...is this correct? I keep chargers around, but just curious.
3. I don't use this feature that often, but it's always good to have...tethering. With my EVO, most if not all custom ROMs have the ability to tether (USB or wireless) baked in. So what are the options with the Note? I have never paid for this feature and don't intend to either.
4. I haven't peeked into the theme section yet, but I'm sure there are themes for this device...right?
Edit- Late addition question...kernels. I use OC/UV/SBC kernels on my EVO...so what is the current state of kernels with this device?
Before I end this dissertation, I want to say this forum seems to be more mature...always a good thing. Also, I have several device choices to consider, but I am strongly considering getting away from CDMA carriers and join the rest of the world on GSM...not TMo, been there done that. I'm on the fence with getting this device or waiting for the HTC One X version or the GNex coming to ATT and Sprint (if I decide to stay). I'm just doing some research to make a very good decision.
Oh and thanks for posting the price from Fryers...$199 is much better than $299 !
Thanks in advance to all that answer and Android rocks!!
I owned the Evo 4G before moving to the Evo 3D and after that the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon.
If the size of the screen is not that attractive enough for you to sway you from the One X or the Galaxy Nexus then I would advise you wait for the Galaxy S3. The S3 (rumors of course) is shaping out to be superior to any of those devices.
As for your actual first question, yes the ATT and the International version of the Note have two different processors. At the time, Samsung's Exynos cpu in the Int Note did not have a LTE chip compatible with our LTE spectrum here in the states. So they switched to the Snapdragon chip for ATT. Yes the snapdragon performs less than the Int counterpart but chances are you will see no difference in real world use.
1. Development for this phone is still in its early stages. Coming from the EVO I can tell you development like that is the exception, not the rule. There are tons of the phones and only the most popular phones get the same attention. The phone came out a little over a month ago.
Also this phone will never be at the same level of popularity as some of the other ATT phones (S2 for example). CM9 is being worked on now for the Note. Maybe we might have a taste of it a month or so.
2. ATT has a better network compared to Sprint. HSPA+ is more than enough to beat Sprint's 3G and WiMax to the floor. One of the advantages is the fact you can talk on the phone while surfing the web or look up directions ect. Battery life is actually superior in respect to CDMA LTE devices. Since all radios are on the same chip you save battery life. You can turn off LTE when not in a LTE area but there are no noticeable impacts on battery life.
3. If you would like to use tethering all you have to do is freeze and apk (tethering manager I believe) and that's it. You can tether as you please.
4. There are a couple of themes for the different roms that exist. Also themes are proportional to the number of roms. Keep in mind themes are different for Samsung phones. There are no themes in apk form. All themes must be flashed.
Huge thanks for taking the time to respond. I played with the Note again today and I was able to one hand text and navigate around with ease. I'm sure I will end up switching to ATT for a GSM device. I was at Best Buy and they would not honor Fry's price...I plan to check with a local ATT store next.
I plan on buying a new device after 5/3 (my contract with Sprint ends), so I plan on watching for the S3 as well. If anyone else wants to chime in, please feel free. Again, thanks for your well written response!
How do you turn off LTE?
Ok, I'll try to get to the point as simply as I can...
I live on the moors, signal is awful, o2 (UK) is the ONLY network to have any reception at home, yes we have tried others, nothing else works!
Now, over the past 3+ years we've discovered a pattern, all android phones have had unbelievably bad reception. My cousin has just bought a new Moto X force (droid turbo 2 in us) and seeing as the antenna is on the outside like the s6, HTC etc we had hoped for the signal to be good (and that Motorola have been playing with aerial tech longer than most) but it is almost unusable.
The annoying thing is that my uncle's iPhone 4s is brilliant, almost as good as some of the old "dumb" phones, it just works, OK no way does it get full signal, but by far enough to make calls and text, where as 90% of the time the other android phones have nothing. I'm NOT comparing "bars" here, I'm comparing one having signal, and one not.
Now, we have tried this list of phones, and they're all pretty much the same
HTC wildfire
HTC Desire
HTC Desire HD
Nexus S
Nexus 4
Nexus 5
Nexus 6
LG G3 < the worst signal by far
Moto g (2013) < best out of the list
Moto X Force
I have before now tried different basbands on a couple, phone cases off, cases on etc but cannnot figure for the life of me why the iPhone just works so much better than everything else. Any suggestions? What android phone has the best radio? I'm just lost and need answers :/
And just to point out, I am not biased toward IPhone, never personally owned one, and never will.
Inb4:
Why don't you get a signal booster
Why don't you use WiFi calling - we live on a huge farm, wouldn't work
It's just a placebo - No, it really isn't, next to each other in a weak area, one has signal and can make calls, one cannot.
Dave