Related
Hey guys,
I'm going to buy my WP7 phone (which is Windows Phone 7 Phone, kinda like ATM Machine I guess) this week and it's a tricky decision. It reminds me of the start of the original pokemon games if any of you remember that - three choices, all with their own strengths and weaknesses.
I've done my reading and a fair bit of research but I'm still not leaning in any particular direction as of yet. Just interested in a few opinions from people that have been living with these phones for a while.
So, here are my options (I'm in Australia and buying unlocked):
Samsung Omnia 7 - People have good things to say about the load times on this phone, and of course the screen. I'm not totally sold on the industrial design and I currently have an AMOLED screen on my HTC Legend which sucks in sunlight, oversaturates colors and generally pisses me off.
HTC Mozart - I've used the camera on this phone and really like it, but the back's a little ugly with that stupid triangle design. In case this phone has some kind of trump card I'm missing, it's at the bottom of the list
HTC 7 Trophy - I like the look of this phone but I keep reading reviews saying it's midrange. I'm coming from a midrange device and I don't wanna be left behind - I don't see how anything with a 1ghz processor and a screen like this is midrange, but whatever.
HTC HD7 - bit of a wild card option. Never had a phone with a screen this big but could be kinda cool, although all the reviews say the viewing angles are a bit crap
Anyway, I'm sure any of these phones would be great, but I'm just curious to see the opinions of the people that own them.
Cheers
I know it sounds oversimplified but the hardware is generally good (aside from the one with the stupid speaker built in) so likely I'd reccomend the biggest screen because with netflix big screen and kickstand=win
The bigger screen on the HTC is definitely not better and will be a step down from your AMOLED device. Try the SAMOLED Samsung which should have better colours than the AMOLED screen you have now. 4" is still large enough to impress.
efjay said:
The bigger screen on the HTC is definitely not better and will be a step down from your AMOLED device. Try the SAMOLED Samsung which should have better colours than the AMOLED screen you have now. 4" is still large enough to impress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cant say I was a fan of the bluish tint to the white lettering on the amoled screens
I say go Omnia7. The only form of tinting I notice is when a totally white screen slightly goes darker or 'grey', I think its for battery purposes.
Has to be the Omnia7 or HD7. I dwindled my choices down to those two:
Omnia7:
+ AMOLED
- 8Gb
+ NAND
HD7:
+ 16Gb
-/+ SD Card (whatever way you look at that. Slow, but BIG and expandable)
- Washed screen colours (compared to Omnia)
That's the basic jist! Everything else is almost the same. So do you want storage or screen?
save your money and buy a trophy. i know, its not a common opinion, but besides the smaller screen it is capable of all that the other devices can do. only downside for me is if your are looking at the screen at an wider angle it sort of bleeches out, colors do lighten up. but why would you do that? during normal usage there is no problem at all with the screen.
besides the screen i do not see anything "midrange" here.
i like my trophy, no need to upgrade.
nehvada said:
save your money and buy a trophy. i know, its not a common opinion, but besides the smaller screen it is capable of all that the other devices can do. only downside for me is if your are looking at the screen at an wider angle it sort of bleeches out, colors do lighten up. but why would you do that? during normal usage there is no problem at all with the screen.
besides the screen i do not see anything "midrange" here.
i like my trophy, no need to upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trophy is also 8Gb with, as you say, smaller screen. It does everything all other WP7 devices do alright, but it offers no advantages to buy it over the HD7.
HD7 is also cheaper (sim-free)
edit: Quick Google. Well, it's £380 on O2 over here, while the trophy is £350 unlocked. Not much difference
Not topic, but why not LG Optimus 7 - not available?
Sent from my HTC Hero using Tapatalk
tarakini said:
Not topic, but why not LG Optimus 7 - not available?
Sent from my HTC Hero using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what I get.....
the LG has hardware keys which i found too loose, no good build quality here. i would allways prefer hardware keys over touchpanel, but this one didnt make a good impression.
the HD7 with 8GB here in germany is an average of 70,- € more expensive than the trophy, the 16GB version a few bucks more. i call that a noticable difference.
the only thing that made me not choose the LG was I used one in a shop and didn't much care for the screen. it was still a great phone, but it didnt seem as bright as samsung and htc
Depends mainly which carrier you use as to which phone you ultimately get, but the HD7, in my opinion, is the creme of the crop. It isn't saddled with the low-quality AMOLED and it has the largest, superior quality, LCD of them all. The physical appearance is the most pronounced with black-chrome accents and elegant styling abounding. The silver mesh inserts at the top and bottom aren't just for show, either. They actually funnel sound from the rear speaker. The high-quality kickstand is a must for this super-sized LCD, for watching movies with too.
zukа said:
Samsung Omnia 7 - People have good things to say about the load times on this phone, and of course the screen. I'm not totally sold on the industrial design and I currently have an AMOLED screen on my HTC Legend which sucks in sunlight, oversaturates colors and generally pisses me off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i got my hands on this device (in a local shop) it felt really different compared to what i expected from screenshots and videos (in a negative way).
if a device is as big as this one it !HAS! to feel smaller than it is (like HD2/HD7 for example, it shouldn't "feel" that bulky).
This was a really nice phone in my opinion until first realtime-contact.
cheap plastic materials and it feels more like a prototype device than like a retail phone (sorry @ samsung).
another thing that got my attention after i had a look at the device was the screen.
as you may know, amoled screens are good when it comes down to display pictures/videos and color gradients (lockscreen wallpaper etc.).
but as soon as you take a look at the plain color tiles on homescreen, you can see quite a difference between LCD/SLCD and AMOLED.
The pixels on a amoled are not as "dense" as on lcd/slcd (means boarders of sub-pixels take more space).
it felt like a interlaced picture when i was watching the tiles (i had the hd2 and the mozart on me to compare side-by-side (believe me, both are superior).
simply said: major downside for metro ui (amoled) and it felt much cheaper than i expected.
zukа said:
HTC Mozart - I've used the camera on this phone and really like it, but the back's a little ugly with that stupid triangle design. In case this phone has some kind of trump card I'm missing, it's at the bottom of the list
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got myself a mozart (for free with contract) and don't regret it at all. best wp7 device for me. alu-unibody rocks!
zukа said:
HTC 7 Trophy - I like the look of this phone but I keep reading reviews saying it's midrange. I'm coming from a midrange device and I don't wanna be left behind - I don't see how anything with a 1ghz processor and a screen like this is midrange, but whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also had a chance to take a look at this device. to make it short:
this is one of the cheapest phones i ever saw from htc (not bad compared to LG but not the kind of quality htc is delivering usually).
zukа said:
HTC HD7 - bit of a wild card option. Never had a phone with a screen this big but could be kinda cool, although all the reviews say the viewing angles are a bit crap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you really want a 4.3" phone, my advice would be: get yourself a hd2..
i don't see any benefit in using such a big screen for wp7 (well not for now; for wm6.5.X i do of course). if you really want/need wp7, my advice is: take the mozart.
my opinion:
if you want a beast of a mobile-computer with phone-capabilities and much more (Android, HTC Sense, custom roms etc): HD2
if you want a phone with some media/social capabilities but no "personal-computer-feeling", get yourself a WP7 device (i hope you can get my point).
Check this.
HD7 vs O7
HD2Owner said:
if a device is as big as this one it !HAS! to feel smaller than it is (like HD2/HD7 for example, it shouldn't "feel" that bulky).
This was a really nice phone in my opinion until first realtime-contact.
cheap plastic materials and it feels more like a prototype device than like a retail phone (sorry @ samsung).
another thing that got my attention after i had a look at the device was the screen.
as you may know, amoled screens are good when it comes down to display pictures/videos and color gradients (lockscreen wallpaper etc.).
but as soon as you take a look at the plain color tiles on homescreen, you can see quite a difference between LCD/SLCD and AMOLED.
The pixels on a amoled are not as "dense" as on lcd/slcd (means boarders of sub-pixels take more space).
it felt like a interlaced picture when i was watching the tiles (i had the hd2 and the mozart on me to compare side-by-side (believe me, both are superior).
simply said: major downside for metro ui (amoled) and it felt much cheaper than i expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clear things up, the Omnia 7 actually has a metal body, glass front, and some plastic parts for the top and bottom of the device.
I can compare my Omnia 7 (4in screen) with my older Touch HD (3.8in), which also has the same screen tech as the HD2/HD7 (since they don't use SLCD) and considering the Touch HD has a higher pixel density than the Omnia7/HD2/HD7, I really can't see how you can say the HD2 was superior considering its the same resolution at a bigger screen size. The Touch HD was JUST noticebly sharper than my Omnia 7, but nothing major, I fail to see how HD2 can look sharper than my Touch HD, making you say its easily superior to the Omnia 7's screen.
I would believe you if you JUST said Mozart regarding its sharpness, considering it has a smaller screen at 3.7in, same resolution and has SLCD, but the HD2.... really?
btw considering the Omnia 7 has a bigger screen than my Touch HD, i actually find it feels smaller in the hands due to the curved back, than my Touch HD. The Omnia 7 took a while to getting used to cus its curved back mixed with a metal body equals a very slippery combination ><
All the slamming on SAMOLED is unwarranted. Especially in the case of the Metro UI on WP7. SAMOLED really makes the UI stand out. This is mostly because there is so much use of black backgrounds and borders. The highly vivid color saturation is also very noticeable. I imagine if you were to hold the screen an inch from your face and squint, you might be able to notice some minor difference in pixels.
We don't get the HD7 on AT&T, but the Surround has the same display. The Surround display does not hold a candle to SAMOLED in most ways. Yes, it should have sharper text of SAMOLED, but nothing that is bothersome or really even noticeable, unless you are searching for it.
For the record, I am an HTC fan over Samsung 99% of the time. But in the case of WP7, SAMOLED wins.
HD2Owner said:
when i got my hands on this device (in a local shop) it felt really different compared to what i expected from screenshots and videos (in a negative way).
if a device is as big as this one it !HAS! to feel smaller than it is (like HD2/HD7 for example, it shouldn't "feel" that bulky).
This was a really nice phone in my opinion until first realtime-contact.
cheap plastic materials and it feels more like a prototype device than like a retail phone (sorry @ samsung).
another thing that got my attention after i had a look at the device was the screen.
as you may know, amoled screens are good when it comes down to display pictures/videos and color gradients (lockscreen wallpaper etc.).
but as soon as you take a look at the plain color tiles on homescreen, you can see quite a difference between LCD/SLCD and AMOLED.
The pixels on a amoled are not as "dense" as on lcd/slcd (means boarders of sub-pixels take more space).
it felt like a interlaced picture when i was watching the tiles (i had the hd2 and the mozart on me to compare side-by-side (believe me, both are superior).
simply said: major downside for metro ui (amoled) and it felt much cheaper than i expected.
i got myself a mozart (for free with contract) and don't regret it at all. best wp7 device for me. alu-unibody rocks!
i also had a chance to take a look at this device. to make it short:
this is one of the cheapest phones i ever saw from htc (not bad compared to LG but not the kind of quality htc is delivering usually).
if you really want a 4.3" phone, my advice would be: get yourself a hd2.. far more possibilities when it comes down to media playback (especially video)
i don't see any benefit in using such a big screen for wp7 (well not for now; for wm6.5.X i do of course). if you really want/need wp7, my advice is: take the mozart.
my opinion:
if you want a beast of a mobile-computer with phone-capabilities and much more (Android, HTC Sense, custom roms etc): HD2
if you want a phone with some media/social capabilities but no "personal-computer-feeling", get yourself a WP7 device (i hope you can get my point).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and what videos can you play on your hd2, that I can't play on my wp7???
And I have netflix....
For the OP, there is no right phone. I picked the hd7 because I loved the hd2 and didn't want to get a smaller screen. This whole viewing angle thing is overblown. I can show someone a video on my phone and watch it from the side just fine. Videos can't be beat on a 4.3 in screen for a cell phone.
I had a chance to play with everything bar the HD7 today, gonna post my thoughts in case anybody else is in a state of indecision like I am
Mozart: This is a really, really great phone. top notch build quality, absolutely stunning display (IMO, better color reproduction than SAMOLED, but I'm not trying to belittle it) and I quite liked the camera too. Again, still unsure about the goofy triangle pattern on the back
Omnia 7: I can see why so many people are in love with this handset, but two things made me not want it. First, the metal back was purple. Didn't realise that from any of the photos but I'm not keen on owning a purple phone. Second, the SAMOLED screen went dim grey every time white came up on a webpage etc. I'm sure it's for good power saving reasons, but that would get annoying over time for me
HTC Trophy: this was weird. the touchscreen on the trial version in the vodafone shop was completely screwy compared to the HTC Mozart. i don't know if they had a faulty handset or if the trophy has a much less sensitive screen, perhaps it was the oil on my fingers or something (sometimes my HTC legend struggles with that).
Good thread.
What's the key difference between the Samsung Focus & the Omnia 7?
To date, I've played with the Mozart & the LG slider. My current mobile has a slide out keyboard, but I found the on screen keyboard on the Mozart worked so well that it pretty much renders a slide out keyboard superfluous.
I really like the Windows Phone 7 UI. Yeah, I know all the geeks are bemoaning it’s lack of features, but what it has works really well.
I want to buy a high end android phone but the problem is that the maximum screen size that is comfortable for my hands is 3.7". I have extensively used the galaxy S and it doesnt feel comfortable to use with a single hand, this is the big problem I want to be able to comfortably use my phone with a single hand and with any 4" or bigger phone I just cant. Yes I have small hands.
Now onto the galaxy S2, I love it so much but dear god the size...
Now that I search it seems the motorola atrix is the only dual core phone with a somewhat manageable size with it's super thin bezel however I just dont like the phone. I want a premium camera and display plus powerful hardware as I dont frequently change phones.
The SE Xperia Neo seems to be the best small phone, if only it had a more powerful chipset. Atleast SE gives it's small phone all the features unlike others so props for that.
Now whatever the hell is HTC and samsung doing?? Have they not seen how much the iphone still sells with it's "small" screen? Isnt it obvious that there is a pretty big market who dont want a mini tablet in their pockets?
Where is a 3.7" version of the galaxy S2 or sensation? Where is samsung's actual answer to iphone 4S? I am sure they can make a smaller version of the S2 but they just dont think it's necessary which in my opinion is a big mistake.
If this trend of giving small phones the short end of the stick continues then sadly I'll have to switch to iOS or WP7.
Gambler_3 said:
I want to buy a high end android phone but the problem is that the maximum screen size that is comfortable for my hands is 3.7". I have extensively used the galaxy S and it doesnt feel comfortable to use with a single hand, this is the big problem I want to be able to comfortably use my phone with a single hand and with any 4" or bigger phone I just cant. Yes I have small hands.
Now onto the galaxy S2, I love it so much but dear god the size...
Now that I search it seems the motorola atrix is the only dual core phone with a somewhat manageable size with it's super thin bezel however I just dont like the phone. I want a premium camera and display plus powerful hardware as I dont frequently change phones.
The SE Xperia Neo seems to be the best small phone, if only it had a more powerful chipset. Atleast SE gives it's small phone all the features unlike others so props for that.
Now whatever the hell is HTC and samsung doing?? Have they not seen how much the iphone still sells with it's "small" screen? Isnt it obvious that there is a pretty big market who dont want a mini tablet in their pockets?
Where is a 3.7" version of the galaxy S2 or sensation? Where is samsung's actual answer to iphone 4S? I am sure they can make a smaller version of the S2 but they just dont think it's necessary which in my opinion is a big mistake.
If this trend of giving small phones the short end of the stick continues then sadly I'll have to switch to iOS or WP7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually one of the biggest complaints from Iphone users is the screen size. Right now, bigger is better, and consumers what big phones.
lowandbehold said:
Actually one of the biggest complaints from Iphone users is the screen size. Right now, bigger is better, and consumers what big phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still it's breaking records and I personally also was disappointed as I was expecting a 3.7" widescreen which can easily fit into an iphone without increasing it's dimensions in any way. I wasnt expecting a monstrous screen but I thought they would finally move to a better aspect ratio and get rid of that thick bezel.
Yes I know the S2 is also breaking records which shows that there is a big market for both big and medium screens.
The thing is we need to have 2 versions of iphone, one big and one small and everyone will be happy. Same should be the case with the galaxy S2.
But apple is known for not giving enough choice, android on the other hand is all about choice but sadly not in this case it seems.
I'm actually looking forward to the day when a 5" screen is the norm. It would be a nice hybrid replacement for a smartphone and a tablet.
I used to think my Evo 4g was big when I first got it. I was upgrading from a 4 year old Cingular flip phone. But I quickly got used to it, and I've still got more pocket space for a bigger device
.
Thread moved to Q&A due to it being a question. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
Failure to comply with forum rules will result in an infraction and/or ban depending on severity of rule break.
Because the most wanted feature in a smartphone is touch screen. And since most of the populace has medium to big hands making a small sized touchscreen is uncomfortable and illogical. Hence why smartphones are now becoming bigger.
kalapa said:
I'm actually looking forward to the day when a 5" screen is the norm. It would be a nice hybrid replacement for a smartphone and a tablet.
I used to think my Evo 4g was big when I first got it. I was upgrading from a 4 year old Cingular flip phone. But I quickly got used to it, and I've still got more pocket space for a bigger device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pocket space is never an issue, it's single handed usage which is just very uncomfortable with the bigger phones.
Kailkti said:
Because the most wanted feature in a smartphone is touch screen. And since most of the populace has medium to big hands making a small sized touchscreen is uncomfortable and illogical. Hence why smartphones are now becoming bigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I dont have abnormally small hands by any means, I just value comfortable single handed usage more than some other people. I can manage with a galaxy S but it's just that I dont find the extra 0.x" to be worth the added discomfort in single handed usage.
And 3.7" is by no means small to the point of being uncomfortable for people with really big hands, plus I am not saying they should not make big phones. Just give the choice of both.
It is uncomfortable not in the sense with grip, but the fact that that have big fingers, hence they have less precision and more prone to mistakes. Plus I own a sgs 2, and I have medium hands or small hands and I have never found it uncomfortable. But that is simply a subjective opinion.
lowandbehold said:
Actually one of the biggest complaints from Iphone users is the screen size. Right now, bigger is better, and consumers what big phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all of us do. One of the reasons i still have my N1 is because i like the small screen. I would consider a 4" screen, but any bigger than that is too big for me. As the OP said, where is the choice right now?
So, 4" Display is enough.If more too big.
I prefer 3.7"
great news! - there's no sacrifice necessary, you can have the best phone and 3.7" size! - It's called a T-mobile G2
hello
im a new user to this forum and very happy from this.
please help me for buy a smart phone.
please comparison between sensation and galaxy sii and consider sensation is cheaper than galaxy but it has the more features of galaxy
thanks alot
Sensation is better than Galaxy. Hands down.
It's not better than the Galaxy Nexus, though...
To the OP, wait until February. The Mobile World Congress takes place then and you'll see all the new handsets being released. THEN you can make a proper decision
arzbhatia said:
Sensation is better than Galaxy. Hands down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. If I had the chance to change my sensation to an galaxy, I wouldn't doubt a second. The crappy build, and the crappy everything, makes me want to give HTC one on the head.
TheStigx said:
Not really. If I had the chance to change my sensation to an galaxy, I wouldn't doubt a second. The crappy build, and the crappy everything, makes me want to give HTC one on the head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I could switch I would do it in an instant. Can't use the phone in bed due to wifi signal, random signal drops with 3 different phones with multiple roms, low res screen, etc. Its worth only 350 now too, with phones like GS2 still holding their price.
Ali_Shaikh said:
If I could switch I would do it in an instant. Can't use the phone in bed due to wifi signal, random signal drops with 3 different phones with multiple roms, low res screen, etc. Its worth only 350 now too, with phones like GS2 still holding their price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely !
Hmm, everyone has different choices.
Anyway, I totally agree with Eddy over here.. you should wait till Feb.
I'd go for the sensation..the GSII feels like a cheap plastic phone for little kids to play with
I own a sensation XE while my other half owns a S2. Side by side the s2 is faster by a few seconds. But thats about it. They both run the same games as well as each other. The screens both look good (better colours on the S2 but more crisp image on the Sensation. The build quality is good on both. If you don't mind the plastic. If you like a premium feeling device I would go with the Sensation.
I'd go SGS2. My brother-in-law has one and I've had a chance to play with it quite a bit. I'm pretty envious, but I would never tell him that haha.
As for why? The legend of HTC build quality just isn't true anymore. My volume rocker has started to stick after 5 months and it's annoying, my power button double presses when I don't have the case on, wifi deathgrip really sucks, and the cellular antenna design is just terrible. Integrated with the removable back cover? Really?? That's not even getting into the fact that SGS2 is just plain out faster than Sensation.
Sensation isn't a bad phone mind you. I would trade it in a heartbeat, but I still like it. It's still a very nice high end device that does what I want it to do. But if the SGS2 was out when I so desperately needed a phone 5 months ago, I probably wouldn't be posting this.
But like EddyOS said. Best thing to do is wait if you can.
I think the only differences between the SGSII and the Sensation are
SGSII has NFC, Sensation doesn't
SAMOLED+ vs. S-LCD Display
Touchwiz vs. Sense 3.0
it's comepletely up to you.
thanks from those who responded.
see,sensation has a lot of gsII's options and it's cheaper than gsII.but,galaxy had been better in the tests.i wish i made a poll to make it easier to decide.
i used my uncle galaxy sii and i hate it's user interface and i thought the htc user interface is so better and it's more beautiful than sumsong
thank's a lot.
You won't be happy with the software on the sensation. Go SG2
HTC Sensation.....FTW !!
Backthen said:
You won't be happy with the software on the sensation. Go SG2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok.it's personalisation that you like this user interface or that one.i think HTC company works on the software a lot and it's software is more beautiful,more performance and.... than the others.
please talk more about their hardware and thanks a lot.
Well, here's my personal experience with both devices. I believe there's also still a topic I started hidden somewhere on the forums here when I was to decide wether to go with the SGSII, Sensation (XE) or wait for the Galaxy Nexus.
Now I'm in the possession of both the SGSII and the Sensation XE, so I pretty much have the best of both worlds. Down here is a quick overview of my personal experiences and a conclusion to why I'm using my current device (the Sensation XE).
Samsung Galaxy SII - International White Edition
At first glance it seemed like a great phone, small in design and a dedicated home button which can also wake up your phone instead of having to pry around with a power button alone. However, after holding it in my hands entirely set up with the battery in it, the weight was just way to low. I actually had to check my pockets regularly just to see if I was still in the possession of my phone. Now, I can see why people would like that, but the fact that the phone is so light comes with a price.
The durability of the phone seems to be abysmal. After inserting the battery and the simcard+MicroSD I had to put the back cover back on. That went according to plan, but suddenly I felt that the back cover wasn't matching up with the phone's housing anymore. There was a slight bulge where you have to insert your fingernail to remove the back cover which annoyed me to no end. After that, I decided to get a cover for my phone so it would stop annoying me, which it did.
Then the next issue arose with the hardware of the phone. The home button started to wiggle around a bit. no biggie I guessed, and just kept using the phone as it was. After a week or 2, a cracking noise came from the home button. Seeing as I hardly use the home button, it kind of surprised me, and I decided to think of it as a way to "crack in the device" like a new pair of shoes. Regardless, after a few more days of moderately to heavily using the phone, the cracking noise only got worse, and I decided to return the phone.
The replacement phone immediately suffered the same issue with the back cover, but with my case around it, it wasn't noticable, but the thought of knowing that it's there still annoyed me. Also, I had lost faith in the home button and tried to avoid using it as much as possible, so I only used the power button on the right side to wake my phone etc. After a while, the power button started failing to wake up my phone and I was forced to use my home button once again.
As far as software goes, the standard TouchWiz interface which comes with the phone is a immense piece of ****, excuse my language. I cannot tell you enough how much I hated it. Regardless, this is all up to personal preference, but it lagged for me at times, and only a complete reboot of the phone would restore a bit of fluidity.
The screen however is amazing. Regardless of the fact that the colors are over saturated to an extreme, the pictures and browsing I did seemed clear as day. No issues whatsoever with it. The only gripe I had with the screen was its resolution. at a 480x800 resolution, text would often appear jagged around the edges and not as sharp as I would have liked it to be. Even installling the Roboto font which is specifically made for text clarity, couldn't take away the roughness of the letters.
That's when I decided to start looking into custom roms, rooting and kernels. After trying out a multitude of roms, ranging from the golden oldies which have had quite some development time behind them to the recently released ones, the only rom which made my SGSII feel as it should be was Cyanogenmod. I must say that I was impressed by the fluidity of it. Regardless, I had to give up certain hardware acceleration options just to get a more fluid phone, which is not how it was intended in my opinion. This resulted in my feeling ripped off by Samsung.
However, the benchmark scores on the customised SGSII were out of this world. once you OC the processor to it's max and run a few benchies, you'll be quite impressed by what the device is capable of. However, in day to day use, it's impossible to keep overclocking it without having an immense amount of additional batteries stowed away in your bag, which brings me to my last point.
Before I chose to go to the Android side, I used to own an i4. Yes I know, bad choice and glad I'm back on the Android side after a year. However, the i4's battery life was simply amazing compared to the SGSII. The SGSII would not last me close to a days worth of work and I often had to recharge in the middle of the day. Note: This occured even with underclocking the processor, turning Wi-fi off and all the battery saving things which have been mentioned here on XDA. Whereas I was offended by the i4 that the battery didn't last me 2 days of moderate use (some games, browsing, video's and heavy music usage) the SGSII just left me baffled over the abysmal results it was producing. This is no different on the Sensation, but more on that in my second segment.
TLDR: Plastic device with rather bad production quality with hardware failures all around on 2 seperate devices. Great screen for colors, not so great for text. Battery life leaves much to be desired and fluidity of the device could most certainly be a lot better. A definite featherweight though, and if that's your thing, this is the ideal phone.
HTC Sensation XE Edition
The hardware on the phone is simply phenomenal. The aluminium finish really makes a difference in both style and quality. The fact that the entire frame is replacable is definitely a plus for when you accidentally drop your phone and the panel is scratched. The outside was definitely hard to remove the first time, but after inserting the battery, simcard and SD card, I didn't need to reopen the device again. Once closed up the construction still feels very solid without any mishaps on production quality. The weight of the phone is a lot more as how I like it and the rounded edges make it a lot easier to hold in my hands compared to both the i4 and the sgsII with their sharper edges.
As far as the hardware goes, people have reported both light leakages and dust under the screen, but I did not experience any of those issues on my Sensation XE. The screen is still dust free after 2 months of usage, and there is no light leakage whatsoever. I inspected the device for light leakage in a dark room under my blanket with the screen on and off for an extended period of time. The softkey buttons respond well and the volume rocker is solid as I like it. The power button is slightly more inconveniently placed, but nothing to fret about.
As far as the software goes. The Sense 3.0 interface which comes standard with the phone really makes this phone as special as it is. Unable to be ported to any other manufactureres devices, Sense provided me with sleek visuals while remaining to give me a fluid experience with the device. Ever so often the device would soft-reset itself because it runs out of memory though. Which could be seen as an annoyance at start, but hasn't happened to me after the first week for some odd reason. The Sense overlay really made my like this phone, and I have since then looked upon all previous devices I owned as inferior when it comes to their individual overlays.
The screen, standing at a qHD resolution of 960x540 which is simply great. Not astounishingly great, but it simply is wonderful. While I've always been sceptic about resolution differences on phones it has become more than apparant to me that even this tiny resolution difference on this 4.3'' screen makes a huge difference. Text is sharper, images are sharper and the overall experience is far more enjoyable. Not only when browsing, but while looking at videos and pictures as well. The colors aren't quite as vibrant as on the SGSII, but that's not something I'm actually missing. There have been talks about the screen having washed out colors at certain angles, but please, at the angles where the colors start washing out, you won't be using your device anyway.
The modding community for the Sensation seems to be quite equal to the SGSII's community, but there's one difference. The Sensation mod community seems to be a much nicer bunch compared to the SGSII, keep in mind that this is a subjective view, and should not be taken as a fact. After S-off'ing the device, rooting and installing custom roms, it's hard to stick with one certain rom while thre is so much to choose from here. Ranging from the standard Sensation roms to the XE roms and kernels, there's plenty to mess around with.
The battery life however, oh oh oh HTC, you failed there. You made an excellent device and then simply mess it all up with the battery. At first I wasn't able to get through an afternoon with the device. But that was mostly thanks to my "honeymoon" period with the device where I tried to exert its every resource. After installing a couple of different kernels and roms, I've managed to get up to 16 hours of battery out of the phone, which is more than acceptable. Keep in mind though that you might want to consider getting an extended battery.
TLDR: Great build quality with a good weight attached to it. Sense overlay really is a + for me, and the higher resolution screen definitely helps the Sensation in its presentational value. The battery life and lesser amount of ram shouldn't have been there on the flagship device, but when looking at the device in it's entirety, I must say that this is the least of my worries. Definitely a worthy device.
Conclusion:
I love my Senny, the form factor and android overlay simply made this phone into my favorite phone so far. It has also refilled my trust in HTC and its products after the failure which was the G1. I currently only use my SGSII as a backup device for when my battery dies on my Senny and is pretty much used as data storage whenever not in use, as that's all what its good for in my opinion.
Do take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I'm currently quite favorable towards the Sensation XE which I own. Nonetheless both devices have their ups and downs, but the upsides of the SGSII do not outweigh the failures.
Excuse this long wall of text and the lack of english grammar, I'm not a native speaker and I'm sure there are plenty of mistakes in here!
Regards,
Vex
Please do your own research and come to your own conclusion. Try your best to get some hands-on experience for yourself with both phones, and pick whatever YOU think is better.
I don't mean this in a condescending manner. I mean this in the most helpful manner possible, because asking one particular group for just their opinions is particularly dangerous.
When you come into our forum, you are going to get a ton of biased responses making it as if our phone is the bomb. Many responses will be critical of the other phone, even though a lot of those responses come from people who don't own that phone and/or haven't even used one before. Another hugely dangerous thing is that people will give you an opinion based on what THEY value, not what you value. You will get a lot of the "SGS2 feels like a toy" responses, which indicates that that person clearly prioritizes the feel of a phone. Those voices will crowd out the few voices of people with different values (like me), who would say things like "Sensation performs like a toy". People will say run a custom ROM, OC, different kernel, yada yada, and I've done all that, and in my experience the Sensation just doesn't run as smoothly as other phones.
There are other things that have made my Sensation experience less than pleasurable. It's just overall an under-spec'd phone IMO. Less RAM than most dual-cores, undoubtedly a pathetic amount of internal storage (1 GB, really?), an asynchronous dual-core that IMO was a poor decision, a screen that lacks in the brightness department (yes, resolution is nice, but brightness is not), software that was just plain and simple horribly finished (I love Sense but I cannot stand how much of a fail it was in terms of making sure it would run well and smoothly), a horrible speaker (worst I've heard on a phone), "build quality" that makes me question why people continue to praise HTC for that (death grip that is more significant than most phones, a creaky back, dust issues under the screen, and the backlight for the capacitive buttons leaks through a tiny crack on the side of the phone, a pseudo-unibody design), and more. The Sensation is overall just a good device, a 7 out of 10 in my book. The phones of now like the Galaxy Nexus, Droid Razr, and the like are far better IMO on paper, and I'm sure if I got hands-on experience I would like them more than the Sensation.
The issue is that clearly some people who value one certain set of aspects will love the phone. Another group of people who value a different set of aspects won't like it as much. That would be me: poor performance bothers me more than plastic build possibly could (I've had a plastic Samsung phone before, and while it was nothing to look at or hold, it was tough as heck). The thing is, my opinion doesn't matter, because I don't know what YOU value. YOU shouldn't base YOUR decision on what I value.
I suppose it's OK to get opinions from owners, but you HAVE to make sure you get them from both sides, and you HAVE to take them ALL with a grain of salt. Optimally, you'll gather opinions and then get some hands-on experience to see what really applies to you.
I wholeheartedly agree with The Janitor Mop. As you can see, both our experiences differ by quite a large margin. Therefore it is of utmost importance that you try out both devices in-store yourself to draw the best conclusion for yourself.
Even though we can outline our experiences of the device with a slightly biased opinion, the truth of the matter is that none of our needs will be exactly the same as the needs you will have for this particular phone.
So, go to your local store and ask to try out both devices!
Stealing the topic from the owner..
I'd like to ask the same question. I'm going to the US in February, and i'd like to buy a new flagship for me. I had a Nexus S, and now I'm looking for the next.
So, what currently are the best phones, hardware speaking, that are available? Don't mind the OS or brand, and I'm looking mostly for a feature phone, it must be GSM. Thank you a lot.
PS: Forgot to mention, I'm on a budget, $600 tops please.
.
Thread moved to Q&A due to it being a question. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
Failure to comply with forum rules will result in an infraction and/or ban depending on severity of rule break.
I'm having a hard time giving up my HTC One for the Nexus 5. I love the speakers on my One and the IR blaster really comes in handy. The Nexus 5 is just sitting in my room. Someone convince me. Or am I making the right decision on keeping my One?
I am in a similar boat. I have been debating on whether or not to sell my htc one and get the Nexus but I too love the convenience of the IR blaster. In the end, it will come down to personal preference. On one hand you have an extremely capable, well designed phone with great speakers and the other hand you have the top of the line specs in an inexpensive, always up to date package. I'm personally going to wait and try kitkat on my htc one before I make a final decision but for now, I'm swaying towards keeping the one.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I'm biased toward the Nexus line so I can not be objective, but I can tell you this phone is great if you like stock android without bloats.
I dumped mine without even thinking about it.
The only thing I miss is the amazing screen. The n5's screen is good, just not as good.
I also bought a N5 at launch and ditched HTC One. The One is a good phone. But I like that the N5 is lighter, feels better in the hand (didnt like the metal). The biggest gripe with my HTC was the proximity sensor. I was constantly pressing buttons with my face. I did an RMA, but no fix and my gf has the same issue.
i sold my htc1 a while ago..very happy with the n5
Have both as well and am using the N5 32gb black as my daily phone for the last two days.
N5 - feels great in hand, larger screen in a marginally larger body so quite a bit of "actual" real estate for viewing especially extra width which I prefer and much smaller bezel around the screen so appearance looks like all screen on the N5 vs. the black borders on the One. I actually prefer the extra weight of the One but the soft touch feel of the N5 is awesome. Faster in all respects in running the same apps, wifi, etc. except the camera. Camera is slow and I need to use HDR+ for reasonable results. Hopefully a software update improves the camera.
The screen really is excellent on the N5. Battery life is a toss up as I have only used it for two days but seems to be similar. Speakers on One are significantly better. Sound quality seems better on N5 for the few calls I have made. LTE (AT&T) is faster on N5 and browsing on Chrome is remarkably smooth and pages load very fast.
Miss some aspects of Sense like the pop-up notifications on the lockscreen.
Plan to use the N5 for the week before making a final decision.
Looked up specs on N5 vs One:
N5 - 5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 @ 130g - 5" screen @ 445 ppi
One - 5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 @ 143g - 4.7" screen @ 468 ppi
The N5 does not feel much larger in hand due to the smaller bezels, but the screen seems significantly larger in actual use also due to the smaller bezels around the outside. Watch a HD movie on both and it really is evident. The slight difference in ppi is not something I have noticed as the N5 screen is just as nice as the One, but with more actual screen on the N5.
I recently switched from the one to the N5 and so far I'm loving it!
-The phone feels smoother and quicker when navigating through apps and loading pages.
-Screen looks great, I don't personally see a notable difference between it and the one. Plus I'm much happier with the larger screen size.
-Speakers on the HTC are better, but that being said, the N5 speakers aren't bad at all. I personally use headphones all the time so the speakers didn't matter to much to me.
-I've continued using the HTC headphones with the N5 and it sounds excellent. Especially love the Google Music full bleed on the lock screen.
-I absolutely love Vanilla android, easily the number one selling point for me. KitKat is great so far, only one complaint is how large the icons are (which can easily be changed with a rom) but this is just my preference.
-Not having the permanent 'home' and 'back' button is great, more screen space and easier use when in landscape.
Overall very satisfied with the phone and all of it's features, if you have any questions feel free to ask! :highfive:
(I have the Nexus 5 32GB white)
Larxia said:
only one complaint is how large the icons are (which can easily be changed with a rom)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can be changed using a launcher too..
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
shengovind said:
Can be changed using a launcher too..
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also true. I personally prefer the stock launcher, that was just my only complaint about it. You get used to it after a while, just a noticeable difference when switching so I figured I'd mention it.
I was lucky to get my Nexus 5 on 1st Niv.
It was both my first Nexus phone and first non HTC phone.
My HTC One is back in its box, but can't bring myself to sell it.
The screens on both phones are very good, I prefer the design of the One and the speakers and their amplifiers are much better on the One, I sometimes miss the FM radio, but prefer the much quicker response of Snapdragon 800 in the Nexus 5, at least in every day use.
Nexus has been my "daily driver" since I got it.
If only I could have the best features and components of each phone in one device.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
I think it's got a cute camera, but all around it just... sucks. The battery is even worse than my Nexus 5, and the phone is just ugly, especially in the front, in my opinion.
Actually I like the design much better than the M9, not too worried about the battery, and it seems HTC has finally overcome it's greatest flaw in its camera.
Wish it has a dual SIM function (it's important in SE Asia and developing countries) and waterproof.
Otherwise, it's pretty nice.
I just can't believe they are still plastering a fugly logo on the front taking up valuable screen real-estate. I'll never buy another HTC as long as they keep doing that. At the very least they got rid of the "hardware" buttons... except then they replaced it with a larger hardware button copying samsung and apple. The waste of space is just terrible. Nexus 6 has slightly more than half an inch in top/bottom bezeling combined while these things look like they are rocking 1.5 inches or more!
Not to mention it's looks like a sad copy attempt at newer samsung/iphone styles - hardly unique at all. I don't think the copy-cat ploy is going to work for the third guy doing it. I'd bet money that this is yet another flop.
http://www.xda-developers.com/the-a9-is-not-the-hero-htc-needs-nor-the-one-it-deserves/
Xenosis said:
I just can't believe they are still plastering a fugly logo on the front taking up valuable screen real-estate. I'll never buy another HTC as long as they keep doing that. At the very least they got rid of the "hardware" buttons... except then they replaced it with a larger hardware button copying samsung and apple. The waste of space is just terrible. Nexus 6 has slightly more than half an inch in top/bottom bezeling combined while these things look like they are rocking 1.5 inches or more!
Not to mention it's looks like a sad copy attempt at newer samsung/iphone styles - hardly unique at all. I don't think the copy-cat ploy is going to work for the third guy doing it. I'd bet money that this is yet another flop.
http://www.xda-developers.com/the-a9-is-not-the-hero-htc-needs-nor-the-one-it-deserves/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the design is necessarily a bad thing. It may be emulating Apple, but it's still metal and it will appeal to quite a number of people, if not for the design then for the build quality alone. With that being said, the battery is most likely gonna drag the phone down, unless they can do what the Moto G is doing with their battery, which by the way is larger than the A9.
Also, I hope there are capacitative back and recent apps buttons to complement the physical home button. Otherwise, the home button kinda becomes redundant, even with a fingerprint scanner, because you have the full set of controls on the screen right above the home button.
Using HTC 8 years now but couldn't find new model for me. Like the design but inside phone is not what you expecting from phones these days.
Just to hang for time that HTC makes serious phone I switched to OnePlus 2.
HTC A9
Very bad design, I think they need to change thier concept designer and CEO then they try to find another inspiration like One M7 & 8 and I think they will not be able to do that until they think out of Apple hater Box
bennaye said:
I don't think the design is necessarily a bad thing. It may be emulating Apple, but it's still metal and it will appeal to quite a number of people, if not for the design then for the build quality alone. With that being said, the battery is most likely gonna drag the phone down, unless they can do what the Moto G is doing with their battery, which by the way is larger than the A9.
Also, I hope there are capacitive back and recent apps buttons to complement the physical home button. Otherwise, the home button kinda becomes redundant, even with a fingerprint scanner, because you have the full set of controls on the screen right above the home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad? nah. Sad? I think so. Who needs more of the same thing? It's because they are failing that they decided to copy what they thought would be a safe bet. Personally I'm not even too bothered by the small battery as I pretty much always keep my phones around 50% and up as wherever I am there is usually a place to charge them. Fast charging will make that even more feasible. (Probably their logic)
In my opinion, the fingerprint scanner should be on the back of every phone, like many are already doing, not the front. Or even on the side makes more sense. It should be in a place that is easy to access with only one hand. The bottom of the front of the phone makes it so you have to support it with the other hand while swiping to do it comfortably.
My point is that any capacitive/hardware buttons that can be done in software are redundant and they are especially atrocious when taking up screen real estate. When done in software, the screen can be 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch larger.
When I got my One m7 way back, I thought it was awesome and compared to what was out there, it was. That is until other phones came out that were the same size but had smaller bezels, didn't waste space with a giant logo and capacitive buttons. A clear successor in design IMO.
Maybe it's just me but since everyone can do nice specs, a decision on a phone comes down to smaller things and for me, screen size/quality is one of the most important. The way the front of the phone looks is important, and how well utilized the space is is important. HTC has always done a horrible job utilizing space well so far as I've seen.
I hate it. The design is fine but why? Don't copy Apple just to get a few new users to switch. Stick with the M8 style design with some differences. Bezeless? The specs are not that great. They even removed boomsound wtf. (unless it is considered a mid range phone).
They need to spend some money and get ultra specs. They need a 4k screen, ultra boomsound speakers that are really loud with a pop out speaker like the old HTC Surround while keeping it a thin phone, Snapdragon 820 with 2 gh and 3-4 gigs of ram, a 25 ultra pixel rear camera with Nikon DLSR sensors to bring the ultimate in picture taking and making it the best camera phone ever even better than some stand alones, 6 ultra pixel front facing cam, 3500 MaH battery. Now if they did that, I'd buy that in a heart beat or are these features too unrealistic?
HTC needs to realize people care about what is written on the specs sheet next to the phone in a phone store. People see low numbers (even though the processor may optimize it to make the low numbers feel like higer for example battery MaH) they will go to another phone that has higher numbers on the specs sheet.
I just really hope they change their mind about their design philosophy to me its not a good change, but I applaud the hardware and the fact they have marshmellow running on it already
MsEvyLynch said:
I hate it. The design is fine but why? Don't copy Apple just to get a few new users to switch. Stick with the M8 style design with some differences. Bezeless? The specs are not that great. They even removed boomsound wtf. (unless it is considered a mid range phone).
They need to spend some money and get ultra specs. They need a 4k screen, ultra boomsound speakers that are really loud with a pop out speaker like the old HTC Surround while keeping it a thin phone, Snapdragon 820 with 2 gh and 3-4 gigs of ram, a 25 ultra pixel rear camera with Nikon DLSR sensors to bring the ultimate in picture taking and making it the best camera phone ever even better than some stand alones, 6 ultra pixel front facing cam, 3500 MaH battery. Now if they did that, I'd buy that in a heart beat or are these features too unrealistic?
HTC needs to realize people care about what is written on the specs sheet next to the phone in a phone store. People see low numbers (even though the processor may optimize it to make the low numbers feel like higer for example battery MaH) they will go to another phone that has higher numbers on the specs sheet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't agree with you on this, HTC hasn't copied from Apple. But it is other way round.
This is the design that HTC has pioneered and continued to evolve. There is a reason why iPhones and Samsung devices now look like they do, because HTC has a superior design. They always seem to fall short when it comes to specs and marketing.
Xenosis said:
My point is that any capacitive/hardware buttons that can be done in software are redundant and they are especially atrocious when taking up screen real estate. When done in software, the screen can be 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My point was that since HTC already went with a physical home button at the front which doubles as a fingerprint scanner, they might as well include the other capacitive buttons. Having just one button on the front seems kinda pointless. But I do agree that the fingerprint sensor should be on the side or on the back.
MsEvyLynch said:
I hate it. The design is fine but why? Don't copy Apple just to get a few new users to switch. Stick with the M8 style design with some differences. Bezeless? The specs are not that great. They even removed boomsound wtf. (unless it is considered a mid range phone).
They need to spend some money and get ultra specs. They need a 4k screen, ultra boomsound speakers that are really loud with a pop out speaker like the old HTC Surround while keeping it a thin phone, Snapdragon 820 with 2 gh and 3-4 gigs of ram, a 25 ultra pixel rear camera with Nikon DLSR sensors to bring the ultimate in picture taking and making it the best camera phone ever even better than some stand alones, 6 ultra pixel front facing cam, 3500 MaH battery. Now if they did that, I'd buy that in a heart beat or are these features too unrealistic?
HTC needs to realize people care about what is written on the specs sheet next to the phone in a phone store. People see low numbers (even though the processor may optimize it to make the low numbers feel like higer for example battery MaH) they will go to another phone that has higher numbers on the specs sheet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, first of all, anything that has to do with Nikon sucks. Second of all, complaining like that just makes you look bad.
herzig.grant said:
Dude, first of all, anything that has to do with Nikon sucks. Second of all, complaining like that just makes you look bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not complaining, I'm just stating what HTC needs to do to get back where they need to be. Going this route is just making it worse for them.
Honestly I think it is a dumb a** phone and it seems like HTC is in self destruct mode
MsEvyLynch said:
I'm not complaining, I'm just stating what HTC needs to do to get back where they need to be. Going this route is just making it worse for them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you have a point.
I've used HTC phones basically for almost every upgrade I had. I found their build and quality to always be top notch. What I liked about HTC is that you can almost always unlock the bootloader and go the custom rom route and the boomsound speakers. The One A9 ditched everything to try to get more people to like HTC. What I want is a HTC phone with top notch specs 5.1-5.5" screen, I could care less about finger print scanning but sure whynot, a nice shooter with OIS and a competitive price point and I think they should be able to get back. Sense skin on the HTC is what makes the experience unique.
nice especially the design though I'm not impressed with its built and other stuff. sticking with the N5 ndysf
Best thing about HTC these days is still Sense interface. Stock android, Samsung etc...OS/look/feel is garbage. I remember when I first got the Nexus, the one with the led trackball..years ago. I almost dumped that thing in 1 day until I found the ability to get an updated Rom with better apps/design and look/feel of the phone. HTC was a saving grace. Get rid of Blinkfeed, keep the clean/polished apps of Sense and interface...and put some real serious hardware in the phone.
Only good thing about this is going to be marshmellow/developers and the ability to have all carriers supported and unlocking out of the box in the US. Otherwise, from the forums, you can see how support of the M9 and later variants have decreased over the years.
Don't know. Maybe sell the M9 and try the A9...I don't do much with my phone, and the little I do, I really need a better polished interface that Apple/MS have done well for years versus the Android.
Shoot, been playing with Candy 5 on my M9 which is pretty close to Marshmellow and standard Android, what a piece of garbage interface/apps they still produce Google....pretty pathetic considering.
Unfortunately, I'm on Verizon for the next year...likely jump ship in 14 months and go back to something like ATT/Cricket and universal/GSM phones. Good thing my wife/kids have iPhones that will work on any network already. Just need to dump my VZW M9 and move on with my life...gheez. The mobile/cell phone business is really a joke with many manufacturers, such a cluster these days and so many options, most Android.