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So i bought a Samsung phone which isn't that bad until i started finding out the faults! The problems that i came a cross were the fact gps was poor and so was the network, yet apart from that the phone is not that bad. nevertheless I am going to get a replaced for a sensation so is that good or a bad idea?
ps i had a HTC hd 2 before
You posted in a Sensation forum.Of course we are going to say its a great idea lol
manish2039 said:
So i bought a Samsung phone which isn't that bad until i started finding out the faults! The problems that i came a cross were the fact gps was poor and so was the network, yet apart from that the phone is not that bad. nevertheless I am going to get a replaced for a sensation so is that good or a bad idea?
ps i had a HTC hd 2 before
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its a terrible idea you have the greatest phone on planet earth and you wanna give it up?
tigerz0202 said:
its a terrible idea you have the greatest phone on planet earth and you wanna give it up?
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I wouldn't go that far calling it the greatest lol. But he has a point they are good phones. If your network is poor it night be the carrier itself. At least SGS2 is quadband 3G/UMTS/HSPA
None of us can speak for the things that matter to you. The things that make us love the device might not matter to you. Try it and decide for yourself.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
its all personal preference. i would say that even though i have the sensation, i would rather have the SG2 because it seems like its more faster and the whole touchiwiz 4 looks clean. im not saying that sense 3.0 isnt clean and isnt fast, i actually love it, but in the end its all personal preference and its up for you to decide. i suggest you try messing around with the sensation before you switch
Even though i myself am a Sensation owner, i can tell ya the SGSII, despite the lower res and the tad inexpensive build quality/looks, it's still a lot better phone.
Probably your carrier. However if u still wanna go with the Sensation.. then by all means; it is after all your call at the end of the day.
saffant said:
the tad inexpensive build quality
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"tad" is putting it lightly, IMO (as someone who owned a SGS2 for several hours today before deciding that I would return it before it got scratched and otherwise damaged. Samsung is all about the numbers game, rather than the overall user experience. They don't care if the phone feels fragile if they can claim it is the lightest. They don't care if it is uncomfortable to hold if they can say it's thinner than an iPhone 4 (they do this with the Tab 10.1 as well but it's not uncomfortable thankfully).
While the SGS2 screen is stunning to behold (even in strong sunlight) coming from someone who has hated all previous AMOLED screens because of how terrible the pentile grid arrangement made them look, It's a cheap, poorly designed phone. Great specs, very fast, etc
On the other hand, you have the Sensation which isn't perfect, but feels smaller in the hand, due to the curved back and the fact that it has a narrower but taller display, has a great looking, higher res screen, and has build quality that leaves one not wanting or needing a case for the phone.
If you have the SGS2 right now and are considering the Sensation, some of the stuff I mentioned is probably bothering you like it did me. I know how it feels to have people look at you like you're crazy for wanting to swap the SGS2 for the Sensation, since that's what I tried doing at Bell Canada today
If you plan on using and relying on WiFi, it's a terrible idea. The Sensation has the worst WiFi of any android phone I've used.
I think you will find out that it's the same experience in the end. There is a number of problems on Sensation aswell ...
thanks for the replies appreciated
i think i'll give this phone another week and then see if it has changed my mind or not.
manish2039 said:
So i bought a Samsung phone which isn't that bad until i started finding out the faults! The problems that i came a cross were the fact gps was poor and so was the network, yet apart from that the phone is not that bad. nevertheless I am going to get a replaced for a sensation so is that good or a bad idea?
ps i had a HTC hd 2 before
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Click to collapse
How can you blame the SGS2 for poor network,dosen't make sense to me but I honestly think SGS2 is the better option to sensation with regards to two things
1) Countless custom Roms already which solve a lot of problems
2) Easily flashing of the latest Firmwares via ODIN regardless of whether you want to root or not
I am already using the 2.3.4 although its not official released and its great
At the end of the day its our choice Both phones have their pros and cons but for me the (easy firmware upgrade) was the DEAL BReAKEr
I would put a facepalm pic but thats no help.
Just stay with gs2, best phone eva. Sure it has better build quality but that always hidden with the case you put on it. In fact, putting a beautiful case on the sgs2 will not add much bulk at all and still have the best hardware.
Bsketball said:
If you plan on using and relying on WiFi, it's a terrible idea. The Sensation has the worst WiFi of any android phone I've used.
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YMMV. I ran Speedtest on my Sensation with wifi this morning and got over 26Mb down. I get better signal strength around my place than I did with my Vibrant. Some people report bad wifi on the SGS2. Just saying don't take every post as the last word.
Just because the Galaxy S line is made of super light plastic, doesn't mean its fragile and breaks easily. Samsung uses the material on purpose to make the phone light. They are probably just assuming that just because phones are getting bigger doesn't mean they need to get heavier. I actually know for a fact that Samsung puts a lot of research into the plastic material they use on there Galaxy S line. Weather its made of aluminum, plastic or rubber, its still feels solid while feeling light. I haven't seen anyone with a GSII complaining of a creaky battery cover like they are on the Sensation. I can't vouch for the GSII when it comes to holding up to damage over time but what I can vouch for is the Vibrant. That thing felt cheaply built as well since it was so damn light but I can assure you. It was probably the toughest Android device I've ever owned. I dropped it multiple times and the most it ever got was scratches to the chrome bezel that went around the phone. I took house keys to its display to show off its Gorilla glass to friends and the display remained in mint condition. Finally, that phone made it through over 50 house fires in which it got wet and was banged around. In case you don't know, you usually come out of a fire dripping from head to toe with water since there is thousands of gallons of it being thrown around. I always kept the phone my work shirt pocket so it was never in a case. That phone withstood water damage and "gravity" damage and still kept on ticking. That's more than I can sat about my Nexus One which only lasted through 2 or 3 fires. It ended up getting water underneath its display.
What I'm trying to get at is just because a phone is light and made of plastic, doesn't mean its cheaply made.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
ditch that and get a nokia 5110. its way better
jrwingate6 said:
What I'm trying to get at is just because a phone is light and made of plastic, doesn't mean its cheaply made.
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But it does mean that the vast majority of people will be using a case to prevent scratches/damage, negating a lot of their time and energy spent making it thin/light.
It just kills me there's so many "phone X is better than phone Y" threads on me, and they actually think that it's black and white like that.
I hate cases. I want to see beautiful design, not beautiful design wrapped in some silicon skin. Personal opinion of course. I also like docks (blame Palm's amazing touchstone for that). Blame the Atrix for turning me on to good vehicle docks (not that I ever drive, but when I do). I also like high res screens a lot. Oh and soft touch and metal. And silky smooth, curved glass.
Plenty of people don't care. They want the fastest processor, the most ram, a big battery, and a big screen, and nothing else matters. They'll slap it in a case anyway, so build quality doesn't matter a ton. Maybe they don't even care about scratches. The SGS2 is very, very nice. Millions of people are currently loving theirs. I tried. It's not for me. Damn that screen is so beautiful though, I miss it.
_kansei_ said:
But it does mean that the vast majority of people will be using a case to prevent scratches/damage, negating a lot of their time and energy spent making it thin/light.
It just kills me there's so many "phone X is better than phone Y" threads on me, and they actually think that it's black and white like that.
I hate cases. I want to see beautiful design, not beautiful design wrapped in some silicon skin. Personal opinion of course. I also like docks (blame Palm's amazing touchstone for that). Blame the Atrix for turning me on to good vehicle docks (not that I ever drive, but when I do). I also like high res screens a lot. Oh and soft touch and metal. And silky smooth, curved glass.
Plenty of people don't care. They want the fastest processor, the most ram, a big battery, and a big screen, and nothing else matters. They'll slap it in a case anyway, so build quality doesn't matter a ton. Maybe they don't even care about scratches. The SGS2 is very, very nice. Millions of people are currently loving theirs. I tried. It's not for me. Damn that screen is so beautiful though, I miss it.
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I don't like cases or screen protectors and I rarely ever use them. That's the thing. My Vibrant did not scratch as easy as one might think. I don't think if someone adds a case to a phone that's thin and light negates the time and energy it took to get there. Its comment sense. The light the phone is, the lighter its going to be with a case on it. Just because you add a case, doesn't mean it becomes as heavy as every other phone with a case on it. Or does it? Samsung uses plastic because a WiFi frequency and cell signal can pass through it easier than aluminum or metal. We have seen deathgrip issues time and time again with phones that are built with metals.
Lastly, if you like soft touch and silky smooth curved glass then the G2X impliments those two things perfectly. The rubbery back plate and the beveled glass that curves down feels awesome. The glass us also smoother than what the Sensation has. I also like how LG beveled the G2X glass. It goes down instead of up so your fingers just glide right off the display when swiping. Its a much better implimentation than HTC's beveled glass which curves up. To bad the G2X can't run a full day without rebooting though.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
Coming from a G2, I wanted to give you guys some insight of my initial impressions of the Doubleshot in Khaki...
THINNESS: The absolute first thing I noticed when I picked up this phone is how thin it is. It is remarkable how HTC can cram a keyboard into a phone this thin. It's only about 1mm thinner than my old G2, but wow what a difference it makes.
SCREEN: Definitely better than the G2, even though it's the same resolution and size. Somehow, it's a bit brighter and a bit sharper. Not anything extraordinary better, but the S-LCD makes a difference. It seems that under battery usage the screen takes up a good percentage. The S-LCD must take a lot more power than the G2 with its super TFT screen. I usually see the percentage for the screen around 50%.
BUILD QUALITY: This is where the phone starts to decline. The build is very solid and tight, but it feels very slick in the hand. Back cover is completely smooth. Every time I slip it in my pocket and take it out, I'm scared of dropping the phone. It's so thin that it's hard to grip. Difficult to slide the keyboard out as well, due to thinness. I wish there was some rubberized material around the phone, or soft touch finish on the G2. Even though it's a high end phone, the build still feels cheap. Apart from the few metal accents (such as around the rim of the phone), it's all plastic. Which makes me wonder why it's so heavy...
I have noticed that DUST does seem to get caught in the gap between the screen and the main keys. It could end up under your screen if you're not careful. It's understandable given the keys are actual buttons and not a part of the digitizer. Usually whenever I see dust starting to get caught, I take a piece of paper and just run the edge through the gap. It gets all the dust out.
SPEED: You can tell this phone is fast. Even on the stock rom, I knew this phone would be very fast. RAM seems limited though, with about 140mb for you to use once everything is loaded (stock rom). Curiously, benchmarks show much lower ratings than my old G2 OCed to 1.5 GHz. The phone is faster for sure though. Games to used to lag, no longer do. Even when running multiple apps, the phone does not slow down at all. Running a senseless rom, I have peak RAM anywhere from 275 up to 300MB free, with almost all background tasks killed, apart from a few essentials.
KEYBOARD: Oh boy, did HTC drop the ball on this one... Throughout all the android qwertys I have owned, this sadly has to be the worst. It will definitely take some time to get used to. Motorola Cliq>MyTouch 3G Slide>G2>MyTouch 4G Slide, in terms of keyboard rank for the phones I have used so far. The keys are fairly flat and have very little response and feedback. Very slick and hard to feel for. I appreciate the fact that the phone is so thin, but I'd rather have a slightly thicker phone phone to accommodate one of my main input mechanisms. With time, you can get used to anything though.
After spending a few days with the keyboard, I am glad to say it's much better. The first day or two felt terrible with this keyboard. Almost no feedback at all. But the more you use it, the more you pick up on the slight feedback YOU DO get from it. It's like trying to find the pulse on an old diabetic patient. The more you look for it, the more you will find it.
This may be personal grooming, but I've noticed that it's easier to type on the keyboard after having cut my nails than when they have grown out. It makes your finger a bit smaller and a little easier to feel for feedback, just saying...
SPEAKERPHONE: This speaker is much louder and deeper sounding than the one in the G2. Although it does get covered easily and the sound gets muffled out almost complete. This is a bad placement. For example, if you reach into you pocket to get your phone, your hand automatically covers the sound vent and then no one can hear your cool ringtone
Speakerphone still has the same flaws as I mentioned before. When playing a game in landscape mode, you do tend to cover the speaker when you're not paying attention. And then you wonder where the sound suddenly went and why it disappeared.
CAMERA: I haven't found a single scenario where this camera has not amazed me yet. It is truly stunning that a camera could be this good in a phone. Every time I have taken a picture with another phone, I always try to justify how bad it is, with the fact that it's only a camera phone and not a dedicated camera. But with the Doubleshot, I have to wonder at why I even need my camera for about 90% of my shots anymore. There has not been a single scenario where the camera has performed subpar so far. Flash is very good on this camera. Does not interfere with the photo quality at all. Usually the LED is placed so close to the camera lens, that it interferes with the image quality and actually makes the picture look worse. That was the case with every other camera phone that I have had. But not with this one.
HEADPHONE JACK: I have noticed that the headphone jack isn't ideally placed. It off to an angle if you look closely, and that could prove to be a wear issue on your buds, especially if the connector is a straight plug. It's much better to text with though, because it allows your fingers to get situated well around the phone when texting and have headphones plugged in at the same time.
BATTERY: There's no other way of putting it, the battery life is going to be bad. I'm not the kind of person that believes in toning a phone down to get better battery life, but with this phone you may have to. Realistically, with light-moderate use a user will get about 8 hours of run time before the battery is dead. The vast majority of users have said that the aftermarket Anker battery proves to be MUCH better vs stock.
My setup: 100% brightness, wifi always on, no mobile data, gmail push, pulse reader updates every hour, fancy widget GPS weather every 15 mins, and display on for collective time of 1 hour. I get about 10-12 hours on a charge (mainly because I don't use mobile data).
Will update this review the more I get acquainted with my new baby
I recently switched from a G2 as well and thought the same thing about the keyboard. After about a week you get used to it.
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using XDA App
gtmaster303 said:
...
SPEED: You can tell this phone is fast. Even on the stock rom, I knew this phone would be very fast. RAM seems limited though, with about 140mb for you to use once everything is loaded (stock rom).
...
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I know this is a review of first impressions, and I appreciate that window into what someone thinks coming from a different device. This is the first android cellular device i've owned (second device total - nook color being the other) and I have no basis of comparison. This device IS my entry to the smartphone scene, so posts like this give me great insight.
( I quoted the RAM part because this is a function of the BLOAT in the stock ROM, if you cut out all the BS you can easily climb above 200 megs waiting and ready on boot. Don't forget a certain amount is not user accessible, due to being allocated for system use ( CPU/GPU etc...) But this is a first impressions thread, so not trying to take away from that, just trying to bring awareness )
gtmaster303 said:
Coming from a G2, I wanted to give you guys some insight of my initial impressions...
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good review, and I agree with all of it.
as others have said, you get used to the keyboard, and in the end it seems no worse (at least to me).
I recommend getting a case for this bad boy, helps with the slickness, and protects against damage. There is a thread in accessories forum that details various options. Well worth the 10-20 spent in my opinion.
Honestly, I warrantied three phones until I got one in which the keyboard gave me some kind of response. My keys actually click now.
Am I the only one who forgot about the keyboard as soon as I saw how fast it was?
Plus you didn't say anything about the camera. It is such a great improvement from what we had on the G2. I actually haven't come across a phone with a camera that can perfom as well as this in low light with no flash!
Also the front facing camera is something I always felt the G2 was missing right from the day I bought it. It makes skype so much more usable and makes sense in actually flashing a rom with the video gtalk app.
Plus let me be the first to mention this in the DS forum. I HATED WHERE THEY PUT THE SD CARD IN THE G2! FUUUUUU! It was so annoying to have to shut down your phone just to take out the card. I used to load up movies and series for when am on the go/on the road a lot on a seperate card. What is the "eject external card" for if I had to freaking yank out the battery just to get to it?!
Another thing to note is that as much as people may hate on the DoubleShot's earpiece I overlook that because now I have a fully visible notification LED,and not hidden behind a mesh which sometimes made it not clearly visible when outdoors...
The soft coating on the G2 too was a disadvantage as it was so much easier to pick up scratches and scuffs than the DS. Infact thanks to my worry that DS would suffer the same fate, I ordered the rubberised hard cover on the same day I ordered the DS.
The hinge on the G2 was a cool feature but when it finally got loose, I hated it more than I ever fancied it in the first place. I'm glad that the DS comes with a really tight slider which no amount of shock/fall could force it open.
The G2 got the 3 shortcut keys on the Keyboard, the DS got the home, menu and back buttons. Which imo makes me spend more time on the keyboard with the DS than the G2 coz am able to navigate faster and easier with the keyboard on it. I know you may not agree with me but that too makes the DS's keyboard feel more complete than that of the G2.
Another thing I felt was a bit of a failure on the G2 was the back of the top hinge which was stuck with adhesive which you had to peel off to expose the screws. For a device that is praised for its 'solid and partly metalic buid' I really didn't like the idea of using parts that were stuck to the external body with adhesive. I haven't pulled apart the DS yet, but at least the finish on the back part of the slider seems to be much better.
I don't hate the G2, it was an excellent phone, but there things about it that make me feel am much better off with the DS.
sent via a Phone Booth
gtmaster303 said:
BUILD QUALITY: This is where the phone starts to decline. The build is very solid and tight, but it feels very slick in the hand. Back cover is completely smooth. Every time I slip it in my pocket and take it out, I'm scared of dropping the phone. It's so thin that it's hard to grip. Difficult to slide the keyboard out as well. I wish there was some rubberized material around the phone, or soft touch finish on the G2. Even though it's a high end phone, the build still feels cheap. Apart from the few metal accents (such as around the rim of the phone), it's all plastic. Which makes me wonder why it's so heavy...
KEYBOARD: Oh boy, did HTC drop the ball on this one... Throughout all the android qwertys I have owned, this sadly has to be the worst. It will definitely take some time to get used to. Motorola Cliq>MyTouch 3G Slide>G2>MyTouch 4G Slide, in terms of keyboard rank for the phones I have used so far. The keys are fairly flat and have very little response and feedback. Very slick and hard to feel for. I appreciate the fact that the phone is so thin, but I'd rather have a slightly thicker phone phone to accommodate one of my main input mechanisms. With time, you can get used to anything though
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Disagree with the build quality, to be honest. I don't really mind the weight of the phone, it feels nice in the hand. Strong plastics are better to make a phone anyways because it isn't as easily deformed.
I definitely agree with the keyboard though. Coming from a Model M, I was expecting a little more from the keyboard. I almost *always* accidentally hit "B" when trying to hit the backspace. I wish the keyboard had *slightly* more raised keys as well as requiring a bit more force to get a key to register.
Limewirelord said:
Disagree with the build quality, to be honest. I don't really mind the weight of the phone, it feels nice in the hand. Strong plastics are better to make a phone anyways because it isn't as easily deformed.
I definitely agree with the keyboard though. Coming from a Model M, I was expecting a little more from the keyboard. I almost *always* accidentally hit "B" when trying to hit the backspace. I wish the keyboard had *slightly* more raised keys as well as requiring a bit more force to get a key to register.
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I don't mind the weight, it's just there's not enough metal to justify it. If it has that much plastic in it, it should definitely be lighter.
Overall, the phone is very well built. Solid but not as premium feeling as you would expect.
Coming from the G2 as well, I'd have to say the Keyboard is a lot worse as well. I actually wish they had the MT4GS's design similar to the G2's. I loved the way the G2 lifted up to slide.
gtmaster303 said:
BUILD QUALITY: This is where the phone starts to decline. The build is very solid and tight, but it feels very slick in the hand. Back cover is completely smooth. Every time I slip it in my pocket and take it out, I'm scared of dropping the phone.
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I'm gonna guess that you have the kahki one, then? I've had both and I can tell you, the khaki one is WAY slicker than the black. With the khaki one, I almost dropped it every time I pulled it out of my pocket. It was just so freakin' slippery everywhere. The black one is a more grippy, soft-touch kind of material and it's far easier to hold onto.
So if you really can't take it and don't want a case, check on eBay for OEM black battery covers. The one I'm using now is the khaki phone with a black battery door. Still shiny and reflective bezels but a nice grippy battery door. Best of both worlds.
ryaninc said:
I'm gonna guess that you have the kahki one, then? I've had both and I can tell you, the khaki one is WAY slicker than the black. With the khaki one, I almost dropped it every time I pulled it out of my pocket. It was just so freakin' slippery everywhere. The black one is a more grippy, soft-touch kind of material and it's far easier to hold onto.
So if you really can't take it and don't want a case, check on eBay for OEM black battery covers. The one I'm using now is the khaki phone with a black battery door. Still shiny and reflective bezels but a nice grippy battery door. Best of both worlds.
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Wow, that's a great observation. Yes, I am using the khaki cover. I will see if I can switch with my friend because she has a case over her black one anyway
Thanks for the tip! You solved the issue exactly how I would've liked.
gtmaster303 said:
Wow, that's a great observation. Yes, I am using the khaki cover. I will see if I can switch with my friend because she has a case over her black one anyway
Thanks for the tip! You solved the issue exactly how I would've liked.
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I'm using the PowerMat Battery case. Gives it a nice weight, and grip. Only 10-20USD on T-Mobile.Com.
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk
gtmaster303 said:
Wow, that's a great observation. Yes, I am using the khaki cover. I will see if I can switch with my friend because she has a case over her black one anyway
Thanks for the tip! You solved the issue exactly how I would've liked.
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No problem, glad to help. I never would have figured it out unless I'd owned both the khaki and black ones personally. It was pretty startling how much more slippery the khaki one was.
As I keep saying, this phone is a real beast. HTC needs to start listening to its consumer base again and give us vanilla Android and stop screwing us.
Delivered via candygram for Mr. Mongo.
I have added/updated the review to include the headphone jack and battery
gtmaster303 said:
BATTERY: There's no other way of putting it, the battery life is going to be bad. I'm not the kind of person that believes in toning a phone down to get better battery life, but with this phone you may have to. Realistically, with light-moderate use a user will get about 8 hours of run time before the battery is dead. The vast majority of users have said that the aftermarket Anker battery proves to be MUCH better vs stock.
My setup: 100% brightness, wifi always on, no mobile data, gmail push, pulse reader updates every hour, fancy widget GPS weather every 15 mins, and display on for collective time of 1 hour. I get about 10-12 hours on a charge (mainly because I don't use mobile data).
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Yep, anker is the right solution for someone that wants something better then the absolute fail the HTC battery represents.
If you want a perfect solution, Mugen is a better answer, but I personally run anker in one phone, both my stock batteries in the other, and the difference is drastically noticeable.
@ 1.7GHz with tv-out and using FPSE to emulate a playstation, I get just under 3 hours of steady gameplay before it starts to reduce performance at around 18% coming from anywhere between 95-100%.
I wouldn't be so mad at HTC about the battery issue if it just died fast, but the battery causes a significant amount of heat under heavier use, and that damages the device itself. That is unforgivable, even taking into consideration that HTC is not a battery company.
For someone using the device as a phone and minimal other use, the stock battery is likely -just- sufficient.
For anyone cracking open even a sliver of the machines potential it instantly becomes a liability, before any of the standard gripes about battery life on a phone.
(remember - dual core processor - it will eat more juice then a single core phone on avergage, but use less to get big jobs done)
Blue6IX said:
I know this is a review of first impressions, and I appreciate that window into what someone thinks coming from a different device. This is the first android cellular device i've owned (second device total - nook color being the other) and I have no basis of comparison. This device IS my entry to the smartphone scene, so posts like this give me great insight.
( I quoted the RAM part because this is a function of the BLOAT in the stock ROM, if you cut out all the BS you can easily climb above 200 megs waiting and ready on boot. Don't forget a certain amount is not user accessible, due to being allocated for system use ( CPU/GPU etc...) But this is a first impressions thread, so not trying to take away from that, just trying to bring awareness )
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Click to collapse
I think people shouldn't harp on "free ram". In this environment its a good thing for memory to be used. Android was designed to be used on mobile devices. The way that it handles memory is much more efficient to say a PC running Windows. With a decent task manager or view you would see that while they are taking up memory (which is otherwise unused) they are not using any cpu cycles. This allows for a much more fast feeling and fluid experience.
Let's say I use Opera the browser, later I decide I want to watch youtube videos. When ever I decide to go back to Opera its being pulled from ram rather than internal or external storage.
When you really need the ram for an application, game, etc Android will automatically unload which ever inactive process it deems necessary.
I do agree that the stock rom comes with excessive bloatware and other unnecessary features. I use JKILO's deoxed rooted stock rom in which I absolutely remove all the bloat and extra features I don't need or use. Runs amazing now, no need for OC in my opinion.
The only thing that bothered me when I first got this phone were the random reboots stock sometimes had. Other than that the phone was and still is awesome especially coming from the old mytouch 3G.
revo420 said:
I think people shouldn't harp on "free ram". In this environment its a good thing for memory to be used. Android was designed to be used on mobile devices. The way that it handles memory is much more efficient to say a PC running Windows. With a decent task manager or view you would see that while they are taking up memory (which is otherwise unused) they are not using any cpu cycles. This allows for a much more fast feeling and fluid experience.
Let's say I use Opera the browser, later I decide I want to watch youtube videos. When ever I decide to go back to Opera its being pulled from ram rather than internal or external storage.
When you really need the ram for an application, game, etc Android will automatically unload which ever inactive process it deems necessary.
I do agree that the stock rom comes with excessive bloatware and other unnecessary features. I use JKILO's deoxed rooted stock rom in which I absolutely remove all the bloat and extra features I don't need or use. Runs amazing now, no need for OC in my opinion.
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Agreed, which is why task killers are so bad.
The reason I mentioned the RAM was because what is using it is as important as having it - when I said over 200 megs sitting waiting and ready was to show what was available for user consumption on the apps of THEIR choosing and not HTC or T-Mo.
Given that this is a first-impressions thread, I thought it might be good to see just how much the carrier-level Bloat had an effect on that experience.
Definitely good counsel to let Android handle the RAM, and keep that management out of the userspace level.
I guess the geek gods were feeling benevolent last week when they allowed me to participate in an HTC One X for AT&T early release. Of course I had to convince the guy at the AT&T company store that it wasn’t stolen and I really did need a micro-SIM card for it. But once that was taken care of it was all systems go for several hours of ‘getting my geek on’.
For those of you who don’t know me, I have been mucking about with smartphones since smartphones began. My first true smartphone was the HTC Wizard and the One X is device number eight. I am a retired senior moderator and have been beta testing ROMs and other software for over 10 years. Let’s just say I am not a young buck who loads his phone with music and wears out the screen sending text messages. I am a business user who relies on the phone for work, family and on occasion throwing birds at pigs while trapped on airplanes.
So these are my first impressions after about 48 hours use, some good, some odd, some not so good. Sorry HTC you asked for my honest opinion!
First off, this phone is THIN! Perhaps too thin for some users, my previous phone was also very thin, I put a case on it so it was easier to hold, I plan to do the same here once cases become available. The gorilla glass screen is almost bezel free, only the smallest amount of case is visible on the sides. The top and bottom have just enough bezel for the front facing camera and the speaker, truly an amazing piece of engineering. The case material (a proprietary super plastic that feels like metal) is matte on the front and back while smooth on the sides giving a very finished quality look and feel. The volume rocker is on the right, Micro-USB is on the left and 3.5mm port is on top next to the power button. Also on top is the micro-SIM tray slot and its associated pin hole. HTC ships a SIM tray tool with the phone but a paperclip works just fine.
The case is one piece with no removable doors (save the SIM tray), the battery is non-replaceable and there is no SD card slot. Now before you start cussing HTC for not making the battery replaceable or providing a SD slot, the device is designed to be as thin as possible and the only way to do that was to sacrifice those items. Thinking about it, I have never replaced the battery in any of my devices anyway and rarely have I used more than the included 10GB of storage. HTC has also partnered with DropBox giving each One X user 23GB of cloud storage for a year at no cost. I have no idea what will happen after the year expires but by then I will be getting a new device. For the record, the device has 16GB of user storage; however, only about 10GB is actually usable.
As a long time custom ROM user one of the first things I normally do is root and ROM a new device. If nothing else just to get rid of the bloatware, in the case of the One X this almost isn’t needed as the bloatware is minimal with only 12 apps that may be considered boat. The stock ROM is smooth, runs a quadrant score of 4800 and has little to no lag. Sure the stock ROM lacks the icons and color normally found in a custom ROM but for a stock ROM it is very good. I don’t need to tell you the OS is Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3) and Sense 4.0 is onboard, you read that months ago. What I can say is that the Sense experience is significantly improved even over 3.6, the panes move easily and smoothly. As always with HTC there are a myriad of clock choices, weather widgets and other gadgets to occupy your screens. Quite by accident I stumbled upon this interesting bit, if you drag an app icon onto another app icon a folder will be created with both icons included. This may be an ICS function I hadn’t read about or a Sense 4.0 bonus, in either case it’s a great way to save space.
I would love to tell you that battery life is off the charts awesome but alas having only had the thing for 48 hours or so, it is too early to pass judgment. My first blush impression is about 10 hours of moderate use, but that may prove to be way off base… more on this after a week or so.
The superLCD screen is absolutely the best screen I have used. I can be out in the bright sun and read the display easily, the gorilla glass is rounded where it meets the bezel making the transition very clean while also making it easy to feel the edge of the glass. And what is better to put on that display than pictures you have taken with the new camera. HTC went to extremes to make sure this camera is the focus (see what I did there?) of the device. Not only does it stick out the back of the case (remember what I said about too thin?) but it takes simply beautiful pictures. The shots I have seen and taken look more like they came from a DSLR or high end point and shoot than a phone. Image processing is handled by a dedicated HTC chipset relieving the dual S4s of the task. Burst mode is probably my favorite new toy, I can now capture objects in motion and select the best frame to save. The shutter is much more responsive as well, no more push………wait……wait some more….. snap. I missed a lot of good shots waiting for the shutter on my previous HTC phone. As good as this camera is I suspect that DropBox space is going to fill up fast!
In summary; this is a very well thought out device that I am proud to own and use. HTC has taken in what we the users have told them and made a flagship device that surpasses expectations.
Russ741
One quick question: What do you think about the camera lens? Do you think it will scratch easily without using case?
fsrkewd said:
One quick question: What do you think about the camera lens? Do you think it will scratch easily without using case?
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With or without a case the lens protrudes so the chance of scratching is not mitigated by a case. A little bit of common sense care should be enough to protect it.
Great review - thanks! Can you confirm whether or not there's an FM radio built in? I've heard conflicting reports, but none from someone who actually has the phone.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
Some cases actually do put a lip around the edge of the lens lens, preventing it from touching wherever the phone is.
Your review was amazing, btw.
cbasse said:
Great review - thanks! Can you confirm whether or not there's an FM radio built in? I've heard conflicting reports, but none from someone who actually has the phone.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
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Good question, wish I had a better answer. The application isn't there to test so I can't say for certain if the radio is there or not.
vioalas said:
Some cases actually do put a lip around the edge of the lens lens, preventing it from touching wherever the phone is.
Your review was amazing, btw.
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True, but the lens area is much larger than other phones so I'm not sure even a case lip will be that effective. Thanks for the complement.
I had today the first glance of the Galaxy S4 (the GT-i9505 version) in here in Portugal!
The first impression was very positive, and yes, it's all plastic but i like the touch and the lightness of the S4!
So light in my hands and it didn't gave me the first impression the S3 did, that the phone was some cheap phone that i could drop at any moment in the ground and get it in a million pieces!
One of the things i really disliked is the plastic back cover... i hate it because it gives the sensation of being some cheap plastic..
On the other hand, the TouchWiz 2.0 seemed to me that it lagged compared to my Note (see signature)!
Tried to view some videos and only activating the developer options and forcing GPU i had some smoothness in the video playback (WTF???????)
The overall phone lagged in the interface, opening apps lagged a little bit and what really got me disappointed was the video playback.. laggy!
Anyway the Android version i tried was 4.2.2 and even though i was unable to take some real photos of it because there was a security guard guarding it but overall it seems like a fantastic device with a spectecular screen and JESUS the image quality is outstanding!
No i am not going to buy it since i love the Note devices and i am waiting for the Note 3 for me and my gf!
It's a really good device and honestly i wanna get my hands in the octo core device and give it a ride in some heavy gaming
I loved the front design from Samsung, it is gourgeous! The back sucks honestly and even though the device is only in exhibition for 2 days it was full of scratches in the back (dafuq? )
Here is my first mini review from the point of view of a user!
Had it in my hands for almost 10 minutes, couldn't test it fully but i will have the opportunity of doing so in this week and i will take some photos of the device
:good:
I was really confused with your mini review.
I couldn't quite get if you liked or disliked it.
EDIT
Oh, read it twice.
MaKTaiL said:
I was really confused with your mini review.
I couldn't quite get if you liked or disliked it.
EDIT
Oh, read it twice.
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Liked my friend! Compared to the S3 which really disappointed me this is a gorgeous device
I'm pretty shocked at the amount of lag on my new GS4, my GS3 is far smoother(even more so running AOKP Task650). My HTC One is butter smooth in comparison. Other than the very noticeable lag, the GS4 is rather nice, I prefer the feel in hand the GS3 but it's a close second to the HTC One which is the best Android phone yet in my opinion.
nice! I'm glad to be hearing positive opinions about it in my country
I already reserved mine, just waiting for it to arrive to my local Worten store cannot wait
where did you try the S4 btw?
Did anyone else kickstart this laptop shell? https://www.sentio.com/
I sorely missed my Atrix and its lapdock, so this naturally caught my eye. Best thing is that it's not make/ model specific!
Looks good. Basically a battery and keyboard with trackpad, really. Although I'd even more, like to have a slider case. I would pay hundreds for a good slider qerty case for Note 4. In fact I was thinking, i HATE onscreen soft keyboard and would miss my back ahd home button on a Note 8 if it's like the S8. But, a case like this would fix it! And screen would be big! Although the Flip Cover is also sweet. I still don't get why many are obsessed with getting rid of tactile buttons. Just for me, personally... Haptic is no replacement, Swype is actually kinda disappointing and I find its prediction crap. I miss my Droid 2 keyboard.
That said, if this is good quality I might buy. I never heard of Sentio but I will try it tomorrow with my phone and an office keyboard.
I was always fascinated with Padfone too as can be imagined. This seems like a better option since it can work with any phone.
wingmanjd said:
Did anyone else kickstart this laptop shell? https://www.sentio.com/
I sorely missed my Atrix and its lapdock, so this naturally caught my eye. Best thing is that it's not make/ model specific!
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I didn't get involved, but I did see the kickstarter. It looks cool.
Also did you see this, I almost got in on the kickstarter but didn't. This looks really interesting. https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-nougat-powered-all-in-one-device/description
aaron74 said:
Also did you see this, I almost got in on the kickstarter but didn't. This looks really interesting. https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-nougat-powered-all-in-one-device/description
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I did see that. I've messed around with Remix OS in a VM a few times. It's an interesting concept.
I want to buy it I Germany because I replaced my laptop with the mobile.
But the docking station without yet another data storage is very nice. No worries about compatibility, moving downloaded files from a to b, no chatting on different platforms and android simply is a neat platform. And it is always with me.
Just happened to Google when I saw this lapdock as I'm selling my atrix one. Found this thread. Thought I would link you guys to this...
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keyboard-mod-a-physical-keyboard-for-the-moto-z#/
Slide out keyboard moto mod. Have the Z Play and am looking forward to giving this a spin. I used to do so much more actual work on my phone when I had my Epic. Was all set to Preordered the Z2 Force to and relegate my Z Play to backup, but they shrunk the **** out of the battery from 3500 to 2730 mAh because they had to make a 7mm thin phone even hinder for some God awful reason. Why a day is some benchmark for battery life is beyond me. Give me two days, then you can make a phone needlessly thinner so you have bragging rights. Funny how some companies even made their new flagship slightly thicker this time around. But not Moto.
Sentio Superbook tear down
Took a look under the hood - if anyone is interested
imgur.com/a/CQ52lRw