Alright, so I am trying to pick my next dev phone.
I have the a couple choices..
MyTouch 4G:
3.8 inch TFT widescreen display (800x480 pixels)
768Mb Ram
Front Facing Cam
T-Mobile G2
3.7" S-TFT WVGA display (800x480 pixels)
512Mb RAM
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard, unique Z-hinge design
And please don't start with saying "Well, the G2 has hinge problems..." because there was a bad batch lol.
Thanks for your comments & suggestions!
If I were you, I would...wait.
The Nexus S is suppose to launch this Christmas season and if it follows the line of the Nexus One, it will be a true developer's phone.
Although I have the G2, out of your two choices I would pick the Mytouch4G if you don't need a keyboard. More Ram, slightly larger screen, and FFC seems pretty good to me. FFC may not be really useful now but lets say you get the Mytouch4G and sell it a 1 to 2 years from now. With more and more phones being released with FFCs, the Mytouch4G you are trying to sell looks more appealing since it has a FFC. It helps future proof your investment.
I like the G2 but my family wanted to upgrade ASAP or otherwise I would have gotten the MyTouch. I don't use the hardware keyboard because I can type insanely faster using Swiftkey. The G2 will get the Gingerbread OTA faster but since your on this forum you know that doesn't really apply to us since a dev here will port the ROM over to whatever higher-end device we purchase.
Hope that helps
Akulamenuri said:
If I were you, I would...wait.
The Nexus S is suppose to launch this Christmas season and if it follows the line of the Nexus One, it will be a true developer's phone.
Although I have the G2, out of your two choices I would pick the Mytouch4G if you don't need a keyboard. More Ram, slightly larger screen, and FFC seems pretty good to me. FFC may not be really useful now but lets say you get the Mytouch4G and sell it a 1 to 2 years from now. With more and more phones being released with FFCs, the Mytouch4G you are trying to sell looks more appealing since it has a FFC. It helps future proof your investment.
I like the G2 but my family wanted to upgrade ASAP or otherwise I would have gotten the MyTouch. I don't use the hardware keyboard because I can type insanely faster using Swiftkey. The G2 will get the Gingerbread OTA faster but since your on this forum you know that doesn't really apply to us since a dev here will port the ROM over to whatever higher-end device we purchase.
Hope that helps
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I pretty much thought the same. But a few people said some things like "The MT4G looks like ****" And "Go with the G2, it is way better"
And thats why I was going to go with the G2... But then again, they didn't really give me a reason why the G2 was better
Master™ said:
Yeah, I pretty much thought the same. But a few people said some things like "The MT4G looks like ****" And "Go with the G2, it is way better"
And thats why I was going to go with the G2... But then again, they didn't really give me a reason why the G2 was better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think people see that its not Stock Android or Sense and immediately stray away from it. Most of the complaints about how the software looks can be fixed with either ADW Launcher or LauncherPro; all of the complaints can be remedied by flashing a different ROM entirely (We can't make the "Genius" button go away unfortunately )
The main plus about the G2 is that it has a physical keyboard which means more screen real estate while typing, the ability to type by feel without looking down at the keyboard, being able to map physical keys to play video game emulators, and makes typing command lines via Terminal Emulator easier. Having a physical keyboard has some perks but to the average consumer it doesn't offer much unless you feel you MUST have a physical keyboard.
Speaking of the keyboard I don't think the issue with the Z-Hinge is because of a bad batch but because of a design flaw. The Z-Hinge allows the phone to be thin while closed while still providing a raised physical keyboard; without the hinge we either have a flat keyboard similar to the Epic 4G or when the phone is closed its about 3mm thicker. The con of the design is that it doesn't lock into place therefore the screen can drop due to gravity. If you type upside down (silly isn't it) the screen will drop on your thumbs, 99.9% of the time this isn't an issue at all. Something that is an issue is the light sensor. The backlight to the keyboard is suppose to turn on when our surroundings are darker, the G2 is horrible at it. I can be in complete darkness and sometimes the keyboard is on and sometimes it off, this is another reason why I just use the virtual keyboard.
Akulamenuri said:
I think people see that its not Stock Android or Sense and immediately stray away from it. Most of the complaints about how the software looks can be fixed with either ADW Launcher or LauncherPro; all of the complaints can be remedied by flashing a different ROM entirely (We can't make the "Genius" button go away unfortunately )
The main plus about the G2 is that it has a physical keyboard which means more screen real estate while typing, the ability to type by feel without looking down at the keyboard, being able to map physical keys to play video game emulators, and makes typing command lines via Terminal Emulator easier. Having a physical keyboard has some perks but to the average consumer it doesn't offer much unless you feel you MUST have a physical keyboard.
Speaking of the keyboard I don't think the issue with the Z-Hinge is because of a bad batch but because of a design flaw. The Z-Hinge allows the phone to be thin while closed while still providing a raised physical keyboard; without the hinge we either have a flat keyboard similar to the Epic 4G or when the phone is closed its about 3mm thicker. The con of the design is that it doesn't lock into place therefore the screen can drop due to gravity. If you type upside down (silly isn't it) the screen will drop on your thumbs, 99.9% of the time this isn't an issue at all. Something that is an issue is the light sensor. The backlight to the keyboard is suppose to turn on when our surroundings are darker, the G2 is horrible at it. I can be in complete darkness and sometimes the keyboard is on and sometimes it off, this is another reason why I just use the virtual keyboard.
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I hear what you are saying about the G2's keyboard lol, but I just don't use one.
Ps, there really only was a bad batch. Look everywhere, not all the G2's have that issue lol.
But I just don't know. I like the look of the G2, but I like the hardware of the MT4G
I thought it was more of an issue of longevity. When I first purchased my G2 it didn't have a hinge problem at all but overtime it did. The early adopters were the people complaining because they had their phones long enough to notice the difference in the closing mechanism. That is what I think anyway . I also think that the G2 looks better than the MyTouch. G2 has more of a polished professional appeal while the MyTouch looks more childish.
I still think you should play the waiting game for like one more month.
The build quality on the G2 feels much better. I have an Evo and don't really care about the front-facing camera, so you don't really need to worry about that too much.
The MT4G runs Espresso, which is kind of like a slimmed-down Sense interface (well, it is Sense actually). The nice thing is if you like the Sense apps but hate the Sense launcher, you can just install LauncherPro and you'll still have the apps but an AOSP launcher. It contains a better camera app, better dialer, pretty much better everything. The screen on this thing looks bigger than it actually is. The only thing I don't like about it is the bubbles it puts around icons, but like I said, you can just use LauncherPro for that.
The G2 is basically a Desire-Z without Sense UI. In other words it's plain vanilla Android. It feels more metal-y than the MT4G and the screen is a tiny bit, but not noticeably smaller. The keyboard is really nice and, as you said, the hinge is no longer an issue.
Personally, if they were offering the G2 with Sense (aka the Desire-Z), I'd take that over the MT4G, but that's my personally preference. I like Sense UI because it adds a lot of polish and functionality to Android. And if you don't like it, you can always flash CyanogenMod's firmware and get vanilla Android. It's harder to go get Sense running on an AOSP device.
http://www.androidcentral.com/cyanogenmod-6-t-mobile-mytouch-4g
Product F(RED) said:
The build quality on the G2 feels much better. I have an Evo and don't really care about the front-facing camera, so you don't really need to worry about that too much.
The MT4G runs Espresso, which is kind of like a slimmed-down Sense interface (well, it is Sense actually). The nice thing is if you like the Sense apps but hate the Sense launcher, you can just install LauncherPro and you'll still have the apps but an AOSP launcher. It contains a better camera app, better dialer, pretty much better everything. The screen on this thing looks bigger than it actually is. The only thing I don't like about it is the bubbles it puts around icons, but like I said, you can just use LauncherPro for that.
The G2 is basically a Desire-Z without Sense UI. In other words it's plain vanilla Android. It feels more metal-y than the MT4G and the screen is a tiny bit, but not noticeably smaller. The keyboard is really nice and, as you said, the hinge is no longer an issue.
Personally, if they were offering the G2 with Sense (aka the Desire-Z), I'd take that over the MT4G, but that's my personally preference. I like Sense UI because it adds a lot of polish and functionality to Android. And if you don't like it, you can always flash CyanogenMod's firmware and get vanilla Android. It's harder to go get Sense running on an AOSP device.
http://www.androidcentral.com/cyanogenmod-6-t-mobile-mytouch-4g
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Click to collapse
I don't care about looks.. It is only going to be a dev phone lol.
And thanks for everyones views! I think I am going to go with the MT4G due to the higher specs.
Related
I'm just about at the end of the return period for my upgrade and would like to get a couple of solid opinions on this. I know not a lot is set in stone on the g2, but seeing it listed already on the tmobile site earlier is starting to make me think twice about getting it.
I like the vibrant, but could do with a camera flash and quicker support as far as firmware and updates. It's a little sluggish at times, but I'm sure an update would help cure that. I love the screen and unlike others, I really like how it feels in my hand. I like the g2's camera flash, quicker data capability and I feel like it may get more love from the manufacturer and developers. I don't care about a sliding keyboard, kind of feel like having anything below the screen (like a trackpad) is wasted space and makes the phone larger, and don't like the slightly smaller screen.
What are your thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I think the vibrant has to many pro's on the g2. I wouldn't even consider buying the g2 over the vibrant (or any galaxy s phone)
The minor lag issue that galaxy s phones have will soon come to a complete fix.
Hardware-wise it's not even in the same class.
I love my vibrant but I think I'm gonna upgrade my phone to the G2. The processor is slower and the internal memory isnt much, but how many times do you really actually use the phones' processor to the limit. The screen clarity is amazing but I'm willing to give that up for this phone. Like you said you would probably get more love from manufacturer and developers, plus its HSPA.
My G/F is really set on getting the G2, even though I told her numerous times that that she should get the Vibrant or at least wait until November for the supposed to be released MyTouch HD, but she just gotta have a keyboard.
I was in a similar situation until I saw the G2's specs. Even then I debated on stock android, but I don't need the extra bulk of the keyboard.
To simply put it, you can't read WVGA screens in broad daylight. Being a college student, it's a novelty to be able to see my screen with perfect clarity when the suns out. Super Amoled has an advantage over everything else.
To anyone dumping their Vibrant for the G2, you will be sorry you did it. How could you call that an upgrade?
The G2 weighs more and is thicker than the Epic 4G, funny huh. Oh, and it only has a 1300mAh battery. Overclock that thing to 1ghz and you will drain FAST.
That's what I was thinking too after looking over the pictures some more. It does look much thicker and bulkier from the side profile shots, and a smaller battery can never be a good thing, especially when it's definitely going to get overclocked.
Also unlike other people, I like that it resembles an Iphone 3gs. I've always wanted one, but wouldn't want to go to At&t or use it unlocked on T-Mobile and didn't like the lack of customization.
Guess I'll just be sticking it out with the Vibrant. Thanks for the input guys
For those of u that have your mt4g. Are u guys happy with it??
I'm still on my G2 but I might consider a trade in...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
sent my g2 back for the mt4g and couldnt be happier.
Yep. Still got my nexus one, got the g2 in october only to return it a week later..waited for the mt4g, got that today and pretty impressed with it. aside from the .93 GB of storage space, and bloatware, it's a pretty good phone...so far.
jizital said:
sent my g2 back for the mt4g and couldnt be happier.
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Click to collapse
I'm considering it.. what do u like better about the mt4g?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
After having too many issues with the G2, I grabbed the MT4G. I'm very much in love with it.
WilliamStern said:
After having too many issues with the G2, I grabbed the MT4G. I'm very much in love with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is better on it?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
mftek said:
I'm considering it.. what do u like better about the mt4g?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
pretty much the size and weight. i found myself not using the slide out keyboard as i thought i would so i thought it would be better to get the mytouch. i was also having battery problems with the g2 and now i wont have to worry about hinge issues either.
jizital said:
pretty much the size and weight. i found myself not using the slide out keyboard as i thought i would so i thought it would be better to get the mytouch. i was also having battery problems with the g2 and now i wont have to worry about hinge issues either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any dislikes?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I'm coming from a Vibrant, and while I miss the 4" screen, this 3.8" feels just as good in terms of real estate. It's not a Super AMOLED, but the WVGA is very crisp, so I don't feel like there's a loss of quality. On the Vibrant, GPS was an issue and the volume buttons were locked down on most devices, whereas on the MT4G it all works perfectly. Someone above mentioned the size and weight and I think it also feels great in the hand...it feels like metal! Camera quality is nice and uses tap-to-focus. Sound quality from the phone is average and as usual, HTC's speakerphone is tinny and crappy, but I guess there always has to be a compromise. My battery has been depleting a bit quickly but I imagine that will improve a bit as it's exercised, and hopefully moreso if CM gets their hands on it.
After playing with it for a day, it appears that any user will have a great experience with it! I strongly recommend trying it out
What I Like
Speed
Form Factor (size/weight)
Built in camera app (it lets you disable shutter sound!)
Built in facebook app (photo tags, video uploads)
Hands free mode
Desk Dock
Car Dock
Fastboot
HTC Flashlight app
Wi-Fi calling (wife has UMA on her blackberry and it comes in handy for international travel)
Trackpad wake-up (G2 could only wake with power button)
What I Dislike
Apps I can't uninstall.
Hard buttons on bottom. (I liked the G2 soft buttons)
Boxes around icons.
Double unlock needed when using pattern.
Did a mention apps I can't uninstall?
allen099 said:
I'm coming from a Vibrant, and while I miss the 4" screen, this 3.8" feels just as good in terms of real estate. It's not a Super AMOLED, but the WVGA is very crisp, so I don't feel like there's a loss of quality. On the Vibrant, GPS was an issue and the volume buttons were locked down on most devices, whereas on the MT4G it all works perfectly. Someone above mentioned the size and weight and I think it also feels great in the hand...it feels like metal! Camera quality is nice and uses tap-to-focus. Sound quality from the phone is average and as usual, HTC's speakerphone is tinny and crappy, but I guess there always has to be a compromise. My battery has been depleting a bit quickly but I imagine that will improve a bit as it's exercised, and hopefully moreso if CM gets their hands on it.
After playing with it for a day, it appears that any user will have a great experience with it! I strongly recommend trying it out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool man. I have a g2 and my wife a vibrant. G2 is a little heavy and the vibrant feels like plastic. I guess my main concern is the genius button over the regular search.....
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
life changing fone... i came from G1... myTouch3G... HD2 / FroyoStone.. G2... and very very content with this phone... couldnt be happier with what they did... only slight thing is the hard nav buttons at the bottom
mftek said:
For those of u that have your mt4g. Are u guys happy with it??
I'm still on my G2 but I might consider a trade in...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
I had a Nexus One before. OMG what a difference. The MT4G is so much faster and the screen is so much more sensitive. It holds better on 3G signal than the N1. What I don't like at the moment is the Sense UI. For somebody who had Stock android this is really confusing. Just a question of time and I become used to it
mftek said:
Cool man. I have a g2 and my wife a vibrant. G2 is a little heavy and the vibrant feels like plastic. I guess my main concern is the genius button over the regular search.....
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Yeah, this is something that I thought about as well actually. That search button is one of my main "pimping" tools when I explain the beauty of Android to others. I guess natively there's no way to change its functionality, but I know that Cyanogen ROMs allow it. Guess patience will be a virtue. Also very interesting going from soft buttons at the bottom to physical ones. With my big fingers, it took a little practice to not keep hitting the dock icons at the bottom of Launcher Pro, but still not bad. Nothing that one cannot adapt to.
I've only had the MyTouch 4G for about 8 hours and I'm liking it so far. My biggest complaint really is that there's too much bloatware that I can't uninstall (at least from settings). I'm sure this can be fixed without too much trouble. The phone is bigger and heavier than I expected. It's got a nice sized screen and I really appreciate that it has hard buttons and a more responsive track pad compared to the G2. I haven't heard many complaints from other G2 owners but mine was very unresponsive and pretty much useless- I would have preferred the G1's trackball. I've been spending some time trying to play with the FFC but haven't had much luck. The Qik videos take a while to upload but I read on their site that they are experiencing server problems so hopefully that will be fixed quickly. Not having other friends with FFC's yet, I haven't been able to test it out. The games are pretty fast. TMobile TV's quality isn't great but when I connected to Wifi it became much smoother.
Coming from the G1 to the MT3G to the Nexus one.
Things I like about it.
1. Nice screen size and build quality of the phone.
2. The sense weather and clock widgets
3. More flash memory to install apps.
4. Lots of standard apps that I didn't have to download from the market
5. When I popped in my SIM my screen wallpaper from my nexus one was already loaded (did not put the SD card in from the nexus one)
6. FFC video chat and the media features on the phone are amazing! It came with the music controls on the lock screen.
Things I don't like.
1. All the T-Mobile Bloat wear
2. WiFi calling isn't working for me. (I might go exchange the device tomorrow to see if it helps.)
3. I like sense but only for the clock and the weather widget other than that I miss the plain vanilla firmware.
4. The fact that andriod and the hardware manfuactures keep changing the sequence of the buttoms. I was used to the layout of the nexus one... now I'm trying to relearn the home, and menu key.
Other than I think it is defintly a nice upgrade from the Nexus one. I just wished it had the 4.3+ inch screen and the resolution from the Vibrant.
It's a tough one. I got the G1 the day it came out which started a long loving relationship with Android, rooting, custom roms etc. Got the Nexus One next, then bought the G2. Since I still have a week on my remorse period I switched it for the mytouch today.
After a full day of playing with it I am still not 100% which way to lean. There are 2 things that really put me off about the mytouch
Genius button: the "genius" button is probably the dumbest thing I've ever seen. So is all the bloat ware that comes pre-installed. Granted there are ways to remove (disable rather) unwanted apps using temp root and some scripting but I'd still pick vanilla over mysense any day. You are also gonna get gingerbread pretty much instantly upon release for the G2 whereas there's no guarantee how long it'll take for the mytouch. If you're one for rooting and custom roms and stuff, you'll find a lot more development support for the G2
Hard keys: although the mytouch 4G is a huge step up from previous devises it still feels/looks plasticky in comparison to the Nexus and G2. Putting in soft buttons instead of the plastic hard ones would have made a big difference in my view. These ones just feel painfully cheap in comparison (having used the Nexus for almost a year).
Other than that its a great divice. The front facing camera is not a big factor, tried it out today and have to say even on wifi it rather sucks. But the phone is thin and super fast. And if your not that much into pure android, mysense will probably suit you just fine.
I love that I can wake the phone with the trackpad.
c_licious said:
It's a tough one. I got the G1 the day it came out which started a long loving relationship with Android, rooting, custom roms etc. Got the Nexus One next, then bought the G2. Since I still have a week on my remorse period I switched it for the mytouch today.
After a full day of playing with it I am still not 100% which way to lean. There are 2 things that really put me off about the mytouch
Genius button: the "genius" button is probably the dumbest thing I've ever seen. So is all the bloat ware that comes pre-installed. Granted there are ways to remove (disable rather) unwanted apps using temp root and some scripting but I'd still pick vanilla over mysense any day. You are also gonna get gingerbread pretty much instantly upon release for the G2 whereas there's no guarantee how long it'll take for the mytouch. If you're one for rooting and custom roms and stuff, you'll find a lot more development support for the G2
Hard keys: although the mytouch 4G is a huge step up from previous devises it still feels/looks plasticky in comparison to the Nexus and G2. Putting in soft buttons instead of the plastic hard ones would have made a big difference in my view. These ones just feel painfully cheap in comparison (having used the Nexus for almost a year).
Other than that its a great divice. The front facing camera is not a big factor, tried it out today and have to say even on wifi it rather sucks. But the phone is thin and super fast. And if your not that much into pure android, mysense will probably suit you just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah man that genius button was a real deal breaker for me. And I do see more support on the g2. But the mt4g still looks like a great phone. How's the sense ui? And I think I'm going in store tomorrow to check it out
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I don't see how the genius button is a deal breaker all in itself. Its a more fleshed out search button and its not like anyone uses the search button all the time.
Personally I'm glad to see something different for once. The myTouch 4G is a truly unique phone.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
I've heard some comments, but what are the differences between these two phones?
processor and camera wise?
screen/resolution and the keyboard
that's it.
oh, and mhl on the sensation
MT4GS has a better camera, genius button, and optical trackpad. It's also heavier.
Still haven't decided what to get. The weight is really the biggest turnoff for me for the mt4gs. I heard that ics has a zero second shutter lag or something? Since the sensation has ics in the bag, would that significantly improve the camera function?
To the people complaining about the weight, do you really want your phone taken from you without your knowledge? The hardware keyboard, by the way, was one of the reasons why the G1 was originally marketed as an "iphone killer."
Sent via smoke signal.
I am pretty sure that it's not just the quicker shots that are better, but that so are the optics and programming. The only negative to the MT4GS fantastic camera is that it records audio poorly when taking video (although even that seems to be improved in custom ROMs).
As for the weight, I don't mind it much. I think it is a product of the keyboard, camera and build quality (the Amaze weighs almost as much and has the same camera).
The fact that it runs on dumbed down version of Sense to me is the biggest turn-off. There are efforts going on to port Sensation to MT4GS over at Rootzwiki, and to your question both camera and performance are being addressed.
Well I had a 2 page comparison written down but my phone died, ill get back to you on this tomorrow. Wait until you read my post before you make any purchases ok? =) I'm going to bed
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
I would say get the mt4gs; again, wait for my post tomorrow for my list of reasons why.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
both phones run on the same cpu/gpu. So even though the sensation does offer a higher res(qhd), the mt4gs will always have the capability to run more smoothly. So keep that in mind because both phones will eventually get ics.You might think that image quality is sacrificed with the lower resolution but the pixel size is very similar. Now that being said, let's talk about the camera.
The mt4gs offers the better camera hardware and software.once both phones have ics, I am happy knowing my camera hardware is one of the best on the market.
The hardware keyboard is not the best. It is quiet though, so its usable in class. Personally I go through phases of using the hardware keyboard and using the on screen keyboard in landscape. But it is nice to have the option for when you are drunk. The precision of the hardware keyboard is much more reliable on those nights =)
now as for the feel of the phone, I really do prefer the mt4gs, it is good to have some weight to your phone so it rests in your hand safe and well. The phone still manages to stay thin for having a hardware keyboard. Most other hardware keyboard phones are massive, especially comparing to the g2, photon, or mt3gs.
Anyways undeadk9 devs for this phone, not the sensation.
I am comfortable knowing the rom on my phone dominates =) as well as weekly updates/upgrades to his roms.
If you ever experience issues with his roms, they are fixed fast.
Both phones are future proof, so if you are comfortable sacrificing screen real estate for a better phone, get the mt4gs.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
psychedel!k said:
The fact that it runs on dumbed down version of Sense to me is the biggest turn-off. There are efforts going on to port Sensation to MT4GS over at Rootzwiki, and to your question both camera and performance are being addressed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you be more specific about what you mean by "dumbed down"?
As far as porting the Sensation ROM, while you get the benefit of HTC sync working now, you have to use the camera interface of Sensation and lose genius button (please correct me if I'm wrong)
blackknightavalon said:
To the people complaining about the weight, do you really want your phone taken from you without your knowledge? The hardware keyboard, by the way, was one of the reasons why the G1 was originally marketed as an "iphone killer."
Sent via smoke signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I've had the g1 for 2 years and the g2 for a bit over a year, and I've definately learned the ups and downs of the hardware keyboard. My biggest problem with hardware keyboard is that they've always managed to malfunction after a while. The g1 keyboard was glitchy as hell, that was a well known fact. I haven't started getting problems on the g2 until a few months ago. I have no idea what might have caused it, but pressing on a key would result in 2 or 3 extra letters, although I press the button with the same pressure and timing as the last. it's simply a hastle. I installed the swype for ics, and its accurate and quick, as far as software keyboards go. What I'm getting at is I don't want a bulkier phone if it means a smaller screen resolution and a possible future glitchy hardware keyboard.
Well if your keyboard ever gets that problem, it can be warranteed, anyway I haven't had any issues with multiple letters printing out , all my keys work fine and upon the first try in pressing the button
I've had the phone since day 1 of its release
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
leoilios said:
both phones run on the same cpu/gpu. So even though the sensation does offer a higher res(qhd), the mt4gs will always have the capability to run more smoothly. So keep that in mind because both phones will eventually get ics.You might think that image quality is sacrificed with the lower resolution but the pixel size is very similar. Now that being said, let's talk about the camera.
The mt4gs offers the better camera hardware and software.once both phones have ics, I am happy knowing my camera hardware is one of the best on the market.
The hardware keyboard is not the best. It is quiet though, so its usable in class. Personally I go through phases of using the hardware keyboard and using the on screen keyboard in landscape. But it is nice to have the option for when you are drunk. The precision of the hardware keyboard is much more reliable on those nights =)
now as for the feel of the phone, I really do prefer the mt4gs, it is good to have some weight to your phone so it rests in your hand safe and well. The phone still manages to stay thin for having a hardware keyboard. Most other hardware keyboard phones are massive, especially comparing to the g2, photon, or mt3gs.
Anyways undeadk9 devs for this phone, not the sensation.
I am comfortable knowing the rom on my phone dominates =) as well as weekly updates/upgrades to his roms.
If you ever experience issues with his roms, they are fixed fast.
Both phones are future proof, so if you are comfortable sacrificing screen real estate for a better phone, get the mt4gs.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for bringing up the cpu, no one has yet xD question: if they run on the same cpu, why is it that the mt4gs can run more smoothly?
Second question: what exactly does the mt4gs offer in the camera that the sensation does not? Just looking at basic specs on google, I'm seeing an 8mp camera for both, although they do mention that the mt4gs has the better camera xD
I've handled the mt4gs before, and (coming from a g2 owner) I didn't really like the keyboard. I don't want more size for less functionality. The weight was likable, but again, more size for less functionality. In this case, id probably take the sensation with anything but a stock sw keyboard.
And I think the issue for the dev support for both phones is quantity over quality. The sensation has a ridiculous amount of roms but a questionable amount of roms that are actually GOOD. The mt4gs has a few roms to choose from, but from a dev that consistently produces quality work. I'm not exactly worried about this when considering a new phone, since ill probably ONLY be running ics and/or miui v4 (ty bootmanager ). Seeing as how your phone doesn't have miui yet is the only turnoff in this department.
leoilios said:
Well if your keyboard ever gets that problem, it can be warranteed, anyway I haven't had any issues with multiple letters printing out , all my keys work fine and upon the first try in pressing the button
I've had the phone since day 1 of its release
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting my phone warranted is still a hastle, no matter how you say it. How often do you use the keyboard though? I'm a pretty avid user, and its so far resulted in two jenky keyboards xP
ohshootrawr said:
Thanks for bringing up the cpu, no one has yet xD question: if they run on the same cpu, why is it that the mt4gs can run more smoothly?
Second question: what exactly does the mt4gs offer in the camera that the sensation does not? Just looking at basic specs on google, I'm seeing an 8mp camera for both, although they do mention that the mt4gs has the better camera xD
I've handled the mt4gs before, and (coming from a g2 owner) I didn't really like the keyboard. I don't want more size for less functionality. The weight was likable, but again, more size for less functionality. In this case, id probably take the sensation with anything but a stock sw keyboard.
And I think the issue for the dev support for both phones is quantity over quality. The sensation has a ridiculous amount of roms but a questionable amount of roms that are actually GOOD. The mt4gs has a few roms to choose from, but from a dev that consistently produces quality work. I'm not exactly worried about this when considering a new phone, since ill probably ONLY be running ics and/or miui v4 (ty bootmanager ). Seeing as how your phone doesn't have miui yet is the only turnoff in this department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say the mt4gs has the capability of being smoother because the same cpu/gpu is rendering less pixels. if you play video games on a computer for example, and you lag at 2560x1600 you will get much better performance running the game at1280x800 resolution.
Both phones have 8mp cameras but the lens on the mt4gs is bigger, so it let's in more light. This will give you better performance in a darker situation, as well as more contrast overall. It says right on the back of the phone, 3.69mm for the lens (massive for a phone) and 1:2.2 which I believe is the viewing aspect ratio.
I could see your problem if you have a need for miui... Ics splashed 2.0 is exactly what I personally want from this phone. Light weight,
smooth,
no bugs,
[email protected] stable,
Maintains the mysense camera,
Maintains the mysense dialer and messenger for easily picking who you want to text or call via the dial pad, typing the name of the person and then long pressing them when they pop up.
All while making the rest of the phone aosp for google inc stability that everyone can enjoy=)
Hspa+ hack for mobile network speed
And last but not least, gpu ui rendering for a high frame rate experience
Whatever your choice, get the aftermarket 1900mah anker battery. My phone lasts a day and a half with moderate to heavy use, unless I'm playing games.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
ohshootrawr said:
Getting my phone warranted is still a hastle, no matter how you say it. How often do you use the keyboard though? I'm a pretty avid user, and its so far resulted in two jenky keyboards xP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My keyboard has had plenty of use. I recommend making a post asking other avid users about their experience thus far. Once you are used to this keyboard, it can be used quickly while maintaining accuracy.
I even listen to my phone on pandora in a closed bathroom while taking a shower(every day), the moisture from the steam has had no affect on my keyboard either. Its pretty durable in my opinion
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
On a side note, I heard.. don't quote me on this: I heard the sensation has a gorilla glass screen, and the mt4gs does not. This doesn't really affect me because I always use ghost armor on my screen so I haven't looked into it. Let me know the details if you do some digging
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
that's correct, mt4gs does NOT have gorilla glass
Braccoz said:
that's correct, mt4gs does NOT have gorilla glass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the sensation?
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
I've got this MT4GS with a recently replaced screen giving me all sorts of problems, Tmo doesn't have any more of them in-stock for an actual replacement. So lately I've been lurking around the ApexQ forums here, considering whether I take Tmo up on their offer to replace the MT4GS with a Relay. Is this it? Is this the end of the line for higher end sliders?
I get so annoyed when I walk into a Tmo shop and they give me the stink eye over my physical keyboard.
"You should really try Swype"
"Keyboards are going away"
"No one really uses those"
"Just try the S4 out, you'll love it"
Try to swype out a thousand words, then do it with a physical keyboard. I'm a bit of a writer, it might be a tine platform for me to write from, but it works great. Sliders are niche preference, will the entire market really give that up? I'm waiting for Google IO before I make any decisions (because it's coming up pretty soon) but haven't heard any rumors of a high end slider coming down the line. Am I the only one holding my breath here?
Also, I've seen a couple of you post on these forums that have had the MT4GS, I think I would miss the 8MP camera the most. Any thoughts on switching over?
I don't have the relay but I follow it and have played with one. It feels similar in many ways to the MT4Gslide (I have this) but you can really feel the improvements in speed as well as a five row keyboard is just awesome. Being its part of the galaxy s line there should be a fair amount of updates, speculation of course as Samsung hasnt been the best at supporting hardware keyboard phones.
You will miss the camera, not that this one is horrible its just that the MT4Gslide has one of the best ever made. I'm not a huge sense fan but it is better than touchwiz (in my opinion) but more of a resource hog. It is possible to port it over to Sammy phones and has been done before, but I doubt anyone would bother on this phone.
Overall if its a free upgrade I would take it, being I refuse to buy phones from carriers this one would cost me full price and I haven't decided if that's worth it yet.
Good luck on your decision!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
i got both. here are the differences with the relay:
- relay's screen is super amoled pentile... colors are great, resolution sucks big time, pixels can be seen and the red ones are very tiny and the matrix will be very noticeable in some cases
- relay's camera is 5 mp vs 8 of the doubleshot. it is just inferior in both quality and resolution, not much else to say.
- relay keyboard is nicer imho but lacks replicated alt, shift, home, back, menu keys
- battery lasts much longer than the famous 1900mah anker for doubleshot
- the cpu is so much faster, ~2.5x from my findings, also, it heats a lot less
- it is noticeably ligher but more plasticy and flimsy
- stock ics and jb. more development going on
all in all, it is a sidegrade... you lose on some aspects and gain in some others... anyway the high end qwerty era is over since the desire-z/droid 2 period...
I've owned just about every GSM QWERTY device made for android over the past 2 years. I can safely say the Relay is one of the better phones that I've owned for a while.
The G2 was the best phone I've ever had.
The camera is not amazing. It will do in a pinch, but I would take a better keyboard over a better camera any day. The 4G Slide keyboard was horrid. One of the worst I've ever used. I use the keyboard much more than the camera, so my decision was simple. It's based on your preferences, really.
But just remember you don't have many options.
I've been using my relay for about 4 months now and overall I like it a lot.
Some good thoughts first:
The keys are very very good. I find they're slightly less conducive to touch typing than my Sidekick 4G was, but still one of the best small keyboards I've ever used. I can't imagine using a purely touchscreen phone, Swype or not. There's just no competition.
The phone is very quick. I've never once thought to myself "Man, I wish this would happen faster." The OS isn't quite 100% seamless, but it's close enough that I can't find anything to complain about. And things like videos, emulated games, etc are all full speed. The only times I've ever had to wait for something was when I was accessing files, and that's due to my bargain basement SD card.
The battery life has been great. I have no problem getting through my day without carrying a charger with me. Now, I'm not as active a user as some (I don't use facebook, for instance,) but I'm often looking things up on my phone while working, and even using the flashlight, and I always have between a half and a third of my battery when I get home.
The screen and the camera both fall under the category of "It's a phone for chrissakes, what are you expecting??" for me.
The screen is bright, vibrant, sharp. It looks great indoors and passable outside. There's enough room for what it needs to do. If you complain that you can't watch a 1080p movie on your phone, the problem is with your head and not your device. I guess if you offered me a higher resolution I'd take it, but I really don't feel like it needs more. And I wouldn't want the screen to be any bigger. If I wanted a massive screen in my pocket I'd buy an iPad. And then kill myself.
The camera is a dog, but so is every other phone camera in the world. Yes, this one is worse than many. But if you care about what your pictures look like, a $40 digital camera bought used off craigslist will take pictures which are 10 times better than the best cell phone camera on the market. And it's easier to carry a separate phone and camera than it is to have a separate phone and keyboard. So why everybody focuses on the sub-par camera is beyond me.
There's only one thing about the phone which I actually feel is bad, and that's the shape. Coming from a Sidekick 4G, the ergonomics of the phone are a big step down. The Sidekick was a fantastic phone to hold in the hands, both closed an open. The Relay is about as nice to hold as a brick. There's a small lip all around the phone that presses awkwardly against your ear, and it's got a certain awkwardness when open as well. No surprise there, the Galaxy S line has always looked like a knockoff of the iPhone 3G. Why would they start making something comfortable now? </curmudgeon.>
So, yeah. I like it and there's nothing else on the market which comes close to being as good as it. I'd buy one again. I'd suggest it to other people. But I'd also hope that this isn't the last QWERTY Android phone for my network, as there's still room for improvements.
i've came down the g1 (htc dream), g2 (htc desire z), relay lane.
i have my relay now for like 4 weeks. and there's really nothing i can seriously complain about. the cpu and gpu are fast and still come with some reserve. the memory is plenty. the qwerty is a big step up from the dz with the additional row. and battery life is just sweet the dz had the better display when you were outside. the relay's go the far better once you get out of the sunlight.
usually, when i got a new phone, i also got a better cam. but seriously: 5mp is enough for every day use. and as some already stated: it's a cell phone. if you want to have high-end-images, you don't get around buying a dedicated camera. and seriously.. it's the same with the screen resolution. 800x480 is enough for text, websites and pictures to be displayed properly and sharp on the small display. what's the use of a 4" full hd display? besides showing off? again... it's a cell phone. if you want high resolution, get a tablet.
*if* somebody asks me for a cell with a hardware keyboard there really - from my pov - is no reason not to recommend the relay.
and i think it's really a pitty it's not available here in europe and quite hard (and expensive) to get.
i really hope there will be new qwertys that will be available here as well. (the most recent here on sale is the dz).
admittedly the hardware keyboard phones are a niche, but those who want them will be willing to spend a lil more to get them.
Sent from my SGH-T699 using xda app-developers app
I have also used many qwerty phones over the years and have been using the relay for about 5 months now. Previously I have used lg shine xenon, lg shine plus (last lg phone I will ever buy) Sony xperia pro, samsung captivate glide and now the relay. The xperia pro keyboard was the best I have ever used. Too bad it had such low on board memory and only a single core processor.
I hear you on the death of qwerties I can now type quite well with SwiftKey but still love a qwerty for messaging, emails etc. I get the same look from sales staff when I have asked about qwerty sliders.
The relay is the fastest qwerty I have used, bit more than the glides 2x core tegra 2, I also found the keys on the glide to be too flat and there were only 4 rows. Good tactile feedback on the relay, keys are spaced out well and travel is easy. However as mentioned the build quality is not the best and mine has a noticeable wobble when typing. Updates seem good so far although will probably not get past 4.2. I actually went out and bought a q10 last week, loved the new OS but the keyboard was simply too small for me, and for the build quality and screen size the q10 is waaaay over priced, so decided to return it.
On a side note I did a little bit of cosmetic altering the my galaxy s3 stock 2100mah batteries and got them to fit in the relay.. As I live in canada the relay isn't even sold here, and I place battery life pretty much at the top of my list. Need that spare battery and a charger. Anyways good luck with your relay if you get it.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
I'm sure samsung will release a follow up to the Relay, as they seem to be the only manufacturer big enough to support this niche market.
Just give them some more time. They definitely need som enew phones and fresh designs to break up all the slab phones that are coming all the time.
Well, I got the Relay. And with it I end a 8 year HTC only stint which started with the Blue Angel. Fun times...
I just got it today so not much of a chance to play with it. At the moment doing the update. Afterwards will see what else I can do. I find it a bit useless at the moment to try any other ROMs. A bit too early...
I've had 3 previous Android sliders before getting this one - the original G1, Motorola Milestone (which I gave to my husband because it was too big and heavy for me) and the HTC Desire Z. Aside from the Desire Z's incredibly stupid flipping hinge mechanism which I'm convinced was responsible for the display cable dying, it is my favourite of the four (it developed this problem where the screen would die every time I opened the keyboard - I actually disassembled it to see if I could fix it but couldn't)
This phone's not bad and I don't mind it feeling "plasticky" since it's light, while the hinge mechanism seems a lot more solid than HTC's ridiculous designs for the G1 and Desire Z, but the keyboard is LOUD. You have to press the keys really hard and I'm convinced people can hear me typing, which is really not what you want for a mobile device. If you're tweeting under the table during a boring company meeting, you better be good at pretending you're taking minutes!
I also have this weird problem, specific to the Facebook Android app, where it will jump to the top of the page randomly while I'm in the middle of typing a comment. I thought I was pressing something by accident but I've tried typing really carefully and that seem to not be the issue.
I do really miss having a trackball or optical joystick from the HTC devices. It's fine to have arrow keys on the physical kb, but when you have the phone closed sometimes you still want to be able to navigate around and click.
Really happy to have found this thread, has anybody looked at or tried the Motorola Droid 4 ??
It boasts 8MP camera and high definition display, looks like battery lasts a while.. says its splash proof and also has the 4 row keyboard.
I enjoy my glide, but they keyboard with the press on them hasn't ever given me much of an ability to type without looking at the keys..
On my blackberry after a while I was able to roll my fingers across without hardly looking at the keyboard, on computer i type 100wpm so pretty important for me to have a fast typing keyboard. even software app keyboards can't keep up and screw swipe.. without feeling where to rocker my fingers to form words im doomed to choose from autocorrect.
So far, I am loving the phone, and I have no faults with it as of yet. Yes, when you zoom in on pictures, they can be a bit blurry blown up on the computer, but I could care less since I'm not a professional photographer. Feels great in my hand, and people keep saying my phone looks sickkkk.
Oh, and this thing is LOOUUDDD. Louder than any other phone I've come across. The only lag I saw was while installing all my apps.
What about you guy's? Post pros and cons.
Sent from my HTC One M8!
BFirebird101 said:
So far, I am loving the phone, and I have no faults with it as of yet. Yes, when you zoom in on pictures, they can be a bit blurry blown up on the computer, but I could care less since I'm not a professional photographer. Feels great in my hand, and people keep saying my phone looks sickkkk.
Oh, and this thing is LOOUUDDD. Louder than any other phone I've come across. The only lag I saw was while installing all my apps.
What about you guy's? Post pros and cons.
Sent from my HTC One M8!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never owned an HTC phone before, and the UI for me is a little tough to get used to - especially when my other devices are more 'stock' Android, - a Nexus 7 and Moto X. I've had plenty of skinned devices before, Samsung and Moto pre-Google, so I know there's a learning curve. The hardware though, it's about as close as I'll ever get to an iPhone, and it's fantastic. The build quality, the buttons, the material, top notch. Coming from "flagship" Sammy phones (Galaxy S3, S4 and Note 2 and 3's) - can't hold a candle to this. Biggest con (aside from the Sense UI) is the camera. I know I might need to tweak some settings, but it should be (in theory) a much better image quality just on auto settings.
I'd say, all things considered, the hardware is the biggest perk, but I have a feeling I'll still be using my Moto X more than 50% of the time.
Now, if we can get CM in the future, that's another story altogether, but I think it's too early to tell if someone will be able to root and unlock. Haven't kept up on the root/ROM scene since I loaded Beans on my Note 3 running 4.3 back in January.
The best phone I ever had, hands down. Second in line was the original M7 HTC One. Before that, my thrid favorite was my SGN. I havve had multiple phones in between and none come close to the M8...
I will say I HATE Blinkfeed but just download your favorite launcher (I use Apex)
Mike02z said:
The best phone I ever had, hands down. Second in line was the original M7 HTC One. Before that, my thrid favorite was my SGN. I havve had multiple phones in between and none come close to the M8...
I will say I HATE Blinkfeed but just download your favorite launcher (I use Apex)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use the "manage home screen pages" setting to remove blinkfeed. No need to go for an outside launcher because of Blinkfeed.
Link200 said:
You can use the "manage home screen pages" setting to remove blinkfeed. No need to go for an outside launcher because of Blinkfeed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but I have used Apex on all my devices so I stick with what works
Mike02z said:
Thanks but I have used Apex on all my devices so I stick with what works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured that was the case.
I thought it would be best to mention that since you made it sound like it was the only way to get away from Blinkfeed.
I had a DNA, then the HTC one, then I had a Galaxy S4. This M8 is the best. That bezel at the bottom is confusing...i keep wanting to the old home button. HTC phones are the experience I prefer. I don't really care about root. I used to..but i realized I have no time to install cute themes...and i only used 2 root apps. I would like root only for free tethering. Im still on an unlimited plan.
I would say this phone is amazing and I have yet to properly play with it.
The HTC transfer tool worked pretty good...even transfered my settings and put my home screen the way I like it.
The focus thing is kinda gimmickey but the camera is awesome. Can't wait to make some porn with this bad boy. Lmao
Sent from my HTC One (M8)
Loving mine, coming from the DNA. Don't much care for the on screen buttons but other than that. I like it. To me the camera is not as bad as a lot of sites are saying. Here's a quick pic I just took. The fire looks so clean.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
best phone in stock form to date! haven't had one hiccup, lag, glitch nothing! just flawless buttery performance! cant wait until we get root and get rid of bloat and some custom roms. phone will be a beast!!!
I am a G2 user on ATT but went to the Verizon store because I was dying to see this beautiful masterpiece, overall it is a very exquisite design and feels very nice.
I have never owned a HTC product and would like to in the future, but Damn this sense UI is very appealing to the eyes and simple.
Very fast phone with zero lag.
I spent a lot of time with the camera and I must say it isn't TERRIBLE but it isn't better than anything we have out now.
Where the One will accelerate is in low light and that is already proven....
Overall I'd say HTC WILL SELL TONS.
Sent from the LG G2
agreed. the key is zero lag. phone is stupid fast and everything is instant. this phone is going to be a huge success!!
So far so good. Sense is as bad as ever but it's easy enough to get rid of the bulk of it by installing another launcher. I also loaded the stock email app, clock and a few other things as I prefer the stock versions and disabled most of the bloatware.
The notification bar is more cluttered than it really needs to be. About half the bar tends to be taken up by system state icons leaving very little room for actual notifications. Also the second camera is pretty gimmicky. I'm not sure it's a device I'd buy solely based on the camera.
Overall though, I've never had a piece of hardware that felt so good in the hands. I've run a G1, a Nexus One, a MyTouch 4g, a Thunderbolt, a S3, a Droid Razr along with a few other phones as daily drivers and none of them even come close to this one in terms of hardware. It's just a shame that sense is on it.
This is my first HTC phone and so far its all good. I love the feel of it, its so solid with the uni body design. Im definitely looking forward to custom roms ect. in the future. Tootles Galaxy S4...you've been a b!tch
Pier8 said:
So far so good. Sense is as bad as ever but it's easy enough to get rid of the bulk of it by installing another launcher. I also loaded the stock email app, clock and a few other things as I prefer the stock versions and disabled most of the bloatware.
The notification bar is more cluttered than it really needs to be. About half the bar tends to be taken up by system state icons leaving very little room for actual notifications. Also the second camera is pretty gimmicky. I'm not sure it's a device I'd buy solely based on the camera.
Overall though, I've never had a piece of hardware that felt so good in the hands. I've run a G1, a Nexus One, a MyTouch 4g, a Thunderbolt, a S3, a Droid Razr along with a few other phones as daily drivers and none of them even come close to this one in terms of hardware. It's just a shame that sense is on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sense bad? I don't know how you can say that. blows every other ui out of the water with what they have done with it. sense 6.0 is instant, lag/hiccup free, butter smooth what more do you want? go back to a nexus if you think sense is bad!!!
If there was a pure android phone with this sort of build quality available on Verizon I'd probably seriously consider it. I'll try to refrain from having opinions though since some people are touchy about those.
Pier8 said:
If there was a pure android phone with this sort of build quality available on Verizon I'd probably seriously consider it. I'll try to refrain from having opinions though since some people are touchy about those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it gets soff you can put on then. I don't understand why people that hate sense buy HTC phones
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
There's a lot to be said for the hardware and touchwiz isn't really any better. I'm not sure why it ruffles your feathers so much that someone might find the hardware compelling enough to overcome a UI that they aren't crazy about.
Coming from the DNA:
Same 5" screen, same feel in my hands...
But now I don't have to cup my hand behind the speaker to hear what's playing. Boom sound is simply awesome for such a little guy.
While I would like to have seen the camera resolution be in the 5-8mp range, I can't deny that this phone can take a pic in very low light. So that is a true plus for me.
But best of all is the SDXC slot is back. Thank you HTC.
Icyman said:
Coming from the DNA:
Same 5" screen, same feel in my hands...
But now I don't have to cup my hand behind the speaker to hear what's playing. Boom sound is simply awesome for such a little guy.
While I would like to have seen the camera resolution be in the 5-8mp range, I can't deny that this phone can take a pic in very low light. So that is a true plus for me.
But best of all is the SDXC slot is back. Thank you HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from dna and agree completely.
Pier8 said:
There's a lot to be said for the hardware and touchwiz isn't really any better. I'm not sure why it ruffles your feathers so much that someone might find the hardware compelling enough to overcome a UI that they aren't crazy about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boom.
Sense doesnt seem to be anything special to me. Touchwiz is a resource hogging load of crap imo. I got the phone for the design, hardware and potential to have it unlocked in the future.