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[Q] [POLL] Desire HD, Galaxy S, standard Desire or wait?

should i got for the desire HD with its poor battery life but blazing performance,
the galaxy S that feels like a toy and hope froyo (not in UK yet) fixes its problems,
or buy a desire with its (now) outdated processor but large and probably long lasting community support?
or should i just wait until something the size of the desire comes out with the processor from the desire HD?

only 1 vote and no replies? i feel unloved

It might just be me, but I don't trust Samsung with phones. As opposed to HTC, their phones feel like toys, and although they're sometimes more powerful, they're not supported for very long. Basically, it's bleeding edge (at least hardware-wise) vs quality. And by quality I mean not only build quality but also how long the device is supported for by the manufacturer and what you can do with it afterwards.
HTC phones are usually top-quality devices, the first to get rooted, have the best third-party interface (Sense) which btw can be removed. The Galaxy S phones are powerful, but Touchwiz adds no functionality when compared to Sense (which adds a LOT) and Samsung doesn't have a good track record of updating their phones often. Look at the Behold II. Look at the current US Galaxy S phones. It's the reason I chose an HTC Evo over a Samsung Epic (Galaxy S with a keyboard, dual cameras, and WiMax). On top of that the Galaxy S phones haven't even gotten 2.2 yet here in US and have a number of hardware issues, one being the GPS.
By no means am I saying the Galaxy S phones are bad, it's just that you'd get more out of an HTC device. My mother and sisters own the Samsung Intercept, which is supposed to be the successor to the Moment. It's in fact a downgrade in every way except the keyboard. But I'm not going to go into that. I say wait till Christmas or get a Desire HD.

Well right now I'll choose the Galaxy S phone because it's the best android phone right now but wait because in this times (November, December, January) alot of phones arrive and maybe a better one comes

As I hate the low resolution of AMOLED screens...
Desire HD
Desire
Galaxy S

[Q] due for upgrade, device recommendations?

So in due for an upgrade in November 2011 and I wanted to know which phones the good people of XDA would recommend. I currently have a HTC HD2 running Windows Phone 7 Mango. I would like to stick with WP7 but other than that I think I have fairly standard requirements. Only thing I would specify is that it must have a fairly large screen, similar to the HD2. Oh, and it must be available in the UK!! Either unlocked or on T-Mobile. I'm happy to wait if a good phone is being released later this year or next. Been keeping an eye on the upcoming Nokia WP7 devices So have a contender there, I also like the galaxy s 2 anything else I should consider?

You have 3 options:
- HTC Titan (4.7'' LCD screen but very good LCD, 1.5 GHz cpu, mini-HDMI output, 1600 mAh, 8Mpxl f/2.2 lens), already in the UK market, pop to a phones4u shop, maybe you can catch a glimpse of it. Here is an unboxing vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPWNFn62vV8&feature=player_embedded
- Nokia Ace (4.3'' AmoLED, 1.4 GHz, 1800 mAh, 8Mpxl carl Zeiss)
- Samsung Focus S (4.3'' Super AmoLED Plus, rest specs unknown)
There isn't a definite release date for the latter two, but till November they will have been at least announced. But HTC Titan seems already a winner as it has the bigger screen of all WP7 devices (if that's not a problem), it bears the beefiest cpu (although 1.5 vs 1.4 Ghz won't make any difference), and the quality of the LCD is as good as an LCD gets (but slightly inferior to AmoLED offerings). And its camera quality, a field HTC has been notoriously failing at, seems quite decent (camera sample http://www.phonearena.com/news/First-camera-samples-from-the-HTC-Titan_id21748)

Can't recommend the HTC Titan enough! Picked up mine today from Phones4U and really loving it as a device..the screen size is definitely weird for me (coming from an iPhone 4), but fits perfectly in my giant european hands
It's a bargain on the deals they have at the moment too..free if you spend £30 a month, and if you spend a bit more they chuck in various extras too..my first good experience with P4U..crazy!
Only downside is that they are not available on 02, and when I spoke to retentions they told me that it's not on their list of upcoming devices..lots of android ones for them but no titan. I ended up jumping ship to Orange..not the best of the bunch but works out cheaper than my old 02 contract and with more minutes

HTC titan is looking good, im a little unsure of the LCD screen and how it will look in 2 years (i would be on a 2 year contract) compared to amoled. the nokia ace looks good, i just hope that the camera quality is as good as my old n95 was

My experience with different Galaxy S models

I want to share some experiences I have with the Galaxy S devices. It's a bit late to post this perhaps, old news even, since Galaxy S is no longer new and is only single core, but there are a few features that give these phones excellent value, especially for those who want to buy a phone out of contract and don't want to pay too much:
-Used ones can go for around $150, less if lucky
-Very easy and cheap to unlock
-Generally good battery life that can last whole day
-AMOLED screen, viewable under sunlight
-Good build quality (Gorilla glass)
-5MP camera takes decent pictures and 720p video with adequate lighting (most variants don't have LED flash)
-Decent graphic card (200 MHz PowerVR SGX 540) can handle all recent 3D games (ie. RipTide & Asphalt 6)
-Easy to root and has great developing community (CyanogenMod supports)
-Support "ODIN", easy flashing factory images in Download mode, making them very difficult to brick
-Used Wolfson DAC which yields great audio quality, which is not featured in the S II and Note
The Galaxy S variants I've owned are: S 4G (T-Mobile), Vibrant (T-Mobile), Captivate (ATT), Nexus S (T-Mobile). I have unlocked, rooted and flash roms on all of them. I also had the Galaxy SII and Note (International).
Overall impressions:
Nexus S: This has to be the most desired of the lot, best screen, best performance, latest OTA update directly from Google and has lots of developers for it. It has LED flash which most of the other variants don't. It also support Near Field Communications. However, it is not my favorite version.
Downfalls:
-no microSD card slot, only 16GB internal
-due to its curved shape, with a case included it can feel bulkier than other Galaxy S variants with flat body
Vibrant: This is my favorite of the lot, simply because it works on both T-Mo and ATT 3G, this is rare for an Android device this cheap. It's not pentaband however (doesn't support ATT 850mhz). It has internal 16GB storage and microSD expansion. Cyanogen support and lots of custom roms.
Downfalls:
-Needs GPS fix patch for custom roms, GPS lock time is a few seconds slower and less precise than other variants.
-(correct me if I'm wrong) It doesn't yet have the official T-Mobile 'WiFi Calling' app that the Galaxy S 4G has, but there is works on a custom version. IMO, you can just use GrooVe IP instead.
-No front face camera (I think there is a rare few Vibrants that does have it)
Captivate (ATT version): This device is the nicest looking Galaxy S I think, due to its slanted design. It feels just a tiny bit slower than the rest to me, I could be wrong, but it just feels that way. Like the Vibrant, it has Cyanogen supports and lots of developers, 16GB internal storage + microSD expansion. No front face camera unlike the Captivate Glide and Sprint's Epic 4G though.
Galaxy S 4G: There is a mix of good and bad for this device. It has good data speed (10Mbps+) as long as you live in a good T-Mobile coverage area, which also results in good tethering experience. It includes the app "WiFi Calling" so you won't use up minutes. Front face camera included.
Downfall:
-Lacks internal storage for users, needs to have microSD card. That also results in apps installed to microSD card by default, this can interfere with functions of some apps. Not sure if stock roms can do this, but you can always manually move the apps to internal storage, sometimes its a must for apps to autostart and for some app's widgets to show up in the widgets selection menu.
-Much less developers available, no CyanogenMod support. Only until now there is some work on porting CM7. With that said, the available Valhalla rom makes this device blazing fast, but also no longer worked on by its original developers.
More info:
Performance:
I'm not basing so much on synthetic benchmarks, but regular usage. The Nexus S seems the quickest and I achieved ~2500points for Quadrant. Aside from that all of devices I've used are on par, they all can play 3D games smoothly. They are all kind of slow with stock rom, but once you put in CyanogenMod7 or 9, they're blazing. In fact, I feel these devices with CM7 are more responsive than stock Galaxy S II and Note (in term of general navigation, of course newer phones are faster overall).
The Vibrant gets low Quadrant score, around 1500, but it seems just as fast as other ones. I feel the Captivate is slowest of the lots, but the difference is so small it doesn't matter. The key here is to flash custom roms.
Data speed:
The Vibrant is the best in term of value, it's not fast, but supports both 1700 and 1900 bands, so can work on both T-Mobile and ATT 3G networks, it does not support the newer ATT 850 band however.
S 4G: theoretical 21Mbps, I've achieved over 10Mbps
Vibrant: can get up to 6Mbps with good signal, generally stays around 2-3Mbps
Nexus S: theoretical 7.2Mbps, about same with Vibrant
Captivate: theoretical 7.2Mbps, but ATT HSPA network is generally slower than T-Mobile imo, it all depends on the area of coverage though
Galaxy S II (T-Mo): theoretical 42Mbps, I've achieved 24Mbps
Also note that with T-Mobile devices, I've been able to tether freely. I know that some people with the $79.99 plans have had text message from T-Mobile that warns tethering is not included with their plan.
GPS location fix:
These devices work pretty well as GPS navigator since their AMOLED screen remains viewable outdoor. They all generally takes around 6-10 secs to get a fix outdoor. The Captivate and Vibrant using custom roms required GPS fix patches. I have the most trouble getting location fix with the Vibrant which can take longer than 10 seconds. I've lost GPS signal on the highway with the S 4G with dark clouds overhead. These devices while does a good job, are not reliable as devices that include both GPS and GLONASS support, such as XPeria variants and the Galaxy Note, these can get really fast location fix and rarely lose signal.
Screen: The Nexus S has best screen quality than the rest of American carrier-locked variants, which all has 'blue tint' to them, although just as crisp details. However, if you have CyanogenMod9 installed, you can change the color temperature of the devices to warmer to match the Nexus S. There are no CM9 for the S 4G currently however.
Final:
If I have a final say about the Galaxy S model, is simply that it has Wolfson DAC, that is a big deal for audiophiles like me. The SII and Note just doesn't sound as good, regardless if they are more powerful devices. With that said, I recently got an XPeria Play which also has some excellent quality too, so XPeria devices might worth looking at if audio fidelity is your concerns.

Good Job.
I think Note is very big.
What Do you think the performance in games with Sony?
Cheers.

The Adreno 205 in the Play vs the SGX540 in the Galaxy are about the same performance, maybe the later edging by a bit. But the Play has a slide out gamepad which is unbeatable for gaming. However it also has terrible screen. And you need to unlock the boot loader to flash custom rom, and its not as easy if you don't have the international version. It is going too get official ICS release soon though.
I'm not sure if PS3 contoller also work with Gingerbread for the Galaxy devices, but the iControlPad can work with all apps just like the Play gamepad (using iCade mode and pairing with Bluez IME).
The Note international is the best device I've own by the time of its release, I think the SIII will take it to another level though. But the Note still has Wacom pen support which is useful.

[Q] Flagship vs Budget phones - Is there enough difference anymore?

I have been looking at new phones. The flagship phones are sexy and, at least for a few months until the next must have comes out, have a lot of bling factor. However, there seem to be a lot of decent budget/midrange phones available (<$300). Additionally, it seems phones have a short life (durability and obsolescence) to justify dropping $500-$700 every 2-3 years. I'm wondering if it still makes sense or when it makes sense to go with the flagship products.
Questions:
1) Have we reached a point, like PC's, where the even budget units perform just about all tasks pretty well?
2) What uses would a flagship phone (e.g LG G3, Samsung S5, HTC One M8, Moto X) be better for than a typical budget/midrange phone (e.g. Moto G, Moto E, LG Optimus L90)?
3) Are there any critical features missing in the budget phones?

mrstop said:
I have been looking at new phones. The flagship phones are sexy and, at least for a few months until the next must have comes out, have a lot of bling factor. However, there seem to be a lot of decent budget/midrange phones available (<$300). Additionally, it seems phones have a short life (durability and obsolescence) to justify dropping $500-$700 every 2-3 years. I'm wondering if it still makes sense or when it makes sense to go with the flagship products.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Makes sense" is pretty subjective. It depends on what you can afford, are willing to spend, want and/or need. I pursue the various "what phone should you buy" threads regularly, and I also regularly recommend phones like the Nexus 4, Moto G, Sony Xperia SP, and the like. I'm also a big fan of "obsolete" or discontinue phones that you can pick up on eBay or Amazon. For example, you can get the Nexus 4 off eBay, brand new, for $240. And it's a way better phone than a Moto G, for only a bit more. IMO people need to remember options like these. It doesn't have to be a new phone (newly released, as opposed to new vs used). A flagship for a year or 2 ago can be had for far less than its original cost, and can outstrip a "budget" phone that just came out. Another example: A co-worker of mine needs a cheap smartphone after switching to T-Mobile. He was looking at the LG L9 that just came out, which can be purchased outright for a mere $100. The main disadvantage is that it only has HSPA 21.1Mb/s download capability. I told him to get a new LG F6 off eBay for $109. Slightly smaller screen, but same resolution, better processor, and has LTE. He didn't know about it, because it's discontinued and not on T-Mo's website anymore.
Questions:
1) Have we reached a point, like PC's, where the even budget units perform just about all tasks pretty well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If we're not there yet, we're close. The Moto G really sent a shockwave out, and other manufacturers are clamoring to compete (and mostly failing). A "budget" phone, as long as you pick the right one, should be able to do nearly, if not everything you want it to. And as I said above, "budget" doesn't necessarily mean a newly released phone; flagships from a couple years ago are still capable devices and can be had for very reasonable costs.
2) What uses would a flagship phone (e.g LG G3, Samsung S5, HTC One M8, Moto X) be better for than a typical budget/midrange phone (e.g. Moto G, Moto E, LG Optimus L90)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One obvious reason to have a flagship is the superior screen. Do you need a HD screen? No, you really don't. Anything above 200ppi is usable, to be frank. But of course everybody wants a better screen, since most of what we do with smartphones involves looking at them. Screen size is a subjective preference, but everybody wants the screen to be clearer, brighter, and more vibrant.
If you like to play games, flagships are obviously better. Better resolution, higher framerates,
3) Are there any critical features missing in the budget phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's always some things that have to be sacrificed to make a phone cheaper. Just look at the Moto E vs the Moto G. Screen resolution is lower and smaller, the processor is only a dual core, and the camera lacks flash (no front-facing camera either). And comparing the Moto G to the Moto X or other flagship phones, it's obviously not as powerful, doesn't have as much RAM, and the 5mp camera is constrained by the fact that it only has 5mp, where most flagships have at least double, and sometimes triple or quadruple that. Internal storage is an issue, especially if running KitKat and you're not able to move apps to SD, or the phone doesn't even have SD capability,
To conclude, let's compare to popular phones, the Moto G and the Galaxy S5. The Moto G runs smoothly, due to it's nearly-stock Android (completely stock if you get the GPE). The screen is very decent. But if you get the regular versions, you're limited to 8 or 16GB (less available to the user), 21.1Mb/s HSPA, and mediocre cameras. The LTE version is the better choice, since you also get a microSD slot, although it's only good for 32GB cards. Whereas with an S5 you get a higher resolution screen, more RAM, a far more capable processor, far better cameras, 32GB storage built-in, plus expandability to 128GB, etc, etc, etc. It also costs three times as much.
So yeah, it's great that we can buy a cheap smartphone that'll do everything we need. But that doesn't change the fact that there are phones that can do what we want.

Chinese phones & their influence

Hi everyone
I'm new to the mobile phone scene but after a bit of research on deciding which phones to invest in I've noticed something; Chinese phones (not easily available in Western countries) have better specs and prices compared with the phones we have from brands like Samsung, Apple, HTC, Sony etc.
I'm talking about Vivo phones, Xiaomi etc. These phones routinely have 16mp cameras with OIS, large 2.0 (or even bigger) sensors, full HD or QHD 5 to 6" screens, 2 to 3GB of RAM, very large front facing cameras (5 to 8mp with flash, 1080P recording), Snapdragon 805 chips and batteries 3500mh+. All this in bodies thinner than 7mm (in some cases, the low5mm range). Many have aluminium chassis too.
Im wondering why we still see phones from Samsung, HTC, Apple and even the Nexus 6 (which is supposed to be absolutely premium in specs & quality) selling for such high prices but with specs lower than the Chinese phones. Surly Samsung & these other brands can release a phone, keep their prices the same but match or exceed the specs of these Chinese phones.
Why does the Galaxy S5 have a comparably low front facing camera, smaller battery and is thicker than these Chinese phones? Or the Nexus 6 - why is the FF camera smaller, why is the rear camera smaller, why does it have a smaller battery and why is it so much thicker? Surly these phones could match the specs of the Chinese phones.
Example: The upcoming VIVO PD1305 rumoured specs (below) should best (or at least match) the Nexus 6 in every respect. Thinner, same chipset, same amount of RAM, better front and rear cameras, stereo speakers, NFC, larger battery etc. Why couldn't Google have these specs in the Nexus 6 and sell it at the current price? The VIVO is expected to be cheaper by $100+. The specs are leaked; previous VIVO leaked specs matched very closely to the final product and there is strong evidence to support that this new VIVO phone's specs will match to the leaked specs as all the technology has been around for a short while now.
Basically what I'm trying to establish is why the Western market is so full of overpriced phones which can't complete on every front with cheaper Chinese phones? Will Samsung etc actually match or best these Chinese phones in terms of specs?
Specs:
6-inch IPS display with 2560×1440 resolution and 490ppi
5.68mm (0.22") thin
162g (5.71 ounces) weight
Snapdragon 805 processor with 3GB of RAM
32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot that goes up to 128GB
13MP rear camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and dual-LED flash, 8MP front camera with 88-degree wide view lens
Dedicated ES9018 and OPA2604 audio chips
NFC
LTE Radio support (confirmed at some sources; still in debate as it is useless in China)
Wireless charging
Basic water resistance
Heart rate monitor and a fingerprint trace the source function
3500mAh battery
NOTE: Before anyone says it - that most Chinese phones don't support LTE networks - from some reading there is talk that the latest and upcoming Chinese manufacturers are including support for LTE networks as their market expands. So, they are covering ground fast and innovating far faster than any of the phones we see in our Western markets.
In my opinion the specs for the latest Chinese phones (especially for the VIVO listed) put the Nexus 6 and its rivals to shame. A bit sad.

The problem with these chinese phones is, that you hardly have any warranty.

[email protected] said:
The problem with these chinese phones is, that you hardly have any warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who needs a warranty for a hundred dollar thing...?
Never thought about this question, but now i am really thinking that it's a great idea to buy Chinese phones!
i have had a friend that bought a phone, he was using it for two months until i told him that it is a Chinese device.......

Newyork! said:
Who needs a warranty for a hundred dollar thing...?
Never thought about this question, but now i am really thinking that it's a great idea to buy Chinese phones!
i have had a friend that bought a phone, he was using it for two months until i told him that it is a Chinese device.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, maybe you are right, but you have hardly any support and if its an chinese phone who hardly anyone has, you can be sure you will not get any updates.

[email protected] said:
Okay, maybe you are right, but you have hardly any support and if its an chinese phone who hardly anyone has, you can be sure you will not get any updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When i buy a old Motorola phone i also don't have any support or updates....
For 100 dollars or lower it pays!

Newyork! said:
When i buy a old Motorola phone i also don't have any support or updates....
For 100 dollars or lower it pays!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok you are right and if you are lucky and buy a chinese phone with an large userbase it pays twice because you get support by the community around that phone