[Q] [Discuss] Choosing the latest and greatest. - General Questions and Answers

My first post! Awesome. Right, to it then?
Hello XDA community! Short and simple, I managed to break my phone. If I were being honest, I'd say it may be more even trashed than just broken.. that tends to happen when dropped onto it's corner from a fair height. So then! That brings me to my current dliemna:
There are a TON of options for reasonable phones right now. So... WHICH to get?
That's kinda broad. Let me be a little more specific. I have my eyes on the Galaxy S2 at the moment. I believe its release for AT&T is this 18th. It's an amazing power house of a phone with a beautiful screen, plenty of space (int/ext) and good RAM. Plus... it's drop dead gorgeous.
However anyone paying attention to Android's raging takeover of the mobile phone market knows of the up and coming "Nexus Prime." Though beyond few spec details, most is speculation on the machine.
My question? I can wait four days... and get an amazing phone for a great early upgrade price. Or.... I can wait for my 2 year contract and pick up the nexus prime in February (my renewal) for probably around the same price.
Current phone --> screwed. It would benefit me to have a device to use til then. However... I'm pretty much stuck once I get one. Worth waiting for and suffering til then?.... idk. I have an HTC Aria at the moment. Not too great a phone to be honest. Pretty basic. But it can still text and call. Good enough.
LAST of all! By all means here... call me out. >.> I'm sure I've missed plenty of options. Other phones... upcoming releases....
My personal notes: AT&T, 200mb Data Plan (constant wifi access), Price no object, Overall Qual > Gaming ability, Appreciate fair size screens (big thumbs), yes I'll be modding, Don't need a physical keyboard, Obviously I'm shooting for Android here but for discussion purposes all options will be considered.

Well, by all indications the Nexus Prime will basically be a Galaxy S2 with maybe a 720p screen. If you luuuurv hi-res screens, it might be worth sticking around for the Prime launch. If you're okay with WVGA though, I wouldn't expect the Prime to blow the S2 out of the water in any other regard.
Roelith said:
Appreciate fair size screens (big thumbs)
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Have you looked at the Galaxy Note? 5.3" 1280x800, due out Q1 next year.

Thanks Sjael! That helped some. I think I'll definitely end up shooting for the GS2. I don't really want to wait that long and I get the feeling that the GS2 will be more than enough for what I need.

Related

Anyone pick Infuse over GS2?

Since the GS2 does work on at&t's "4g" network and can be had with a warranty for as little as 750$ shipped anyone else trying to decide what phone to go with?
I have a inspire and infuse currently. I was thinking about selling the infuse for 500$ and the inspire for 300$ (already have buyers) and picking up a GS2 buuuut after talking to a XDA member who sold his GS2 for a infuse I'm starting to think I will just keep the Infuse and pocket the cash from the inspire sell.
Dual core sounds neat but I would rather have a 1.8oc'd single core (I think anyway ) The biggest selling point on the gs2 for me is the additional memory. I got spoiled with the infuse and the large available memory with cm7 and am already maxing out my infuse's 512 with just the widgets and apps I had before.
My inspire feels "small" screen real estate wise now compared to the infuse so not excited about going back to 4.3....
Anyone else considering these phones? What is your thought process on comparing the two?
The problem I have is dev. Work.. seems like they waiting on the att/other phone company version to drop. But I to will get the sgsII(atain.)
sent from Infuse but miss my captivate on cont. 5.5.... One day this can be as good...
sportedwood said:
Since the GS2 does work on at&t's "4g" network and can be had with a warranty for as little as 750$ shipped anyone else trying to decide what phone to go with?
I have a inspire and infuse currently. I was thinking about selling the infuse for 500$ and the inspire for 300$ (already have buyers) and picking up a GS2 buuuut after talking to a XDA member who sold his GS2 for a infuse I'm starting to think I will just keep the Infuse and pocket the cash from the inspire sell.
Dual core sounds neat but I would rather have a 1.8oc'd single core (I think anyway ) The biggest selling point on the gs2 for me is the additional memory. I got spoiled with the infuse and the large available memory with cm7 and am already maxing out my infuse's 512 with just the widgets and apps I had before.
My inspire feels "small" screen real estate wise now compared to the infuse so not excited about going back to 4.3....
Anyone else considering these phones? What is your thought process on comparing the two?
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if you want that clock speed then plan on keeping the inspire. not that it would preform 1.8 times as good or that you will feel the need for the infuse to go over 1.4.
i havent seen a hummingbird go over 1.6 yet. i have seen snapdragons do it though. now the hummingbird processes media and open gl exremely fast and im not sure a snapdragon really competes no matter how fast it is clocked, except for floating point where snapdragon chips rule.
I have an Infuse but I'll be giving it to another family member and buying a GS2 when it becomes available on AT&T as the Attain.
The infuse is a nice refresh phone, but is pathetic seeing how some people think its worth $500 let alone $600.
If you think inspire at 4.3 is small, galaxy s2 at 4.27 is even smaller, it looks like 4 inches!
I just use my phone for emails, gps, Internet, and phone calls. Do I really need dual core for that. Haha
At least one dev will make it over sooner or later I'm not to worried about that. I was (wishfully probably) thinking the infuse's 1.2ghz was maybe "binned" higher versions and could lead to better overclocks.
I have been with At&t for 7 years and my gut tells me we wont be able to purchase the Attain until September at the earliest. I might be wrong but we got our first glimpse of the infuse almost 6 months! ago, we still don't have that for the Attain. The press release everyone was expecting more information got pushed back from the 24th with no reschedule date.
I almost just pulled the trigger on a gs2 but here comes netnerd again with his infuse propaganda!
My inspire screen does seem small compared to the infuse now, its ruined me.....
sportedwood said:
At least one dev will make it over sooner or later I'm not to worried about that. I was (wishfully probably) thinking the infuse's 1.2ghz was maybe "binned" higher versions and could lead to better overclocks.
I have been with At&t for 7 years and my gut tells me we wont be able to purchase the Attain until September at the earliest. I might be wrong but we got our first glimpse of the infuse almost 6 months! ago, we still don't have that for the Attain. The press release everyone was expecting more information got pushed back from the 24th with no reschedule date.
I almost just pulled the trigger on a gs2 but here comes netnerd again with his infuse propaganda!
My inspire screen does seem small compared to the infuse now, its ruined me.....
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well the chip may be better quality than the sgs, but there is no indication that it is a different part number. i would think there are more infuses that can hit 1.4 that sgs's, maybe more that can hit 1.6 but im not sure we will see much more than that. many sgs's have trouble at 1300. ifmy infuse goes to 1.6 id be stoked but im not expecting it.
as far as the attain, well there should have been a conference today to annouce new products presumably. it is the same day that they announced the sgs line for america, so it that pattern holds true we will know very soon when it is released and it may come as soon as july.
As little as $700.
Wow, you guys must be swimming in money.
What i dont get it, why everyone needs the dual core and extra memory? I mean the infuse runs very fast stock from the factory. Very smooth i think, and i am coming from an apple phone.
But hey, if you just have to have the latest and greatest i can understand.
I chose the Infuse over the Galaxy S2 mostly for the huge screen, and the fact that I didn't feel like waiting for the GS2's release date. I'm concerned about dual core phones overheating while charging, and also that supporting dual cores would have a negative impact on battery life.
The G2S's benchmark results were impressive, however. A tiny part of me wishes that I'd have waited it out. A tiny, insignificant part. The infuse is awesome.
Papi4baby said:
As little as $700.
Wow, you guys must be swimming in money.
What i dont get it, why everyone needs the dual core and extra memory? I mean the infuse runs very fast stock from the factory. Very smooth i think, and i am coming from an apple phone.
But hey, if you just have to have the latest and greatest i can understand.
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my feelings exactly. i loved the captivate but felt i wanted a change. i often felt jeleous of the 4.3"phone screens but couldnt stand the black levels of many phones afer having a captivate. didnt like the captivates screen because the subpixel layout is funky and makes small text less readable, now i like the infues after getting used to the size, hope that feeling lasts. the sgs2 is great but i dont know if thereis a really significant advantage to it. the audio is not great, the graphics processing is only marginally improved, if i get a dual core it will likely be a tablet that needs some extra power to support greater screen resolution. but so far the ipad2 is the only one that actually raised the bar with graphics processing. ill wait a while for something new, or get a phone with qhd or better resolution and high contrast ratio.
Dani897 said:
and it may come as soon as july.
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I will literally eat my shoe if that happens , we still cant even buy the att nexus s thats been on ebay for months.
700$ isn't chump change or anything but when you can get 500$ for infuse its only 200$ more.
At the end of the day after messing with memory management and doing a few galaxy s fixes (ill post what worked and didnt in a new thread) Im going to hold onto the infuse.
Is there a date for the GS2
DVA4890 said:
Is there a date for the GS2
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The Europe/Asia model is out and can be purchased online for around 750-800$ with a warranty. The GSM unit will work great on ATT's 3g and "4g".
The US model has been announced (the name anyway) but we haven't seen the device or been given a time frame. Personally I think September will be the earliest we will be able to purchase this phone but other think as soon as july.

Thinking about upgrading to the Skyrocket

Hi,
I have a Samsung Captivate (running AT&T stock 2.3.5, unlocked) and am almost about to pull the trigger on the Skyrocket (late to the party.. I know). What am I getting into? I keep reading about ICS delays, unable to root, unlock etc. Is it worth it?
I thought about waiting for S3, but maybe not.
Go ahead, do your best, talk me out of the S2 Skyrocket..
Regards
Nick
Don't get the Skyrocket, your better off waiting for the S3 for sure, or the HTC One series, basically our phone, although a great one, sadly has little to nothing going for it anymore versus any new phones coming in the next few months, basically there's no point getting the Skyrocket anymore. Hope that helped.
wasabiman123 said:
Don't get the Skyrocket, your better off waiting for the S3 for sure, or the HTC One series, basically our phone, although a great one, sadly has little to nothing going for it anymore versus any new phones coming in the next few months, basically there's no point getting the Skyrocket anymore. Hope that helped.
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Which one specifically from HTC? I love the Samsung screens. Have noticed that the HTC screens looked "washed out" - is that still the case?
Well it depends what carrier you're on, no one knows for sure which phones from the One series are gonna land on what carrier, but ATT will probably get the higher end One X, while Sprint might get the One S. Also I think the new HTC phones use Super LCD 2, so might not be that bad, worse than AMOLED tech for sure but probably fine tbh. Also I think the new Sony Xperia phones are coming out too, those might now have the craziest specs but they're really nicely designed and are gonna have some of the better cameras to be on phones this year For those you'll want thr Xperia Ion, look it up it's a beautiful device ^^
I have had my Skyrocket for about a month and love it. I rooted it and removed a bunch of the AT&T and Samsung stuff, but it is otherwise stock.
I came from the Dell Streak/Venue family of phones. They worked very well but the Streak was too big (5 inch screen) for everyday use and the 4 inch screen of the Dell Venue was just too small. The 4.5 inch screen of the Skyrocket is just right for my needs.
The Skyrocket is very snappy and unless I have a heavy use day the battery lasts all days for me (12-14 hours). Today has been light use, almost none really, and the battery is at 73% after 13 hours. Most days I am in the 25-30% range after 18 hours.
I use Launcher Pro as my home launcher and am not big on widgets that update. I do not use twitter or facebook, but do have 3 push email accounts that I use K-9 for. My biggest non-phone uses are as an e-reader (Kindle, Nook) and as an mp3 player (usually wired directly to the vehicle radio*).
I use the GPS 4 or 5 times a week to check traffic with Google maps or look for alternate routes due to an accident. The gps locks fast and I have had zero issues with it.
Right now a refurbished Skyrocket is $20 with a new contract at the at&t web site. This is what I paid for mine.
* For the connection to the vehicle radio I use a Scosche cable. It includes a mic and makes the phone hands free.
what phone to wait for...
defriend said:
Hi,
I have a Samsung Captivate (running AT&T stock 2.3.5, unlocked) and am almost about to pull the trigger on the Skyrocket (late to the party.. I know). What am I getting into? I keep reading about ICS delays, unable to root, unlock etc. Is it worth it?
I thought about waiting for S3, but maybe not.
Go ahead, do your best, talk me out of the S2 Skyrocket..
Regards
Nick
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Click to collapse
Good suggestions ideas and experiences already posted, I thought I'd share how my wife now enjoys her new Samsung Galaxy Note. It is HUGE. Too big for me to carry in my pocket so I'm stickin' with my skyrocket. She has a purse instead of a pocket, and her eyes are even worse than my own so a bigger screen was a no brainer. It's a nice phone, that note, it sure is. Nice big screen, seriously.
This skyrocket I use is pretty darn good, suits all my needs. I rooted it with no problem, and I flashed a version of cyanogenmod on it, and it's flawless. Cyanowiz it's called here in the forums for skyrocket. It eliminates all the AT&T carrier IQ, so I can turn on the wifi hotspot and let my friend at work use it, as his Sprint service and signal is sub-par, and it makes his iphone 4 go faster. Downside of showing off like that is it blows the lid off my tiered data plan.
(no ICS yet, heard it was buggy anyway)
I'm not sure how much better a device can get, I hear rumors of an Iphone 5 and mentioned by you is a S3? Cool! Perhaps hanging in there with the captivate a bit longer will yield an even faster more modern device.
I'll just say the difference between the skyrocket and the captivate is a dual core processor and yes it's faster, but if we're talkin' out of pocket expense as something to consider, it pays to stay a tad out of date and content with what you already have! If you're eligible for upgrade, you're also eligible to kick AT&T to the curb with no extra cost and consider other carriers. I'd talk to neighbors and friends about the performance of Verizon etc, instead of automatically just starting a new 2 year contract with AT&T, check all your options.
Hope that helps decide.
Get what you want...end of story
Don't worry to much about what others want or think. If you wait for the S3 which I admit will be awesome....how long till it is obsolete or "old" about 3 months. then everyone will want the "samsung/htc/??? Universe infinity blackhole 7" that is all the time you really have being the latest and greatest.
I love the skyrocket and I'm sure i'd love the S3 or note or any "current" phone. You get what you want, but hey if your buying I'll take a Note, not sure why though lol, XDA is a great place to look around and see the communities before you choose.
Skyrocket isn't worth it anymore, get the note.
Get a note
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
I haven't personally held the note, but it looks huge! I would guess its not so good on battery, but that's just a guess.
Sent from SKYROCKET
NexusMod 4.0
Romracer 0.3
Yes.. I am looking at $20 for the refurb. Hopefully refurb means somebody just returned it because it was too much power in their hands rather than beat the crap out of the phone and send it back...
Will probably stick to At&T due to GSM (I travel internationally once every few months). Will probably get the phone unlocked a few weeks after getting it.
Samsung Note feel too big.. is it?
Nick
fukenbiker said:
Good suggestions ideas and experiences already posted, I thought I'd share how my wife now enjoys her new Samsung Galaxy Note. It is HUGE. Too big for me to carry in my pocket so I'm stickin' with my skyrocket. She has a purse instead of a pocket, and her eyes are even worse than my own so a bigger screen was a no brainer. It's a nice phone, that note, it sure is. Nice big screen, seriously.
This skyrocket I use is pretty darn good, suits all my needs. I rooted it with no problem, and I flashed a version of cyanogenmod on it, and it's flawless. Cyanowiz it's called here in the forums for skyrocket. It eliminates all the AT&T carrier IQ, so I can turn on the wifi hotspot and let my friend at work use it, as his Sprint service and signal is sub-par, and it makes his iphone 4 go faster. Downside of showing off like that is it blows the lid off my tiered data plan.
(no ICS yet, heard it was buggy anyway)
I'm not sure how much better a device can get, I hear rumors of an Iphone 5 and mentioned by you is a S3? Cool! Perhaps hanging in there with the captivate a bit longer will yield an even faster more modern device.
I'll just say the difference between the skyrocket and the captivate is a dual core processor and yes it's faster, but if we're talkin' out of pocket expense as something to consider, it pays to stay a tad out of date and content with what you already have! If you're eligible for upgrade, you're also eligible to kick AT&T to the curb with no extra cost and consider other carriers. I'd talk to neighbors and friends about the performance of Verizon etc, instead of automatically just starting a new 2 year contract with AT&T, check all your options.
Hope that helps decide.
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March / April are the worst months for buying laptops, desktops and phones.
It's the end of the quarter and all the new stuff is about to come out and all the old stuff is already almost a year old.
Why do you want to pay regular price for old hardware? That's like buying a blackberry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

Wow Galaxy S4 already

http://www.droid-life.com/2012/09/1...l-the-new-galaxy-s4-in-february-you-dont-say/
Wow this is so soon for a new S line phone
Sent from Vzw Galaxy SIII running CleanROM 2.0 w/CleanKERNEL
So who's gonna make another bounty bootloeader unlock for that device?
I'm willing to bet its gonna be locked on verizon only again.....
Any themes available for this phone yet? When can we expect an update? What kernel should I use to OC and UV?
JK
You don't expect them to start designing the next phone a month or two before it is released do you?
It's not like it is being released then
The mockup in that picture is awful - a Galaxy iPhone 5, essentially. And, the info is generic, too.
Happy with my phone, regardless of unsubstantiated rumors for the next generation.
- ooofest
I like this mockup better. LOL!
http://phandroid.com/2012/09/17/sam...t-mwc-2013-launching-globally-in-march-rumor/
I'm pretty sure they'd just be announcing it. Not releasing it in february.
Gs3
Noooooo Just bought the S3 and now I'm locked into a 2-year contract.
My Smartphone addiction must be getting bad as I cant wait for another new phone already
Bring on the S4 sammy.
my hopes for the S4:
Flexable OLED 1080p screen (no pentile) possibly the addition of a Yellow sub pixel
quad core with beefed up GPU
32/64GB with expandable SD
better speaker with Bose style wave guide technology (let me dream people)
no buttons
Ear piece using bone vibration technology (may be a little much)
f1.8 12MP camera with glass optics and 12,800 ISO with dedicated noise reduction plus 120fps high speed recording
(this phone should focus on camera and screen technology)
less rounded edges so the screen can reach the corners better
guess i could go on for a while but these were my top picks

			
				
All I want is my hardware keyboard back. Not having it makes using the device a chore I grow less and less fond of each time.
For as wildly obsessed with android I became, the S3 is fast dragging me to the point of not even wanting to charge my android.
No hate on the S3 specifically, just happens to be the first smartphone i've had without keyboard shortcuts and is my introduction to this on-screen keyboard mess.
Just not for me...
Blue6IX said:
All I want is my hardware keyboard back. Not having it makes using the device a chore I grow less and less fond of each time.
For as wildly obsessed with android I became, the S3 is fast dragging me to the point of not even wanting to charge my android.
No hate on the S3 specifically, just happens to be the first smartphone i've had without keyboard shortcuts and is my introduction to this on-screen keyboard mess.
Just not for me...
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Click to collapse
Then switch to the Droid 1-2-3-4 line...not sure why you have this phone if you hate on-screen keyboards...
Blue6IX said:
All I want is my hardware keyboard back. Not having it makes using the device a chore I grow less and less fond of each time.
For as wildly obsessed with android I became, the S3 is fast dragging me to the point of not even wanting to charge my android.
No hate on the S3 specifically, just happens to be the first smartphone i've had without keyboard shortcuts and is my introduction to this on-screen keyboard mess.
Just not for me...
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The thing is, hardware keyboards are going the way of the dinosaur. Best available is the photon q which compared to flagships is not that great. (Still great though)
About the S4 in February rumor... probably not true. That's way too soon to announce or release it
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
I kinda like that lock screen.
If it looks like that, im buying it
EternalNexus said:
Noooooo Just bought the S3 and now I'm locked into a 2-year contract.
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Well if you would have waited till the S4 came out, when the next new thing comes out 30 seconds later you would be saying the same thing. You have to just be happy with what you have.
i would love to see a 6mm thick phone with less edges next to the screen. i hope the shape will be a little different from the galaxy s series, although they look great so far
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Premium HD app
Lets be honest guys. Samsung is a publicly traded company, and as such their value is dictated by people's opinions of them, and anything they sell is really just gravy. Announcements come fast and furious, because its really the only way to stay above water, especially when it comes to technology.
Picture this, you just sold 20 million units and still boast one of the most sought after products in the market. Yet people are more concerned that Apple, your largest rival, just took a billion dollars out of your pocket. More so, this 20 million unit jewel is currently being targeted for discontinuation by the company that won this judgement. Whats the best way to keep your value up? Announce a replacement of course!
I'll concede that anyone who bought this phone on release will probably have to sit out the s4 if they refuse to pay full price for a phone, but to say its going to be on shelves anytime before the s3 drops off the top selling units page is just bat crazy. Its just bad business, and Samsung is way too smart a company for that.
This is about the 20th thread about this on XDA already
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
iPhone S4
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Galaxy S4... And others.... a bit.... meh?

This is likely to be first time in 7 years i haven't upgraded my phone upon a handset refresh.
I'm a terrible phone whore with very little loyalty to brand, i like to own the best phone of the moment and hop between manufacturers. I'd imagine most people on here do the same, with the exception of the insanely irreverent fanboys. Recently (Last 2 years) i've owned.. S2, iPhone 4S, S3, HTC One X and Nexus 4. (Also throw in a couple of dips to Sony and Windows Mobile for brief periods).
First of all, the S4 and the HTC One look like cracking devices. In my eyes they both have positives and negatives and if push came to shove and somebody forced me by gunpoint to pick one, i'd be hard pressed to make a decision.. Perhaps S4 but only because of the battery life and timely updates.. There really is little in it.. Anyone who thinks so is only splitting hairs.
If you're sat using an S2 or a mobile a good 2 years old i can truly appreciate what a jump that the S4 or HTC One to be for you. But if you're the kind of person who upgrades over a 12 month period, there really is little to excite at the moment.
I can't help but feel disappointing..
CPU:
This is the most frustrating topic... We've been steadily increasing in power with little gains in power management, Nvidia tried their best with that '5th core' but ultimately left us all wanting... I'd say the biggest single concern for most smartphone users is battery life now, struggling to make it through a heavy day is part and parcel of owning a mobile.
We are so very close to big.LITTLE kicking in and it seems to be that Samsung and HTC kicked off a little early, shown by the (almost complete) lack of availability of their Exynos variant..
If i bought the S4 or HTC One i'd feel almost cheated if the rumored battery performance of the upcoming CPUs in this segment are anything to go by.
Screen:
Mobile phone addiction aside, one of my other rather 'nerdy' fascination is with audio visual kit, much to my wifes misery.. Screen quality is undoubtedly a big thing for me, yet even i struggle to justify the move from a 720p resolution to a 1080p resolution on a screen only 4.7-5" big..
I've seen the HTC One in person and while i will confess at close proximity i can distinguish the difference, it is by no means the jump the market departments of said companies would like you to think.. I'd go as far to say that most (myself included) would struggle to notice the difference between the two during regular daily use.
LTE:
This is less the mobile manufacturers fault and more the networks but 4G coverage is absolutely woeful when you consider the mass rollout of hardware to utilize. I always thought the S3 LTE was pointless but was convinced this was the early warning sign the governments / networks needed to shift into gear, it doesn't appear to have happened. It's like giving everybody a Bugatti Veyron and telling them they're only allowed to drive it in speed limited residential areas..
I've got friends in the states and U.K and despite the rather gut-wrenching price they pay for LTE price plans, the performance seems poor. I do think we are a good year away from 4G being a realistic benefit to the average consumer, with small pockets of countries experiencing early gains if they live in the capital.
The only positive i can take away from all this is my other half does not have to watch me trawl through reviews, debate the best deal and then watch me giddy on the day of delivery...
Here's hopping next year is a little better!
Have to agree with this, nothing special so far
@OP ( dont wanna quote the whole post lol), trust me when i say that i am one of the biggest phone junkies around, i owned almost all of the flagship of 2012 and plan on owning quite a few in 2013. I see what you're saying when you say " meh" cause phones like the nexus 4, S3, Optimus G and note 2 are already mighty powerful but i think this is where samsung and HTC lead the pack and differentiate themselves with other brands. HTC came out with the best design a phone ever had ( in my opinion) and fantastic sound quality while samsung is expanding its crazy awesome features ( gimmicky for some, absolutely great for me). Its hard to outdo the great phones that came out last year so my question is what did you expect?
I think you need to find more hobbies/occupations in your life tbh.
But to be honest, we are at a point where technology, and especially phones are improving at a very systematical and incremental ways.
Slightly better processor
Slightly better camera
Slightly better screen
Slightly better battery
Really, we will be stuck on this pattern until something revolutionary comes into the mobile market.
JaeKay said:
But to be honest, we are at a point where technology, and especially phones are improving at a very systematical and incremental ways.
Slightly better processor
Slightly better camera
Slightly better screen
Slightly better battery
Really, we will be stuck on this pattern until something revolutionary comes into the mobile market.
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Yeah, but with all that, there's a lot that's looked over. Like if you have a Samsung Smart TV you can stream what is on your TV to your phoen anywhere you go.
We now have a IR controller with a built in TV Guide. Built in reminder to remind you also. Links to Rotten Tomatoes for movies.
There's a lot more. I just don't know what is revolutionary anymore. The problem is other technology has to catch up, like TVs, Amplifiers and audio receivers, car GPS, etc. The only thing the phone can do now is control and interact with other things.
What can honestly be revolutionary with current technology and our phones now?
How about work on voice call clarity. This quality has been the same Damn thing since the nokia brick phones lol
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Squirrel1620 said:
How about work on voice call clarity. This quality has been the same Damn thing since the nokia brick phones lol
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The thing is in a day I make max 20 min call time but day in day out 4+hours screen time, iyam this is the norm so this dictates developments, so I bet we get stuck with ok call quality.
Euthye said:
The thing is in a day I make max 20 min call time but day in day out 4+hours screen time, iyam this is the norm so this dictates developments, so I bet we get stuck with ok call quality.
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20 min the norm? Speak for yourself.
j510 said:
20 min the norm? Speak for yourself.
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I know but how about getting a different phone if your prime use is phoning, like a 2g that'll give you 2/3 days, or if you're making calls while indoors plug it in or use a land line, flagship smartphones are computing devices not really phones any more.
thedalmeny said:
This is likely to be first time in 7 years i haven't upgraded my phone upon a handset refresh.
I'm a terrible phone whore with very little loyalty to brand...!
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While I agree that the upgrades in the GS4 are barely a full generation ahead of the GS3, which is unfortunate given how much a jump the GS2 was over the GS1, and how much the GS1 was ahead of anything else at its time... there is a sort-of point about diminishing returns here as well. It's harder to "improve" certain aspects but so much, as we're beginning to hit the limits of what can even be perceived as an upgrade.
I mean, think about the screen. Very low res -> QVGA -> WVGA -> 720p -> 1080p. Well that's great, but for the next generation, where do you go? There's really no perceivable need to put anything higher into a sub 5" device. Maybe flexible screens? Unbreakable screens? etc etc? That's still not gonna actually increase the photonic information presented to your eyes from the device.
Or take the physical phone body. The GS4 is pushing the screen so far that it's easily covering 80-90% of the entire front surface area. So okay, next gen, you make the entire front surface a screen. Then what? Make the phone thinner? Well, at a certain point you hit a limit there as well. People can only grasp and comfortably hold objects of up to a certain depth. When you get it smaller than that, you're basically just printing a screen onto a knife blade. So that's no good...
Let's try connectivity. LTE and 802.11ac? Most cell networks couldn't saturate their LTE links if they tried, they simply don't have the capacity yet. And even if they did... You're telling me you can even find a use-case where your phone is pumping out/in 100+ mbit/s of data? I mean, at home it's nice to move music/videos/files around sure. But I highly doubt anyone is routinely moving gigabytes of data per hour on any sort of mobile device. Once you hit what you need for say HD video streaming... where else is there to go? Again, the next generation doesn't really need to move data any faster than this.
Sensors? Well, there's actually lots of room for improvement here. And also, un-coincidentally, this is where the GS4 has some the of greatest advantage over other current/last generation devices. While we're still pretty far away from a proper tricorder, we can now sense via magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, infrared sensor, microphones, thermometer, hydrometer, barometer, and two cameras... But building sensors isn't the hard part. It's building clever software to do something with these sensors.
I could go on further... but the point I should think is clear. Yea, it's a bit disappointing that nothing since the original GS1/GS2 has really been a full "generation and a half" ahead of the competition... but a large portion of that is simply because we're beginning to hit the ceiling with some of these improvements. Yea, in 20 years "phones" will be unpredictably evolved from what we have now. But I bet the screens still won't have any higher effective PPI than what we're approaching now...
nastyhobbits said:
posting to hit 10 posts so I can actually post in development section....wth.....
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Wrong and wrong.
1) There's a reason you need to post elsewhere first.
2) The fact that you say "what the hell" to that requirement further shows you are not yet ready to post in development.
3) Spamming random unrelated comments into random threads is not the way to reach the 10 post minimum
I suggest you start by reading the rules and the stickies.
Have a nice day, and welcome to XDA.
Im only getting it becuase i wanted a smaller note 2 with no spen. The s4 gives me that with plenty of horsepower. Plus the 32gb $250 price point is a good sell. If the htc one had a replaceable battery it would of been a no brainer based on design alone.
nastyhobbits said:
posting to hit 10 posts so I can actually post in development section....wth.....
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*Face palm* If there's one place where you never post something like that, it's XDA. The moderators here take people who break the rules pretty seriously.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I wish we could have a revolutionary phone come out like the Galaxy SII did. Even today, Galaxy SII is unsurpassed with performance. Is there any app or game that it can't run? I mean, it came out nearly 2 years ago, and still has not been matched by an app.
I hope Galaxy SV comes in the way of the revolution.
Euthye said:
I know but how about getting a different phone if your prime use is phoning, like a 2g that'll give you 2/3 days, or if you're making calls while indoors plug it in or use a land line, flagship smartphones are computing devices not really phones any more.
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I never said my prime use is phone calls. I just said 20 min is not the norm. And again where do you get your information. No matter what phone whether it is a dumb phone or smart phone, one of the main focus of a phone period involves making phone calls. Otherwise it would be called a multimedia device and not a phone.
jahjah440 said:
I wish we could have a revolutionary phone come out like the Galaxy SII did. Even today, Galaxy SII is unsurpassed with performance. Is there any app or game that it can't run? I mean, it came out nearly 2 years ago, and still has not been matched by an app.
I hope Galaxy SV comes in the way of the revolution.
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Wait, what, lol!
Pretty sure the Gs1 started the trend there. Gs2 was nice, but nothing revolutionary.... The s3 was by far the best in the series thus far, until this one comes out.
With that said, I like my Note 2 more so than my s3.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
I think the Note series has been pretty revolutionary and Samsung has worked hard to come up with clever things to do with the stylus.
I don't know what big hardware improvements are left to do. The one I would like the most is 3-D capabilities, both screen and camera, like the Evo 3D. I would imagine in the last two years the technology has gotten better and Samsung could market it a lot better than HTC. Plus there is more 3D content than two years ago. Samsung could also do cool things with 3D and the hover technology.
j510 said:
I never said my prime use is phone calls. I just said 20 min is not the norm. And again where do you get your information. No matter what phone whether it is a dumb phone or smart phone, one of the main focus of a phone period involves making phone calls. Otherwise it would be called a multimedia device and not a phone.
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Ah well tough break, I guess this phone isn't for you then.
Shammyh said:
While I agree that the upgrades in the GS4 are barely a full generation ahead of the GS3, which is unfortunate given how much a jump the GS2 was over the GS1, and how much the GS1 was ahead of anything else at its time... there is a sort-of point about diminishing returns here as well. It's harder to "improve" certain aspects but so much, as we're beginning to hit the limits of what can even be perceived as an upgrade.
I mean, think about the screen. Very low res -> QVGA -> WVGA -> 720p -> 1080p. Well that's great, but for the next generation, where do you go? There's really no perceivable need to put anything higher into a sub 5" device. Maybe flexible screens? Unbreakable screens? etc etc? That's still not gonna actually increase the photonic information presented to your eyes from the device.
Or take the physical phone body. The GS4 is pushing the screen so far that it's easily covering 80-90% of the entire front surface area. So okay, next gen, you make the entire front surface a screen. Then what? Make the phone thinner? Well, at a certain point you hit a limit there as well. People can only grasp and comfortably hold objects of up to a certain depth. When you get it smaller than that, you're basically just printing a screen onto a knife blade. So that's no good...
Let's try connectivity. LTE and 802.11ac? Most cell networks couldn't saturate their LTE links if they tried, they simply don't have the capacity yet. And even if they did... You're telling me you can even find a use-case where your phone is pumping out/in 100+ mbit/s of data? I mean, at home it's nice to move music/videos/files around sure. But I highly doubt anyone is routinely moving gigabytes of data per hour on any sort of mobile device. Once you hit what you need for say HD video streaming... where else is there to go? Again, the next generation doesn't really need to move data any faster than this.
Sensors? Well, there's actually lots of room for improvement here. And also, un-coincidentally, this is where the GS4 has some the of greatest advantage over other current/last generation devices. While we're still pretty far away from a proper tricorder, we can now sense via magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, infrared sensor, microphones, thermometer, hydrometer, barometer, and two cameras... But building sensors isn't the hard part. It's building clever software to do something with these sensors.
I could go on further... but the point I should think is clear. Yea, it's a bit disappointing that nothing since the original GS1/GS2 has really been a full "generation and a half" ahead of the competition... but a large portion of that is simply because we're beginning to hit the ceiling with some of these improvements. Yea, in 20 years "phones" will be unpredictably evolved from what we have now. But I bet the screens still won't have any higher effective PPI than what we're approaching now...
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Click to collapse
I have to disagree about LTE. That 100mbs conection is shared across possibly 100's of users and it does not take alot to bring it down to it's knees.
Video of sub 500kbs LTE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-VVwPqhXwI
That and really 2,3,4,5,10 GB is not really that much data if you plan using the LTE speeds fully. If I didn't have a unlimited plan, my bill would be higher in a month than what my phone cost.
I will say your right about the screen 1080p is good, well really for most 720p does the trick. ( I can still see the dot's on a 720p 4.3in screen though, but most can't.)

[POLL] Is an upgrade even worth the hassle?

So I have a contract that's up for renewal (I'm sticking with The Beast, I go to rural Louisiana enough to justify the $$ in exchange for the service) and I was thinking about picking up an S4 and unloading my 3 on ebay, it would more or less cover the cost. But then I got to thinking - I run AOKP and love it to death because there's no useless bells and whistles that I don't use and just add bloat and overhead, and I'd do the same on a 4...which makes virtually all the selling points of it (the eye tracking, touchfree, fast camera) moot for me. Sure, the Snapdragon 600 is faster and the screen *is* a lot nicer, but AOKP is already silky-smooth on the S3 and the screen is more than adequate for me, but at the end of the day there's nowhere near the level of improvement I saw coming from a Droid X2 to the S3.
So, just asking for thoughts here, would you bother with the upgrade, that would be free or at worse >$50 but still involve hacking up a new phone and getting everything just right all over again, or skip this generation and wait for the next crop of gear?
If you run an non-TW ROM, all great new features from Samsung won't work so why bother?
pball the second said:
So I have a contract that's up for renewal (I'm sticking with The Beast, I go to rural Louisiana enough to justify the $$ in exchange for the service) and I was thinking about picking up an S4 and unloading my 3 on ebay, it would more or less cover the cost. But then I got to thinking - I run AOKP and love it to death because there's no useless bells and whistles that I don't use and just add bloat and overhead, and I'd do the same on a 4...which makes virtually all the selling points of it (the eye tracking, touchfree, fast camera) moot for me. Sure, the Snapdragon 600 is faster and the screen *is* a lot nicer, but AOKP is already silky-smooth on the S3 and the screen is more than adequate for me, but at the end of the day there's nowhere near the level of improvement I saw coming from a Droid X2 to the S3.
So, just asking for thoughts here, would you bother with the upgrade, that would be free or at worse >$50 but still involve hacking up a new phone and getting everything just right all over again, or skip this generation and wait for the next crop of gear?
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Does the S4 even have the bootloader unlocked? That would be an important consideration if you want to run AOKP.
im not upgrading for the exact reasons you just described and as i last haerd they were having issues unlocking the S4 on vzw.
waiting for something really worthwhile.
hoping for nexus 5 this fall thats compatibile on VZW
I'm on the same boat. I have two upgrades with Verizon. The S4 doesn't convinced me. I might take the Moto X for a test drive.
If I were you, I would sell your S3, buy an S4 with your upgrade at Verizon. DON"T open the box (aka buy it through newegg or amazon instead of going to the store where they set it up for you). Then sell the S4 on ebay as New. Take all that money and buy a S4 developer addition. Will solve the bootloader problem because it looks there is a chance that this one will never get unlocked. Or atleast it isn't worth the risk in my opinion. I enjoy the features of being both rooted and unlocked too much to not have them.
If you are worried about not having a phone while all the selling is occurring, I would buy the S4 developer addition on a credit card to avoid actually paying for it for 30ish days. Then start selling and you should probably have your money in time if you play your cards right.
I completely agree with drewmey. To date, only root has been achieved on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4, so unless you plan on sticking with stock Touchwiz UX for a while, the Developer Edition S4 is your best bet. OR you could just stick with your S3 for now (seeing as how we already have root and our bootloader unlocked) until the Nexus 5 (one can dream), the Samsung Galaxy S5, or whatever other upcoming phone tickles your fancy.
Upgrading should be discussed in the other devices sticky thread
Do not select "Yes this is a question" if you are making a poll as all Q's go in Q&A
Title edited
I don't think it is much of an upgrade to go with an S4. To me the specs aren't much better. It was kind of a waste that they even put it out. It's just something to fill the gap before something good IMO
kennyglass123 said:
Upgrading should be discussed in the other devices sticky thread
Do not select "Yes this is a question" if you are making a poll as all Q's go in Q&A
Title edited
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Sorry, haven't been on here in ages and wasn't sure where to put this.
Thanks for all the feedback...I would be optimistic about it eventually being unlocked again but the carriers are getting nastier about it. I have a family plan with an "extra" line that upgrades the opposite year as my line, so I don't need to hold out for new hardware; I'd be good in time for the S5 by May or whenever but not for the Nexus 5. Or the Moto X.
Or maybe just get a brand-spanking-new S3 with a Lifeproof or OB Armor case (I'm a compulsive runner, rain snow sleet or hail) and a few hundred bucks in my pocket and sit tight for a couple of more generations...hmmmmmmm..
Turtle Pro's:
Turtles have much better resolution. Also, they still work if they're dropped in water.
Turtle Con's:
No wifi. Bad reception.
Wrngway said:
Turtle Pro's:
Turtles have much better resolution. Also, they still work if they're dropped in water.
Turtle Con's:
No wifi. Bad reception.
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Also excellent battery life. Lack of accessories though.

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