I have been having numerous arguments with people regarding Android vs the rest.
We all know that Android is an operating system, that is used by many phone manufacturers - therefore it CANNOT be compared to iPhone directly and vise versa!
Same thing is about Windows OS.
What I am trying to say is that Android equipment manufacturers have to step up the game. I believe that making a new phone every other month is a BIG NO NO. Especially when the phone is not well tested.
As an example, I own myTouch 4G. First one had a washed out screen and not working Genius button. Second one had a spic of dust under the screen, but lucky for me - it had both good screen and eMMC. So I decided to keep it. Other folks have their phones die on them because of the bad eMMC chip.
Similar issue goes to the G2 (I read about bad eMMC chips). I also heard that Sensation has some issues too!
I witnessed people exchanging up to 7 phones, and yet to get a good one.
On the other hand, Samsung devices are seem to be very plastic on the touch. I did held them in hand. Yes, the screen looks gorgeous, but the phone itself feels bad in the hand.
LG is another story.
I haven't tried or read about SE phones.
You would ask, why the hell did I write this all?
I simply want to voice my opinion. I just sick to see all these phones popping out and then read that one has bad power button, another has 2 types of screen, and then get one of them. I really want to see Android rise up in class!
Heck for not having problems I could have gone with iPhone, but I am an Android fan and chose it because it can do what I need!
I believe with the resources that Samsung, HTC, LG and other have - they can do so much better!
Lets discuss what bad sides Android phones have and what can be improved. I think it is more productive topic than fighting over blindly.
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
There's nowhere near the level of QC there used to be in the 'real' smartphones - Treos, Communicators, iPAQs etc.
I think they do a pretty good job, there's a fit and finish for just about every taste out there today. The target audience has changed a lot, the userbase has expanded exponentially, plus there are many more manufacturers today, all vying for a slice of the pie - price competitiveness has a lot to do with this, too.
It sucks, but these things are built to be thrown away. Why pump billions of dollars into the fit and finish of something outdated two weeks after it hits the streets? Sucks for us, but 'near enough is good enough' for the manufacturers, and fair enough in my opinion
z33dev33l said:
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed about Samsung durability, I've dropped my phone on probably every surface and it is still good.
As for android there many problems with the OS. No hardware acceleration is probably big on my list. My nexus runs pretty good but I do notice lag from time to time. Stock browser is a joke to use, hella amounts of lag when viewing pics and forget about even viewing flash, so opera for me.
I hope ICS will live up to the hype, because I'm really digging the Nokia and windows mobile deal. Only time will tell...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
I was rooting for androids latest iteration to blow at least iOS out of the water but if that leaked nexus build is a final it doesn't even look smooth on a nexus device...
Who know?Probably NOT a final build as it as no acceleration. Word is that ICS will have hardware acceleration for both the interface and browser.
We will see.It does look impressive though....
On quality:My HTC Desire is horrendous, all buttons are almost dead, that has to do with quality. On the other hand my Huawei IDEOS X5 is surprisingly good for what i paid for (hint: zero but costs about 199euros).
If you want quality go for a truly expensive and good phone like the gs2, if not buy smething cheaper.
P.S. the buttons on the iphone 4 HAVE problems.3 of my friends went to the applestore to change them.That is not good build quality imho.
Eh, I like dells build quality though they fail as a software company. Honestly though I do hope ics is more impressive than it looked in that video because that was just slow and choppy, then again I guess the default UI of android isn't what's supposed to sell android. It's the customization options available.
I have a HTC Desire HD, and in my oppinion Android+Sense is the best mobile combo. all the good things from android + an awesome HTC skin.
Company's like Samsung don't make skins for their phones. I think that they should start making them. Ans if they do that, i might buy a Samsung phone or something like that after my HTC. But if they dont start making skins, i don´t want them...
i like my desire with htc sense, also like iphone with long time battery.
z33dev33l said:
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
i own HTC devices with metal... and all of them are broken, chipped so badly i have to pull out my sandy paper or file to smooth the metal back out, because the phone shell has been ripped apart after many close encounter with the floor
since i switched to Samsung the plastic design has proven that it can handle the drops much better than the metal
I got an issue with samsung and their software updates.
I've been lucky so far with HTC. Good build quality and frequently updated software.
If I need to trade off iphone quality for the freedom of Android, I will.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
There got to be some military grade glass, that will hold all kinds of abuse. My back cover of Glacier is already swinging from side to side. I really hope that this upcoming Nexus will fix all of the issues I, and many other, have with Android phones build quality.
I still do not get, where did samsung got info that 4.65" screen is good for everyone?
hmm. interesting thread, and views.
my experience hasn't been so great with samsung phones. i had a samsung moment and that thing was terrible. and apparently the gs2 is having some problems as well. users have reported problems with the screen/display having some kind of stain like color on it, and the wifi antenna has also been reported by many to be skittish.
not surprising to me. that's what happens when you push a device out based on deadlines rather than completion of thorough testing. regardless of what company is putting the phone out - HTC, samsung, LG... any of them will have problems if they don't ensure a good testing phase pre-release.
i went from the moment to the evo 3D, and the difference is night and day. and i have handled a gs2 and all i can say is i am not impressed. it feels weak and flimsy and in the end, it's still a samsung to me, with the samsung company behind it. i will never own one. but that's just me.
meanwhile, my evo 3D seems to be just a powerhouse in the performance area. i consistently hit quadrant scores over 4300 and linpack scores of 100+ and RL benchmark is completed in about 18 seconds.
there are merely a couple phones out there putting numbers like that down consistently. i know it is that fast in reality, as well, because performing tasks such as viewing, zipping, and opening pdfs from my work email are done extremely fast, and significantly faster than when the phone wasn't rooted with a custom rom/kernel.
just my opinion, but if you can't see the advantage in power and functionality in the android OS, you are not using your phone for anything other than playing games and texting.
I played this bubble game, it's fun. After a few rounds I found myself always stopped in the middle by the app ad and when I restarted the game, the previous records were all gone. Annoying!
Europa. said:
I played this bubble game, it's fun. After a few rounds I found myself always stopped in the middle by the app ad and when I restarted the game, the previous records were all gone. Annoying!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the relevance! Made my day so far
I agree with most of your arguments, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Manufacturers are still going to release one smartphone per month because people are used to buy tons of different phones to show to their friends.
More smartphones = more profit.
Doesn't matter if for the market it would be a lot better to play with only one "model" like iPhone does.
Let's hope that Google's Nexus can step up its game and be the iPhone rival.
Related
What a beautiful phone !!
Best phone of all time ?
Well not if you want a small phone or a keyboard, but it you want a bigger screen smartphone this has to be yes!
The main thing, or the sum of the parts, about this phone, is that HTC have put all their previous experience into the form factor and it shows.
For such a large screen device it feels small and light in the hand. It also looks smaller then it it.
The alu/plastic back is the perfect shape for holding and setting down. The front glass is lovely and the way you take the back off is the best way - no slide off shell that almost breaks everytime you do it, rather a release button and a smooth slide off. Even the slide-off is confidence building - the back encircles the main phone can curves round at the top. This ensures no rattling and also sealing the internals nicely.
The build quality is light and day difference from the Samsung Galaxy SII, for example. The Samsung is light and feels cheap. Worse, the last one I looked at in an O2 shop had a piece of velcro on the back slicking it to a small stand. Repeated removal meant that the thin plastic back was warped, one corner stuck off exposing some electronics and the middle had a nasty fold down it meaning it was hardly attached.
HTC Sense is the next jewel in HTC's crown. Sense 3D is no big upgrade but after some configuration it appears as jewel like as the body (I have a B&W picture background from the HTC collection) with dual clocks on the home screen, and a swiss watch skeleton clock on the lock screen).
Operation is fast and smooth. There are occasional jerks but I am sure this will be dealt with with a firmware upgrade (after all, multi-core CPUs are just introduced to Android).
The screen is a joy. Not so bright or contrasty as a AMOLED, but fantastic in its own right. The one criticism, if a bit picky, is that the contrast drops off sharply as you look at an angle. The extra 100 pixels either way over the normal high-spec android is really really useful for surfing and email (540x960).
Main gripes:
1. Not many apps using multi-core cpu
2. Not many apps using full screen resolution
3. Volume on ear piece could be a bit higher
All-in-all a great software effort for HTC's first dual core release but hardwarewise a mature and well thought out build with real ownership pleasure.
I think you could make the Moto Cliq sound amazing. You just made me so excited to have this phone.
What a phone.
Cheers
remember dude, new phones come out every 2+ Months.. And every 6 Months to a year the technology in the phone will increase and become the norm.
Best phone of all time still is handed to the iPhone 3gs
Best android phone of all time is still the Nexus One
Best Graphics phone is the Sensation
Best Power of the CPU is the Sensation
Fastest Phone: Thunderbolt
Best Gaming Phone : Tied Sony Xperia Play / G2x
Nice try, HTC Sales Deparment.
StefanB86 said:
Nice try, HTC Sales Deparment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, I'm really open to commission if anyone is offering
dbirdflyshi said:
remember dude, new phones come out every 2+ Months.. And every 6 Months to a year the technology in the phone will increase and become the norm.
Best phone of all time still is handed to the iPhone 3gs
Best android phone of all time is still the Nexus One
Best Graphics phone is the Sensation
Best Power of the CPU is the Sensation
Fastest Phone: Thunderbolt
Best Gaming Phone : Tied Sony Xperia Play / G2x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looks like a 1980s list
Sony xperia play -come on - no review says that ....
I would definitely own the Sensation over the iPhone 4, any day of the week. It's not even close. To me, that's a significant statement to make given how the iPhone has pretty much dominated.
Hey,
I've just come from having an iPhone 4(had it a year, and got bored), and this is my first Android phone. I must say i am happy with the phone, but the best phone ever? Not yet.
The iPhone has a great Retina screen and its build quality is great. But you have to jailbreak it to get some basic features, like bluetooth, customising themes, tethering etc.
The Sensation is great out of the box, not a snappy as i anticipated i think due to sense. But i has everything i need as stock.
Sound is a bit low, and crackly sometimes. But i am impressed.
Cant wait to root it and unlock the real speed of the phone
nick
dbirdflyshi said:
Best phone of all time still is handed to the iPhone 3gs
Best android phone of all time is still the Nexus One
Best Graphics phone is the Sensation
Best Power of the CPU is the Sensation
Fastest Phone: Thunderbolt
Best Gaming Phone : Tied Sony Xperia Play / G2x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah like the other dude said, this list looks... off a bit.
Sensation is beautiful but the best graphics?
3Gs the best phone ever? Really?
Nexus One, the best android phone ever? Maybe only to the dev community.
Fastest - Should read fastest data speeds, then yes I would agree with that one. In terms of overall responsiveness, then no.
Gaming phone - could be any Galaxy S1 (Power VRSGX540 is still a beast), GS2, or any tegra2 device out there. The Xperia play has an Adreno 205 GPU which makes it decent at best, physical controls and all. But it lines up with the rest of Sony's product lines - They make a lot of good stuff, just never the best.
colonel said:
looks like a 1980s list
Sony xperia play -come on - no review says that ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your lucky i didnt mention the N-Gague
BBOOZE said:
I would definitely own the Sensation over the iPhone 4, any day of the week. It's not even close. To me, that's a significant statement to make given how the iPhone has pretty much dominated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same way but..... give iPhone 4.3" screen and T-mo bands and we'll talk again. I don't like apple, SJ or their nazi ways but there's something fascinating about having a device that just. works. out. of. the. box. Mind you, this is coming from Android follower since day 1 (Got G1 on the day of the release). I'm sick of rooting phones just to make them work and I thought that Sensation will be the phone I can live with. I mean it does sound great on paper but in real life - software on it is big heaping pile of ****. I truly believe that HTC is getting too comfy being one the biggest names in Android game and they are cutting corners left and right. Guess what - it shows.
Can't wait for S-off and CM.
colonel said:
What a beautiful phone !!
Best phone of all time ?
Well not if you want a small phone or a keyboard, but it you want a bigger screen smartphone this has to be yes!
The main thing, or the sum of the parts, about this phone, is that HTC have put all their previous experience into the form factor and it shows.
For such a large screen device it feels small and light in the hand. It also looks smaller then it it.
The alu/plastic back is the perfect shape for holding and setting down. The front glass is lovely and the way you take the back off is the best way - no slide off shell that almost breaks everytime you do it, rather a release button and a smooth slide off. Even the slide-off is confidence building - the back encircles the main phone can curves round at the top. This ensures no rattling and also sealing the internals nicely.
The build quality is light and day difference from the Samsung Galaxy SII, for example. The Samsung is light and feels cheap. Worse, the last one I looked at in an O2 shop had a piece of velcro on the back slicking it to a small stand. Repeated removal meant that the thin plastic back was warped, one corner stuck off exposing some electronics and the middle had a nasty fold down it meaning it was hardly attached.
HTC Sense is the next jewel in HTC's crown. Sense 3D is no big upgrade but after some configuration it appears as jewel like as the body (I have a B&W picture background from the HTC collection) with dual clocks on the home screen, and a swiss watch skeleton clock on the lock screen).
Operation is fast and smooth. There are occasional jerks but I am sure this will be dealt with with a firmware upgrade (after all, multi-core CPUs are just introduced to Android).
The screen is a joy. Not so bright or contrasty as a AMOLED, but fantastic in its own right. The one criticism, if a bit picky, is that the contrast drops off sharply as you look at an angle. The extra 100 pixels either way over the normal high-spec android is really really useful for surfing and email (540x960).
Main gripes:
1. Not many apps using multi-core cpu
2. Not many apps using full screen resolution
3. Volume on ear piece could be a bit higher
All-in-all a great software effort for HTC's first dual core release but hardwarewise a mature and well thought out build with real ownership pleasure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more! This phone has made, by far, the best first impression (and continued) of any new device I've purchased in years.
I'm not sure why the 3GS was brought up here - I went from the 3G to the 3GS and really didn't feel it was worth it (it was a free upgrade through work, so what the heck). The original iPhone can get a mention, but I wouldn't give any of the subsequent models anything special.
I was a htc fan for a long period of time. Now i'm cured..
OP: go to youtube and watch some comparison videos between sensation and galaxy s2.
How can you claim that? Damn, some people just cannot accept the reality.
How much free usable ram do you got? Can you play full hd videos with flash?
Strange...
DSF said:
I was a htc fan for a long period of time. Now i'm cured..
OP: go to youtube and watch some comparison videos between sensation and galaxy s2.
How can you claim that? Damn, some people just cannot accept the reality.
How much free usable ram do you got? Can you play full hd videos with flash?
Strange...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the galaxy s 2 is faster but perhaps new htc software will make it up
however the margin is not worth it compared to the terrible build or Fischer price os
DSF said:
I was a htc fan for a long period of time. Now i'm cured..
OP: go to youtube and watch some comparison videos between sensation and galaxy s2.
How can you claim that? Damn, some people just cannot accept the reality.
How much free usable ram do you got? Can you play full hd videos with flash?
Strange...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a d*ck move you pulled there. Go back under the bridge from which you came. The OP didn't once claim that this phone was better than the GS2. He was merely stating that he's in love with his phone. Nothing wrong with that. Everyone already knows that the GS2 is superior performance wise. Now go back to your Samsung forums and leave us be.
colonel said:
Best phone of all time ?
Well not if you want a small phone or a keyboard, but it you want a bigger screen smartphone this has to be yes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then what's this?
Smart reply what can I say..
@colonel, well sgs2 feels solid in hand. No cranks, etc.
I'm posting here just because I don't like when the true is distorted. I could easily chose the sensation but for me the sgs2 wins (raw performance, ram, storage, etc).
Have a nice day.
DSF said:
Then what's this?
Smart reply what can I say..
@colonel, well sgs2 feels solid in hand. No cranks, etc.
I'm posting here just because I don't like when the true is distorted. I could easily chose the sensation but for me the sgs2 wins (raw performance, ram, storage, etc).
Have a nice day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you come out here looking like a complete *ahem* ...wait, too late... I was ABOUT to say that you should probably take into consideration that at this point in time this IS the best phone ever available in the United States. For any of us living here, it's a no brainer. As far as the rest of the world - can't people be allowed to enjoy anything anymore?
borodin1 said:
I feel the same way but..... give iPhone 4.3" screen and T-mo bands and we'll talk again. I don't like apple, SJ or their nazi ways but there's something fascinating about having a device that just. works. out. of. the. box. Mind you, this is coming from Android follower since day 1 (Got G1 on the day of the release). I'm sick of rooting phones just to make them work and I thought that Sensation will be the phone I can live with. I mean it does sound great on paper but in real life - software on it is big heaping pile of ****. I truly believe that HTC is getting too comfy being one the biggest names in Android game and they are cutting corners left and right. Guess what - it shows.
Can't wait for S-off and CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree about how nice it is that the iPhone works out of the box but I have to say I was able to get up and running in no time on my new Sensation just by entering my gmail account info...boom everything was there.
As for Sense I never liked/used Sense before but IF I got stuck with it on the Sensation I wouldn't be ready to kill myself. Frankly I think CM ROMs are waaaay overrated...so they are faster, great, but half the time stuff like GPS don't work. That said I will root this baby the second I get the chance.
......NOT !!!
ps: ok, maybe the best htc phone of all time.
GS2 is definitely more powerful at the moment. But after software update, hopefully the Sensation will show big improvement. I mean Sense 3.0 runs very smoothly on EVO 3d, so there's no reason why Sensation couldn't.
Sound and camera quality on HTC, however, need to be a lot better. Samsung have this, as well as sheer power and speed covered. But of course, HTC have an upper hand in the aesthetics of the phone, both hardware and software.
While I long for GS2's unstoppable power, I really cannot stand its big, non-matchingly-colorful, unpolished interface (I don't mind the plastic build). Same with the Sensation - unbelievably beautiful look of the device and UI, but things like dust under screen, dim screen (compared to EVO 3d), whispering speaker volume and average camera quality turn me off quite a bit.
So, I'm gonna stick to my good, old blackberry and wait until HTC or Samsung
address their weakness.
hello
im a new user to this forum and very happy from this.
please help me for buy a smart phone.
please comparison between sensation and galaxy sii and consider sensation is cheaper than galaxy but it has the more features of galaxy
thanks alot
Sensation is better than Galaxy. Hands down.
It's not better than the Galaxy Nexus, though...
To the OP, wait until February. The Mobile World Congress takes place then and you'll see all the new handsets being released. THEN you can make a proper decision
arzbhatia said:
Sensation is better than Galaxy. Hands down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. If I had the chance to change my sensation to an galaxy, I wouldn't doubt a second. The crappy build, and the crappy everything, makes me want to give HTC one on the head.
TheStigx said:
Not really. If I had the chance to change my sensation to an galaxy, I wouldn't doubt a second. The crappy build, and the crappy everything, makes me want to give HTC one on the head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I could switch I would do it in an instant. Can't use the phone in bed due to wifi signal, random signal drops with 3 different phones with multiple roms, low res screen, etc. Its worth only 350 now too, with phones like GS2 still holding their price.
Ali_Shaikh said:
If I could switch I would do it in an instant. Can't use the phone in bed due to wifi signal, random signal drops with 3 different phones with multiple roms, low res screen, etc. Its worth only 350 now too, with phones like GS2 still holding their price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely !
Hmm, everyone has different choices.
Anyway, I totally agree with Eddy over here.. you should wait till Feb.
I'd go for the sensation..the GSII feels like a cheap plastic phone for little kids to play with
I own a sensation XE while my other half owns a S2. Side by side the s2 is faster by a few seconds. But thats about it. They both run the same games as well as each other. The screens both look good (better colours on the S2 but more crisp image on the Sensation. The build quality is good on both. If you don't mind the plastic. If you like a premium feeling device I would go with the Sensation.
I'd go SGS2. My brother-in-law has one and I've had a chance to play with it quite a bit. I'm pretty envious, but I would never tell him that haha.
As for why? The legend of HTC build quality just isn't true anymore. My volume rocker has started to stick after 5 months and it's annoying, my power button double presses when I don't have the case on, wifi deathgrip really sucks, and the cellular antenna design is just terrible. Integrated with the removable back cover? Really?? That's not even getting into the fact that SGS2 is just plain out faster than Sensation.
Sensation isn't a bad phone mind you. I would trade it in a heartbeat, but I still like it. It's still a very nice high end device that does what I want it to do. But if the SGS2 was out when I so desperately needed a phone 5 months ago, I probably wouldn't be posting this.
But like EddyOS said. Best thing to do is wait if you can.
I think the only differences between the SGSII and the Sensation are
SGSII has NFC, Sensation doesn't
SAMOLED+ vs. S-LCD Display
Touchwiz vs. Sense 3.0
it's comepletely up to you.
thanks from those who responded.
see,sensation has a lot of gsII's options and it's cheaper than gsII.but,galaxy had been better in the tests.i wish i made a poll to make it easier to decide.
i used my uncle galaxy sii and i hate it's user interface and i thought the htc user interface is so better and it's more beautiful than sumsong
thank's a lot.
You won't be happy with the software on the sensation. Go SG2
HTC Sensation.....FTW !!
Backthen said:
You won't be happy with the software on the sensation. Go SG2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok.it's personalisation that you like this user interface or that one.i think HTC company works on the software a lot and it's software is more beautiful,more performance and.... than the others.
please talk more about their hardware and thanks a lot.
Well, here's my personal experience with both devices. I believe there's also still a topic I started hidden somewhere on the forums here when I was to decide wether to go with the SGSII, Sensation (XE) or wait for the Galaxy Nexus.
Now I'm in the possession of both the SGSII and the Sensation XE, so I pretty much have the best of both worlds. Down here is a quick overview of my personal experiences and a conclusion to why I'm using my current device (the Sensation XE).
Samsung Galaxy SII - International White Edition
At first glance it seemed like a great phone, small in design and a dedicated home button which can also wake up your phone instead of having to pry around with a power button alone. However, after holding it in my hands entirely set up with the battery in it, the weight was just way to low. I actually had to check my pockets regularly just to see if I was still in the possession of my phone. Now, I can see why people would like that, but the fact that the phone is so light comes with a price.
The durability of the phone seems to be abysmal. After inserting the battery and the simcard+MicroSD I had to put the back cover back on. That went according to plan, but suddenly I felt that the back cover wasn't matching up with the phone's housing anymore. There was a slight bulge where you have to insert your fingernail to remove the back cover which annoyed me to no end. After that, I decided to get a cover for my phone so it would stop annoying me, which it did.
Then the next issue arose with the hardware of the phone. The home button started to wiggle around a bit. no biggie I guessed, and just kept using the phone as it was. After a week or 2, a cracking noise came from the home button. Seeing as I hardly use the home button, it kind of surprised me, and I decided to think of it as a way to "crack in the device" like a new pair of shoes. Regardless, after a few more days of moderately to heavily using the phone, the cracking noise only got worse, and I decided to return the phone.
The replacement phone immediately suffered the same issue with the back cover, but with my case around it, it wasn't noticable, but the thought of knowing that it's there still annoyed me. Also, I had lost faith in the home button and tried to avoid using it as much as possible, so I only used the power button on the right side to wake my phone etc. After a while, the power button started failing to wake up my phone and I was forced to use my home button once again.
As far as software goes, the standard TouchWiz interface which comes with the phone is a immense piece of ****, excuse my language. I cannot tell you enough how much I hated it. Regardless, this is all up to personal preference, but it lagged for me at times, and only a complete reboot of the phone would restore a bit of fluidity.
The screen however is amazing. Regardless of the fact that the colors are over saturated to an extreme, the pictures and browsing I did seemed clear as day. No issues whatsoever with it. The only gripe I had with the screen was its resolution. at a 480x800 resolution, text would often appear jagged around the edges and not as sharp as I would have liked it to be. Even installling the Roboto font which is specifically made for text clarity, couldn't take away the roughness of the letters.
That's when I decided to start looking into custom roms, rooting and kernels. After trying out a multitude of roms, ranging from the golden oldies which have had quite some development time behind them to the recently released ones, the only rom which made my SGSII feel as it should be was Cyanogenmod. I must say that I was impressed by the fluidity of it. Regardless, I had to give up certain hardware acceleration options just to get a more fluid phone, which is not how it was intended in my opinion. This resulted in my feeling ripped off by Samsung.
However, the benchmark scores on the customised SGSII were out of this world. once you OC the processor to it's max and run a few benchies, you'll be quite impressed by what the device is capable of. However, in day to day use, it's impossible to keep overclocking it without having an immense amount of additional batteries stowed away in your bag, which brings me to my last point.
Before I chose to go to the Android side, I used to own an i4. Yes I know, bad choice and glad I'm back on the Android side after a year. However, the i4's battery life was simply amazing compared to the SGSII. The SGSII would not last me close to a days worth of work and I often had to recharge in the middle of the day. Note: This occured even with underclocking the processor, turning Wi-fi off and all the battery saving things which have been mentioned here on XDA. Whereas I was offended by the i4 that the battery didn't last me 2 days of moderate use (some games, browsing, video's and heavy music usage) the SGSII just left me baffled over the abysmal results it was producing. This is no different on the Sensation, but more on that in my second segment.
TLDR: Plastic device with rather bad production quality with hardware failures all around on 2 seperate devices. Great screen for colors, not so great for text. Battery life leaves much to be desired and fluidity of the device could most certainly be a lot better. A definite featherweight though, and if that's your thing, this is the ideal phone.
HTC Sensation XE Edition
The hardware on the phone is simply phenomenal. The aluminium finish really makes a difference in both style and quality. The fact that the entire frame is replacable is definitely a plus for when you accidentally drop your phone and the panel is scratched. The outside was definitely hard to remove the first time, but after inserting the battery, simcard and SD card, I didn't need to reopen the device again. Once closed up the construction still feels very solid without any mishaps on production quality. The weight of the phone is a lot more as how I like it and the rounded edges make it a lot easier to hold in my hands compared to both the i4 and the sgsII with their sharper edges.
As far as the hardware goes, people have reported both light leakages and dust under the screen, but I did not experience any of those issues on my Sensation XE. The screen is still dust free after 2 months of usage, and there is no light leakage whatsoever. I inspected the device for light leakage in a dark room under my blanket with the screen on and off for an extended period of time. The softkey buttons respond well and the volume rocker is solid as I like it. The power button is slightly more inconveniently placed, but nothing to fret about.
As far as the software goes. The Sense 3.0 interface which comes standard with the phone really makes this phone as special as it is. Unable to be ported to any other manufactureres devices, Sense provided me with sleek visuals while remaining to give me a fluid experience with the device. Ever so often the device would soft-reset itself because it runs out of memory though. Which could be seen as an annoyance at start, but hasn't happened to me after the first week for some odd reason. The Sense overlay really made my like this phone, and I have since then looked upon all previous devices I owned as inferior when it comes to their individual overlays.
The screen, standing at a qHD resolution of 960x540 which is simply great. Not astounishingly great, but it simply is wonderful. While I've always been sceptic about resolution differences on phones it has become more than apparant to me that even this tiny resolution difference on this 4.3'' screen makes a huge difference. Text is sharper, images are sharper and the overall experience is far more enjoyable. Not only when browsing, but while looking at videos and pictures as well. The colors aren't quite as vibrant as on the SGSII, but that's not something I'm actually missing. There have been talks about the screen having washed out colors at certain angles, but please, at the angles where the colors start washing out, you won't be using your device anyway.
The modding community for the Sensation seems to be quite equal to the SGSII's community, but there's one difference. The Sensation mod community seems to be a much nicer bunch compared to the SGSII, keep in mind that this is a subjective view, and should not be taken as a fact. After S-off'ing the device, rooting and installing custom roms, it's hard to stick with one certain rom while thre is so much to choose from here. Ranging from the standard Sensation roms to the XE roms and kernels, there's plenty to mess around with.
The battery life however, oh oh oh HTC, you failed there. You made an excellent device and then simply mess it all up with the battery. At first I wasn't able to get through an afternoon with the device. But that was mostly thanks to my "honeymoon" period with the device where I tried to exert its every resource. After installing a couple of different kernels and roms, I've managed to get up to 16 hours of battery out of the phone, which is more than acceptable. Keep in mind though that you might want to consider getting an extended battery.
TLDR: Great build quality with a good weight attached to it. Sense overlay really is a + for me, and the higher resolution screen definitely helps the Sensation in its presentational value. The battery life and lesser amount of ram shouldn't have been there on the flagship device, but when looking at the device in it's entirety, I must say that this is the least of my worries. Definitely a worthy device.
Conclusion:
I love my Senny, the form factor and android overlay simply made this phone into my favorite phone so far. It has also refilled my trust in HTC and its products after the failure which was the G1. I currently only use my SGSII as a backup device for when my battery dies on my Senny and is pretty much used as data storage whenever not in use, as that's all what its good for in my opinion.
Do take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I'm currently quite favorable towards the Sensation XE which I own. Nonetheless both devices have their ups and downs, but the upsides of the SGSII do not outweigh the failures.
Excuse this long wall of text and the lack of english grammar, I'm not a native speaker and I'm sure there are plenty of mistakes in here!
Regards,
Vex
Please do your own research and come to your own conclusion. Try your best to get some hands-on experience for yourself with both phones, and pick whatever YOU think is better.
I don't mean this in a condescending manner. I mean this in the most helpful manner possible, because asking one particular group for just their opinions is particularly dangerous.
When you come into our forum, you are going to get a ton of biased responses making it as if our phone is the bomb. Many responses will be critical of the other phone, even though a lot of those responses come from people who don't own that phone and/or haven't even used one before. Another hugely dangerous thing is that people will give you an opinion based on what THEY value, not what you value. You will get a lot of the "SGS2 feels like a toy" responses, which indicates that that person clearly prioritizes the feel of a phone. Those voices will crowd out the few voices of people with different values (like me), who would say things like "Sensation performs like a toy". People will say run a custom ROM, OC, different kernel, yada yada, and I've done all that, and in my experience the Sensation just doesn't run as smoothly as other phones.
There are other things that have made my Sensation experience less than pleasurable. It's just overall an under-spec'd phone IMO. Less RAM than most dual-cores, undoubtedly a pathetic amount of internal storage (1 GB, really?), an asynchronous dual-core that IMO was a poor decision, a screen that lacks in the brightness department (yes, resolution is nice, but brightness is not), software that was just plain and simple horribly finished (I love Sense but I cannot stand how much of a fail it was in terms of making sure it would run well and smoothly), a horrible speaker (worst I've heard on a phone), "build quality" that makes me question why people continue to praise HTC for that (death grip that is more significant than most phones, a creaky back, dust issues under the screen, and the backlight for the capacitive buttons leaks through a tiny crack on the side of the phone, a pseudo-unibody design), and more. The Sensation is overall just a good device, a 7 out of 10 in my book. The phones of now like the Galaxy Nexus, Droid Razr, and the like are far better IMO on paper, and I'm sure if I got hands-on experience I would like them more than the Sensation.
The issue is that clearly some people who value one certain set of aspects will love the phone. Another group of people who value a different set of aspects won't like it as much. That would be me: poor performance bothers me more than plastic build possibly could (I've had a plastic Samsung phone before, and while it was nothing to look at or hold, it was tough as heck). The thing is, my opinion doesn't matter, because I don't know what YOU value. YOU shouldn't base YOUR decision on what I value.
I suppose it's OK to get opinions from owners, but you HAVE to make sure you get them from both sides, and you HAVE to take them ALL with a grain of salt. Optimally, you'll gather opinions and then get some hands-on experience to see what really applies to you.
I wholeheartedly agree with The Janitor Mop. As you can see, both our experiences differ by quite a large margin. Therefore it is of utmost importance that you try out both devices in-store yourself to draw the best conclusion for yourself.
Even though we can outline our experiences of the device with a slightly biased opinion, the truth of the matter is that none of our needs will be exactly the same as the needs you will have for this particular phone.
So, go to your local store and ask to try out both devices!
Stealing the topic from the owner..
I'd like to ask the same question. I'm going to the US in February, and i'd like to buy a new flagship for me. I had a Nexus S, and now I'm looking for the next.
So, what currently are the best phones, hardware speaking, that are available? Don't mind the OS or brand, and I'm looking mostly for a feature phone, it must be GSM. Thank you a lot.
PS: Forgot to mention, I'm on a budget, $600 tops please.
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Thread moved to Q&A due to it being a question. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
Failure to comply with forum rules will result in an infraction and/or ban depending on severity of rule break.
I'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.
I have a Note 3 AND an iPhone 5. I've been using an iPhone since the first one was released. When I purchased the Note 3 a little over 2 weeks ago I regarded it as somewhat of an experiment. As a result my iPhone 5 was placed safely in a drawer. 2+ weeks on I still find myself taking the iPhone out to play around with it and asking myself which phone I want to stick with. I still don't have an answer.
Random thoughts after owning the Note 3 for 2+ weeks and the iPhone 5 for a year:
1. The iPhone 5 is undeniably slicker. Everything feels so much more like it is working in harmony and I rarely if ever experience any system slowdowns or crashes. Since using the Note 3 I've experienced crashes with a few apps.
2. The iPhone 5 is also undeniably easier to get in and out of just about any pocket. Sometimes when I take the Note 3 out I have to be conscious of which pants I put on as some pockets just aren't deep enough.
3. The accessory situation with the Note 3 is absolutely putrid! I've scoured my town and found so little it's shocking. Contrasting that with the iPhone 5 is absolutely a joke, there are accessories EVERYWHERE for the iPhone 5.
4. The build quality of the iPhone is sublime. It looks and feels like a fine piece of jewelery. The Note 3 is merely ok. The "chrome" band that wraps around the phone is of embarrassing quality when scrutinized. It looks ok from a distance but look at it closely and it's just not a smoothly finished piece of material. The home button on mine and every other one I have tried is loose. It works ok but I am constantly adjusting it to sit level. These issues do not portray what a $700 device should.
5. I was literally shocked when I took my iPhone out of its safe drawer storage location and a notification came in. It sounded so loud and crisp. In comparison the Note 3 speaker is so underwhelming. I can't understand who decided this was a good decision. My Galaxy Tab 1 speakers (admittedly 2 speakers in stereo) sound infinitely better and at least from the outside looking at them are basically the same size each. Couldn't they use 1 of these in the Note 3 for a dramatically improved sound experience? Money certainly can't be the reason on a flagship phone, bad mistake Samsung. I would have paid $705 instead of the $703 I did to get a decent speaker.
6. On the bright side the Note 3 screen is EPIC. Not only in size but in quality. I'm not stunned when I go back to the iPhone 5 that its screen is poor, hardly. But the size difference is impossible to ignore.
7. How can you ignore the Apple ecosystem? For every app I've tried on the Note 3, the iPhone version was better. It's hard to put a finger on why, but that is my perception.
8. IMO the Note 3 is a great device but it feels very thrown together from so many often unrelated parts. It's like a car made up of Porsche, Lexus, Audi, and Mercedes parts, and none of the companies ever talked to each other. The iPhone is exactly the opposite, it feels like a tightly integrated machine. Like a Lamborghini, period.
With all of this said, the Note 3 is outstanding and I can't imagine ever going back to a smaller device.
so your basically saying every negative thing about the note and praising the iphone 5 i would be suprised if this place doesn't turn into a flaming centre and you are saying that you still like it ?? it's like saying my wife is a ***** but i still love her
Blackwolf10 said:
so your basically saying every negative thing about the note and praising the iphone 5 i would be suprised if this place doesn't turn into a flaming centre and you are saying that you still like it ?? it's like saying my wife is a ***** but i still love her
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Click to collapse
Yes I still like it, very much in fact. I'm just giving the perspective of someone who owns both. Yes I did point out every negative I have personally observed with the Note 3. But all of these negatives combined don't change the fact that the Note 3 is a terrific device. BTW I'm sorry your wife is a *****. :laugh:
You should consider getting iPhone 5s instead. It's clearly the better device for your needs.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
To OP..clearly u are not belong here..anyway enjoy ur iphn 5..or just upgrade it to iphn 5s..
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
This is the problem with Samsung. Its a cheap asian knock off company and their quality is typically asian. Samsung phones are franken phones made up of what ever pieces they can find. They are not put together with care or thought. If it fits it will go in.... Apple designs their phones which is why it takes 24 months for a new design.
If Apple launched a 5 inch iphone id likely go back to Apple. I used to use all the android features and freedom but now i cant be bothered.
To be honest im getting tired of the Android ecosystem of manufacturers. Only Apple and Nokia know how to make a quality made device. Samsung have no idea, Their S3 was ugly and their nature theme was a puke inducing typical asian idea that the west just doesnt get. Now these whole notebook theme is another typical korean theme that they think is "cool" The problem is that Korea and China and the rest of Asia have no idea what "Cool" is or even what good design is.
Clearly an iphone lover looking to start up a flaming thread....
This is the problem with Samsung. Its a cheap asian knock off company and their quality is typically asian. Samsung phones are franken phones made up of what ever pieces they can find. They are not put together with care or thought. If it fits it will go in.... Apple designs their phones which is why it takes 24 months for a new design.
If Apple launched a 5 inch iphone id likely go back to Apple. I used to use all the android features and freedom but now i cant be bothered.
To be honest im getting tired of the Android ecosystem of manufacturers. Only Apple and Nokia know how to make a quality made device. Samsung have no idea, Their S3 was ugly and their nature theme was a puke inducing typical asian idea that the west just doesnt get. Now these whole notebook theme is another typical korean theme that they think is "cool" The problem is that Korea and China and the rest of Asia have no idea what "Cool" is or even what good design is. This is why they cant get enough of European brands and western luxury items.
Samsung have never made a cool phone ever. Never will either..
It's obvious that you purchased a device that you don't need . I don't think that a device sound be made of expensive materials here in Europe I can buy an original samsung back cover for my note 3 spending $3 I also can replace it's broken screen for 150$ try to do that with an iPhone so if can suggest something ...next time you gonna a buy a device just value your needs
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
irzero said:
This is the problem with Samsung. Its a cheap asian knock off company and their quality is typically asian. Samsung phones are franken phones made up of what ever pieces they can find. They are not put together with care or thought. If it fits it will go in.... Apple designs their phones which is why it takes 24 months for a new design.
If Apple launched a 5 inch iphone id likely go back to Apple. I used to use all the android features and freedom but now i cant be bothered.
To be honest im getting tired of the Android ecosystem of manufacturers. Only Apple and Nokia know how to make a quality made device. Samsung have no idea, Their S3 was ugly and their nature theme was a puke inducing typical asian idea that the west just doesnt get. Now these whole notebook theme is another typical korean theme that they think is "cool" The problem is that Korea and China and the rest of Asia have no idea what "Cool" is or even what good design is.
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Click to collapse
Maybe you should take a look at the HTC One mate. Best designed phone around I reckon. Truly beautiful.
As for the rest, stick with 5 or 5s. Both great phones and seemingly fit your needs better. Alternately I'd highly recommend the highly acclaimed HTC One if you want a bigger screen than Iphone but want a gorgeous aluninium device rather than the cheaper plastic design of Samsung.
And to all the anti-metal lot... no, not every plastic phone feels cheap. (5c and HTC One X, etc) Samsung are just lax and can't be bothered with design.
I'm 100% with you, iPhone is the best. Android is just another Symbian and/or Java. I buy android phones for 2 reasons, first for the big display and second to test the apps for free before I buy them for my iDevices. I gotta tell you though this is the first time I used a Samsung device and the display is awesome
fade2black101 said:
Maybe you should take a look at the HTC One mate. Best designed phone around I reckon. Truly beautiful.
As for the rest, stick with 5 or 5s. Both great phones and seemingly fit your needs better. Alternately I'd highly recommend the highly acclaimed HTC One if you want a bigger screen than Iphone but want a gorgeous aluninium device rather than the cheaper plastic design of Samsung.
And no, not every plastic phone feels cheap. (5c and HTC One X, etc)
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Click to collapse
The HTC one is a nightmare. My friend had 5. The build issues are huge. Its a very nice phone and maybe next year if they make a follow up just as good as the one then i might jump. As long as they fix the dead pixels and poorly stuck down aluminium pieces. Slow charging and short battery life.
The Note 3 will have to do till next year. Im hoping things get better next year. Specs are now high enough for me not to care.. i want quality design and build now.
docprego said:
1. The iPhone 5 is undeniably slicker. Everything feels so much more like it is working in harmony and I rarely if ever experience any system slowdowns or crashes. Since using the Note 3 I've experienced crashes with a few apps. Mac OS X runs lovely on a Mac, but you can still do more on a traditional PC, you can take full advantage of the entire provided hardware on the PC rather than on a Mac (overclocking, hotswapping of mods, hardware upgrades).
2. The iPhone 5 is also undeniably easier to get in and out of just about any pocket. Sometimes when I take the Note 3 out I have to be conscious of which pants I put on as some pockets just aren't deep enough. They are two different types of devices, one is a PHABLET, one is a PHONE.
3. The accessory situation with the Note 3 is absolutely putrid! I've scoured my town and found so little it's shocking. Contrasting that with the iPhone 5 is absolutely a joke, there are accessories EVERYWHERE for the iPhone 5. The Note 3 just came out, give it some time. Also the iPhone community is much bigger than the Note 3 community, because the iPhone has a tiny screen and most of the population have small hands and can't take the Note's big screen.
4. The build quality of the iPhone is sublime. It looks and feels like a fine piece of jewelery. The Note 3 is merely ok. The "chrome" band that wraps around the phone is of embarrassing quality when scrutinized. It looks ok from a distance but look at it closely and it's just not a smoothly finished piece of material. The home button on mine and every other one I have tried is loose. It works ok but I am constantly adjusting it to sit level. These issues do not portray what a $700 device should. An iPhone is so girly, in the sense that they live the life of a girl, they would sacrifice everything just to look good. What does the iPhone 5 have? 3GB RAM? Eight-cores/S800 Quad? S-Pen? Big screen? Big battery? LOL should I even continue? The Note 3 is already so good, and packs all this hardware into such a thin form factor.
5. I was literally shocked when I took my iPhone out of its safe drawer storage location and a notification came in. It sounded so loud and crisp. In comparison the Note 3 speaker is so underwhelming. I can't understand who decided this was a good decision. My Galaxy Tab 1 speakers (admittedly 2 speakers in stereo) sound infinitely better and at least from the outside looking at them are basically the same size each. Couldn't they use 1 of these in the Note 3 for a dramatically improved sound experience? Money certainly can't be the reason on a flagship phone, bad mistake Samsung. I would have paid $705 instead of the $703 I did to get a decent speaker. Well Samsung is notorious for speaker complaints, you don't really choose LG for waterproof devices, or Sony for the Nexus line, you know the rep of the phone you're buying, you're in for the problems. If you want a good phone with good speakers, try the HTC One with Beats (last model of phones to release with Beats on HTC).
6. On the bright side the Note 3 screen is EPIC. Not only in size but in quality. I'm not stunned when I go back to the iPhone 5 that its screen is poor, hardly. But the size difference is impossible to ignore. Both different kind of devices, screen size shouldn't matter, you can't compare an iPod Nano to an iPod touch, clearly there is no winner.
7. How can you ignore the Apple ecosystem? For every app I've tried on the Note 3, the iPhone version was better. It's hard to put a finger on why, but that is my perception. The App Store has been here and fully controlled by Apple ever since the 2.0 days. It obviously controls every aspect of every app, which limits developers to what Apple wants them to do. On Android, they could have been made by kids, grandmas or your mom, there's more freedom, but you can't complain because Google encourages more "free" apps to be developed to take advantage of the hardware.
8. IMO the Note 3 is a great device but it feels very thrown together from so many often unrelated parts. It's like a car made up of Porsche, Lexus, Audi, and Mercedes parts, and none of the companies ever talked to each other. The iPhone is exactly the opposite, it feels like a tightly integrated machine. Like a Lamborghini, period. An iPhone is like a Macbook, all software built for it's hardware. But an iPhone is so simple, and 'jailed' in a non-sandbox environment/containers that cannot essentially interact with each other nicely. What you get from an iPhone is if you want things to work, stay with the iPhone, you don't get more options than an Android, instead, you are running Touchwiz Home on Easy mode....more integrated machine? Well, as I said, Apple makes the software and hardware. Samsung, skins the original software from Google, creates the hardware, and also develops the drivers for each individual machine. This is why people mod cars, you can buy a closed system like Lamborghini or Porsche, keeping all their stock values and everything, limited from doing anything 'special'. One Android, you can essentially run Samsung/HTC/LG/Motorola specific apps on one device, and you can overclock it to make it faster too. You can't upgrade the graphics card in an iMac, but you can on a PC - means that when a new game comes out, the Android runs it better on a newer device by a different company the next week, rather than limiting down THE GAME to be able to run smoothly on an iPhone. People who think iPhone's are better, they're alright, because they DO NOT LIKE CHANGE, and they do not like to **** up or experiment hands on (no offence but it's true), and jailbreaking is just getting a skin + addons onto the device. On Android, you can run different platforms of OS'es, like Windows 95 (natively in VM) or Ubuntu 13 (as a complete OS install).
With all of this said, the Note 3 is outstanding and I can't imagine ever going back to a smaller device.
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Just my two cents. Not here to flame the Apple-loving crowd roaming around an open source OS development website.
I used an iPhone for 2 weeks last month, I didn't notice this "Apple ecosystem" people are so much talking about. LOL even Play Store is way better than Apple's App Store. Also, of course iPhone accessories will be everywhere because they make so much money from Apple users. When I went to buy a Note 3 they didn't even ask me if I wanted extended warranty or not, somebody was buying an iPhone right beside me and I couldn't believe how they sold extended warranty(not Apple Care), screen protector and a case. If somebody is buying an iPhone, they're probably very naive, so upselling is very easy lol On iOS you have to wait for those annoying animations to finish before the screen recognises your finger. If this is what you call "smooth/fast" no thank you I'm happy with my "laggy" Android
Sent from my SM-N900W8
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Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Dreadful thread tbh
In regards to the HTC One, the earlier models may have had issues but from what I've seen the newer ones are fine.
---------- Post added at 12:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------
Also, someone who can see the benefits of both OS is not an "Apple fan"
I don't own any Apple products and I was using a more productive but horribly laggy windows mobile back when smartphones were not common. By the time the iphone came out you could see that it was aimed at the more casual market and it has since inproved significantly but Android will always be the one for tweaking and customizing. There was no denying though that even from day 1, iPhone was much smoother and a better user experience in comparison to windows mobile.
Some people couldn't care less about that though, and people shouldn't get so defensive if someone wants to compare this phone with the iPhone 5. I don't have a Note 3 and I'm still on 2, and I read this part of the forum for general feedback.
Some people need to get a life and realise its only a phone. People will have different needs! If you really can't bear to see a thread like this and feel is MUST be locked down, then you really need to reevaluate your lives.
fade2black101 said:
Also, someone who can see the benefits of both OS is not an "Apple fan"
I don't own any Apple products and I was using a more productive but horribly laggy windows mobile back when smartphones were not common. By the time the iphone came out you could see that it was aimed at the more casual market and it has since inproved significantly but Android will always be the one for tweaking and customizing. There was no denying though that even from day 1, iPhone was much smoother and a better user experience in comparison to windows mobile.
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Were you aiming this at me, calling him an Apple fan?
Well...I never said the word 'fan', but he has a Note 3 and an iPhone, but he's more towards an iPhone, as they are more...an 'iPhone person'.
Back in the day, Apple was the new thing, cool, fast and everything. But that is in the past. Imagine running Symbian on loads of devices today, I'd go no phone forever. Windows Mobile 6.5 and below....were so slow.....so Apple fixed that, but now Android adds upon what Apple does, and Samsung builds on Google, but since Samsung's shares are increasing, Apple sues Samsung for all they got, instead of innovating as what Steve Jobs and past partners would have done.
The OP has a point.
people are missing the big picture.
this is not the tipical apple /android flame thread , because this are not tipical times . The tides are changing
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the apple fans are here admitting the virtues off iphone but recognizing that note 3 is superior.
that post about asians suck at aesthetics .. oh man is so true! Note 3 wins .. but what is going on with the aesthetics? Its just screen basically. . Hard to miss .. and sometimes they do ( n 2 / s3 phones ugly as sin )
And android with TW is truly bad ! Thats why modding is good and we like . Those ex-apple-fanboys-still-think-they-are , probably run all stock.
Never owned an iphone , to me an iphone since day one, is a girl thing.
irzero said:
This is the problem with Samsung. Its a cheap asian knock off company and their quality is typically asian. Samsung phones are franken phones made up of what ever pieces they can find. They are not put together with care or thought. If it fits it will go in.... Apple designs their phones which is why it takes 24 months for a new design.
If Apple launched a 5 inch iphone id likely go back to Apple. I used to use all the android features and freedom but now i cant be bothered.
To be honest im getting tired of the Android ecosystem of manufacturers. Only Apple and Nokia know how to make a quality made device. Samsung have no idea, Their S3 was ugly and their nature theme was a puke inducing typical asian idea that the west just doesnt get. Now these whole notebook theme is another typical korean theme that they think is "cool" The problem is that Korea and China and the rest of Asia have no idea what "Cool" is or even what good design is. This is why they cant get enough of European brands and western luxury items.
Samsung have never made a cool phone ever. Never will either..
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Here, watch this video.
http://youtu.be/WxmD2xPBJ2w
You're welcome.
Sent from my SM-N9005
I've either cognitively dissonated myself into loving this phone, or it is really quite good. The official camera fix did some good and leaves open the good possibility that further refining will yield a great result, or I'll stick with the progress being made on the GCam port and use the native app for great monochrome shots (I love the B&W sensor and it is EXCELLENT). That said, no cases... I guess no problem - I ordered some SquareTrade insurance coverage today - if it drops or dies, they'll replace it for a hundred beans - I can handle that kind of coverage...
I'm not seeing the same quality defects others are reporting with their handsets (light bleed, TMOB signal issues, etc.) so either I got a keeper or others are being overly sensitive (nothing personal guys).
I asked for and will likely receive a return package, but I think I'll be sending it back empty. Sorry for the trouble Essential, but you are in my daily carry category now - my S8+ will stay ready for outdoor action as needed (water resistance, etc).
The aesthetics are what has done it for me... Maybe you feel the same? The feeling I get holding and using the Essential do indeed remind me of the first day with the OG iPhone - only ten years better. Hell - I still have some great pics I took with that lousy 2MP, fixed focus, no flash shooter from 2007 on my drive.
Anyway, just one man's changed opinion. If it grew on you too, please post your thoughts. I'm interested to know how many others have now caved.
rootdude said:
I've either cognitively dissonated myself into loving this phone, or it is really quite good. The official camera fix did some good and leaves open the good possibility that further refining will yield a great result, or I'll stick with the progress being made on the GCam port and use the native app for great monochrome shots (I love the B&W sensor and it is EXCELLENT). That said, no cases... I guess no problem - I ordered some SquareTrade insurance coverage today - if it drops or dies, they'll replace it for a hundred beans - I can handle that kind of coverage...
I'm not seeing the same quality defects others are reporting with their handsets (light bleed, TMOB signal issues, etc.) so either I got a keeper or others are being overly sensitive (nothing personal guys).
I asked for and will likely receive a return package, but I think I'll be sending it back empty. Sorry for the trouble Essential, but you are in my daily carry category now - my S8+ will stay ready for outdoor action as needed (water resistance, etc).
The aesthetics are what has done it for me... Maybe you feel the same? The feeling I get holding and using the Essential do indeed remind me of the first day with the OG iPhone - only ten years better. Hell - I still have some great pics I took with that lousy 2MP, fixed focus, no flash shooter from 2007 on my drive.
Anyway, just one man's changed opinion. If it grew on you too, please post your thoughts. I'm interested to know how many others have now caved.
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I really want to like it, I'm trying real hard.
The performance sucks and is not faster than a Moto Z with a Snapdragon 821.
This phone does some really aggressive thermal throttling.
This bothers me.
I really want to like it.
I kind of came to the same conclusion the other day. Software can always be improved with updates, and there's not another phone out there built with better materials. It looks, feels, and is, an upscale phone.
tech_head said:
I really want to like it, I'm trying real hard.
The performance sucks and is not faster than a Moto Z with a Snapdragon 821.
This phone does some really aggressive thermal throttling.
This bothers me.
I really want to like it.
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I'm interested to hear what you know about thermal throttling. I'm a power user and I play Royale like an idiot and I haven't even felt it get warm, nor do I see the incredible battery drain I see with other devices I've played on in the past (the Pixel XL was the worst for that power drain). Do you have CPUZ installed on it and can get some screenies of the throttling b/c of overheat conditions?
rootdude said:
I'm interested to hear what you know about thermal throttling. I'm a power user and I play Royale like an idiot and I haven't even felt it get warm, nor do I see the incredible battery drain I see with other devices I've played on in the past (the Pixel XL was the worst for that power drain). Do you have CPUZ installed on it and can get some screenies of the throttling b/c of overheat conditions?
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I don't see/feel the phone get hot. That's the point, before it even gets hot the CPU gets throttled.
If I artificially cool the device or I'm in a cold environment; I can run Antutu and get close to the Qualcomm numbers for their reference platform in the 178k range. I can do that only in a cold environment. If the device is in a warm room the performance drops to 160k or so. If the room is hot or if I try to run again the performance can drop to 150k. I have seen the results drop to below 120k.
Geek bench scores are somewhat better but not great.
1900 single core and 6000 multicore.
The renderscript score is about 8000. Which puts in 33% behind an iPhone 7.
The software grew on me as more mods and ADB tweaks come out...but every time I decide to keep it and slap a skin of the back I find new scratches. Now I even have a scratch on the finish on the titanium. No clue where any of these came from. I haven't had a scratch on a phone in years... I upgrade every few months and always sell my phones mint on Swappa. I've had this a week and it's already scratched to ****. I love the look and feel and I'm happy with the software now but man..it's getting destroyed.
NeutronBomb said:
The software grew on me as more mods and ADB tweaks come out...but every time I decide to keep it and slap a skin of the back I find new scratches. Now I even have a scratch on the finish on the titanium. No clue where any of these came from. I haven't had a scratch on a phone in years... I upgrade every few months and always sell my phones mint on Swappa. I've had this a week and it's already scratched to ****. I love the look and feel and I'm happy with the software now but man..it's getting destroyed.
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Interesting. Mine still looks like it just came out of the box, and it even took a 4 foot tumble to my bathroom floor the other day.
So I hope the new update improves performance.
Right now if the phone gets to an internal temp of 44C it will throttle to less than half the maximum frequency.
This puts the performance, when warm, behind and LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6 and my old Nexus 6P.
Not happy.
I'm battling the decision now. I'm still in that 15 day return window, and like others am trying really hard to want to like this device.
Love the display. Don't mind that it's not AMOLED - I still get 5-6 hours SoT with moderate-heavy internet/call/text on wifi w/bt connected. No light bleed issues or lifting of panels for me, everything seems in order there.
There are some problems with the software that make me wonder if the problems I have are hardware or software. The micro-stuttering during scrolling (only while touching the screen during scrolling) could be a hardware problem, could be throttling, or could be OS optimization for this device in general. It's smooth as butter as long as I flick-scroll. Even if I slow finger-scroll vs slow flick-scroll the difference is noticeable, goes from stutter to butter. Finger-on-screen lag is like that of a bloated EVO3D trying to flip homescreens.
Then there are the definite software glitches that are present even after a full wipe of the phone (I really wish you could wipe the cache partition on this thing). This includes the occasional 10 second freeze while scrolling, the microstutters mentioned above, having to press back twice when in a conversation in the default messaging app, random screen presses when not touching the screen, regularly having to tap the screen repeatedly to get response from buttons.
And then there's the support - it takes a very long time to get response. I realize they are busy and trying to be responsive, and I am really trying to support this new company... One of the biggest problems I have is for solely existing as a consumer communications device manufacturer, they have some terrible consumer communication processes happening (or complete lack thereof). All I really want to know is that they are aware of and are working on the specific issues. Maybe I have control issues, but the dark is not a friendly place to be with 700 bucks on the line!!
I'm going to leave myself undecided for a few days and see where things go. If I don't see some kind of a software update addressing many of the issues some of us are experiencing I may have to reconsider... Despite all of the short-comings the new company has had as a baby, it's a beautiful baby. Let's just hope it learns fast I'm really hoping the screen issues I'm having are software related, but without confirmation from the company I can't say that I have high confidence right now. I love the feel and design of the device itself, though! *torn*
I am really trying hard to like this device. In terms of overall feel it's immaculate. They did very well on the design of the the phone. My issues come with software and future development. Right now there's clear software bugs and other optimization that needs to be done. If they can work on some of those things the experience on this phone would improve tenfold. Also once they get the source code and kernel out then we can start seeing more Community Development. We could also get things such as custom recovery and root. I'm hoping that in the coming weeks this phone and the community support will improve. I think I'll keep my device for while to see if that happens if not I may be lookin at a Pixel 2.
theandroidbot said:
I am really trying hard to like this device. In terms of overall feel it's immaculate. They did very well on the design of the the phone. My issues come with software and future development. Right now there's clear software bugs and other optimization that needs to be done. If they can work on some of those things the experience on this phone would improve tenfold. Also once they get the source code and kernel out then we can start seeing more Community Development. We could also get things such as custom recovery and root. I'm hoping that in the coming weeks this phone and the community support will improve. I think I'll keep my device for while to see if that happens if not I may be lookin at a Pixel 2.
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There isn't a massive amount of development on the pixel in relation to other Nexus devices likely due to the A/B partitions so I'm dubious on the pixel 2 at the moment
spotmark said:
Interesting. Mine still looks like it just came out of the box, and it even took a 4 foot tumble to my bathroom floor the other day.
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Can the QC really be that hit and miss? I have zero scratches as well on front or back.
rootdude said:
Can the QC really be that hit and miss? I have zero scratches as well on front or back.
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Same here. The one thing I absolutely love is the build quality. It looks exactly as the day it arrived.
Mine looks like the first day. I'm very impressed with the build quality.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
No issues with mine fr a build standpoint. Fell a few times and no scratches. I'm using a glass screen protector even though there is a halo. Rather that scratches than the screen. The update that came out today is probably the software the phone should have shipped with initially... but we were all in a rush to get it. I'm keeping this device for sure! I also like confusing the heck out of ppl... I'm running the Arrow Launcher, blackberry keyboard and I use the iPhone sms sound for text notifications..
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My only complaint really is I think they went too small. Most smarts phones are a little larger.
hoopsdavis said:
My only complaint really is I think they went too small. Most smarts phones are a little larger.
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I think it's refreshing. I mean I love big phones, haven't used a small sized phone in years, but after using this phone for several days, I love how reasonably compact it is with this screen size. I should rephrase, I love big screen size, not necessarily big form factor. So to have this screen size packed in a smaller form, I think it's awesome.
hoopsdavis said:
My only complaint really is I think they went too small. Most smarts phones are a little larger.
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The "small" form factor with big screen is the the biggest reason this phone came into my radar
flakko86 said:
The "small" form factor with big screen is the the biggest reason this phone came into my radar
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Same with me and many others. The big screen in compact size is among the major pros for buying this mobile. Besides that, I was also attracted to the clean design/material used and the pin port for 360 camera and other gadgets.
But I'm still waiting (impatiently) for how the Huawei Mate 10 pro turns out to be before I buy the essential phone. Hoping the Mate 10 pro is as compact and well built as well, combined with supposedly beast new Kirin 970 and improved dual camera, and maybe some new features like AI, Graphene battery, 3D Face recognition (all already introduced on Huawei's Honor magic). It would be the only contender to essential phone on my list. If Mate 10 pro disappoints then by that time Essential phone would be ready to ship out with 360 camera and charging dock in one go.
I have really grown to like this device. I have been using as my DD since the update, no significant issues and certainly no scratches or signs of wear. The size of the device is a key factor for me, I love the form factor.