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2011 Android Phones

Hey guys, I'd like some recommendations on what phone I could get in the first half of next year. I've had a T-mobile G1 since 2009, currently running CM 6.1 RC1, my contract is up with T-mobile around March of 2011 and I'm interested in upgrading from the old G1 to something "nicer". What I'm looking for at this point is a bigger screen, fast processor, more internal memory, "good" camera(considering it's a phone), and most important of all: ability to root and run custom roms. As far as carrier choices, I'd be inclined to stay with T-mobile(because of their prices) or maybe verizon, even though Verizon is on the pricey side. Right now the two phones catching my attention are the Galaxy S(t-mobile), the HTC incredible(verizon), and the Evo 4G(Sprint), but 6 months from now there could be newer/better phones. Since I'd be renewing or starting a new contract, the phone will be subsidized, so the cost of a "new" phone shouldn't be an issue. What phones out there should I look into and which upcoming phones should I look forward to?

Which phone
...but 6 months from now there could be newer/better phones.
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You need to ignore this train of thought. Whatever you buy, whenever you buy it there will ALWAYS be a new / better phone just around the corner.
Personally, and this is only a personal opinion I'd avoid the Galaxy S and stick with the HTC phones. Why? Just read the threads about the issues and I couldn't help notice the vast majority of issues mentioned in the apps market are Samsung owners. Just my opinion / observation mind.

erickdj said:
Hey guys, I'd like some recommendations on what phone I could get in the first half of next year. I've had a T-mobile G1 since 2009, currently running CM 6.1 RC1, my contract is up with T-mobile around March of 2011 and I'm interested in upgrading from the old G1 to something "nicer". What I'm looking for at this point is a bigger screen, fast processor, more internal memory, "good" camera(considering it's a phone), and most important of all: ability to root and run custom roms. As far as carrier choices, I'd be inclined to stay with T-mobile(because of their prices) or maybe verizon, even though Verizon is on the pricey side. Right now the two phones catching my attention are the Galaxy S(t-mobile), the HTC incredible(verizon), and the Evo 4G(Sprint), but 6 months from now there could be newer/better phones. Since I'd be renewing or starting a new contract, the phone will be subsidized, so the cost of a "new" phone shouldn't be an issue. What phones out there should I look into and which upcoming phones should I look forward to?
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htc merge or htc mecha

Im using a galaxy and have no problems with it. Froyo runs flawlessly and the screen is like no other. Plus 5 finger multitouch, best video chip, Great camera, and 16gigs built in music is beast.
Sent from the Bermuda Triangle.

The Evo is now a lower end phone compared to the high powered monsters coming out but i stick with it cause its just an all around great phone dont have any issues and has a very very active community dedicated to making it better and better i almost feel like a nexus owner from how much love this phone gets. Id definitely recommend an HTC phone.

well, when I mentioned the better phones coming out in about 6 months I was only talking about how they could be better than what's available now. Meaning that I'd be inclined to buy what's "hot" at that point, I wasn't contemplating putting myself in an endless loop of always waiting for "the next 6 months".
Back on topic. Today I did some reading on the G2, I saw that there's people pulling off some insane overclocks quite successfully on it. I just find it a bit disappointing that it doesn't have FM radio or dual cameras, and it seems like it doesn't have multitouch either, which is quite odd for a new phone. I also went to a t-mobile store to see it in person, it was a very nice phone to be honest. The galaxy seemed to have a VERY nice screen though, quite eye-catching.
Kinda leaning towards the G2 at this point. I spoke with t-mobile and I was told that I'd be eligible for a subsidized upgrade as soon as January 10th, so I may be looking for a phone much sooner than thought.

[Q] Which T-Mobile Android Phone

So I'm trying to decide on which T-Mobile phone to get hopefully next week. I had the Nexus One and it broke so for the moment I'm stuck with a blackberry and not happy with it at all.
I'm deciding on either between the Nexus S or the HTC Sensation. Any help from you guys on deciding which one to get would be great.
Also, if there is any other phone you might think would be great, let me know.. I'm planning on rooting it and everything

HTC Sensation 4G definitely. Personally, I love Sense, but even if you don't, the hardware is great, and I believe there are already a good number of AOSP ROMs for it. (and it has a front facing camera)

if you plan on modding it, then i would consider the community size for each phone.
the sensation has a slightly bigger community then the nexus s (how do i know? just go to forum.xda-developers.com and compare the stats for the phones)
id say you should wait for the samsung galaxy s II

I would recommend the HTC Sensation. This is a great phone with Sense 3.0 already on it. There is some great development for custom ROMS on this phone. And if you don't like Sense then you can drop an AOSP ROM on it and eliminate it. I think the Sensation gives you the best of both worlds, Sense and AOSP.

Here are some excellent choices:
-Samsung Dart
-Samsung Gravity
-Optimus T
-Wildfire S
-Samsung exhibit
-Moto Defy
-Moto Cliq 2
-Samsung Behold
-G2
Here are some high-quality Android phones that feature a great price point, these phones are good for normal usage. They pack quite the punch, though not the same punch as a Sensation, but still punch none the less. When accompanied by a 200MB Data plan, 500Min, and Unl Txt, this combinations leads to large savings and a good Android experience. If you remove txt you'll save yourself even more money per month, don't let the these not so high-end phones scare you off. They have good reviews from users and you should consider one of the above, they'll help you appreciate android even more, and the phones have .6-1GHz cores, with HVGA, causing slick and smooth performance. These Socs are handy for lite usage, their Accelerated GPUs are good for games like Angry birds if that's what you like, web browsing could be on par with the Sensation. Which from some people I've heard the browser is not as snappy due to no HW accel being enabled. Please carefully pick your next phone, if you don't wait for ICS.
-Ace

Don't buy anything that has been on the market for more than 4 or 5 months because it will be so underpowered by your next upgrade you will hate it for the last year of your contract. If you are on TMO and don't get the Sensation, you have a problem. I would pick up that phone in a heartbeat if I could get it on my carrier.

Thanks guys and I"m thinking about getting the Sensation.. or save my $$$ and wait for the new google phone?? Nexus Prime??

galaxy s2 is coming out...

It's hard to find a phone that will tie you over for a while. I've been rocking my Nexus S, unknown to the fact that Wifi Calling was the ONLY thing missing from it...after trying out a friend's G2 and using Wifi Calling in the basement, it's drastically changed my view on a lot of the T-Mobile lineup.
I've been disappointed with T-Mo's decision to equip their variant of the Galaxy S II with a snapdragon instead of the exynos, and it may be an uphill climb to get decent rom/dev support (mind you, this is speculation and may not be a hindrance at all). I've been looking at the Sensation, but I'm not entirely convinced it's the end-all be-all. I could be COMPLETELY wrong, but I'm not seeing its potential just yet.
Nexus Prime will be an ideal choice, but I will strongly look at more 'branded' phones due to the invaluable wifi calling ability.

I hate hard decisions

Ace42 said:
Here are some excellent choices:
-Samsung Dart
-Samsung Gravity
-Optimus T
-Wildfire S
-Samsung exhibit
-Moto Defy
-Moto Cliq 2
-Samsung Behold
-G2
-Ace
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that post really read like a bad craigslist ad..
the G2, the cliq 2, the defy, and the exhibit are all legitimately great phones, if you don't want the latest pick the sensation, sell it new in box, and buy one of these on craigslist.
if you're going prepaid and can't spend more than $150, then the wildfire s or optimus t new..
suggesting the Behold especially is outright crazy.

I very much enjoy the versatility of the htc sensation 4g with the Android Revolution HD 3.6.11 rom.

sensation
eazy8705 said:
Thanks guys and I"m thinking about getting the Sensation.. or save my $$$ and wait for the new google phone?? Nexus Prime??
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Using one here -decent phone, but make sure to do some sound checks. Maybe mine is unique/bad, but I find on max vol it isn't very loud.
Neil

HTC Evo 4G lte or Galaxy Nexus on Sprint

I know Sprint service is terrible but my plan is so cheap because I get 22% off. Any ways I have had the Gnex for 2 days and it's good but the screen is kind of grainy looking. So I want to get thoughts on which phone people feel will be the best deal over the next 2 years.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

So it's basically SAMOLED vs S-LCD 2?
Well, I've always liked S-LCD because everything is crisp and every viewing angle is a pleasure to see. Even with SAMOLED+, I always preferred how LCD looked. However, it's undeniable that you'll get worse battery life with LCD. So the choice there is what's more important to you.
GNex also has the biggest dev community, so 2 years from now: you'll still have a sure thing versus a phone we don't even know if the bootloader will be unlocked for sure.
On the other hand, the specs for Sprint's HTC phone is better. Plus a MicroSD slot!

I picked up my Evo LTE earlier this week and couldn't be happier. The size and weight of the phone is just perfedt. And its so thin. And probably my favorite part is the incredible camera speed. It is faster than any camera I've used.
I played with the gnex at sprint. While the idea of playing with open source and long-term support and updates sound enticing, the overall feel if the new Evo won me over. Plus, I've grown fond of sense UI
But you'll enjoy either device I'm sure.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

vry nice...
its really awesome... lyk it to mch..

HTC EVO Number one !!

i would go for the galaxy nexus any day no matter what carrier its with

I'm going to have to make the same difficult decision this fall. I think I'll stick with the Evo family, but really they both seem like great phones with great dev communities.

I've had the Galaxy Nexus for a little over two weeks and it's great, but overall I think aside from AOSP ICS, the Evo 4G LTE is better.

So i need to make this decision tomorrow. My mother has my original hero running cm7 and has been working great for her. I upgraded too the 3VO this past July. I am not a sense fan at all. I been running MIUI for the past 7 months =no 4g or 3d support. I could careless about 3d, the phone just had a great processor at the time. So Ive broken it twice. 1st time i called asurion (cracked screen) and got replacement. 2nd time (cracked screen) .I bought a cheap digitizer and installed it myself. The problem is the cheap digitizer never worked 100% right to begin with. I then dropped the phone in the toilet 1 month ago. I managed to work with it up till now where the digitizer is so bad i cant even unlock my screen. Asurion wants 100$ for a replacement. I called sprint told them i dont even want the phone anymore since its basically EOL. They told me im eligible for early upgrade. That option costs 115$ which can be billed to my fathers account (NP he makes enough $$$ in Saudi Arabia). I have to purchase my replacement or new phone myself. Im sick of the evo 3d. I want a phone that is gonna have full CM9 or MIUI support. Im aware the galaxy nexus already does. Does the EVO 4G LTE look promising for support? Or is HTC gonna be a pain in the ass with their closed source proprietary bull****.
I dont care about a micro sd if the nexus comes with 32gb internal.
I prefer battery life.
The question is will the Qualacomm LTE be NOTICEABLY faster than the nexus TI OMAP?
Im paying for this myself (23yrs old). I wanna get the best possible deal. Will sprint buy back my broken evo 3d if I restore it to stock and act like it works? What would you do?? Appreciate any advice. godless XDA community

camara this camara that wait untill the galaxy to kick ur but 20 pic is shutter mode beat that

I think the Galaxy Nexus would be better, honestly having the latest Android version is such an advantage compared to other phones. All the apps that come out will be designed specifically for AOSP and you won't be left behind in app and OS support in let's say 2 years.

Which phone did you end up going with? I ran into the same issue and since I was a big Evo supporter I stuck with the Evo family, I'm a loyalist for some reason
qhinton said:
I know Sprint service is terrible but my plan is so cheap because I get 22% off. Any ways I have had the Gnex for 2 days and it's good but the screen is kind of grainy looking. So I want to get thoughts on which phone people feel will be the best deal over the next 2 years.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Is it worth getting the new Galaxy 3?

I have the Vibrant, I'm using an ICS ROM. 4.0.4.
I don't use my phone for a lot of web browsing, more or less social things and games. I'm sort of sore on flashing new ROM's though I LOVE exploring them all!
For people already using a Galaxy, what would be your pro's and con's?
I've looked into the phone and it sounds amazing, dual-core snapdragon, stock 4.0.4, it looks to be as big as the Galaxy s II and a nice AMOLED screen.
Has anyone used one of these guys yet? How do you like it? Does it live up to your expectations?

There are some fantastic new features. A colleague tried one for an hour last weekend and his questions to me was 'why can't we have these at work' we currently have S2's
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA

I really like the whole "Sharing" thing between Galaxy III's.
Did your work pay for the S2's? That's very nice of them!
I wasn't impressed enough (compared to my Vibrant.) to spend the extra money upgrading an S2, but the SIII really has my attention.
I'm contemplating it very hard. Through my carrier I think it's going to be $280 before extra fee's though..that's pricey especially since the first I paid $250 and received a $50 MIR. :/

Coming from a Vibrant..definitely should upgrade. If you had an S2 or something comparable, it wouldn't be worth it unless you could get a really good deal.

Thank you lowandbehold. I feel a tad better about my wants. I was hoping it wasn't just because it was new. The hardware upgrades them self already make my giddy/

Although the Galaxy III is a killer in terms of performance and software features, which make it highly desirable especially for people who have an old smartphone, you should also take the upcoming iPhone 5 into consideration.
Another phone worth checking out is the HTC one X. Although not superior in performance compared to the GIII, it has a lot of notable features and shoots photo's fast due to it's fast camera processor.

Jasperovic said:
Although the Galaxy III is a killer in terms of performance and software features, which make it highly desirable especially for people who have an old smartphone, you should also take the upcoming iPhone 5 into consideration.
Another phone worth checking out is the HTC one X. Although not superior in performance compared to the GIII, it has a lot of notable features and shoots photo's fast due to it's fast camera processor.
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Though the camera supports 1080P at 30FPS on the Samsung Galaxy S3 while the HTC One X doesn't. I would say get the Galaxy S3, the iPhone screen just seems tiny to me after having the Galaxy S3 since launch.
The iPhone 5 might be worth waiting out for if you have the patience to wait. Apparently Foxconn's CEO said the next iPhone "will put Samsung’s Galaxy III to shame."

Siltar said:
the next iPhone "will put Samsung’s Galaxy III to shame."
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Lol, doubt it

Thank you for your suggestion, however I am not an iPhone person and I don't believe T-Mobile will be getting the iPhone5. Or at least there's no official word on it. Just hopeful reports of people stating that 'It could happen! Maybe..'
I just love the android's platform and it's lack of boundaries. I've also heard rumor of some Android's having a "Flash Counter" that count the number of times you've actually flashed the phone, and because of it the warranty won't be active. (Like the Galaxy Note supposedly has one.) I could also be wrong since I haven't looked into this. On that note, I don't believe they'll be implementing this feature into the SnapDragon CPU's. However correct me if I'm wrong! I'm very much a phone newbie.
My friend owns a One X while another has the new Razr Maxx.
Since they aren't brand new I'm curious as to switching to those guys..it would be cheaper however have the same quality as the S3?
I've been with Samsung for 8 years now and they haven't let me down.
So loyalty stays with Samsung for their phones.

[Q] Which device to choose on Verizon?

I looked at some of the similar threads but they are old and devices change so rapidly so I am starting a new one.
I am looking for some thoughts, opinions, etc on a new device. I have to buy my device on Craigslist, eBay or somewhere because I have an old Verizon plan with unlimited data and can't upgrade without losing my plan and paying their upgrade fee.
I have been using a Toro Nexus on Verizon for about a year. I have been running CM10 and making updates as they are released. Recently my phone took a header out of my truck and now the screen is cracked. So, it is probably time to get something more up to date.
A couple things I am looking at evaluating are:
ROMS and development love available for devices. Which ones get the most love?
If I get something unlocked as in straight from Google like the Maguro would I be able to get a radio which works on Verizon?
Cost is a consideraton as well. For example I like the price of the S3 right now compared to the S4 on CL.
Any thoughts, opinions, facts, guidance, etc would be awesome!

Oldtymehockey said:
I looked at some of the similar threads but they are old and devices change so rapidly so I am starting a new one.
I am looking for some thoughts, opinions, etc on a new device. I have to buy my device on Craigslist, eBay or somewhere because I have an old Verizon plan with unlimited data and can't upgrade without losing my plan and paying their upgrade fee.
I have been using a Toro Nexus on Verizon for about a year. I have been running CM10 and making updates as they are released. Recently my phone took a header out of my truck and now the screen is cracked. So, it is probably time to get something more up to date.
A couple things I am looking at evaluating are:
ROMS and development love available for devices. Which ones get the most love?
If I get something unlocked as in straight from Google like the Maguro would I be able to get a radio which works on Verizon?
Cost is a consideraton as well. For example I like the price of the S3 right now compared to the S4 on CL.
Any thoughts, opinions, facts, guidance, etc would be awesome!
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Click to collapse
the Galaxy nexus is a great phone it saddens me to see that you would like another phone. but im not you so lets get start with phone shopping shall we?
Google
I can see that you like all the rom and development for devices i happy for that!, most of the time you would want one of googles flagship phones that is plain ol stock android (nexus s, galaxy nexus, nexus 4 etc..) googles is so great to us since its stock android its much easyer to flash roms and put other goodies on our phones! i have heard the nexus 4 is one of the best phones around right now (not to mention the new white nexus 4 thats coming out soon with Android 4.3!) so if its on your provider i would recomend that from google!
Samsung
So from what you said you want a phone around the price of a S3, from that right there i would recomend a S3! Samsung does a great job with their phones its not the same stock android like the galaxy nexus they have spiced android up to what they call touchwiz which is a very smooth version for their launchers. a S2 might sound old but even that would be a great phone (i dont know about the specs galaxy neuxs might be a little newer so S3 might be better to get). rooting should be very simple all i had to do for my S2 was to flash a pda file from odin so its again easy to be able to join in on all the development. i think i have heard that the S3 (and maby S2) is getting alot of Goodies from the S4.
LG
i have only had some LG phones and in the past they werent so good but their newest flagship the Optimus G Pro is sposed to be aso good as the HTC one and S4 i dont think LG has their own type of launcher such as samsungs touchwiz, htcs Sense, or motorolas motor blur. so that probably means stock android and pretty easy to root and flash stuff.
HTC
the HTC dream was the first android phone, all of their phones are amazing i have had many of their devices, sense is a very smooth, sense 4.0 and up is sposed to be great. the One and its new blinkfeed feature i have heard can get old within a month or two so im not sure. about rooting with htc phones can be a pain. its different between each phone my droid incredible i had to unlock the bootloader turn s-on off downgrade just to be able to get root and cwm and its all a big pain, htc just dosent want us to screw with it maby. for my htc inspire 4g i had to just only unlock the bootloader and could flash a root from there but still was a pain, so if you can deal with some of the fears of easily bricking your phone you can try these phones!
there are alot of (im just going to call them third party but they arent really) third party phones such as huawei, ZTE, kyocera that some are deff better phones from these people that are better than the galaxy nexus just ask if you would like me to explain them!

Trozzul said:
the Galaxy nexus is a great phone it saddens me to see that you would like another phone. but im not you so lets get start with phone shopping shall we?
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Thank you for all the info. Much appreciated. The Galaxy Nexus (Toro) is a wonderful phone. I believe it is the longest running in my pocket. It broke my heart when it took a swan dive out of my truck Sunday. I would absolutely go with another of these. The question on that topic is could a guy get the Maguro to work on Verizon's CDMA network? I don't know that much about the hardware but I'd LOVE to try Ubuntu Touch.
There is a local guy who has an S3 advertised on CL for $175. I'd have to evaluate that guy first though. Would I be as happy with the development on the S3 as I have been on the Toro?

Oldtymehockey said:
Thank you for all the info. Much appreciated. The Galaxy Nexus (Toro) is a wonderful phone. I believe it is the longest running in my pocket. It broke my heart when it took a swan dive out of my truck Sunday. I would absolutely go with another of these. The question on that topic is could a guy get the Maguro to work on Verizon's CDMA network? I don't know that much about the hardware but I'd LOVE to try Ubuntu Touch.
There is a local guy who has an S3 advertised on CL for $175. I'd have to evaluate that guy first though. Would I be as happy with the development on the S3 as I have been on the Toro?
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Click to collapse
i googled a way for it to work on verizon, dosent look like there is any way unless its unlocked. as for the s3 im sure you will be happy with all the development as much as the toro i have seen the s4 at some networks for $149 with a 2yr.