I've heard some comments, but what are the differences between these two phones?
processor and camera wise?
screen/resolution and the keyboard
that's it.
oh, and mhl on the sensation
MT4GS has a better camera, genius button, and optical trackpad. It's also heavier.
Still haven't decided what to get. The weight is really the biggest turnoff for me for the mt4gs. I heard that ics has a zero second shutter lag or something? Since the sensation has ics in the bag, would that significantly improve the camera function?
To the people complaining about the weight, do you really want your phone taken from you without your knowledge? The hardware keyboard, by the way, was one of the reasons why the G1 was originally marketed as an "iphone killer."
Sent via smoke signal.
I am pretty sure that it's not just the quicker shots that are better, but that so are the optics and programming. The only negative to the MT4GS fantastic camera is that it records audio poorly when taking video (although even that seems to be improved in custom ROMs).
As for the weight, I don't mind it much. I think it is a product of the keyboard, camera and build quality (the Amaze weighs almost as much and has the same camera).
The fact that it runs on dumbed down version of Sense to me is the biggest turn-off. There are efforts going on to port Sensation to MT4GS over at Rootzwiki, and to your question both camera and performance are being addressed.
Well I had a 2 page comparison written down but my phone died, ill get back to you on this tomorrow. Wait until you read my post before you make any purchases ok? =) I'm going to bed
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
I would say get the mt4gs; again, wait for my post tomorrow for my list of reasons why.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
both phones run on the same cpu/gpu. So even though the sensation does offer a higher res(qhd), the mt4gs will always have the capability to run more smoothly. So keep that in mind because both phones will eventually get ics.You might think that image quality is sacrificed with the lower resolution but the pixel size is very similar. Now that being said, let's talk about the camera.
The mt4gs offers the better camera hardware and software.once both phones have ics, I am happy knowing my camera hardware is one of the best on the market.
The hardware keyboard is not the best. It is quiet though, so its usable in class. Personally I go through phases of using the hardware keyboard and using the on screen keyboard in landscape. But it is nice to have the option for when you are drunk. The precision of the hardware keyboard is much more reliable on those nights =)
now as for the feel of the phone, I really do prefer the mt4gs, it is good to have some weight to your phone so it rests in your hand safe and well. The phone still manages to stay thin for having a hardware keyboard. Most other hardware keyboard phones are massive, especially comparing to the g2, photon, or mt3gs.
Anyways undeadk9 devs for this phone, not the sensation.
I am comfortable knowing the rom on my phone dominates =) as well as weekly updates/upgrades to his roms.
If you ever experience issues with his roms, they are fixed fast.
Both phones are future proof, so if you are comfortable sacrificing screen real estate for a better phone, get the mt4gs.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
psychedel!k said:
The fact that it runs on dumbed down version of Sense to me is the biggest turn-off. There are efforts going on to port Sensation to MT4GS over at Rootzwiki, and to your question both camera and performance are being addressed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you be more specific about what you mean by "dumbed down"?
As far as porting the Sensation ROM, while you get the benefit of HTC sync working now, you have to use the camera interface of Sensation and lose genius button (please correct me if I'm wrong)
blackknightavalon said:
To the people complaining about the weight, do you really want your phone taken from you without your knowledge? The hardware keyboard, by the way, was one of the reasons why the G1 was originally marketed as an "iphone killer."
Sent via smoke signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I've had the g1 for 2 years and the g2 for a bit over a year, and I've definately learned the ups and downs of the hardware keyboard. My biggest problem with hardware keyboard is that they've always managed to malfunction after a while. The g1 keyboard was glitchy as hell, that was a well known fact. I haven't started getting problems on the g2 until a few months ago. I have no idea what might have caused it, but pressing on a key would result in 2 or 3 extra letters, although I press the button with the same pressure and timing as the last. it's simply a hastle. I installed the swype for ics, and its accurate and quick, as far as software keyboards go. What I'm getting at is I don't want a bulkier phone if it means a smaller screen resolution and a possible future glitchy hardware keyboard.
Well if your keyboard ever gets that problem, it can be warranteed, anyway I haven't had any issues with multiple letters printing out , all my keys work fine and upon the first try in pressing the button
I've had the phone since day 1 of its release
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
leoilios said:
both phones run on the same cpu/gpu. So even though the sensation does offer a higher res(qhd), the mt4gs will always have the capability to run more smoothly. So keep that in mind because both phones will eventually get ics.You might think that image quality is sacrificed with the lower resolution but the pixel size is very similar. Now that being said, let's talk about the camera.
The mt4gs offers the better camera hardware and software.once both phones have ics, I am happy knowing my camera hardware is one of the best on the market.
The hardware keyboard is not the best. It is quiet though, so its usable in class. Personally I go through phases of using the hardware keyboard and using the on screen keyboard in landscape. But it is nice to have the option for when you are drunk. The precision of the hardware keyboard is much more reliable on those nights =)
now as for the feel of the phone, I really do prefer the mt4gs, it is good to have some weight to your phone so it rests in your hand safe and well. The phone still manages to stay thin for having a hardware keyboard. Most other hardware keyboard phones are massive, especially comparing to the g2, photon, or mt3gs.
Anyways undeadk9 devs for this phone, not the sensation.
I am comfortable knowing the rom on my phone dominates =) as well as weekly updates/upgrades to his roms.
If you ever experience issues with his roms, they are fixed fast.
Both phones are future proof, so if you are comfortable sacrificing screen real estate for a better phone, get the mt4gs.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for bringing up the cpu, no one has yet xD question: if they run on the same cpu, why is it that the mt4gs can run more smoothly?
Second question: what exactly does the mt4gs offer in the camera that the sensation does not? Just looking at basic specs on google, I'm seeing an 8mp camera for both, although they do mention that the mt4gs has the better camera xD
I've handled the mt4gs before, and (coming from a g2 owner) I didn't really like the keyboard. I don't want more size for less functionality. The weight was likable, but again, more size for less functionality. In this case, id probably take the sensation with anything but a stock sw keyboard.
And I think the issue for the dev support for both phones is quantity over quality. The sensation has a ridiculous amount of roms but a questionable amount of roms that are actually GOOD. The mt4gs has a few roms to choose from, but from a dev that consistently produces quality work. I'm not exactly worried about this when considering a new phone, since ill probably ONLY be running ics and/or miui v4 (ty bootmanager ). Seeing as how your phone doesn't have miui yet is the only turnoff in this department.
leoilios said:
Well if your keyboard ever gets that problem, it can be warranteed, anyway I haven't had any issues with multiple letters printing out , all my keys work fine and upon the first try in pressing the button
I've had the phone since day 1 of its release
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting my phone warranted is still a hastle, no matter how you say it. How often do you use the keyboard though? I'm a pretty avid user, and its so far resulted in two jenky keyboards xP
ohshootrawr said:
Thanks for bringing up the cpu, no one has yet xD question: if they run on the same cpu, why is it that the mt4gs can run more smoothly?
Second question: what exactly does the mt4gs offer in the camera that the sensation does not? Just looking at basic specs on google, I'm seeing an 8mp camera for both, although they do mention that the mt4gs has the better camera xD
I've handled the mt4gs before, and (coming from a g2 owner) I didn't really like the keyboard. I don't want more size for less functionality. The weight was likable, but again, more size for less functionality. In this case, id probably take the sensation with anything but a stock sw keyboard.
And I think the issue for the dev support for both phones is quantity over quality. The sensation has a ridiculous amount of roms but a questionable amount of roms that are actually GOOD. The mt4gs has a few roms to choose from, but from a dev that consistently produces quality work. I'm not exactly worried about this when considering a new phone, since ill probably ONLY be running ics and/or miui v4 (ty bootmanager ). Seeing as how your phone doesn't have miui yet is the only turnoff in this department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say the mt4gs has the capability of being smoother because the same cpu/gpu is rendering less pixels. if you play video games on a computer for example, and you lag at 2560x1600 you will get much better performance running the game at1280x800 resolution.
Both phones have 8mp cameras but the lens on the mt4gs is bigger, so it let's in more light. This will give you better performance in a darker situation, as well as more contrast overall. It says right on the back of the phone, 3.69mm for the lens (massive for a phone) and 1:2.2 which I believe is the viewing aspect ratio.
I could see your problem if you have a need for miui... Ics splashed 2.0 is exactly what I personally want from this phone. Light weight,
smooth,
no bugs,
[email protected] stable,
Maintains the mysense camera,
Maintains the mysense dialer and messenger for easily picking who you want to text or call via the dial pad, typing the name of the person and then long pressing them when they pop up.
All while making the rest of the phone aosp for google inc stability that everyone can enjoy=)
Hspa+ hack for mobile network speed
And last but not least, gpu ui rendering for a high frame rate experience
Whatever your choice, get the aftermarket 1900mah anker battery. My phone lasts a day and a half with moderate to heavy use, unless I'm playing games.
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
ohshootrawr said:
Getting my phone warranted is still a hastle, no matter how you say it. How often do you use the keyboard though? I'm a pretty avid user, and its so far resulted in two jenky keyboards xP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My keyboard has had plenty of use. I recommend making a post asking other avid users about their experience thus far. Once you are used to this keyboard, it can be used quickly while maintaining accuracy.
I even listen to my phone on pandora in a closed bathroom while taking a shower(every day), the moisture from the steam has had no affect on my keyboard either. Its pretty durable in my opinion
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
On a side note, I heard.. don't quote me on this: I heard the sensation has a gorilla glass screen, and the mt4gs does not. This doesn't really affect me because I always use ghost armor on my screen so I haven't looked into it. Let me know the details if you do some digging
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
that's correct, mt4gs does NOT have gorilla glass
Braccoz said:
that's correct, mt4gs does NOT have gorilla glass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the sensation?
ICS Splashed 2.0 MT4GS
Related
Anyone considering this phone? The Nexus S is my first Android phone which I purchased in December of 2010 and to be honest its been average. Browser and keyboard lag is tough to deal with. When the phone works it's great though.
My biggest issue is typing. Coming from blackberry I just can't type efficiently on this thing and I think the Qwerty on the my touch 4g slide might help. Just wanted some opinions from people who have used multiple android devices. Thanks.
NAZology said:
Anyone considering this phone? The Nexus S is my first Android phone which I purchased in December of 2010 and to be honest its been average. Browser and keyboard lag is tough to deal with. When the phone works it's great though.
My biggest issue is typing. Coming from blackberry I just can't type efficiently on this thing and I think the Qwerty on the my touch 4g slide might help. Just wanted some opinions from people who have used multiple android devices. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its going to be a very nice phone. I think if you are a keyboard type person there wont be a better option. Itll run like a beast too.
I dont think I can go back to a keyboard. I blame the nexus s. Swype saves lives
Sent from my Sensational Phone using XDA Premium App
charlieb620 said:
I dont think I can go back to a keyboard. I blame the nexus s. Swype saves lives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know why I still cant get the hang of swype.
as well Ill be getting this phone for my GF, she refuses to not have a keyboard. if I was to go back to t-mobile myself Id be gettign this phone as well
I am on T-Mobile and have very good service and want the slide but due to.the att I am not getting it my dad is.letting.me switch to.Sprint,as soon as the new.nexus comes.out I'm switching
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk
Drzfr3shboialex said:
I am on T-Mobile and have very good service and want the slide but due to.the att I am not getting it my dad is.letting.me switch to.Sprint,as soon as the new.nexus comes.out I'm switching
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what.are.you.talking.like.this.for.
Only bad thing about getting the mytouch 4g sslide is that it won't get the newest updates like nexus line...I agree tthough about android keyboard ... nexus s was my first android phone and only thing I don't like is the browser and keyboard ..I came from an iPhone so I was used to on-screen keyboard
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
derekwilkinson said:
what.are.you.talking.like.this.for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine they're using the gingerbread keyboard or something. I have a tendancy to hit the period rather than space a lot on the gingerbread keyboard
acesofbelkan said:
I imagine they're using the gingerbread keyboard or something. I have a tendancy to hit the period rather than space a lot on the gingerbread keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah lol its annoying.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk
Just got this phone, and happy to say it ships S-OFF. Rom is dated Jun 27, so they didn't have much time to flash em and box em up.
How did you get one!?!?!?!?!!?!!
ScottC said:
Just got this phone, and happy to say it ships S-OFF. Rom is dated Jun 27, so they didn't have much time to flash em and box em up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
enoch861 said:
How did you get one!?!?!?!?!!?!!
ScottC said:
Just got this phone, and happy to say it ships S-OFF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More to the point: Is this a retail phone, just like everyone gets? Does S-OFF mean that we'll be able to root and flash it at launch? I keep trying to find confirmation that the bootloader will be unlocked (or not) at launch, but this is the closest I've found, so far. Is there any official word from HTC or T-Mobile somewhere?
Upgraded
I've had the 3g sllide for some time now and i like it it's a decent phone but still, newer, faster, more hardware cap. is simply better... point blank period. I'm excited for the upgrade since i really dont want to leave the mytouch family and it's a must that i have keyboard. But the specs are looking good!, and since the glacier has achieved S-off i fairly certain that this will achieve perma-root about 3 hrs after official release (chuckles to self) if not sooner. I'm excited for what this forum will produce along with my very own venture into ginger bread app development
GET EXCITED
p.s
g+ damn u lol
ScottC said:
Just got this phone, and happy to say it ships S-OFF. Rom is dated Jun 27, so they didn't have much time to flash em and box em up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was the one thing holding me back from placing a preorder... but now that I know HTC lived up to their word I'm ordering one now! Thanks!
Retail demo unit ships with S-on
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
This phone looks pretty sweet. I had the MyTouch 3G Slide and the MyTouch 4G. Both were great phones. This phone is pretty much a MyTouch 4G with the internal components of a Sensation and the keyboard of a 3G Slide. I prefer the screen and sleekness of the Sensation but if you need a keyboard I'd be all over it.
I suspect this phone will be S-OFFed once AlphaRev finishes the Sensation/Evo3D tool. Otherwise you're waiting till at least September for the official unlock.
It's shipped S-ON sadly , that mean's we can't flash custom roms correct ?
joeyklatzko said:
This phone looks pretty sweet. I had the MyTouch 3G Slide and the MyTouch 4G. Both were great phones. This phone is pretty much a MyTouch 4G with the internal components of a Sensation and the keyboard of a 3G Slide. I prefer the screen and sleekness of the Sensation but if you need a keyboard I'd be all over it.
I suspect this phone will be S-OFFed once AlphaRev finishes the Sensation/Evo3D tool. Otherwise you're waiting till at least September for the official unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Revolution said:
It's shipped S-ON sadly , that mean's we can't flash custom roms correct ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Hopefully not for long!
I just received my Khaki today. I pre-ordered on the 19th.
Pretty amazing device in my book. It isn't perfect but, coming from a 3G Slide it's a monster of a phone.
The Good:
Far and away better keyboard. It has a chiclet like feel to it and is much easier and faster to type on than the 3G Slide with plenty of feedback.
The screen is very pretty, easy to read, and I have no problem with the slightly lower resolution as it does not hinder the phone in any way. Very easy to type on the screen too. I was pretty taken back at how incredibly accurate the sensitivity was compared to the 3GS
Nice camera, it isn't an N8 nor will it replace my T3i but, it does offer partial manual controls and you can adjust the exposure +-2 stops for camera and video. Hopefully an update or hack will let you control shutter speed in the future. FYI, ISO is from 100 to 800. Images look a little grainy to me but, I'm coming from a T3i for comparison which isn't very fair.
FM radio is a nice touch and it works just fine.
Call/Voice quality is very good. It sounds better than the 3GS as a whole. It is louder and clearer with less echo and background noise. It does sound a little harsh at high volume but, still better than the 3GS. Let's just say it isn't a Glimmer but, that phone sounds better than any land-line I've heard so again not a fair comparison. However, I was complimented on how much clearer my voice was on the other end of the line and I could hear the other person a lot better than before.
Reception seems/felt a little better than the 3G Slide. Not a great deal better but, I was getting 2 bars of 3G (which oddly shows up as 4G) in a location where I normally get 1 bar. Also, I didn't have to manually set the phone to WCDMA for it to pick it up.
HTC Flashlight app is in here and it uses both LED's
Wifi Hotspot widget is in here too.
Trackpad button thing is so much nicer than the 3GS and it has this neat illumination thing that goes on when it's charging. It isn't bright though, you almost need to be at an angle to see it, it's very subtle but the coolest thing ever.
genius button still says "please wait" but, it's infinitely faster than the 3GS. LOL. if it wasn't I'd probably rip someones head off.
Grip of the phone is excellent, atleast with the Khaki. It feels sooooo good in your hand and isn't going to slip and fall near as many times as the 3GS or many other phones I've owned before. It has a good weight to it and is much lighter by itself than my 3GS with a case.
Feels like a sturdy phone and does have some good construction around the frame for protection. There is also metal around the lens itself as there should be.
What's this for?
The Not So Good:
Well, I'm worried about scratching the camera lens. I don't know that I ever will and I'm assuming it's made of good glass but it does protrude a bit on the back. There is metal all around it for protection but all it would take is that one certain drop to smash it.
The camera could be better. I mean it does pretty well but, images are just a little grainy to me and I would like to see full manual controls or at least shutter speed control. I don't think there is any real zoom, just digital and I have no idea who makes the lens.
Video recording could be better as well. There is some rolling shutter but, even the DSLR's have that. To me it didn't look like the camera was shooting at 24fps, it didn't look as low as 15 but it didn't look like 24 or 30 either. I could be mistaken about the whole thing though as it could just be that when you record you are only seeing 15 fps but, when you playback you see the full frame rate. I really need more time to play with the phone to give a definite opinion/verdict here. All that being said there is a lot of potential here with the software. I also wonder if using a class 6 or higher memory card will help as well.
*Did a few tests and dropped in a class 6 card. I don't know that it made any difference but I had no problem recording in 1080p and it looked fine to me so I'm thinking it's just that when you are recording the visual feedback you get is only like 15fps or something but when you play back it's the full 24-30 or whatever.*
Although the screen size is 3.7 inches vs the 3GS' 3.4 they are both the same width. So I feel a little fooled about the size of the screen, however it is a good bit taller and the higher resolution and cleaner looking image quality, partially make up for it. I don't feel like "man, this screen is too small" I feel more like "well, it would be nice if it really were a tad wider but, it looks so nice and is a lot taller so I can't really complain"
Bloatware/Bloat. Not really a fault of the hardware but, I do hope HTC slims down sense footprint, and I could do without some of the T-mobile apps that no one will ever use.
Lag. There is some but, I hardly notice it enough to care and I'm sure that will be fixed once we get an update/hack/rom or two.
Final Thoughts
I'm keeping this baby. There is no way I'm sending this back unless there is some kind of major hardware failure or something. There just isn't anything else at T-Mobile that covers all the things "I want" in a cell phone.
icoman said:
I just received my Khaki today. I pre-ordered on the 19th.
Pretty amazing device in my book. It isn't perfect but, coming from a 3G Slide it's a monster of a phone.
The Good:
Far and away better keyboard. It has a chiclet like feel to it and is much easier and faster to type on than the 3G Slide with plenty of feedback.
The screen is very pretty, easy to read, and I have no problem with the slightly lower resolution as it does not hinder the phone in any way. Very easy to type on the screen too. I was pretty taken back at how incredibly accurate the sensitivity was compared to the 3GS
Nice camera, it isn't an N8 nor will it replace my T3i but, it does offer partial manual controls and you can adjust the exposure +-2 stops for camera and video. Hopefully an update or hack will let you control shutter speed in the future. FYI, ISO is from 100 to 800. Images look a little grainy to me but, I'm coming from a T3i for comparison which isn't very fair.
FM radio is a nice touch and it works just fine.
Call/Voice quality is very good. It sounds better than the 3GS as a whole. It is louder and clearer with less echo and background noise. It does sound a little harsh at high volume but, still better than the 3GS. Let's just say it isn't a Glimmer but, that phone sounds better than any land-line I've heard so again not a fair comparison. However, I was complimented on how much clearer my voice was on the other end of the line and I could hear the other person a lot better than before.
Reception seems/felt a little better than the 3G Slide. Not a great deal better but, I was getting 2 bars of 3G (which oddly shows up as 4G) in a location where I normally get 1 bar. Also, I didn't have to manually set the phone to WCDMA for it to pick it up.
HTC Flashlight app is in here and it uses both LED's
Wifi Hotspot widget is in here too.
Trackpad button thing is so much nicer than the 3GS and it has this neat illumination thing that goes on when it's charging. It isn't bright though, you almost need to be at an angle to see it, it's very subtle but the coolest thing ever.
genius button still says "please wait" but, it's infinitely faster than the 3GS. LOL. if it wasn't I'd probably rip someones head off.
Grip of the phone is excellent, atleast with the Khaki. It feels sooooo good in your hand and isn't going to slip and fall near as many times as the 3GS or many other phones I've owned before. It has a good weight to it and is much lighter by itself than my 3GS with a case.
Feels like a sturdy phone and does have some good construction around the frame for protection. There is also metal around the lens itself as there should be.
What's this for?
The Not So Good:
Well, I'm worried about scratching the camera lens. I don't know that I ever will and I'm assuming it's made of good glass but it does protrude a bit on the back. There is metal all around it for protection but all it would take is that one certain drop to smash it.
The camera could be better. I mean it does pretty well but, images are just a little grainy to me and I would like to see full manual controls or at least shutter speed control. I don't think there is any real zoom, just digital and I have no idea who makes the lens.
Video recording could be better as well. There is some rolling shutter but, even the DSLR's have that. To me it didn't look like the camera was shooting at 24fps, it didn't look as low as 15 but it didn't look like 24 or 30 either. I could be mistaken about the whole thing though as it could just be that when you record you are only seeing 15 fps but, when you playback you see the full frame rate. I really need more time to play with the phone to give a definite opinion/verdict here. All that being said there is a lot of potential here with the software. I also wonder if using a class 6 or higher memory card will help as well.
*Did a few tests and dropped in a class 6 card. I don't know that it made any difference but I had no problem recording in 1080p and it looked fine to me so I'm thinking it's just that when you are recording the visual feedback you get is only like 15fps or something but when you play back it's the full 24-30 or whatever.*
Although the screen size is 3.7 inches vs the 3GS' 3.4 they are both the same width. So I feel a little fooled about the size of the screen, however it is a good bit taller and the higher resolution and cleaner looking image quality, partially make up for it. I don't feel like "man, this screen is too small" I feel more like "well, it would be nice if it really were a tad wider but, it looks so nice and is a lot taller so I can't really complain"
Bloatware/Bloat. Not really a fault of the hardware but, I do hope HTC slims down sense footprint, and I could do without some of the T-mobile apps that no one will ever use.
Lag. There is some but, I hardly notice it enough to care and I'm sure that will be fixed once we get an update/hack/rom or two.
Final Thoughts
I'm keeping this baby. There is no way I'm sending this back unless there is some kind of major hardware failure or something. There just isn't anything else at T-Mobile that covers all the things "I want" in a cell phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate this! Keep us up to date with the pros and cons!
Which and why?
Sensation because it´s HTC
I have never used a Dual Core phone so is it MUCH faster? Is there like 0 lag in those phones? I remember my inspire couldnt play vids properly and they would lag.
I have the same question... Sensation or Galaxy S2? I'm running a T959 with Trigger, but it's time for an upgrade. Any input would be appreciated - especially comparison of speed, ease of rooting, and ease of installing custom ROMs. I use wireless tethering and GPS navigation a lot... so those 2 things are very important to me.
I really want this thread to get interesting so I'll post my two UK pennies.
I'm still deciding between these two phones. I've played with both in the shop and they're very different beasts.
The S2 is a stunning slab of a phone. It's ridiculously light and feels plasticy yet amazingly sturdy. The screen is superb. I'm coming from an AMOLED Desire (same screen as N1) and the screen is a huge step up. The WVGA res genuinely doesn't bother me in the slightest. Everything is big and clear and bright and gorgeous.
The Sensation feels a lot more solid in the hand. It's a more classy piece of hardware. It is considerably fatter and heavier than the S2 and feels like it could take some knocks. As someone who has used older versions of Sense quite a lot and not especially liked them, I found the Sensations's interface to be a big disappointment. Sense 3 felt just as slow and the earlier Sense version that ran on my Desire (before rooting/flashing). I'm sure it would be super slick with an AOSP rom. The screen is good but not a patch on the S2 IMO. The power button is impossible to reach with one hand - why HTC is still putting it on the top of the phone I have no idea.
So at this point I preferred the S2s screen (and camera by small margin from testing in the shop) and the Sensation's hardware.
In light of the court case I ordered an S2 and have now had it for 24hrs. With the exception of the lack of notification LED it's everything I'd hoped for. It's fast. Not iPhone smooth, but the closest I've seen in an Android device. Still running stock firmware.
Unlike the Sensation, it's not possible to replace the camera lens of the S2 without replacing the whole phone. The camera lens is not at all recessed and this this makes me nervous about putting it down on a flat surface. The S2 needs a case to protect it IMO whereas the HTC seems sufficiently tough to survive without one.
I'm still not 100% and still have a few days left to return the phone...
Does anyone else have experience with the two phones?
Thanks, bedeabc
orb3000 said:
Sensation because it´s HTC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my thoughts.
The SGSII has a much better CPU and GPU than the sensation. I don't want to get technical, but Samsung's processor is better than HTC's. I would also suggest Samsung's GPU in the SGSII over Sensation. I have had Sense and Touchwiz and Sense is very slow and a memory hog, whereas Touchwiz is light. Both phones running AOSP would be great, but I feel that the SGSII is just better as far as internal hardware goes. HTC is better at updating their devices software wise, though.
orb3000 said:
Sensation because it´s HTC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lowandbehold said:
Exactly my thoughts.
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Come on guys, that's lame. I too have more faith in HTC than I do Samsung but I bought the S2 because (albeit by a very small margin!) I believe that it's the better phone. That screen is just amazing. I already FAR prefer Touchwiz to any version of Sense. But obviously here I am on XDA so the root will happen tonight I hope!
biggeorgef said:
Thanks, bedeabc
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Right now i think the best phone at sale is the galaxy s ii. Ports will obviously be easier to make with the sensation, but talking about stock roms, the s2 is by far the best phone:
More free ram (not only because of 1gb of ram vs 768 but because of sense 3), and in my opinion has a better processor.
I'm not a samsung fanboy, there are tons of things i could say they've done wrong, but i think the s2 is better.
And by the way, even though the sensation feels more solid, i'm no longer deciding for a phone due to this, not only because of coversbut because my sgs has resisted many falls, even one 3m fall and it fell on a pool for 1-2 sec and survived, it didn't even turn off, so just because of this i can say that even though it doesn't feel resistant, it may resist more. I've tried none of this phones, and i can only give my point of view from what i've read and my experience.
I don't know if samsung will do the same with the s2, but the s1 has been updated from 2.1 to 2.2 to 2.2.1 to 2.3.2 to 2.3.3 to 2.3.4, much more updates than most phones have had, and there have been many improvements even though the s2 is out there and the sgs hasn't been forgotten.
Back to htc and sense, I can also say that sense is really good, but it consumes a lot of ram and may feel laggy, but on other htc phones i've seen with sense 2.1, it was really fluid and i really liked it, more than touchwiz.
There is no real way of comparing this two phones in a fair way unless they're running the same rom.
No matter which phone you choose out of these two, you are going to get an amazing phone.
The decision is yours, so think carefully about which phone you think is best for you
bedeabc said:
I really want this thread to get interesting so I'll post my two UK pennies.
I'm still deciding between these two phones. I've played with both in the shop and they're very different beasts.
The S2 is a stunning slab of a phone. It's ridiculously light and feels plasticy yet amazingly sturdy. The screen is superb. I'm coming from an AMOLED Desire (same screen as N1) and the screen is a huge step up. The WVGA res genuinely doesn't bother me in the slightest. Everything is big and clear and bright and gorgeous.
The Sensation feels a lot more solid in the hand. It's a more classy piece of hardware. It is considerably fatter and heavier than the S2 and feels like it could take some knocks. As someone who has used older versions of Sense quite a lot and not especially liked them, I found the Sensations's interface to be a big disappointment. Sense 3 felt just as slow and the earlier Sense version that ran on my Desire (before rooting/flashing). I'm sure it would be super slick with an AOSP rom. The screen is good but not a patch on the S2 IMO. The power button is impossible to reach with one hand - why HTC is still putting it on the top of the phone I have no idea.
So at this point I preferred the S2s screen (and camera by small margin from testing in the shop) and the Sensation's hardware.
In light of the court case I ordered an S2 and have now had it for 24hrs. With the exception of the lack of notification LED it's everything I'd hoped for. It's fast. Not iPhone smooth, but the closest I've seen in an Android device. Still running stock firmware.
Unlike the Sensation, it's not possible to replace the camera lens of the S2 without replacing the whole phone. The camera lens is not at all recessed and this this makes me nervous about putting it down on a flat surface. The S2 needs a case to protect it IMO whereas the HTC seems sufficiently tough to survive without one.
I'm still not 100% and still have a few days left to return the phone...
Does anyone else have experience with the two phones?
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Yup, here's what I posted elsewhere:
I've got an O2 Sensation, colleague has a Vodafone SGS2
The sensation feels much stronger, she commented that her SGS2 felt like you could snap it if you weren't careful, and I have to agree, while you couldn't actually do that, it does feel like you could.
SGS2 is easier to hold though, the rounded smooth edges of the Sensation are just begging for it to slip and drop.
Not got a problem reaching the power button on the top of the Sensation even with my stubby fingers.
The speaker on my Sensation is much louder than her SGS2, she's complaining that she can't hear the SGS2 in her bag. I was surprised as to how quiet it was on max volume.
The SGS2 has a lovely screen, the Sensation has a very nice screen.
My Sensation has the landscape wifi issue losing a bar or 2 of signal. From what others have posted, the OTA update or a custom ROM can fix this rather than a warranty claim for a replacement back cover.
The lock screen on the Sensation is much more responsive and the ability to jump straight to certain apps from the defaul lock screen is great. She often has to swipe two or three times to unlock the SGS2 as she's not moving the lock screen image far enough.
Sensation has Sense 3, which for me wipes the floor with the SGS2 interface, I really don't get on with anything but Sense, however I know a lot of people don't like sense and prefer the stock Android interface.
Sensation has Trace keyboard. She's activated swype on her SGS2 to make typing easier as like me can't get on with the stock Android keyboard. Swype is much better at doing the job than Trace, but I prefer the HTC keyboard and type faster with my thumbs than with either Swype or Trace.
Don't know about battery life on her SGS2, but my Sensation is getting about a day out of it and that's with push mail on two accounts and a bit of browsing.
To be honest, the only thing that would make my Sensation perfect would be a replacement back panel with squarer sides and a better WIFI antenna.
If you try a Sensation and it isn't fast and smooth, then there's something wrong with it.
Likewise there could be something wrong with her phone with regards to the speaker not being as loud as mine.
They are both at the top of their league, and the decision will be down to which one suits your needs better.
If you're not sure, get it over the phone/web so you have 14 days to return it if you're not happy (in the UK that is)
Play with them as much as possible in shops, go to several shops too.
For Tmobile, is the Hercules going to be the S2, or am I just so retarded that I simply have no idea what I'm talking about? http://www.phonedog.com/2011/08/23/...-the-galaxy-s-ii-missed-its-window-in-the-us/
before i went to buy a phone
the best things were the sensation and the SGS2
i got the SGS2
1. i wanted a phone as smooth as the iphone in scrolling
2.very good flash player experience (HWA)
and from my knowledge the SGS2 is the only (partial) hardware accelerated phone out there the sensation is not as smooth as the sgs2 and not as powerful go watch some youtube vids out there
3.future proof (samsung gave free SGS2s to the CM team and currently we have nighties)
4.amoled screen (dont tell me about resolution what i want is the contrast that makes you think "is the phone on or is that my stupid black background pic"
+ colors are to die for
5.sturdy (this phone is solid as a rock if u try to twist it u wont hear a squeak at all its hard as a rock
cons with this phone
1.people who first got it experienced very bad battery life but after updates that issue went away for most people i can get 4 days with my phone
2.people get heating issue with their phones
but the heating issue was just a warm feeling for me near the camera lens
3.my biggest issue if you record video 720p and over (in doors ) the phone goes down to 10 fps for 2 seconds and then speeds up then speeds down etc - this issue is still not fixed - but out doors works perfectly
4.you can get finger prints on the screen if you dont have a screen protector
5. people are reporting volume issues when calling
you can fix this manually from what i understand (using a code)
6.there are a couple of high end games and emulators that have issues with the Samsung's powerful gpu
To be honest, using the two side by side, I noticed no difference between the smoothness of the two.
Didn't know that the SGS2 had hardware acceleration until today!
However, that's comparing UK phones. US phones appear to be borked by carriers as standard. No idea why, but there are more reports of slow phones from US carriers than UK ones, likewise with the amount of bloatware, US carriers (from what I've seen posted here) load phones up with it while in the UK (on O2 especially) they don't which is going to have an impact on performance.
xaccers said:
To be honest, using the two side by side, I noticed no difference between the smoothness of the two.
Didn't know that the SGS2 had hardware acceleration until today!
However, that's comparing UK phones. US phones appear to be borked by carriers as standard. No idea why, but there are more reports of slow phones from US carriers than UK ones, likewise with the amount of bloatware, US carriers (from what I've seen posted here) load phones up with it while in the UK (on O2 especially) they don't which is going to have an impact on performance.
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coudnt you notice it in the stock browser
Sensation hands down
I haven't had any experience with the Sensation, but 3 people I know have the S2 and I was playing with 1 earlier and I fell in love.
This prompted me to install 'droid on my Topaz.
joker2428 said:
Sensation hands down
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Oh that settles it then. I'm running out right now to buy one. Thank you so much!
Sarcasm out.
orb3000 said:
Sensation because it´s HTC
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what the answer~
sgsII has better hardware and better design too
Hi mates, I've been reading up on comments, reviews and opinions on the Evo 3d and Sensation for the past few weeks and am already getting headaches from it. Now I'm at the brink of buying one of these (preferably this week as my iphone makes me sick more and more).
Your opinion is very important to me as I'm about to extend my contract for 2 years!
I don't need the 3d, but I'm having the feeling that the Evo3d is the overall better device. However, the bulky design and the inferior camera make it hard not to go for the Sensation (especially since I don't give a damn about 3d).
What I need to know from you guys are the follwoing things:
1. The Sensation's been known to have a slight lag in Sense and overall slower performance compared to the evo 3d. It was said many times this could be due to software issues. Has the performance since been improved in a way that it's on par with the Evo? Are the European units any better/different than the American ones?
2. I live in Europe. Are chances high I will get a faulty unit with a bad touchscreen? It seems to be a hardware issue so I guess there will be no software fix and sending the unit in 5 times with weeks of waiting in between is a dealbreaker for me.
3. I have read many reviews saying the Sensations battery life is superior to that of the Evo 3d and I have read just as many reviews that claim the opposite.
I do the occasional surfing while in train/bus, maybe 1-2h of music listening, checking emails several times a day and use google maps+GPS from time to time. No 3d use, movie watching or hours of gaming intended. Which one will serve me better?
The Sensation is slicker and doesn't have the ugly and unhandy camera-bumps like the Evo, but I'm very allergic to lag so if the Sensation is just underpowered compared to the Evo, i'll go with the snappier of the two.
Thank you!
As far as I know, the EVO 3D is pretty much identical hardware to the Sensation. And it also runs Sense 3.0. Check here for a comparision: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=3901&idPhone2=3875
With a custom Sense ROM, it is much more smooth.
Really don't see why the EVO 3D performance would be THAT much better then the Sensation...
The touchscreen isn't a problem. The only issues seem to be on the lockscreen, so it's software.
I don't see the reason either (apart from 1gb ram over 768mb) but apparently the Evo runs soomther plus i hear the sensation starts to show lag over time...
anyways, evry review says evo is snappier... i just wonder whether thi sis soething that can be fixed by updates or if it is due to bad hardware
My experience is limited to the Sensation only, but:
1. Yes. Annoyingly so. Stock performance on the Telstra model isn't very good. I've used three units and all have been identical. Once you S-OFF, install a custom ROM and a custom kernel, the problem is lessened somewhat. Sense 3.0 seems to underpin all the problems with this device.
2. Completely random. Out of the dozen or so people I know who own Telstra units, I am the only one with a 'good' Sharp panel. There's not a lot of difference in the picture quality of both screens, but there is a definite difference in the ghosting while scrolling. Mine's better, but it's still there. Looks to me like a refresh rate issue, but I'm not sure. Apparently the digitiser can 'de-sensitise' over time, I've had mine a fortnight and no issues as of yet.
3. I find the Sensation's battery life admirable. After a moderate day's use I get home with 80-60% remaining. I don't OC, I use WiFi all day at home and HSPA when I'm out, make a few calls, send maybe 80 texts, download a few apps and listen to music for an hour or so. Even after a solid hour of continuous Market browsing, I'd reportedly lost <10%.
Good luck in your choice!
Those side-effects are all results of Sense. Just install CyanogenMod or any other AOSP ROM (when they're released) for a much, much better experience.
--
Sent from my HTC Pyramid.
TheBiles said:
Those side-effects are all results of Sense. Just install CyanogenMod or any other AOSP ROM (when they're released) for a much, much better experience.
--
Sent from my HTC Pyramid.
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Absolutely.
I've never been a fan of CyanogenMod, but I will say that I am very much looking forward to it becoming available for the Sensation. The Alpha AOSP ROM looks promising also!
Thank you very much juzz86 and the others. Your post was very helpful. The thing is, I WANT Sense 3.0. If it was for the hardware alone, I'd go with the SGSII, although it's butt-ugly and feels like a child's toy in your hand. The Sensation's hardware is not so sensational when you compare it to other flagship phones. It's Sense that is making me want a HTC phone, but if the darn device can't handle it, despite dual core fanfare, I don't want it.
I'm so disappointed in this device It should have been everything the SGSII is, but with better design and Sense on top.
Anyways, the Evo seems to deal just fine with Sense 3.0 (at least that's what I read). I think I will give it a shot then, but not before I actually had the device in my hands. I'm a Pperson that is rather careless with it's phone. My iphone survived just fine because of a rubber case that saved it many times. But The Evo has ONE big glass plate in front of the two cam lenses... one unfortunate drop and goodbye picture taking.
I will have to think about that and see how the device actually feels...
Vipeout said:
Thank you very much juzz86 and the others. Your post was very helpful. The thing is, I WANT Sense 3.0. If it was for the hardware alone, I'd go with the SGSII, although it's butt-ugly and feels like a child's toy in your hand. The Sensation's hardware is not so sensational when you compare it to other flagship phones. It's Sense that is making me want a HTC phone, but if the darn device can't handle it, despite dual core fanfare, I don't want it.
I'm so disappointed in this device It should have been everything the SGSII is, but with better design and Sense on top.
Anyways, the Evo seems to deal just fine with Sense 3.0 (at least that's what I read). I think I will give it a shot then, but not before I actually had the device in my hands. I'm a Pperson that is rather careless with it's phone. My iphone survived just fine because of a rubber case that saved it many times. But The Evo has ONE big glass plate in front of the two cam lenses... one unfortunate drop and goodbye picture taking.
I will have to think about that and see how the device actually feels...
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Sounds like a plan. Don't drop the coin on it unless you're happy (only stupid people do that... ).
A recommendation: If you love Sense, and daily performance is more important to you than what looks good on paper, the Incredible S is an extremely good choice. It's 'just' a single-core, and it runs an older Sense, but it absolutely runs rings around the Sensation. The only real difference between the Sense version is the lockscreen, which is the only 'plus' I've come across in Sense 3.0
Thx for the advice, but I think it's rather stupid to buy a single core mobile in the age of dualcore processors and quadcore soon to be unleashed onto the world. I don't care if my Lambo is slower compared to a F1 Ferrari, but that don't mean I 'd go with a Fiat too
One more question regarding the lag/slowness of the phone: Is it sluggish out of the box or does it's performance degrade over time? How bad is it?
I often hear people complain about ceratin bugs, but only few seem to feel bothered by the performance...
Vipeout said:
Thx for the advice, but I think it's rather stupid to buy a single core mobile in the age of dualcore processors and quadcore soon to be unleashed onto the world. I don't care if my Lambo is slower compared to a F1 Ferrari, but that don't mean I 'd go with a Fiat too
One more question regarding the lag/slowness of the phone: Is it sluggish out of the box or does it's performance degrade over time? How bad is it?
I often hear people complain about ceratin bugs, but only few seem to feel bothered by the performance...
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For me it was slow out of the box. But I just flashed InsertCoin and it's very smooth compared to stock. CM7 will be even smoother
Swyped from my HTC Sensation
I don't know whether I should be happy or afraid because of that :O
Will CM7 still have Sense 3.0 or is it something completly different? I'm new to andorid, sry have no clue about it... Just saw that InsertCoin still has it.
I just read that the European Version of the Evo 3d isn't h4ackable as of now Different bootloader version or sumthin...
Yeah great, now I'm reconsidering the Sensation with a custom ROM. Geez this is getting old now...
Vipeout said:
I don't know whether I should be happy or afraid because of that :O
Will CM7 still have Sense 3.0 or is it something completly different? I'm new to andorid, sry have no clue about it... Just saw that InsertCoin still has it.
I just read that the European Version of the Evo 3d isn't h4ackable as of now Different bootloader version or sumthin...
Yeah great, now I'm reconsidering the Sensation with a custom ROM. Geez this is getting old now...
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CM7 will not have Sense at all. Most of the current crop of ROMs available still have Sense - even those that offer a 'sense-less' option still have the underlying frameworks included.
For me it was untolerable out of the box. I'm very susceptible to lag though.
I stick by my recommendation of a good single-core over a dual-core at this point. If it's fluid and quick in everyday operation, do you really need anything else? It's all just hype at this point, and the real-life benefits of dual cores aren't here yet.
I've ditched my Sensation for a Sharp SH-12C and it stomps all over it with just a single core and it does (pretty cool) 3D to boot. Pretty hard to come by, but so far a very polished package, and I'm getting much more enjoyment from it than from the Sensation.
I'm a big fan of stock android. I love cm can't wait for it to become available. That would definitely speed up things. Not sure I care about sense.
On another note I completely abuse my phone as far a use goes. WiFi on all day now Bluetooth too. I get 5.5hrs on a full charge. But again I completely abuse my phone. I listen to music all damn day I have a car charger so I'm happy and love my phone.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
I was sick of waiting and got the sensation yesterday. Haven't had too much time to spend with it but so far things are looking good, and it's fast, I see no lag. Only thing that's bothering me is te free memory, which is somewhere around 100mb usually. that's kinda lame. Why on earth did HTC not include simply 1gig?
No I wonder which rom to install. I figure crystal pyramid isn't too bad?
Vipeout said:
I was sick of waiting and got the sensation yesterday. Haven't had too much time to spend with it but so far things are looking good, and it's fast, I see no lag. Only thing that's bothering me is te free memory, which is somewhere around 100mb usually. that's kinda lame. Why on earth did HTC not include simply 1gig?
No I wonder which rom to install. I figure crystal pyramid isn't too bad?
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Task Manager is showing the wrong amount of RAM, go to Settings-Applications-Running Services and check there. I agree it should have been 1 GB though
For a ROM I recommend InsertCoin 2.3.4 because it's very fast However, maybe you will like another one better, so try them out and use the one you like best.
Swyped from my HTC Sensation
Vipeout said:
I was sick of waiting and got the sensation yesterday. Haven't had too much time to spend with it but so far things are looking good, and it's fast, I see no lag. Only thing that's bothering me is te free memory, which is somewhere around 100mb usually. that's kinda lame. Why on earth did HTC not include simply 1gig?
No I wonder which rom to install. I figure crystal pyramid isn't too bad?
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Click to collapse
Glad to hear you got a good one mate, nice job. I was also a bit skeptical of the reported RAM under the task switcher, seemed very low. As stated above, it appears to be a bit off. Uninstalling Sense actually freed up about 80MB for me, so hopefully something like AOSP will free up even more and make it really sing.
Crystal Pyramid is very nice. You won't be disappointed with any of the custom Sense ROMs at all, they're all nice and slick.
Enjoy!
I also have problems with the fact that the phone is so slow,and i was expecting much much more from it,i couldn't wait to finally get my hand on a Sensation .I have the stock rom with no modifications,but my Desire HD was also stock and it worked perfect,with no lag.I was playing Angry Birds Rio yesterday and the phone had lots of lags(like a video with low frame rate),and there wasn't any running program in the background .The Desire HD never had this problem,even if there were programs running in the background,the phone worked flawlessly.I am starting to regret that i sold the desire hd and bought the Sensation.
I really was a HTC fanboy, both software and hardware wise, after seeing their first HTC Desire and later the Desire HD. That made me ditch the iphone and switch to android.
Recently, I am starting to regret having bought the Sensation. Build quality my arse. This phone is full of bugs and disappointments, my biggest issues being:
- Power Button issue (no its NOT software related, at least not with my unit and the "fix" don't work)
- Battery reading and jumping issues. My phone stays way too long on 100% and then takes a dive instead of showing the energy levels correctly. And no matter what it shows, when I restart it the percentage magically jumps up around 15%, only to drop swiftly little later. Yes I did calibrate the battery in Android and yes I did several charge-discharge circles with all my 3 batteries.
- Sluggish Performance. Yes there are "ultra-hyper-mega-omega-smooth" ROMs but it only helps so much, many menus still have an apparent lag when scrolling, most famously the appdrawer (when u install more than just a few apps) and whatsapp when scrolling through chat history.
Also, in Electopia benchmark, the highest I get is 30 FPS, with an AOSP ROM. SGSII users get 49 fps no problem and they don't need to OC their device to 8.7GHz like we do to achieve it. I know benchmarks say nothing but this is a game with nice graphics and I can actually SEE the performance difference with my own eyes.
-Touchscreen problem. It's gone now, yes. But come on! Who tells me this will not resurface after 2 years in a much more severe way?
- Loudness. The phonespeaker blows, when I show someone a song or vid on the phone you can barely hear it. Same problem for in-call volume. No, Volume+ does not really help and it makes sound everything like shiat. I thought the iphone had a bad speaker but now I actually think it was quite good after seeing the lower end of the quality spectrum
-Broken 3D engine and no official fix for it. I need to rely on devs to do their work? Screw you htc
-Camera. Nothing in particular except that it is not as good as I expected and it lacks some features even my old Sony Ericsson k800i had like burst mode etc. Yes you can have it if you install the camera apk from a different htc phone but there usually are compatibility problems. Plus, why can't my phone have a decent camera app of its own? Too much to ask, HTC? Guess their priorities are elsewhere.
- The phone was half-baked to begin with and got patched up to adress the most severe problems rather than being good at launch and "sensational" after updates.
I'm interested in your opinion wheter a future ICS RUU will make things any better. I would sell my Sensation now and probably go for a Samsung. The thing is, I have bought a cover and two extra batteries for it and I'm not looking forward to buying those accessories again, especially because Amazon doesn't ship to my country. And I hear folks say all the time how ICS will make our device shine because of native dualcore support etc. In that case, it might well be worth to wait a little...
The thing is, I just don't believe in it anymore. HTC seems more busy pushing out new models than refining current ones. Hell, since the launch of the first Sensation alone they have thrown 2 additional versions of it in the market, let alone the number of completely new phones released or soon to be released.
I think fragmentation is becoming a major problem with HTC. Look at the leaked 3.3.5 RUU that all the devs build upon, it's been around for forever. But the real thing never saw the light of day and now with ICS out, I think it never will. When HTC has a flagship phone, you can bet they will have a new one in 6 weeks time. The Sensation got replaced by the Sensation XE (Different ROM&Kernel, not just fancy new colours) and the Sensation XE got replaced by the HTC Rezound all in less than 6 months.
HTC announced they will release ICS for Sensation around March. By that time, the Sensation will be a second class phone with quadcores already in the pipeline. The way I know HTC, their first ICS build will be full of crap and bugs. But because they will be busy pushing out new phones, we will have to live with their halfdone work. And by that time, I will prolly get much less for it if sold than I would right now.
What do you think? Sell now or wait and hope/pray for improvement?
Look. If you really dislike the phone that much, sell it now. ICS will change many things; improve some, make some worse. That's just how it goes. Then they'll patch the issues with the next patch etc. But judging from your post, I'd recommend you sell it and get another phone. Just don't touch anything Samsung.
You better sell it if you hate it that much. Why most people buy HTC? Because they can flash anything they whant and make the device better than stock. (same with Samsungs Plastic Devices) I never had any of the prolems you are talking about on my XE with the same Hardware. The Sensation XE is my 4th HTC phone and all of them were great never got any problems (Hardware or Software). And when i read something about benchmark i whant to throw up. What does it help if you have high scores and you device is laggy? If the performance is good i don't care about scores. And like FnH84 said ICS will make much things better but some things worse but we are here at XDA and our devs will make it all perfekt. It only needs some time. Android is a "Hacker phone" (let's call it like this) Out of the Box it's not the best OS but you can modify it in every way you whant and that makes it unique. If you need a phone that works perfekt out of the box you should buy icrap or WP7 on this phones you can do nothing wrong and they are easy to use.
Greez
Sent from my Revolver powered Asus Transformer TF101 with Tapatalk
Why don't we just gather all the ones that got a "faulty" device and retards that have something against specific brands, me included I truly hate Apple , HTC samgay and all the rest brands and see which phone (brand) gets the most posts ala we hate, it sucks yada yada doo.
1. Sensation build quality is robust and good, I have had 3 units.
2. Sense is not for every one but some intend to like it.
3. HTC is one of the older players (the oldest) on the android market. They know how to create something that wasn't there f.ex dual core support gingerbread.
4. Great screen with great resolution.
5. Screw you I'm going home!
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk
You are exaggerating things... Practically HTC mobiles are the best out there...
There is still little bit of lag but didn't effect me personally when using as phone...
HTC developers are much better than those Samsung ones... Atleast we have HTC Sense which other brand developers drag their ass to port to their handsets...
I still love it and it's the best for me..
you don't like it then sell it... Bye bye...
Sensation happens to be my best HTC and android phone. I have fewer problems than with MT3G, Nexus1, MT4G. Very pleased overall, just my 2c worth
Sensation happens to be a great phone for me ... much better than the galaxy s II
Feeling lucky ... didnt have any of those issues ...
I somewhat agree with OP, not everything, but certain points.
It did feel half-baked to start with. 2.08 base feels a lot more sleek though, shame they have not finished it, would be nice to have as an option, fully stable option I mean if they (HTC) **** up ICS.
Assuming HTC actually optimise Sense for ICS I can only see the Sensation getting better. Yes it runs now but I've had to make my own ROM for it. Does it bother me? Not in the slightest!! I enjoy it!!
The build quality of HTC handsets is second to none. I've had the HD2, Desire and now the Sensation and they just feel right. A nice bit of weight is reassuring, it means I know it's in my pocket.
OK, the camera isn't as good as other manufacturers but if I was that interested in taking a picture I'd use a camera (shock horror !!!)
End of the day if you're not happy, flog it and get something 'better'. Otherwise, enjoy what you have and look forward to more awesome ROMs from us Devs
What many people like to forget is, that higher display resolution is always a trade off between look and performance.
Of course the Samsung S2, with slightly better Hardware, performs better... It has only 800*480 Pixels to render.
I'm happy with my sensation. Of course it could be better, but there is no device out there that satisfies all my needs. And the sensation is the one that gets closest to that task.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
+1 Sensation..best phone out there, at least for me.
Vipeout said:
I really was a HTC fanboy, both software and hardware wise, after seeing their first HTC Desire and later the Desire HD. That made me ditch the iphone and switch to android.
Recently, I am starting to regret having bought the Sensation. Build quality my arse. This phone is full of bugs and disappointments, my biggest issues being:
- Power Button issue (no its NOT software related, at least not with my unit and the "fix" don't work)
- Battery reading and jumping issues. My phone stays way too long on 100% and then takes a dive instead of showing the energy levels correctly. And no matter what it shows, when I restart it the percentage magically jumps up around 15%, only to drop swiftly little later. Yes I did calibrate the battery in Android and yes I did several charge-discharge circles with all my 3 batteries.
- Sluggish Performance. Yes there are "ultra-hyper-mega-omega-smooth" ROMs but it only helps so much, many menus still have an apparent lag when scrolling, most famously the appdrawer (when u install more than just a few apps) and whatsapp when scrolling through chat history.
Also, in Electopia benchmark, the highest I get is 30 FPS, with an AOSP ROM. SGSII users get 49 fps no problem and they don't need to OC their device to 8.7GHz like we do to achieve it. I know benchmarks say nothing but this is a game with nice graphics and I can actually SEE the performance difference with my own eyes.
-Touchscreen problem. It's gone now, yes. But come on! Who tells me this will not resurface after 2 years in a much more severe way?
- Loudness. The phonespeaker blows, when I show someone a song or vid on the phone you can barely hear it. Same problem for in-call volume. No, Volume+ does not really help and it makes sound everything like shiat. I thought the iphone had a bad speaker but now I actually think it was quite good after seeing the lower end of the quality spectrum
-Broken 3D engine and no official fix for it. I need to rely on devs to do their work? Screw you htc
-Camera. Nothing in particular except that it is not as good as I expected and it lacks some features even my old Sony Ericsson k800i had like burst mode etc. Yes you can have it if you install the camera apk from a different htc phone but there usually are compatibility problems. Plus, why can't my phone have a decent camera app of its own? Too much to ask, HTC? Guess their priorities are elsewhere.
- The phone was half-baked to begin with and got patched up to adress the most severe problems rather than being good at launch and "sensational" after updates.
I'm interested in your opinion wheter a future ICS RUU will make things any better. I would sell my Sensation now and probably go for a Samsung. The thing is, I have bought a cover and two extra batteries for it and I'm not looking forward to buying those accessories again, especially because Amazon doesn't ship to my country. And I hear folks say all the time how ICS will make our device shine because of native dualcore support etc. In that case, it might well be worth to wait a little...
The thing is, I just don't believe in it anymore. HTC seems more busy pushing out new models than refining current ones. Hell, since the launch of the first Sensation alone they have thrown 2 additional versions of it in the market, let alone the number of completely new phones released or soon to be released.
I think fragmentation is becoming a major problem with HTC. Look at the leaked 3.3.5 RUU that all the devs build upon, it's been around for forever. But the real thing never saw the light of day and now with ICS out, I think it never will. When HTC has a flagship phone, you can bet they will have a new one in 6 weeks time. The Sensation got replaced by the Sensation XE (Different ROM&Kernel, not just fancy new colours) and the Sensation XE got replaced by the HTC Rezound all in less than 6 months.
HTC announced they will release ICS for Sensation around March. By that time, the Sensation will be a second class phone with quadcores already in the pipeline. The way I know HTC, their first ICS build will be full of crap and bugs. But because they will be busy pushing out new phones, we will have to live with their halfdone work. And by that time, I will prolly get much less for it if sold than I would right now.
What do you think? Sell now or wait and hope/pray for improvement?
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I've never had a problem with power button, battery, touchscreen or 3D engine.
Speaker, I agree with you, could be better and louder.
Camera, what you expected? It is only phone camera. For me picture quality is very good. And I don't need burst mode, it is unimportant feature.
Performance is very good. UI acceleration is disabled by default to save battery life, you can simply enable it.
SGS II has better performance in 3D, but Sensation has 35% more pixels.
Agreed with the OP, but then again like others have said, Better build quality than any other manufacturer, Sense (at least for me), and the ability to flash whatever the **** you want makes me buy HTC phones. Even though I wouldn't mind a S2 right now, but the screen resolution kills me on that, everything is just huge!
im in the same boat like you i loved htc sense and i still love htc sense
but the thing that really put me off from andriod is because the software and hardware limitation
firstly i want to write about my experience with htc hd2 my first htc phone and i loved it because of big screen but the downside was that any rom i installed on it used to drain my battery madly
if i used my phone for a while the battery used to drop like there is no tommorow
and max battery life used to be 2-3 hours but if when i used to leave it on stand by it used to lst 8-9 hours and that was not used and battery used to die so i got so mad with it that i sold it and bought htc senstaion
the thing with sensation was i had more memory higher resoulation and it was capable of recording 1080p at the same time it had a front camera but the bad thing in sesnation is battery life and check my post where my battery lasted 2 hours and i think this is piss taking.
i have a iphone 4 which i borrowed form my cousin for test this week and this phone blew me away because i left wifi on for 1 day and 5 hour while it was on stand by and guess what it only lost 2 percent in the long time where as my senstaion would have died in 7-8 hours
the good thing about iphone was its software and harware work flawless toghether even though i admit when i'm gonna give this back to my cousin i'm gonna say to him its **** because i cant admit its better in hadrware
but software wise its the best phone out there.
bad thing about iphone 4 its heavy like htc senstion and it has very smal screen and i personally hate it this is the only reason i choose htc rather than iphone
---------- Post added at 08:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:27 PM ----------
i also did a camera test and iphone was much smmoother and i;m talking about front camera because if i move my camera it laggs bad and does blur where as iphone despite having the same spec camera is much clearer while at the same time it is much better but about the back camera i personally think htc is better and that is my personal choise(i forgot how to write it). in senstaion the front camera is so dark in low light while at the same time iphone is very clear.
personally i think htc and other company should stop brinig phone for a while and rather they should try to perfect the software on our phone because this is really making andriod looking bad
Vipeout said:
HTC seems more busy pushing out new models than refining current ones.
...
The way I know HTC, their first ICS build will be full of crap and bugs. But because they will be busy pushing out new phones, we will have to live with their halfdone work.
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In this regard, HTC is no worse (and is better than) other Android handset manufacturers. I was an early adopter with the Samsuck Behold 2, which saw only very limited updates. Every company is pushing new models, either because most consumers are spoiled and always want the latest and greatest, or as a side effect they don't need to support phones beyond 1-2 years because carriers subsidize phones when contracts are renewed.
In general, software rarely gets faster when new versions are released, and I doubt that ICS will perform faster than what we have now unless HTC seriously thins out their Sense UI overlay. I also expect that HTC has a common code base between what we'll get on the Sensation and what future phone releases will use, so I doubt what we get will be any worse than new ICS HTC handsets.
8.7ghz dam bro ur phone must be an oven lol
To those who say they have no battery issues:
Does your battery not stick at 100% longer than it should? It stays at 100% even after 30min of intense use and then sharply drops instead of declining i a linear way. Do you not have different battery level values after restarting the phone? Afaik it is a common problem with the Sensation caused by bad drivers. There is even a thread dedicated to this.
And it can not all be blamed on the higher pixel count. Electopia is a 3d game that measures your fps. There is an option to run it at WVGA resolution (800x480), meaning it is rendered in exactly the same resolution as the SGII. The game runs at aprox. 20 fps slower than on the sgII. Now this is not some synthetic benchmark, this is real world performance where the game simply runs smother on the sammy.
I just checked my roommate's SGII performance within whatsapp. He can scroll through the entire chat history in real time, back and forward with no delay. Mine has VISIBLE lag and doesn't respond as well, it stutters alot when scrolling up the list. Don't tell me its because it has to render more pixels, its a messaging program ffs! This happens with EVERY Rom (With or without Sense).
I am surprised no one shares my view on those issues because it's basically a compilation of often here mentioned issues plaguing the Sensation. And I know HTC made some damn fine phones, but the Sensation just doesn't live up to their past standards.
No I don't feel the need to always have the fastest and best thing around. I was evaluating pros and cons between the Sensation and SG2 for 6 whole weeks before ultimately going for the Sensation. I knew the Samsung had better benchmark results and more power but I was like "I don't need a ****ing racing car, a nice sports car will do it just as well". But I simply cannot put up with sluggish menus/scrolling behaviour. Not in 2011 and in the age of dual core processors. See, if only the Sensation was really snappy with my daily tasks, I couldn't care less for benchmarks.
But folks will always say the same things like "it has more pixels to push" or "mine runs super smooth" when in fact it runs the same way as mine and they just don't mind a bit of choppiness.
I HATE the plastic toy phone feel of the Samsung devices, but damn those phones fly. Probably I'm alone with this, but choppy and sluggish menus and scrolling behaviour gives me eye cancer. And it's something I can't live withon such a premium device.
Please keep the "if you don't like it then sell it" comments to your self, they add nothing to the discussion and you are not telling me anything new.
Well I am considering the Galaxy Nexus now, despite not having the most fancy gpu unit available.
Probably I'm alone with this, but choppy and sluggish menus and scrolling behaviour gives me eye cancer.
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Then you need to go to a hospital, stat. Here's the deal, 99% of people who dislike this phone either return it or sell it, and get something they like. They don't go to a dev forum specifically designed for the phone in question and ***** about it.
Point is, if you don't like it, get something else.
Get the motorola atrix, or even the lg g2x and then tell me this phone is buggy.. hahah, the moto atrix even with CM 7 was more laggy than this phone stock. with more ram etc. camera flys past both phones. sure its not better than the amaze but look at the price differance.
I think ICS will make the Sensation a little bit smoother.
That said, I overall don't really like my Sensation. It was an under-spec'd, half-baked phone from release. I really wish my phone upgrade would have been now, because I would have been all over a real performer like the Galaxy Nexus. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with my Sensation for another year and a half or so, and I doubt I'll be able to make it that long.
Having a phone that performs like a toy is worse than having one that feels like a toy. I didn't buy a damn phone just to touch it. I bought it to use it, and there are tons of phones out there that perform better.
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.