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Thinking about getting a new phone, but which road do I take?

With the SGS II not coming to Canada anytime soon, Im looking for a different android phone to play around with and probably end up keeping in the long run. I was dead set on getting an Atrix purely for the power of the phone and the lapdock accessory, after seeing most of the reviews saying that I was better off getting an actual laptop for the same price and could do far more itself, Im kinda leaning off the Atrix trail atm. So I was thinking about either the Nexus S or the HTC Incredible S. Or should I still go ahead with the Atrix (Even though that pretty little bootloader still aint unlocked)?

PearsonDKA said:
With the SGS II not coming to Canada anytime soon, Im looking for a different android phone to play around with and probably end up keeping in the long run. I was dead set on getting an Atrix purely for the power of the phone and the lapdock accessory, after seeing most of the reviews saying that I was better off getting an actual laptop for the same price and could do far more itself, Im kinda leaning off the Atrix trail atm. So I was thinking about either the Nexus S or the HTC Incredible S. Or should I still go ahead with the Atrix (Even though that pretty little bootloader still aint unlocked)?
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go for nexus s.u will love it

PearsonDKA said:
With the SGS II not coming to Canada anytime soon, Im looking for a different android phone to play around with and probably end up keeping in the long run. I was dead set on getting an Atrix purely for the power of the phone and the lapdock accessory, after seeing most of the reviews saying that I was better off getting an actual laptop for the same price and could do far more itself, Im kinda leaning off the Atrix trail atm. So I was thinking about either the Nexus S or the HTC Incredible S. Or should I still go ahead with the Atrix (Even though that pretty little bootloader still aint unlocked)?
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Click to collapse
Skip the Atrix as the software (and Motoblur) is terrible - the hardware is amazing, but it feels crippled by the crappy software, The HTC Incredible S is a nice phone, IMO it doesn't excel in any one category, but overall is a pretty good device. Note that if you are into modding, the Incredible S has a locked bootloader and root still has not been achieved on it for the Bell version.
The Nexus S is pretty good, but is missing a couple of things I like (LED notification light and an SD card slot), but it is a stock Google phone and should be great for modding. I'm currently on a SE Arc - overall, I think I prefer it to the Incredible S and the Nexus S.
BTW, some of the UK sellers are now selling the Galaxy S II if you want to pick one up.

rajeshr said:
Skip the Atrix as the software (and Motoblur) is terrible - the hardware is amazing, but it feels crippled by the crappy software, The HTC Incredible S is a nice phone, IMO it doesn't excel in any one category, but overall is a pretty good device. Note that if you are into modding, the Incredible S has a locked bootloader and root still has not been achieved on it for the Bell version.
The Nexus S is pretty good, but is missing a couple of things I like (LED notification light and an SD card slot), but it is a stock Google phone and should be great for modding. I'm currently on a SE Arc - overall, I think I prefer it to the Incredible S and the Nexus S.
BTW, some of the UK sellers are now selling the Galaxy S II if you want to pick one up.
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So they would ship it across seas? :O
Also the HTC is the one I'm leading more towards ATM because when it comes to the camera on a phone, its some what a deal breaker for me.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.

PearsonDKA said:
So they would ship it across seas? :O
Also the HTC is the one I'm leading more towards ATM because when it comes to the camera on a phone, its some what a deal breaker for me.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
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Yes, they would. Check out clove.co.uk and expansys for more information.
If the Sensation has the same camera (8 MP) as the Incredible S, then I would suggest that you look at alternate camera's. While it's great to have a 8MP camera, the Incredible S camera is not as good as some of the other 8MP camera's.
Personally, I would lean towards the Galaxy S II!

i'd go with the nexus s

rajeshr said:
Yes, they would. Check out clove.co.uk and expansys for more information.
If the Sensation has the same camera (8 MP) as the Incredible S, then I would suggest that you look at alternate camera's. While it's great to have a 8MP camera, the Incredible S camera is not as good as some of the other 8MP camera's.
Personally, I would lean towards the Galaxy S II!
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If anything ill wait till the prices go down for the sgs II lol. $900 seems a tad pricey at the moment. I might go with the attic cause of the whole dual core.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.

PearsonDKA said:
If anything ill wait till the prices go down for the sgs II lol. $900 seems a tad pricey at the moment. I might go with the attic cause of the whole dual core.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
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I think the SGS II costs about $680 (GBP440), not $900.
Anyway, I found the software on the Atrix bad enough to sell it a couple of months into ownership. There are a few issues on the Rogers/Fido network with the Atrix - e.g. capped upload speeds (max 384kb upload), issues with displaying Caller ID with name and issues with wifi hot spots. The hardware is amazing, but I wish I could install HTC Sense on it (never going to happen due to a locked bootloader).
It's your call in the end, but maybe it's better to wait for the prices to come down.

rajeshr said:
I think the SGS II costs about $680 (GBP440), not $900.
Anyway, I found the software on the Atrix bad enough to sell it a couple of months into ownership. There are a few issues on the Rogers/Fido network with the Atrix - e.g. capped upload speeds (max 384kb upload), issues with displaying Caller ID with name and issues with wifi hot spots. The hardware is amazing, but I wish I could install HTC Sense on it (never going to happen due to a locked bootloader).
It's your call in the end, but maybe it's better to wait for the prices to come down.
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Click to collapse
Yea was doing a bit more research on the Atrix and found out that issue as well. When you say $680, that canadian or US? The cappy i have right now, got someone to buy it for $500. So I guess forking out $200 more shouldnt hurt.

I will go for Incredible S. Why? Just preference. What I normally do is if you really can't decide, head to the shop and try the feel of the phone.
If you are leaning towards hardware and stuff, then of course would need more advise on those who had hands on experience with it.
Just my 2 cents.

Kinda thinking about grabbing a SGS 2. Just trying to find out if there's gonna be an issue ordering it to Canada and through who.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.

PearsonDKA said:
Kinda thinking about grabbing a SGS 2. Just trying to find out if there's gonna be an issue ordering it to Canada and through who.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
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I ordered the SGS2 through Clove, but you can also choose Handtec or Expansys.

I would pick the Nexus. That thing is faster stock than you're ever going to need it. SGS2 seems like a good pick but so did the first Galaxy S phones before they came out.

thegnargnarshredder said:
I would pick the Nexus. That thing is faster stock than you're ever going to need it. SGS2 seems like a good pick but so did the first Galaxy S phones before they came out.
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SGS I with ROMS is much faster than Nexus S stock based on quadrant (not sure if true in actuality).

What do you think about HTC Aria...

nexus s for sure.

what about Thunderbolt

rajeshr said:
I ordered the SGS2 through Clove, but you can also choose Handtec or Expansys.
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Click to collapse
Ill check whichever has the better deal. Gonna grab a case, screen protector and the MHL cable along with the phone.
thegnargnarshredder said:
I would pick the Nexus. That thing is faster stock than you're ever going to need it. SGS2 seems like a good pick but so did the first Galaxy S phones before they came out.
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The Nexus S I moved on from. Camera quality wasn't all to enjoyable.
Orikon said:
SGS I with ROMS is much faster than Nexus S stock based on quadrant (not sure if true in actuality).
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To true. This Cappy is hitting the 2500's in AnTuTu.
asmeena said:
What do you think about HTC Aria...
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Never heard of it =X
wooddale said:
what about Thunderbolt
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I don't think it's gonna work on Rogers bands.

With all the new devices on the horizon is Inspire worth free?

Background, I currently have a Dell Venue Pro and Galaxy S for daily use. I upgrade phones every 6 - 12 months typically. Taking the longview, at free, is the Inspire worth having? Bestbuy is giving them away with COD MW3 purchase.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

The inspire is a wonderful phone but with once you get a hold of a dual core device, single core devices will no longer interest you. And it has been leaked that there will be a quad core device from HTC, don't buy the inspire...unless you're not really concerned with having the latest technology.
LG Thrill 3D

I spent $99 on my HTC Inspire 2 months ago and would do it again. Sure there were other newer phones out there but for the price I am very, very happy. I would take it over the iPhone 4S for sure. Free is even better.

Thanks for the responses. I took your advice, riseinside, a little literally. My wife has an iPhone 4, I got the Inspire under the pretense as a gift for her and she is loving it so far. Plus side for me I now have an android phone to tinker with. My Galaxy S is governemnt issued so I can't root it. Also, in exchang for buying her a tablet (which she is now leaning more toward an android tablet instead of an iPad just with her short time with the Inspire), I can use her upgrade to get myself a phone. DVP support has been dissappointing to say the least, so I'll probably get an HTC Titan when that releases on the 20th.

Since my sgs2 has to be repaired I'm using the inspire until I recieve my parts. It's not a bad backup and haven't had any issues. I picked it up from craigslist for 100 bucks so I can't complain. Basically brand new with 1 scratch on top corner.
My favorite device besides sgs2 was the hd2. Can't get over the speaker audio, its not very good.
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

There is always another phone coming out that will make your phone obsolete in a sense..I love the Inspire, does everything I need it to and more, I agree though...it would have been that much better if it were free

Worth upgrading to Nexus S form Desire?

I'm planned to buy second hand Nexus s mobile for 350USD.
Is it worth buying Nexus S.

I own a Nexus One (same internals as a desire) and bought a Nexus S. The difference is very noticeable. CPU and GPU have more power and the screen is very nice. NFC is a cool feature that I found myself using a lot (I bought custom tags and use NFC task launcher http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359057) The prospect of getting an official release of ICS is nice too. I've tried it on both and the performance is much better on the NS. All and all, I think it's a good upgrade. You just have to decide whether it's worth $350 or not. I did.

Maybe if you can trade your current phone and that cash, a better phone can be had.
Electronically sent from my brains to your eyes.

if thats US currency no.
i think euros are around half so your buying for $200? not bad.

svprm said:
I'm planned to buy second hand Nexus s mobile for 350USD.
Is it worth buying Nexus S.
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Click to collapse
I think if you have to ask the question, this means you're not sure, so the answer is probably "no." That looks like an expensive price for a used handset.
If you have a burning reason why you need to upgrade from the Desire to the Nexus S (better performance, NFC, AMOLED) then fair enough, but without a little more background, it's hard to quantify.

Not worth it for that price.

Too much for that price. Maybe you can still haggle
Sent from my Nexus S or my YP-G70 using Tapatalk

i got mine for $220 cnd used, i think you can get them brand new for $450 $350 used inst a bargan at all.

jerkwagon said:
i got mine for $220 cnd used, i think you can get them brand new for $450 $350 used inst a bargan at all.
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It's a little more for a new one. I recently got one. But hm... Is it heavily used or beat up? I would try to bring that price down, or as someone else mentioned trade in your phone too for a better phone. Regardless the Nexus S is an amazing phone. Very smooth, TONS of development still being done on it. It was Google's flagship phone of coarse. To this day I think it hold more than it's own against even some dual core phones.

consider money is not a problem in my below opinions, i just had to share my thoughts as a fellow Desire user.
mate, if you are from Desire, i think you better go for dual core. I had a Desire and then upgraded to SGS2. and it was a great phone and still are. One of the best HTC phones ever made. i missed it sometimes.
But going for Nexus S? unless you are totally new to smartphone, then yes it is worth it. From Desire then it is not. I gave my Desire to my mum and got me a SGS2. I bought Nexus S soon after that as my 2nd phone. Yes getting ICS first is awesome but it can be pretty sluggish at times, and the performance are actually the same as Desire had, except a stable ICS. IMO, go for dual core, or to be more specific, Galaxy Nexus if you want stock AOSP experience. I'm getting one soon too as my 3rd phone.

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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Click to collapse

When and to what will you upgrade from the venerable Captivate?

So I've been sitting on an upgrade since before the sgs3 came out. Have been telling myself to wait until it's under $100...Now the HOX is $99 via at&t or even $79 via Costco with free activation and bunch of accessories...color me tempted. Sure the One X has some flaws, but most agree it's solid especially at $80. Then again, what will these new Android phones go for after iPhone 5 is released? Probably a good deal cheaper, and I like value on the cheap
That being said, I can't complain about my Cappy running CM9; it's running as good now as it ever has and the ICS port is close enough to flawless for me.
Understandably, the question I ask is opinion...but curious what folks are eyeing up for their next phone. Considering I got my Cappy refurbished for $0 plus contract, I have half a mind to wait for the sgs3 to be similarly offered before I bite.
Thoughts? What at&t phone are you holding out for?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

Maybe the Note 2, or next Nexus (always a ton of development on Nexus devices ) I've been waiting since May.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

i dont have and upgrade till next year :/ so im really wanting to see some real monster phones come that time lol
i was so tempted to buy the sgs3 outright but im holding off

When i bought my captivate on Christmas of 2010, Wal-Mart/AT&T never took off the upgrade i used to purchase it.
So i waited until i was sufficiently bored with the captivate and something else caught my eye.
I bought the note about a month after it was released, do not regret it at all.
The hox is poop, a friend of mine abs fellow teammate sells phones, every one x he has sold in his store has been returned with an issue.
The s3 has been having problems with people losing their imei numbers after flashing a custom Rom, with no way to restore them, the old methods don't seem to work.

studacris said:
When i bought my captivate on Christmas of 2010, Wal-Mart/AT&T never took off the upgrade i used to purchase it.
So i waited until i was sufficiently bored with the captivate and something else caught my eye.
I bought the note about a month after it was released, do not regret it at all.
The hox is poop, a friend of mine abs fellow teammate sells phones, every one x he has sold in his store has been returned with an issue.
The s3 has been having problems with people losing their imei numbers after flashing a custom Rom, with no way to restore them, the old methods don't seem to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have those three phones on my radar for the next upgrade. The One X was the lowest, and if you're getting information saying it's not worth the box it comes in, that's good to know.
I'm torn between the size of the Note and the additional horsepower of the S3. It looks like they've managed to get around the IMEI thing for the AT&T S3 (at least that's what my 5 minutes reading in that forum indicates), so I'm less worried about that.
I guess it will come down to the price difference at the time of upgrade.
So... there you go. Do with that what you must.

I got an Atrix 2 when it was $1 from Best Buy on black Friday. That's my main phone and daily driver, and my Cappy is my funsies phone. The Atrix 2 still has a locked boot loader (let's see if I ever buy another Motorola unless it's a Nexus) so I still use my Captivate a lot for tinkering.
My next phone? Probably an off-contract Nexus.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

A Note 1 or 2 just depending.. or an SG3 I am pretty damn happy right now with JB on my Cappy

Madtowndave said:
Thoughts? What at&t phone are you holding out for?
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Click to collapse
Something that is built for ICS and up. Something that is more bleeding-edge tech then the cappy was for it's time. So probably something not Samsung, since they are the leading brand and have nothing to prove.
-xda app, too lazy for something interesting to say-

Keeping mine.... why switch?!

Are you still using your computer from 95?
Technology has a shelf life, no matter how much you love it, it will be more than obsolete within a relatively short amount of time.

No matter how old my phone gets it will still be comparable to the newest devices in its principle purpose, to be used as a phone... Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe my dumb phone from 2005 has the comparable cellular abilities.
The reason I like this one more than my 2005, is the wifi teathering, mp3, camera, and GPS. Tablets and PC's I frequently update because I expect them to do a lot more than play music and call people. I suppose if you were in so impatient to as not wait 3 seconds for a website to load it would be worth the $500 price tag of a new phone. But I would rather be 2 years behind and use the extra $$ for something fun, like a new mountain bike or rifle.
When someone invents a modular phone system that can be upgraded like a PC, then I will buy it that day.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda premium

I'm going with either the SGSIII or Note 2. The Captivate has 512 MB ram but the SGSIII (and probably the Note 2) has 2GB! That's why android 4.1 is 'so buttery smooth!' I thought about the HTC One X but the battery is not removable, so forget it. Time to move up to buttery smooth!

Is butter related only to the ram or software also?
Sent from my SGH-I897 with miui and luvin it

bradddo said:
Is butter related only to the ram or software also?
Sent from my SGH-I897 with miui and luvin it
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Click to collapse
It's a combination of available ram, software efficiency, and processor speed. You can have the fastest processor and 1 or of 2 GB of available ram, but if the software is dis-organized, or it has illogical code, or it conflicts with the operating system, you won't have smooth operation. The Captivate on ICS is very close to its limits and JB may be the limit, depending on how the devs make their custom roms. I'm staying with CM9 RC2 until, and if, the stable version is released. Then I'll turn my Captivate into a MP3 player and wifi only browser and enjoy my stock SGSIII or Note 2.

Even on the S3 I'm not sure I'll stick with stock...maybe at least root to freeze stupid at$t bloat.
Thanks for the good input on this thread. I'm severely tempted by the $80 HOX at Costco, but keep reminding myself that S3 should get cheaper by time iPhone 5 is released in the wild. The waiting is the hardest part.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

im going for the sgs3. depends on how much its going for in Feb as thats my next upgrade
its far to expensive now though. i have a feeling quad core phones are on their way to market.

I upgraded my phone about a week ago. I went from my beloved Captivate to the Galaxy S 3, and I couldnt be happier. Dont get me wrong, I loved my cappy. I flashed just about every rom that was/is available for it. But my new SGS3 is a marvel of a phone. The speed of this phone is insane. For example, when installing new apps on GS3, it only takes literally a second to install an app with a size of say 20MB. My Captivate was fast, but not that fast, but I guess thats to be expected. If you love the Galaxy S series like I do... Then its a no-brainer what to upgrade to.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

I love my captivate. I've sent it to hell and back flashing constantly, soft bricking repeatedly, and dropping it occasionally, but it has remained solid, with only minor injuries. Not to mention I have a smooth, stable (for me at least) Jelly Bean ROM, and an amazing development community!
All that said, I'll run to the next Nexus device faster than a cheetah on hot asphalt.

I'm also thinking Nexus, those things get more development attention than any other device.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2

I was really close to getting an S3, but now that I have a REALLY fast and stable rom on my phone (helly bean), I don't feel the need to upgrade so quickly.
I'll probably wait a couple months and see what's new!