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Hey guys,
As the battery on my HTC Diamond is dying, I'm in the market for a new phone, and I am down to either htc Desire or Samsung Captivate ...
Why HTC Desire?
- Love HTC phones, my last 4 phones were all HTC's
- Love Sense, hate TouchWhiz
- Slightly smaller, so it would fit a little better in jeans pocket
- Availability of development and cooked ROMs
- Captivate seems to be somewhat buggy? With self shutdown problems, GPS can't lock and alarm won't pop up / go off ... little quirks.
Why Captivate?
- S-AMOLED screen is the best screen available now
- Hummingbird > Snapdragon
- 4.0" screen is better than 3.7"
- Have concern about Desire's battery life ... vastly disappointed with Diamond's battery though I know 1400mAh > 900, but many people still complain about Desire's battery life
- Captivate seems to be better at video playback, smoother, more vivid colour
- Captivate seems to be snappier with web browsing
What do you guys think? Anything else I should know about these phones?
Like I said, the biggest appeal of the Desire is Sense ... I think it's a great UI and I'm almost temped to pick the phone just for its UI. That said, I have concern about Desire's battery life. The Captivate's S-AMOLED screen is also something you fall in love with.
Any suggestion or advices is welcome!
Motorola Atrix.
Sent from my Captivate.
number16 said:
Hey guys,
As the battery on my HTC Diamond is dying, I'm in the market for a new phone, and I am down to either htc Desire or Samsung Captivate ...
Why HTC Desire?
- Love HTC phones, my last 4 phones were all HTC's
- Love Sense, hate TouchWhiz
- Slightly smaller, so it would fit a little better in jeans pocket
- Availability of development and cooked ROMs
- Captivate seems to be somewhat buggy? With self shutdown problems, GPS can't lock and alarm won't pop up / go off ... little quirks.
Why Captivate?
- S-AMOLED screen is the best screen available now
- Hummingbird > Snapdragon
- 4.0" screen is better than 3.7"
- Have concern about Desire's battery life ... vastly disappointed with Diamond's battery though I know 1400mAh > 900, but many people still complain about Desire's battery life
- Captivate seems to be better at video playback, smoother, more vivid colour
- Captivate seems to be snappier with web browsing
What do you guys think? Anything else I should know about these phones?
Like I said, the biggest appeal of the Desire is Sense ... I think it's a great UI and I'm almost temped to pick the phone just for its UI. That said, I have concern about Desire's battery life. The Captivate's S-AMOLED screen is also something you fall in love with.
Any suggestion or advices is welcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what ever you do, if you want your phone to run the latest software, have a gps working, lagless UI, do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG PHONE
get a desire or wait for the motorola atrix
If you do buy the Captivate, make sure you get the newest hardware build which is 1012 I believe?
Either way it has the gps, shutdown issues fixed.
I've never heard about the alarm issue.
I don't recommend samsung smartphones. worst manufacturer when it comes to upgrading latest android updates.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Thanks guys ... from the sound of it, despite superior hardware the Captivate is pretty buggy and there are plenty of small little quirks? (I don't call occasional self power-down as "small" quick neither)
number16 said:
Thanks guys ... from the sound of it, despite superior hardware the Captivate is pretty buggy and there are plenty of small little quirks? (I don't call occasional self power-down as "small" quick neither)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you make a final decision, I suggest you ask this exact same question (if you havent already) on the HTC Desire forums and see what they say. Right now, many people on the captivate forums are frustrated with the lack of official updates, gps issues, shutdown issues, etc and will point out the negative aspects of this device. People who are frustrated tend to speak "louder" than people who are happy, its just human nature.
See what responses you get from the HTC Desire forums, research what people have been saying about it, go to the store and play with both, then make a decision.
I too am frustrated with the Captivate at times and even my girlfriends HTC Aria looks better and better.
gormander said:
Before you make a final decision, I suggest you ask this exact same question (if you havent already) on the HTC Desire forums and see what they say. Right now, many people on the captivate forums are frustrated with the lack of official updates, gps issues, shutdown issues, etc and will point out the negative aspects of this device. People who are frustrated tend to speak "louder" than people who are happy, its just human nature.
See what responses you get from the HTC Desire forums, research what people have been saying about it, go to the store and play with both, then make a decision.
I too am frustrated with the Captivate at times and even my girlfriends HTC Aria looks better and better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
But looks like the GPS and shutdown issues are fixed in newer captivates.
But wait for 2 months. Couple better phones are "currently" set to be released by end of first quarter.
Thanks! Yes, I do have a similar thread over at the Desire forum (nobody's posted to it yet ... either it means there's no serious issue or it's a phone people have kindda lost interest in? )
I do believe in general, htc phones are free of major problems. I'm on my 4th htc phone and I've been pretty happy with each of them ... except maybe the battery life.
It's just Galaxy S has a GREAT screen (I think it's the best screen available today, bar none) that I started considering it.
If you are planing on flashing roms I think the better hardware wins in the long run.
I agree I would check out the Moto forums sense some think the 1.2ghz Processor is worth moto putting in a locked bootloader so might be a long while till you see any roms for it if at all
I agree better hardware wins in the long run, and I do plan to flash with cooked ROMs ... that said, I do want a phone that's reasonably bug-free in the meantime. I don't know when Samsung can iron out its problems, and that also has an impact on cooked ROM's.
I think the new dual core processors are interesting, but my budget won't allow me to get one of the newest phones. I think given my budget, my best choices are the Desire and the Captivate.
number16 said:
I agree better hardware wins in the long run, and I do plan to flash with cooked ROMs ... that said, I do want a phone that's reasonably bug-free in the meantime. I don't know when Samsung can iron out its problems, and that also has an impact on cooked ROM's.
I think the new dual core processors are interesting, but my budget won't allow me to get one of the newest phones. I think given my budget, my best choices are the Desire and the Captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To tell the truth the Desire HD is my next device unless HTC comes out with something before I get the cash together. When it comes to PPC I have learned that now that while hardware is great samsung just doesnt have the CS that I would like and Motorola tries everything they can to lock up the bootloader to prevent custom roms.
I am somewhat of a noob when it comes to flashing roms. I do work in IT though and love messing around with gadgets. I just want to say I love my captivate. The gps does take a while to lock, but once it locks it works fine. I have no shutdown issues. I'm running Perception 10.1 with the Firebird 2 kernel and it rocks. Videos do look crisp on this phone as well. I have no experience with the Desire, but I bought a refurb Captivate and I am very happy with it.
MikeyMike01 said:
Motorola Atrix.
Sent from my Captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so fast, as much as i love the specs on the atrix looks like motorola will be locking the bootloader damn shame.
Just get the nexus S when it comes out. I have a captivate and have no problems with it, very fasy, great screen and best thing.... got all my iphone freinds jelous lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Vik_92_Sandhu said:
Just get the nexus S when it comes out. I have a captivate and have no problems with it, very fasy, great screen and best thing.... got all my iphone freinds jelous lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't Nexus S already out since last November?
Love my Captivate
Well, i have the Captivate since October and I guess I have been one of the lucky ones because it works great for me. Shortly after I got the phone an update came out and fixed the GPS issue. I use it quite a lot and I have not rooted or updated the ROM a of yet. I have been waiting for Froyo as we all have but the phone does everything i want it to do and more.
I also came from the HTC world, my last phone was an HTC Fuze. I am so glad that I got this phone. Battery life is rather low but overall I just keep a charger around with me and in the car. My phone does a lot. I use it every other day as a GPS when I bike ride 5-10 miles a day. When in the car I stream music with either Pandora or Audiogalaxy. I send text and email messages regularly. Browse the Web and read my Kindle books as well as my Bible.
Just remember if you are going to use the phone a lot you are going to need to have the ability to charge it more often.
It is rather frustrating that AT&T has not released FROYO and that the battery life is not as good as some other phones but for me the pluses out way the minuses.
My brother owned an iPhone 4 an after seeing how my phone worked and looked he bought a Captivate for about $275. He was tired of the dropped calls and smaller screen and just overall functionality. He has been using the iPhone type phones for about 3 years. He has only had it for about 3 days and is loving it!!!
So whether you should buy the Captivate or not you really need to make the choice yourself. Every phone is going to have an issue one way or another. The question is can you live with those issues. Change is always hard and uncomfortable. But in the end you have to make that decision.
Someone suggested that you may want to hold off as the newer phones are on the horizon. That may not be a bad idea. In the end, remember, it is just a phone!!! Most of the heavy lifting is going to be done on your PC!!!
Good luck!!!
I'd say go captivate.
I have the i896 and the gps works perfectly, locks on in about ten seconds or less. I haven't had any problems with random shut downs or my alarm. As for the updates, as long as you are capable of rooting and installing custom roms you'll have 'updates' asap.
Regarding the screen it's absolutely no comparison; I'd say that's enough to buy the phone.
Again, there's no comparison between the hummingbird and the last gen snapdragon, especially with custom roms/kernals this phone demolishes the desire. Me and a friends have done some speed tests with my captivate with phoenix rom, and desire with a custom rom (can't remember the name, wasn't oc though) and in about every test we did the captivate was the winner.
My major complaint with this phone is the build quality, it feels kind of flimsy, especially compared to htc.
peachpuff said:
Not so fast, as much as i love the specs on the atrix looks like motorola will be locking the bootloader damn shame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like motorola is backtracking a bit on that bootloader comment.
Hi all,
I currently have a nexus one, and am debating on whether I should upgrade and if so, what to. I am limited to ATT but my contact is up so I can take advantage of discounts w/ new contract.
I have liked my nexus one because it is:
-well built, nice looking
-free of att crapware
-allows me to tether
-vanilla android OS (currently cm7 because ICS and JB are just too slow and buggy on it)
I dislike my nexus one because:
-the keyboard is garbage. I dont know whether it is the specific touchscreen, or the screensize, but sometimes I have a hard time typing on it
-still running GB, ICS and JB just feel slow on it.
I wonder if a bigger screen may help me see more (ie. since right now the keyboard takes up a majority of the screen when it is out) and make typing easier. But a bigger screen seems a little harder to wield with one hand...
I had been looking at both the samsung s3 and htc 1x, but want the stock android experience (no touchwiz or sense junk. I realize I may need to wait a little bit of time for roms to be developed, which is OK). I know that the xperia ion and atrix hd have similar specs, but for whatever reason I had not really considered them options. Basically, I see pros and cons to both the 1x and s3, some of which are my opinion:
1x Pros:
-great build
-great screen
1xCons:
-power button can be hard to reach
-not expandable memory
s3Pros:
-expandable
-maybe better power button placement
s3Cons:
-cheap plastic, cheap looks
-easy to press volume keys when pressing power
However, I suppose the biggest requirement I have is that I want the ability to run a clean, stable, vanilla ICS or JB rom (cyanogenmod, or ASOP would be great). Here are my questions(finally!):
1. which phone will (or does) have more hacker development?
2. I assume that given the correct stock software on the 1x, both will be just as easy to hack?
3. I am not against a phone with a smaller screen, but I do want one that has plenty of power...
4. Any other thoughts for me to consider?
THANKS!
For stock rom you're going to want the S3 for sure. HTC phones are known for being littered with issues on ship, most of which only being bearable/solvable through root and rom installation. Even flashaholics find themselves sticking to stock on the S3, TW5 just works wonders, and has got a ton of great features. The development on the S3 is no doubt much better than the One X, I'm not sure why it matters though if you're sticking to stock. The cameras on both I hear are fantastic, and they're both using Krait S4 chips. Again, on S3's side the battery life is unparalleled, 6 hours of screen time is the rumor going around It really doesn't look cheap, but that's just me. Get what you want, those are my opinions though. Good luck
MultiLockOn said:
For stock rom you're going to want the S3 for sure. HTC phones are known for being littered with issues on ship, most of which only being bearable/solvable through root and rom installation. Even flashaholics find themselves sticking to stock on the S3, TW5 just works wonders, and has got a ton of great features. The development on the S3 is no doubt much better than the One X, I'm not sure why it matters though if you're sticking to stock. The cameras on both I hear are fantastic, and they're both using Krait S4 chips. Again, on S3's side the battery life is unparalleled, 6 hours of screen time is the rumor going around It really doesn't look cheap, but that's just me. Get what you want, those are my opinions though. Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to be clear you understood me when I said "stock". I am referring to vanilla android ICS or JB, NOT the Sense/Touchwiz-modified versions...does the s3 still present a better alternative here?
On a side note, is there a good, fast, alternative with all the above requirements in a slightly smaller form factor? maybe something between my n1 and the s3?
You might want to check out the Atrix HD. It got great reviews and is said to provide a "near" vanilla experience.
lowandbehold said:
You might want to check out the Atrix HD. It got great reviews and is said to provide a "near" vanilla experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that phone is tempting, but it seems as though its battery life is not as good as the one x or s3.
I know that there are custom roms on the onex and s3 now, any way to judge which is "easier" to port/work with? this may give me an idea as to which will have more development for it in the future.
Is there anyone on this thread who switched from an S2? I'm been running Task's AOKP ever since I opened my S2. I really want an S3 but don't have the cash right now and the One X is half the price. I've been looking at it a lot and am intrigued. I just want to get peoples' opinions overall about this phone.
The only reason I want to upgrade rather than wait is because my main mic is broken so I have to talk on speaker phone all the time... totally not worth it. It sucks. So can I get some honest opinions about this phone. What's good, what's bad? Should I get it or wait... why or why not.
THANKS!
Don't know about the GS3 and the One X, a couple other threads if you do a search.
In general, most seem to agree that the One X has a better screen and better physical design (casing/enclosure). S3 has 2 Gigs of RAM, which means better multitasking, and it also has more developer activity. Although the activity here is decent, and with some really great devs. Aside from that, they are similar devices in many ways (specs, screen size, camera). One X is an awesome phone. I can't give comparisons to the GS2 or GS3, but I can't think of any bad things about it.
...yes, I have used S2 also with Tasks AOKP, sold and went to One X. Played with S3, but HTCs screen is beauty and design is awesome...for me it all comes down to how much storage one will live with, maybe One X+ is option?
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
I switched from an S2 i9100 about 6 weeks ago. This is my first HTC phone, and first non-Samsung phone.
Compared to the S2..
Pros:
-Faster CPU, smoother experience
-Much much better screen, brighter, better colours, sharper, less power hungry
-Overall better camera
-IMO, Sense is better designed and better looking than Touchwiz
-Better battery life on HSPA, while about the same on LTE (see my battery comparison)
-Battery life on wifi is great
Cons:
-Power button is in a god-awful position on the top of the phone, rather than the side
-Screen blacks are not as dark as AMOLED, but not a big deal
-Bezel is really wide, phone is wider
-A bit awkward to hold, and harder to use with one hand (if you have small hands)
-Bad low light camera shots
-Stock sense is really aggressive on memory management so less background apps can run
-S-ON, and bootloader is locked down (at least on AT&T). Unlockable with some effort
-Can takes a couple more steps to flash a rom on newer HBOOTs
As for CM10 support, it's a lot better than it was on S2 since there is zero Exynos support from Samsung. More things work properly. eg. auto screen brightness works properly. Less visual artifacts and oddities. Much better CM10 experience.
Overall, i don't miss the S2 at all. The screen is way better compared to all the AMOLEDs i've used in the past. It's a lot faster. Battery life is overall better. The Camera is a better. And i prefer CM10 over sense, so support is a lot better. About the only thing i really really miss from the S2 is the power button location on the side.
I don't own the S3 personally, but a friend has one and we've compared battery life with similar usage and i consistently get better battery life. We've come to the conclusion that the S3 AMOLED screen is power hungry.
Hope this helps.
I'm a former user of tasks AOKP as well. So far, I've had a great experience running rohan's aokp and king king ROMs. Sold my s2 because the low res, poor color rendering s2 couldn't match the screen of my iPhone 4. The one x screen, however, is the best screen I've used on any device, ever.
Sent from my One X using xda premium
I came from an S2 as well, only because my touch screen went bad in the center. Didn't start rooting until the One X, but it was an excellent decision. Best phone I've ever owned.
I went from S2>
to One X International, which broke and was replaced by HTC with>
One XL. I was pissed at first because the XL has half the cores, half the memory...but it has LTE which I didn't realize was active in my city until I got my new SIM card in the ATT store. After checking my data speeds I wasn't so pissed any more. I love the phone, my only gripe is the memory, doesn't take much music to fill it up. Other than that it's great.
Have you considered the One X+?
Thanks guys! Appreciate all the info. I've thought about the One X+ but don't really have the cash to drop $200 on a new phone atm. I was pushing it to get $100 for the One XL. I went ahead and pulled the trigger yesterday. I'm loving this phone so far, even just on stock. I'm about to start walking through the ridiculous rooting process and then I'll go to the official AOKP, King King or CM10.
andyondroid - Have you run anything besides CM10 on this phone? I'm wondering how it compares with AOKP and King King Roms.
phatalbert1000 - between the AOKP and King King which one do you prefer? Any specific reasons?
WeWearFedoras said:
Thanks guys! Appreciate all the info. I've thought about the One X+ but don't really have the cash to drop $200 on a new phone atm. I was pushing it to get $100 for the One XL. I went ahead and pulled the trigger yesterday. I'm loving this phone so far, even just on stock. I'm about to start walking through the ridiculous rooting process and then I'll go to the official AOKP, King King or CM10.
andyondroid - Have you run anything besides CM10 on this phone? I'm wondering how it compares with AOKP and King King Roms.
phatalbert1000 - between the AOKP and King King which one do you prefer? Any specific reasons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only used AOKP for a couple days, so i can't really comment, but i didn't notice any major issues.
AOKP is great as is CM10. No major issues when I used them.
WeWearFedoras said:
Thanks guys! Appreciate all the info. I've thought about the One X+ but don't really have the cash to drop $200 on a new phone atm. I was pushing it to get $100 for the One XL. I went ahead and pulled the trigger yesterday. I'm loving this phone so far, even just on stock. I'm about to start walking through the ridiculous rooting process and then I'll go to the official AOKP, King King or CM10.
andyondroid - Have you run anything besides CM10 on this phone? I'm wondering how it compares with AOKP and King King Roms.
phatalbert1000 - between the AOKP and King King which one do you prefer? Any specific reasons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use rebelmod! its liquidsmooth aokp paranoidandroid and cm10 :laugh:
I came over from i9100 too. Rebel mod is the coolest ROM, but not stable yet, IMO. aokp works perfectly, and king Kang is pretty much identical to aokp for performance, if not better, and it also includes paranoid androids per app DPI settings. I run king Kang cause its the best stability vs options. Cm10 is the most stable from what I've found. By a pretty big margin.
Sent from my One XL
You made the right choice. I used an S3 for awhile and then switched to this just to try it out. I can't stay on an AMOLED screen. The colors are horrible. There is no white color on an S3. The 2GB of ram does make a bit of a difference, but the screen and build quality more than make up for it. And it's not like the HOX is slow. Once they get the kernel refined and some of the awesome enhancements out, this phone will really fly.
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app
My wife has the s3, I have a rooted 1.85 one x... The s3 is a nice piece for sure, but really side by side, my screen blows hers away like a at4 used to assassinate a chipmunk, one x screen wins.. camera also wins, hands down, stock to stock the s3 is faster not much, rooted onex on tn se, beastmode kernal over clocked and under vltd smokes a stock s3 like cheech and chong sharin a spliff first thing in the am... I can't speak for a rooted and molested s3 as I've not been intriguied nuff by it to start fiddling, plua I hate how it feels in my hand and did I mention the screen? Nice piece again but not for me.. if you're go.na root and flash stuff is say go onex, if you're happy with a sticker go sg3.. jus my 2 pennies but I'm a complete lunatic.. XOXO..
posted from my Motorola startac...
I'm not just saying this because I have a Onex.. my buddy has a gs3 running task and ktoonsez rom and kernal at 2.1 ghz.. I'm running dirty rom and rohans build 5 kernel OC to 1.99 ghz... we get same benchmarks, but mine absolutely blows his away.. in and out of apps, browser speeds, etc.. CONSISTANTLY.
and I know someone will say "maybe his phone don't like running @2.1... we've tried all CPU speeds and governors, ROMs and launchers.. he's always behind, and actually starting asking his old lady to trade her for her OneX
Sent from my OneXL using Tapatalk 2 Codenamed: Dirty Girl
I'm fully rooted and running AOKP. I'm loving it. I might try king kang but not sure what I would actually use in terms of the DPI and other extras.
So far I'm LOVING this phone. I may flash build 5 of rohan's kernel tomorrow and see how it feels
Came from the GS II on Tasks AOKP.
I have a Note II in the mail.
I found the CM10 and AOKP too buggy for me. Check the OPs for the issues. Wake locks and screen bugs were too much for me. Its a dual edged sword, the sense based ROMs get great battery life, smooth and stable operation, great camera software, and decent customization. But, multi-tasking is awful, just terr-e-bull, compared to the S II. On the AOSP ROMs you get bugs and less battery life, but multi-tasking works. I keep trying them but come back to ViperXL.
At the end of the day I am going back to Samsung for TouchWiz. I want the kitschy stuff like pop up play, smart stay, side by side apps, S Beam, and all the S Pen stuff. I won't be running anything that isn't TouchWiz based on the Note. Plus I want a MicroSD slot and a screen that doesn't scratch so easy.
That's just my $0.02. If you ask in this forum which is best you will get an overwhelming response the One X is better. If you ask in the S III forum you will find plenty of people that came from the One X. Heck, even the Atrix HD has a devout following.
Or, there is door number three, the S II is like silly crazy easy to disassemble, and a new mic is only $20...
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=271041888939
Sent from my HOCKS
quarlow said:
I found the CM10 and AOKP too buggy for me. Check the OPs for the issues. Wake locks and screen bugs were too much for me. Its a dual edged sword, the sense based ROMs get great battery life, smooth and stable operation, great camera software, and decent customization. But, multi-tasking is awful, just terr-e-bull, compared to the S II. On the AOSP ROMs you get bugs and less battery life, but multi-tasking works. I keep trying them but come back to ViperXL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not found any major problems with battery drain or wakelocks on AOSP roms, so either it's different on different phones(not likely) or it's user error(very likely). Which apps you have on your phone and how they are coded has a huge effect on your phone's battery.
With the official FB app, with gps on, I got about 12 hrs.
With the official FB app and gps off, I got about 14.
With no official FB app and GPS on, I tend to get about 16-20 now.
not just the fb app is important, but for the sake of example that's one I've noticed a lot.
quarlow said:
Or, there is door number three, the S II is like silly crazy easy to disassemble, and a new mic is only $20...
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=271041888939
Sent from my HOCKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I think my 12 year old either killed my usb port or my battery. He wanted to play some games on it but the battery was dead. I told him to charge it for a while but instead he just plugged it in while he played on it. At some point the batter drain was more than the battery was charging and it died. Now it won't charge. If I plug it in, the backlights flash and the battery charging animation flashes once and goes off. Meh. I still might fix the S2 just so I can turn around and sell it but meh.
So far I haven't noticed any terrible battery drain issues yet. I might end up trying some sense based ROMs but I'm not a big fan of all the sense stuff. I really love AOKP so we'll see if I get sucked into something different or not lol.
I really love AOKP, and gave it many tries (and CM10), I really wanted it to work. One time I tried with no FaceBook or Maps installed, and I still had about half the battery life I get on sense based ROMs. I just didn't have the patience to keep up with it. And everything about customizing that I was used to in AOKP is there in ViperXL in some form.
Not trying to get into which ROM is better or insulting the intelligence of others here by saying issues are their own fault. Just stating my observation for the same transition that I completed just last month.
I remember seeing people have luck charging a completely dead phone using USB on a computer at the smaller amperage. Give that a try. Don't discount a jig either.
Sent from my HOCKS
Gents,
I have a few questions regarding your phone. I recently left Android as a favor to my wife (switched for an iphone, handing it down to her when I upgrade). I am looking to jump back into Android but have a bit of a tough decision to make.
I've used the Rezound, G-Nex, and the S3, I haven't used a motorola since my old droid X. I'm looking to possibly get the RAZR MAXX HD.
The DNA has been ruled out due to potential horrible battery life and non-expandable storage.
I ruled out going back to an S3 or getting a note 2 as I don't like the new samsung build quality/touchwiz.
I am tempted to get a G-Nex again (found the 32GB version at a best buy), I was able to get excellent photos with it. The battery life sucked, but I loved vanilla android. While I have rooted and flashed custom roms to all my phones, with the nexus I ended up going back to stock most of the time.
after testing the RAZR HD, I have only a few concerns. First is the camera....I've heard negative things about it, but also heard that JB resolves some issues. I don't take a lot of photos but the phone is my primary camera. I loved the pics that I received from the rezound, g-nex and s3.
Second concern: I am hoping that with the "close to vanilla" features of the razr that I will not feel the need to flash roms very much, I have noticed that rom dev is not as popular as other devices (granted, I came from a nexus and also the fact that this device hasn't been out as long as an s3). I know that the locked bootloader has chased away several talented devs in the past and has been a repellant to new devs jumping to the device.
I guess after this long rant, my questions is to users that used and liked the cameras on my previous three phones listed; do you like the razr camera as well? will I be disappointed? Should I hang on until february and then upgrade?
your thoughts?
thanks for your time.
gio2005 said:
Gents,
I have a few questions regarding your phone. I recently left Android as a favor to my wife (switched for an iphone, handing it down to her when I upgrade). I am looking to jump back into Android but have a bit of a tough decision to make.
I've used the Rezound, G-Nex, and the S3, I haven't used a motorola since my old droid X. I'm looking to possibly get the RAZR MAXX HD.
The DNA has been ruled out due to potential horrible battery life and non-expandable storage.
I ruled out going back to an S3 or getting a note 2 as I don't like the new samsung build quality/touchwiz.
I am tempted to get a G-Nex again (found the 32GB version at a best buy), I was able to get excellent photos with it. The battery life sucked, but I loved vanilla android. While I have rooted and flashed custom roms to all my phones, with the nexus I ended up going back to stock most of the time.
after testing the RAZR HD, I have only a few concerns. First is the camera....I've heard negative things about it, but also heard that JB resolves some issues. I don't take a lot of photos but the phone is my primary camera. I loved the pics that I received from the rezound, g-nex and s3.
Second concern: I am hoping that with the "close to vanilla" features of the razr that I will not feel the need to flash roms very much, I have noticed that rom dev is not as popular as other devices (granted, I came from a nexus and also the fact that this device hasn't been out as long as an s3). I know that the locked bootloader has chased away several talented devs in the past and has been a repellant to new devs jumping to the device.
I guess after this long rant, my questions is to users that used and liked the cameras on my previous three phones listed; do you like the razr camera as well? will I be disappointed? Should I hang on until february and then upgrade?
your thoughts?
thanks for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you liked the camera in the S3, then you will like the camera in the RAZR HD. Simple as that. They have the exact same sensor AFAIK. The performance of the camera is indeed improved under JB and now it's pretty good.
There's not much ROM dev happening which is a shame..... Dealbreaker? No.
I think you'll love the phone. It's hands down the best droid I've ever owned (I came from the HOX and the GS3). Loving it so far and not looking back! In summary I definitely do not think you will be disappointed. Get on board!
If you've used any iPhone camera since the 4, or the Samsung S3, you will be severely disappointed. White balance is way off under tungsten lights, tons of noise in images shot at ISO 100, and generally slow operation. Love the phone, just my honest opinion as a photographer.
Arkasai said:
If you've used any iPhone camera since the 4, or the Samsung S3, you will be severely disappointed. White balance is way off under tungsten lights, tons of noise in images shot at ISO 100, and generally slow operation. Love the phone, just my honest opinion as a photographer.
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Click to collapse
It's odd, the camera is my S3 was pretty sub par, and I found it not terribly different to the RAZR HD camera. But you're not the first one to rate it more highly then I ever did. Perhaps mine was a dud. Either way, I do agree that the camera in the RAZR is not great, and neither was my S3 hence the comparison. The RAZR is such a great phone though that the pros easily outweigh then cons (for me).
Gents,
Many thanks for the responses, I ended up not getting the RAZR HD, the only reason being the camera. I almost didn't upgrade at all as my requirements were good camera, great battery life, and removable storage. I couldn't find a phone on big red that fit all of these that I was interested in.
My wife ended asking me why I ruled out the Note 2, after talking with her about it for a while, I ended up giving it a try and the device is great. I'm still concerned about the fragile build quality, however I have accessories that hopefully will help that. as far as touchwiz goes, I still don't like it, but the camera and S-Pen software rocks. I'm settling for Nova Prime and widgetlocker to assist in getting a vanilla-ish feel.
again, I appreciate your responses. They were very helpful in my decision.
Thanks,
Mods - this thread can be closed.
i currently have a droid x2. and while i would like to say that i could wait until the x-phone comes out, or the htc one comes out. i just cant stand having a non-functional phone anymore.
my question is:
do you guys think this phone is worth upgrading to ?
does development seem to be growing since unlock? ( does future development seem likely?) ( 5.0+ ? )
should i consider going with a galaxy device? (s3 or s4) i am kind of indifferent towards these plasticy devices.
i like motorola a lot. their build quality is fantastic. but i am not sure how i feel about a non removable battery (essentially limiting the life of the phone) , or the slightly outdated specs.
just looking for some users two cents on the topic. thanks guys.
It's a great phone and if your worried about battery get the maxx version.
Sent from my PACMAN MATRIX HD MAXX
deeje00 said:
it's a great phone and if your worried about battery get the maxx version.
Sent from my pacman matrix hd maxx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1000000000000000
I love this phone....battery life of course is phenomenal and I've yet to hear of anyone's battery crapping out on them. I've had mine now for several months and I think I've used my car charger maybe once. And thats only because I didnt charge my phone the night before.
The whole S4 oct-core plasticky phone's are outright redonkulous. The 1.5 ghz dual core is all you really need.
As far as development, since the unlock, it's skyrocketed. And its just in its infancy. Hashcode already has a new Kernel up for review as we speak. Once Cynaogenmod approves, we'll get official support and the development will be on par with the rest of the other top tier devices.
This board is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out www.droidrzr.com for more...
I've owned many a phone, from the first Android with the G1 to the RAZR HD and I have honestly never had a more fast, stable and force close free phone. This device is truly amazing and the battery life is flipping incredible. My wife has an S3 and it's okay but I would definitely rather own this one over that.
Development has exploded, as of right now I am running the following Rom. Perfection... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2293262
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium
legend221 said:
I've owned many a phone, from the first Android with the G1 to the RAZR HD and I have honestly never had a more fast, stable and force close free phone. This device is truly amazing and the battery life is flipping incredible. My wife has an S3 and it's okay but I would definitely rather own this one over that.
Development has exploded, as of right now I am running the following Rom. Perfection... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2293262
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you sir. ! this helped a lot. its good to hear from someone who has seen both phones firsthand.
do you ever feel like the one gig of ram is not enough?
Lorenzo VonMatterhorn said:
thank you sir. ! this helped a lot. its good to hear from someone who has seen both phones firsthand.
do you ever feel like the one gig of ram is not enough?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome mate. The 1 GB of Ram is more than enough for my needs. I can have a lot of different apps running and never notice it sluggish or falling behind. I've seen a article or two mentioning that the camera isn't all that great and I can agree just a bit.
Only negatives are the non removable battery and the camera quality. All else is top notch.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium
Similar decision
I figured I'd post this for anybody else considering the RAZR HD.
.
I first used the original DX for two years before switching to the HD.
Here's my opinion:
Pros:
- Great battery. HD is good. MAXX is unbelievable
- Comfortable to use. Not too large, not too small, and a pleasure to operate.
- Removable storage
Cons:
- VERIZON. nuff said
- RAM used up fairly quickly.
- No removable battery (bad)
- NFC works fine, but the big V won't allow its customers to use Wallet
- Sound is meh.
- No OFFICIAL Cyanogenmod 10.1
- Unlocked bootloader = AP Fastboot EVERY power down AND you mustn't allow the battery to die with an unlocked bootloader.
I certainly love my HD more than the DX, but unless the X phone is amazing, I'm leaving Motorola.
I never see the fastboot screen unless I do it on purpose. And I've had my phone die quite a few times with no issues..
Sent from my PACMAN MATRIX HD MAXX
deeje00 said:
I never see the fastboot screen unless I do it on purpose. And I've had my phone die quite a few times with no issues..
Sent from my PACMAN MATRIX HD MAXX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya? What are they talking about. Never seen that either.
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD
I must say that I truly love this phone. seems snappy and honestly no issues. I am going to venture into flashing my first ROM tonight when I get off of work. I had a gnex, which had a ton of support. I didn't like it so I traded it in for the rezound. It had way less support, but the devs were awesome! I bought this phone on CL and I must say it has even less development. That is my only concern about this phone. I would hope that the unlocked boot loader would bring on more devs, but coming from an OG, to the X, it appears the devs are not feeling the moto love.. If I had the money Id buy my favorite devs this phone. I think they would love it..
ushallneverknow said:
- Unlocked bootloader = AP Fastboot EVERY power down AND you mustn't allow the battery to die with an unlocked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try This
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42272243&postcount=1
AP Fastboot every time can either be a Sticky Bit error (from not tweaking a fastboot's xml file before flashing with RSD) or just a bad flash somewhere in general. Ensure you're using the snapdragon fastboots located in Mattlgroffs section on the Batakang FTP whenever you're doing any kind of fastboot flashing on any RAZR QCOM phone -- Atrix HD, all RAZR HD variants, both Phonton Q 4G LTE's.
Reality check...
OK, so I've been through a LOT of Android devices, and this one has some poo that goes along with it (as many others have).
1. The radios have become worse over the generations. While LTE is technically faster now on this device, I had WAY more coverage on my POS Revolution, but this device smokes the Galaxy Nexus for LTE coverage hands down (SGN is a joke as an LTE device).
2. Phone is mediocre. This is where the SGN showed what it was supposed to really sound like on a phone. On a call to my dad, he stated in my car that it sounded like I was in a quiet room by myself. He definitely doesn't say that with this phone.
3. Gaming. This one irritates me the most. Every few minutes there is lag. Sometimes it's short lag, sometimes you drop to 5fps for 6-7 seconds. Try Subway Surfers - you'll want to chuck the phone at the wall. I'm guessing this is an IO issue as I saw this in the TF300, and whatever CleanROM did for the TF300, it made the term "buttery smooth" no longer tongue and cheek. I'd give anything (except stability and features) to see that on this phone.
4. ROMs - I can't comment on this one, but I've been following the threads for a while now, and there's still some dealbreaker trade-offs going on - hopefully we'll see less of that as time goes on (great improvements over just the past few weeks). I've been waiting for the right time to make the move.
5. Tethering - Interesting that less people have seem interested in this problem, but as an unlimited user, I have found NO possible way around VZW. I'm rooted and have tried WiFi tether in the configurations people have suggested in multiple forums with no luck. I've tried the SQL hacks, I've tried other programs, I've tried WFT 3.2b, I've tried every configuration you can think of. The best I have had was a connection, but no internet. Every thread suggests something, but from my experience, nothing works.
6. A little lag in Nova Launcher when waking up and switching between screens.
7. VZW and Motorola seem more interested in blocking the devs from cleaning up Moto's mess than fixing their own crap. With the Ultra coming out, I figure that they'll block it from devs the best they can with a few more updates, then jump ship to create a shinier turd and repeat the cycle.
8. Browsing is still slow, even on WiFi, but show me a phone where this isn't true?
The pros?
1. Battery life. This is hands down the best phone I've had for battery, and it's only the HD, not the Maxx.
2. Better LTE than an SGN? LOL...
3. Depending on your usage, it's a decent phone I guess. It's ok in between downright irritating lagging for games(laugh), the WiFi works, albeit a little slow in areas, it's average as a phone, and if you're just interested in checking your e-mail and doing navigation, it's not bad.
4. Decent built in storage space stock.
5. Pretty good sound - no complaints on the music front.
Just don't EXPECT tethering, or a decent, lag-free gaming experience.
I either have a knack for choosing bad phones, or Android just STILL isn't there in the phone arena yet, even with the greater specs. If the former is true, I wouldn't follow my devices (minus the TF300 - that was excellent with CleanROM).
I paid in cash, and if I had to do it all over again, I have no idea what I'd do... I'm starting to believe that the big V along with these manufacturers, they are just slapping coats of wax on turds, then high tailing off to put the next, bigger, and shinier turd in front of people. There's no pride put into the devices past the marketing strategy. I'm never going Apple, MS is still hard to take seriously, and Android? Maybe I'm just really bad at choosing phones.
Edit: as an aside, my dad loves his (late 50s), but he doesn't game or care about tethering (with me, it's not often as well, but when I do, I expect it to work well). For him, it is mostly just navi, e-mail, and on rare occasions, browsing.
Edit 2: why do we not see more reviews like this instead of "omg it's the bestest octacore beast with terapixel camera that makes poking your friends on FaceBook a breeze?" I think we need "pro" reviewers at well known sites to dig a little deeper, and actually use devices as hard-core daily drivers for a week or so before passing judgement.
I tether just fine using easy tether pro. Sure it's not wireless but it's an easy way to get Internet on my netbook once in a blue moon. Worked just fine before I rooted.
I don't really disagree with anything from the previous entry. You would think motorola mobility's acquisition would have significantly changed things for the better. All I saw was a loss of webtop support. And wow going from the support of the galaxy nexus forums to these was a bit of an adjustment.
I watched a video today at android central regarding specs. Why they become so important. You don't see the issue with apple or windows phone. Yes there's fewer devices. More options should cause a healthy competition and I think we're getting there.
I do love the battery life on this phone. It's the sole reason I have it. I do also appreciate that there aren't tons of issues with the display and having to deal with worrying about the quality of a replacement device. Nobody wants a phone they can't rely on or enjoy. I just think it's funny how my galaxy nexus had all the features a year ago and I'm just finally starting to have friends and acquaintances ask me or brag to me about them.
I do think the X phone and its customizable aspects are great for certain users. But look how apple sells the iPhone. They focus on a feature like its camera. Interesting stuff.
Maybe android needs a figurehead to blatantly lie about her/his health to the public and get backdated stock options.
Edit 1
I do find it unsettling that technology advances so quickly that a device is much less popular in 6 months or a year. I feel this way especially because most people are in a contract for two years and are stuck with the device.
Edit 2
At least with a computer, you can upgrade it. Give it a new display, video card, max out the ram and it's like Christmas. Perhaps one day technology will permit the majority of smartphones to not only expand their storage space, but also easily enhance the hardware.
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD