There doesn't seem to be an Android phone for me.

[mkglobal]

Hi folks,

Firstly I would like to say hi to everyone since I just registered. I hope that my presence here can be beneficial for both you and I.
Secondly, I will briefly enounce what I need:

- rich application store (Android Market - check)
- good display with nice resolution and Super AMOLED
- compact build, about the size of an HTC Desire (>3.8")
- excellent sound quality
- some built-in storage would be nice
- good build quality (no glossy plastic as seen on the Galaxy S)
- good battery life (should last 1-2 days under heavy use)
- good camera/video (5 MP + HD recording @30FPS)
- Snapdragon or better CPU
- not a CDMA phone
- I like HTC Sense

I've looked into the following phones, but found flaws:

Samsung Galaxy S: Too big, ugly glossy plastic, very basic interface
HTC Desire: AMOLED display, average SQ, bad camera
Motorola Milestone: crappy keyboard, very poor SQ, somewhat slow

It has to be a 3G phone and work on European frequencies. I've found T-Mobile's frequencies to be the same as the European ones.

I know this is a lot of features and I'm ready to pay the price, but I'm coming from an iPhone 3G S and a BlackBerry Bold 2 so I guess I've had the best of the two worlds. I'm looking into Android devices because I like change and the iPhone 4's issues are somewhat scary. I like a phone I can rely on.

Thanks guys.

 

[macprv]

Super AMOLED

you can stop right there... only samsung make that and only the galaxy s has it for the moment.. so thats you only option

 

[mkglobal]

you can stop right there... only samsung make that and only the galaxy s has it for the moment.. so thats you only option

I was going for a Super AMOLED display because I've seen them performing very well, but if you have something in mind with a similarly good display in mind I'm all ears.

 

[macprv]

My suggestion would be Nexus one:
-GSM
-Unlocked
-can buy at full price, no need to worry for ETF when leaving to eu
-Fist in line for OS updates
-5 MP camara
-AMOLED display... just bring the brightness to maximun when outdoors
-3.7 (?) screen
-1ghz cpu
-feels solid in the hand
-i get a full of use day without worries about juice, you can always buy on of those extended batteries

but then you would need to get the eu version, or att (?) cause i dont think tmobiles version would be able to do 3g in eu

 

[mkglobal]

Well yes but the Nexus One is just an unbranded HTC Desire. It has the very same hardware but it looks rather plain and it doesn't have HTC Sense. I think maybe what I'm looking for is a next-generation HTC Desire?

 

[lunatic59]

Curious about your "flaws" with the Desire. It does sound like the Desire would be the one to go with if you are looking for a subsidized phone. Since my Nexus 1 has the same AMOLED screen as the Desire, I can say that it does not impress me in direct sunlight, but usable at full brightness. Of course there are currently ZERO phones that impress me in direct sunlight. Indoors or in the shade, the screen is a beauty.

What is your benchmark for sound quality? Frankly, I think the headphones/earbuds make more of a difference with most phones/players. I really don't notice any difference between my Nexus and my Nano. Actually I get less distortion at max volume on the Nexus, but again, that may just be the earbuds.

How did you come to the conclusion that the Desire's camera was "bad"?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but a little more detail might help clarify whether it is a hardware limitation on the problems you perceive or if it is just an unfamiliarity with the configuration.

 

[mkglobal]

Well compared to samples from the iPhone 4 that I have seen, the Desire (and the Nexus One) seem to be rather poor in terms of camera performance. The picture quality isn't very good and won't trick anyone into believing they're into an actual camera whereas the iPhone 4's could (I'm using it as a base of comparison for 5MP snappers).
As for video performance the HTC Desire is well-known for being somewhat lacking (bad framerate and average quality) but to be honest I have an HD recorder at home so I could do without.

About the sound quality, I've listened to an HTC Desire (but haven't had the occasion to play with it) and the high-frequency response seemed a little off compared to my then-current 3GS.

What really bothers me is that even though the HTC Desire seems to be an excellent phone, I'm worried that HTC will release what will be the iPhone 4's competitor in the next few weeks.

 

[lunatic59]

Well yes but the Nexus One is just an unbranded HTC Desire. It has the very same hardware but it looks rather plain and it doesn't have HTC Sense. I think maybe what I'm looking for is a next-generation HTC Desire?

Not exactly the same. For example, the Desire does not have a second noise limiting microphone (of questionable usefulness), but it does have physical buttons and track pad instead of a track ball. The Desire also has slightly more memory (to accommodate Sense?) The biggest difference is the Sense UI. If you like it, then that would be the way to go.

As for a Desire 2 ... I haven't heard anything in the rumor mill about one. As things go, it would be 3-6 months from rumor to release, so you'll have a pretty long wait.

Murphy's law of technology clearly states that the device you really want will only be released a week after you've bought something else.

 

[opticalshadow]

yeah i own a nexus one and with the exception of being a super amoled display and that it needs to last 2 days under heavy use it fits the bill.

that said im not sure of any smart phone that will last 2 days under heavy use, though our interpitations of the word may vary. i use mine constently thoughout the day and i throw it on charge everynight, and i still cannot figure out why charging a phone at night is such a big deal.

as far as sense gos, if your really buggin about the UI then wait for gingerbread since its suposed to be a whole UI overhaul that may change your mind about what you like, i myself have not found sense to make a big deal and there are apps to replicate parts of it anyways.

 

[mkglobal]

Murphy's law of technology clearly states that the device you really want will only be released a week after you've bought something else.

Well yeah, and I can't say that my experience has proved it wrong. Thing is, the Desire was originally meant to compete against the 3GS and now that the iPhone 4 is out it just seems to me that... You know.

Maybe the Droid 2?

 

[lunatic59]

Well yeah, and I can't say that my experience has proved it wrong. Thing is, the Desire was originally meant to compete against the 3GS and now that the iPhone 4 is out it just seems to me that... You know.

Everything is meant to compete with everything else. If the 3GS and not the iPhone 4 are the benchmarks, why not just get one of those? The problem with chasing the benchmark is that it's a perpetually moving target. Get what suits your needs now, if such a thing exists and replace it with something better when it no longer fulfills your requirements, IF there is something better by then. Personally I would be bored to tears with iOS. Android keeps it interesting.

Maybe the Droid 2?

You mean the Droid X? Is there a GSM version of that?

 

[mkglobal]

I totally get what you mean by interesting. I have been lying to myself for a while saying that I liked iOS because I could just use it and not worry. It's true, in a way. iOS is truly an excellent operating system and the fact that you can't tinker too much into it makes it a pleasure to live with if you don't want to bother.

But I want to bother. I want to make this button be this way and have my keyboard in pink if I want. I also like the widgets a lot.

But I don't know, somehow the Desire just lacks a little something.

 

[Dr. Shady PhD]

I may be wrong but i think AT&T has very good international coverage, so I would go for unlocked Droid or HTC Aria (AT&T) I have a Pantech Matrix, but plan on getting the HTC Aria in early August. This may not help as I don't know much about phones, but it's the best i can do

 

[mkglobal]

The Droid _really_ has a bad sound quality but I hear the Droid 2 should fix some stuff around the first Droid. Too bad there's no release date though.

 

[takeshi]

The Droid _really_ has a bad sound quality

What's your basis for this statement? It hasn't been my experience with the Droid.

 

[mkglobal]

What's your basis for this statement? It hasn't been my experience with the Droid.

My own tests as well as professional ones. I'm an audio enthusiast and even with some of my "low-end" audio equipment (Sennheiser HD250-II f.e.) it does sound very bad compared to an iPhone 3GS or a HTC Desire. Even my BlackBerry Bold 2 sounds better.

 

[Eazail70x7]

" - good battery life (should last 1-2 days under heavy use)"

If this is top priority, I recommend sticking with blackberries as I hear they have really good battery life

Also, from what I've seen of the Nexus 1's camera quality, I'd say it is pretty good. When it was compared with the Droid Incredible's 8MP cam and it looked better in most of the comparison shots.

Also, you say that the galaxy s is to big??? Its no bigger than the Desire is it?? But if you want something with Super AMOLED, why not try to snag a Samsung Captivate?? That is actually smaller than the original Galaxy S (See the Phonedog unboxing video) and has a more solid back feel as well (Its metal).

 

[Schwin97]

Regarding the requirement for Sense... The Nexus one can be rooted and unlocked so that you can put anything on it you want, and there are plenty of ROMs out there that get you the Sense look and feel. I know the Samsung S can be rooted, so I would guess it will be unlocked before too long, and then you can put the after-market ROMs on it as well. That is one of the beauties of the android phones - easy to update the software due to it's open nature.

 

[mkglobal]

Like I said before the Galaxy S (and thus the Captivate) is really too big for me.

Droid 2 anyone?

 

[estefana]

Have you had a chance to hold the Nexus One and play around with it? From what I hear it feels fairly solid and has a nice, understated finish to it (that soft rubber/velvety feel). And apparently it runs very snappy on Froyo. I know what you mean about some phones being to big, buts it's going to be hard to find one that is powerful and under 4". I have pretty small hands but I'm going to try and get the Samsung Galaxy S, just because of all the pluses. And after selling computers for three and a half years I can say that anyone can get used to anything. People who hate the glossy screen on their computer come back to me two months later saying they love it, trackpad haters get used to it and rarely need a mouse anymore, people who balk at a netbook size screen find that it's really not so hard to use after all.
All I'm saying is, it seems to me that the direction of the smartphones is leaning towards the 4"+ arena, so if you want something smaller than that go for the Nexus One...if you want all the other features you listed maybe give one of the slightly larger phones and try it out for a week, you never know, you might never be able to live without a 4" screen again! And if not...most places accept returns, right?

 

[lcgreen]

The thing is, the Galaxy S fits all your requirements if you wish to ignore the build quality and the size, two things which probably have the least impact on your usage experience.

Sense can be 'replicated' using various Home apps or flashing later on. So UI is actually a non-issue to ALL android phones. Unlike iOS it can be changed to almost any way you want.

However other devices seem to fit less of your list. That said they seem to say that the Galaxy S's quality is good despite being plastic.
The hardest of your requirements- the battery life is also covered by the Galaxy yet by little other phones. (due to lower power consumption of SAMOLED, can last around 1 1/2 days)

The reason why SGS has a good camera is because iPhone 4 uses the same lens as the SGS (Apple sourced parts from Samsung)- though its lacking flash (not in your requirements)



note: Your flaws with other phones are internal hardware porblems which cannot be fixed like bad camera and slowness etc, but your flaws with the galaxy s is just the UI (read above), and the external hardware (visual looks)- so really the practically should go to the Galaxy S.

note2: Galaxy S has 'perfect' audio quality according to gsmarena, which uses RMAA(some program?) for testing audio quality. It beats the Xperia X10, which beats the Desire lol



PS: I'm a htc Legend user lol. Truly amazing build with unibody aluminium. Too bad it doesn't run a 1Ghz snapdragon/hummingbird.

 

[LessFilling]

The Droid _really_ has a bad sound quality but I hear the Droid 2 should fix some stuff around the first Droid. Too bad there's no release date though.

You keep asking about the droid 2. That phone will be strictly cdma as it will be big red.

 

[mkglobal]

Icgreen:

This is probably going to sound stupid and narrow-minded but the Galaxy S is really too big for me. I'm not a small guy (6'1") but I always found that even my iPhone was a little big so the Desire's size always seemed to be the maximum I could tolerate. I know it's only a few millimeters but it makes a lot of difference in my pocket. That and the plastic build, I've hated that enough with the iPhone.

LessFilling:

The original Droid was a CDMA phone too but they made a Milestone. I doubt they won't make a Milestone 2, it's too much of a market for them to give it up?

Estfana:

The thing is, I don't understand why I'd get a Nexus One instead of a Desire if I were to get one of these. The Desire has better keys below the screen, more RAM, looks a lot less ugly and it's got HTC Sense out of the box.

 

[lcgreen]

Icgreen:

This is probably going to sound stupid and narrow-minded but the Galaxy S is really too big for me. I'm not a small guy (6'1") but I always found that even my iPhone was a little big so the Desire's size always seemed to be the maximum I could tolerate. I know it's only a few millimeters but it makes a lot of difference in my pocket. That and the plastic build, I've hated that enough of the iPhone.

lol I understand- back when smartphones weren't so common, I really thought an iPhone was really big! (was using a Nokia)

Right now I'm using a Legend which is smaller than those high-end smartphones lol.

Though since you aren't happy with phones out atm, you might as well wait a little longer because these technologies are improving quite quickly now.
The only problem is hoping future high-end Androids aren't so big. Most people/sites think Big screen is a good point but i do agree there is a limit to that lol.

gl finding

 

[mkglobal]

Well back when the first HTC HD was released I thought, "God they can't make these any bigger" and well they did. I'm just hoping there will be a Milestone 2, but I won't wait further than september.