Need Help Choosing Verizon Phones

[lordofthereef]

Some of you may recognize me from having decided on going with the EVO. Well, it turns out my girlfriend gets a better deal on handsets with Verizon's network. She can get Droid 2 Global, Droid Incredible, or Droid X for free with $25 "all you can eat" lines. They are a bit more pricey per month than sprint ($5), but with free phones that seems like the network to go for. Her line doesn't require a contract either (although mine will).

Anyway, enough about that...
She is pretty much decided on the Incredible I believe. She likes the size (moving from iPhone 4s), likes the fact that there is no slide-out keyboard, and likes the nice quality of the screen.

I am torn between an incredible and the Droid X. The big selling feature of the Incredible right now (since most specs are really similar) is the fact that Best Buy will have them for $1 at the black Friday sale. The other two phones will each run me $150-$200 out the door.

I guess I just wanted some incite on what you all think would be the better/best choice. The worst thing about the incredible for me is the tiny battery in it, although I know we can go aftermarket. My nunderstanding is that a 1600 mha battery wouldn't increase the bulk, but add a little weight, which is fine. Also, the incredible doesn;t ship with an SD card (I don't think?), though it comes with 8GB on board, so I could get an 8-16 gb card for our music for far less than the difference (of $150-$200) for the other droids.

I know "better/best" is highly subjective, but would still like to hear what you all think.

 

[lordofthereef]

I suppose I should add that "future proof" is a bit of a concern (and I know what a lot of people will say here, but just bear with me). I am trying to go with something that will at least have android updates (I don;t mind rooting and doing custom installs... in fact I'd prefer it). Verizon's upgrades are yearly if I am not mistaken, so would like something that doesn't feel horribly outdated before upgrades roll around.

 

[Martimus]

Personally I think the Droid X is a better phone overall... but that's my slightly biased opinion!

The last rumor I heard stated that both the DINC and the DX were scheduled to reach end of life status in early 2011.

 

[Roushgt05]

I just got the DINC on Tuesday, and the battery does suck. But for the power of the phone and the capabilities it has i guess i can live with a crappy battery life. I just carry my car charger with me and that does the trick.

I havent completely figured this damn thing out yet but coming from a Blackberry it is miles better in mu opinion.

 

[lordofthereef]

So it is reaching end of life status less than a year after launch? That's pretty terrible. Spec-wise the Droid X seems to be pretty comparable based on what's under the hood, no?

EDIT: I see you had Droid X in there too. So these things are really being booted from support with such a short lifecyle? Such a disappointment!

 

[lordofthereef]

I suppose I should then also ask what is the "up and coming" in the verizon android department that might last a little longer?

 

[OfTheDamned]

So it is reaching end of life status less than a year after launch? That's pretty terrible. Spec-wise the Droid X seems to be pretty comparable based on what's under the hood, no?

EDIT: I see you had Droid X in there too. So these things are really being booted from support with such a short lifecyle? Such a disappointment!

I suppose I should then also ask what is the "up and coming" in the verizon android department that might last a little longer?

1 year has become the new standard for a smartphone's life cycle. Much like computers started to advance faster and faster, smartphones are in the bigger, better, faster, more stages these days. This doesn't mean that support disappears or the phone stops working though. Support continues as long as there is community and developers behind the phone. The Eris reached end of life at the end of summer (if I remember correctly), but it still has a great support network online and came with a full one year warranty from HTC. As long as you choose a phone with decent community backing it will continue to live on well past the 2 year contract you sign.

 

[Speed_419]

Well, something to think about. The Incredible is made by HTC which is Korean and the Droid X is Motorola which is American. For me it is a no brainer, we American's are still behind the Asian's and overseas manufacturers when it comes to making technology products. We are gaining mind you, but we are still behind. At least Motorola has finally decided to use Qualcomm's chip set I believe which is a step in the right direction.. I personally just purchased the Samsung Fascinate and I must say that I LOVE it. Ultimately though, the decision is yours so I bid you good luck. As long as it is a Android phone, I don't think you can go wrong!..
Speed...

 

[lordofthereef]

1 year has become the new standard for a smartphone's life cycle. Much like computers started to advance faster and faster, smartphones are in the bigger, better, faster, more stages these days. This doesn't mean that support disappears or the phone stops working though. Support continues as long as there is community and developers behind the phone. The Eris reached end of life at the end of summer (if I remember correctly), but it still has a great support network online and came with a full one year warranty from HTC. As long as you choose a phone with decent community backing it will continue to live on well past the 2 year contract you sign.

I think you covered most of my concerns here. Thanks! My biggest concern is that the net model rolls out and the "old" one gets left in the dust. Sure it won't stop working, but it would suck to see cool new android flavors rolling out and me stuck versions and versions behind.

I think we have both decided on Incredibles. The newer incredible with its 4.3 inch screen is too bulky for our tastes (I hope this doesn't become a trend because frankly we hate it). So long as we have high chances of getting newer flavors of android on our devices, we are golden!

 

[bikeandestroyx]

I think you covered most of my concerns here. Thanks! My biggest concern is that the net model rolls out and the "old" one gets left in the dust. Sure it won't stop working, but it would suck to see cool new android flavors rolling out and me stuck versions and versions behind.

I think we have both decided on Incredibles. The newer incredible with its 4.3 inch screen is too bulky for our tastes (I hope this doesn't become a trend because frankly we hate it). So long as we have high chances of getting newer flavors of android on our devices, we are golden!

Theres also the htc merge, it has the next gen snapdragon with 3.8 or 3.8 screen with a full keyboard.
HTC Merge Appears on Verizon’s Site | Android Phone Fans

 

[SupraLance]

Just cause she couldn't get the Fascinate for free doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it if you are paying for yours. You say you prefer to hack the phone, don't like the size of the 4.3" screen phones, and your biggest concern is reaching the end of the phone's life cycle while still under contract. The Fascinate is the most hackable, optimum size, and newer than the Incredible. Perhaps you've considered it and eliminated it for some reason, but if not... Also at Best Buy for $1 on Black Friday

 

[omelet]

If I were you, I wouldn't get the incredible only because we already have rumors about the Droid Incredible HD, which means the end of it's cycle is coming to a close. The Droid X is the best smart phone in all the networks right now, it might come to a close in March, but it has such a strong community, it won't be worthless.

I have an upgrade right now, as much as the black friday deals are getting to me, I'm waiting untill the DINC HD comes out hopefully january. (maybe even sooner)

 

[lordofthereef]

DINC HD looks like it will have that 4.3 inch screen. This is something I am really trying to avoid. Just too darn big in my pocket. The incredible, spec-wise, also seems almost identical to the Droid X (as far as what's under the hood). Could care less about the HDMI and what not. I would have liked a front-facing camera, but what can you do? As far as Samsung, I have had bad experiences in the distant past with their phones. I have also ready enough complaints about their current phones that it makes me nervous to consider that phone.

 

[mauiblue]

Definitely looking at the Incredible HD myself if that will be the upgrade phone for me. I can wait though as the standard Incredible is working out fine for me despite the piss poor battery performance. I compensate by having multiple packs and a wall charger but I'm hoping at technology progresses, battery life will continue to become better.

 

[Guamguy]

Well, something to think about. The Incredible is made by HTC which is Korean and the Droid X is Motorola which is American. For me it is a no brainer, we American's are still behind the Asian's and overseas manufacturers when it comes to making technology products. We are gaining mind you, but we are still behind. At least Motorola has finally decided to use Qualcomm's chip set I believe which is a step in the right direction.. I personally just purchased the Samsung Fascinate and I must say that I LOVE it. Ultimately though, the decision is yours so I bid you good luck. As long as it is a Android phone, I don't think you can go wrong!..
Speed...

HTC is not Korean. It is Taiwan.

Both HTC, Motorola, and even Apple are no brainers where the phones are made --- China through Taiwan contractors like Foxconn and Quanta. The screens, they have to get them from Japan like Sony or Toshiba, or from Korea, like Samsung and LG.

And no, Motorola still doesn't use Qualcomm chips. They use them on the low end like Cliq, or anything that has an ARM11. But for any Motorola phone with a Cortex A8 core, which are the real more powerful ones, they use chips from Texas Instruments, known as OMAP.

 

[Guamguy]

According to surveys I've seen, HTC and Motorola are juggling the number 2 and 3 spots in user satisfaction just behind Apple. Samsung is well behind both.

The top two HTC phones appear to be the EVO and the Droid Incredible, but I will assume that the G2 and myTouch 4G are too new to make an impact on user surveys.

The top two Motorola phones are the Droid 2 and Droid X. Droid 2 is know as probably Verizon's lowest return rate yet of any smartphone, while the Droid X appears to be the summer's top seller.



The fact that 3 out of 4 of the top Android phones in the US are Droid, speaks well of Droid's elite guard status in the Android Army.