I'm coming to the end of my term with my HTC Hero. It was my first Android phone and I've loved a ton of things about it. I also really liked the HTC overlay that allowed for more screens.
Some things I did NOT like about this phone:
I miss my physical keyboard for texting. I've gotten used to a virtual keyboard, but I'm still not nearly as fast as I was with my old LG enV (loved that keyboard!!)
This phone is so slow sometimes. If I get too many apps it says I have low memory and I have to delete some. There are some game apps that I couldn't even download because they were too big. There was often very long lags and sometimes the phone would start to overheat.
I'm staying with Sprint and so i was looking for recommendations on a new Android phone. Basically I'm looking for something with a lot more power and storage space. I'd also really like a keyboard, but that's not necessarily a dealbreaker.
Right now, the phones I'm considering are:
EVO Shift
EVO 4G
EVO 3D
Nexus S
Samsung Epic
I'm also open to other suggestions. thanks for your help!
I do not even have a Sprint HTC EVO 3D yet, but it is the obvious choice at the moment. It is the best Android handset right now.
If you really want a hardware keyboard, I would go with the Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G. It has a really easily overclocked CPU too if you are into rooting and such.
I'll throw my vote in for the Samsung Epic if you want a keyboard. My wife went in to get the Shift but left with the Epic. The screen on that thing is amazing and now has me waiting out the Evo 3D to see how I like the Samsung Galaxy S II.
She liked the screen better (best screen I've seen on a phone) and it felt more solid then the shift.
I'll throw my vote in for the Samsung Epic if you want a keyboard. My wife went in to get the Shift but left with the Epic. The screen on that thing is amazing and now has me waiting out the Evo 3D to see how I like the Samsung Galaxy S II.
She liked the screen better (best screen I've seen on a phone) and it felt more solid then the shift.
Those Super AMOLED screens are nice, indeed, except I do not care for the PenTile matrix on them. The only drawbacks of the Samsung Galaxy S II handsets, that I can see, is that the screen resolution is lower than the Sprint HTC EVO 3D and the lack of LED notification lights.
I messed with a Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G and a Sprint Samsung Epic 4G yesterday and the former seemed a bit more solid to me. It also felt less plasticky, if you know what I mean.
Last edited by LBPHeretic; July 7th, 2011 at 09:08 AM.
Device(s): Evo 4G (Sprint),used to have a Hero (Sprint) but HATED it!
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Hero --> Evo 4G
I kissed (kicked?) my Hero goodbye on Saturday. Had 20 months worth of issues and poor performance with that little phone, and had enough of it. Started off in Nov of 2009 well enough, but after the 2.1 upgrade last June 2010, it went sour. Laggy, apps broken, GPS not working, did I mention laggy?
Got the Evo 4G (Sprint) on Saturday, and very pleased so far.
[However, the default browser is acting funny. My initial launch of a web page has me zoomed WAAAAY out, and everything is soooo tiny. Gotta' play with the settings to return it to the way it used to work with my Hero...otherwise, no issues.]
hTC should be ashamed of the Hero and it's overall performance over the last 2 years...and how they gave up on it last fall.
I kissed (kicked?) my Hero goodbye on Saturday. Had 20 months worth of issues and poor performance with that little phone, and had enough of it. Started off in Nov of 2009 well enough, but after the 2.1 upgrade last June 2010, it went sour. Laggy, apps broken, GPS not working, did I mention laggy?
Got the Evo 4G (Sprint) on Saturday, and very pleased so far.
[However, the default browser is acting funny. My initial launch of a web page has me zoomed WAAAAY out, and everything is soooo tiny. Gotta' play with the settings to return it to the way it used to work with my Hero...otherwise, no issues.]
hTC should be ashamed of the Hero and it's overall performance over the last 2 years...and how they gave up on it last fall.
Ciao.
I am sorry you had so many issues. I, on the other hand, really experienced no issues with my Sprint HTC Hero, even in its stock form.
After I finally rooted it and flashed a custom ROM, it became even more of a joy to own. That being said, I know that some people have had their issues with the handset, and I understand that it can be frustrating. However, all smartphones have their quirks and the Sprint HTC Hero was first generation hardware. Considering all of that, I still think it is a good starter model, even to this day.
I am considering either the Motorola Photon that just launched or the Samsung Galaxy II S that is coming soon.
Hopefully the bootloader on the Sprint Motorola Photon 4G will eventually get unlocked. As it stands right now, you will not able to fully utilize custom ROMs that change the kernel.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 looks interesting and seems to be a powerhouse with that dual-core Exynos CPU. The only thing that worries me about is the Super AMOLED+ screen having burn in issues. My friend's Verizon Samsung Fascinate experienced screen burn in after only 8-9 months of ownership. Other than that, the Samsung Galaxy S2 looks like a nice handset.
I was playing with the htc evo 3d and wasn't impressed with the 3d gimmick. The speed rocked compared to my hero but everything I am reading the within is going to be awesome, I can wait another 2-3 months for it when it comes out. hell I've been dealing with issues for my hero now for 1+ yeas
I got the Photon 4G about a week ago. This thing rocks. Super fast for videos and gaming. It is my primary phone for business as well so internet, email, voicemail, and calendar are also important. Camera with flash is also a big plus.
I also looked at the EVO 3D, and it did seem gimicky. The 3D photos hurt my head.
I'd like to wait until I see who unlocks the bootloader. With Google buying Motorola, does that mean unlocked bootloaders? My Hero is running 2.3.4 at 710Mhz and is pretty stable. Not an all day phone user, so it still suits me fine and contract runs thru October. Right now the Photon interests me. TerrBear - does rooting the Photon mean "unlocking" the GSM too. Is it 4 GSM bands or 2?
Why do I see so many people dismiss the Sprint HTC EVO 3D because of the alleged "3D gimmick" not living up to their standards? You could just buy it for the awesome hardware specifications. That is what I did and I absolutely love it. Seriously, the hardware is THAT good and in rooted and overclocked form it is already pushing nearly 2 GHz per core.
Why do I see so many people dismiss the Sprint HTC EVO 3D because of the alleged "3D gimmick" not living up to their standards? You could just buy it for the awesome hardware specifications. That is what I did and I absolutely love it. Seriously, the hardware is THAT good and in rooted and overclocked form it is already pushing nearly 2 GHz per core.
I think it's because to me it's just that a gimmick. I looked at the screen and after about 30 seconds it gives me a headache. I love the fact that it's fast as hell. But the 3d feature is something I'd rather do with out and have something in it's place. IE> Get the kick stand back or have a larger battery capacity bigger than what it currently is..etc
I find it hilarious that you call 3d a gimmick and then in the same post ask for the kickstand back.....
OK - I thought the 3d was a gimmick - the pics on the phone do suck and hurt your head....BUT...I have had sooo much fun recording my kids in 3d - It is a gimmick - but a damn cool one.
Specs on the phone rock - And The Dev Community on it is WAY WAY more involved than the Photon.
If you are going to wait 3 months....why not wait until next June....see what comes out then.....???
Like I said above, I bought the Sprint HTC EVO 3D for the awesome hardware specifications. I will admit that the 3D picture and video taking and viewing features or gimmick as it is being called in this thread, actually works quite well in practice, or at least it does for me.
Like MahaloCat said above, the development community for the Sprint HTC EVO 3D is extremely involved and the handset has not even been out that long yet. If you bought the handset and decided to never use the 3D mode, you could stare at it until the cows come home and never get a headache, although I have never gotten one anyway when using the aforementioned 3D mode. It is not like you would be staring at 3D content with it for the vast majority of time that you made use of it anyway. I look at my handset as possessing great hardware specifications with the added bonus of having the option to use its 3D capabilities when I want to.
New phone after HTC Hero
Hero --> Evo 4G
