Motorola Droid 4 or Samsung Stratosphere

[Eldogg]

Hi, I'm wondering if I could solicit the help of you all in making a decision. Due to limitations on the phones that are supported by my employer, I currently must choose between the Samsung Stratosphere and the Motorola Droid 4 (I can go with HTC Incredible 2 if I insist on an international phone, but I really don't need it and it would sacrifice 4g). I can also go with iphone 4s or BB, but I don't see any reason to do iphone (I don't own other Apple equipment) and I think BB is dying a slow death.

So it's down to the Stratosphere or the Droid 4. I've studied both, looked at both, held both. It seems to me that the Droid 4 is a superior and newer phone. But it is bigger, heavier, and the biggest problem - can't replace the battery (which I do now with my BB and I have needed to use that at times). I like the idea that both offer a regular keyboard, as I think it will take me time to get used to the Droid screen. Seems that the Droid 4 has more RAM, a faster processor, and actually, a longer life battery. But I believe the Stratosphere has removable battery and great screen technology.

Barring the company approving any new phones (I'd love the latest Motorola Razr, which I believe has a removable battery), but I believe I might have to wait at least 60-90 days for another one to be approved and I think they will force a decision sooner, which one would you all recommend? And if it's the Droid 4, how can one deal with the battery issue?

Thanks so much in advance!

Larry

 

[saptech]

I don't know much about smartphones, I've gotten my first one in Dec...when I was using other phones, removing the battery seem like it was the best option in some cases. So if it was me, I would prefer a phone with a removable battery.

So far I do like the Strat, but now after having it, I could do without the physical keyboard, which would make the phone lighter weight. I just don't text as much as younger people or need it as much.

 

[bubbalv29]

I would go with the Droid 4. Like you said, it has a faster processor and more RAM. Also, Motorola makes better phones than Samsung. I own the Stratosphere, and I would give it up for the Droid 4. Although I love the Stratosphere, I had to install a custom rom and some mods before it ran to my liking. Still, it comes up short on RAM, I find it doesn't multitask well, and I've even had it clear a webpage I was viewing out of RAM because it was graphic heavy. As for the battery issue, if you're worried about batter life, Droid 4 wins out on that as well. You shouldn't have to worry about removing the battery, if the phone locks up, just hold the sleep and volume up buttons and it'll restart. The cellular antenna in most newer Motorola devices are also far superior to the Strat's. My friend has a Droid Razr, and he gets full service where my Strat is stuck on just one bar. Also, the Strat looses data connectivity a lot. I can't really think of anything else at the moment, so, if you have any questions, as away.

 

[Eldogg]

I would go with the Droid 4. Like you said, it has a faster processor and more RAM. Also, Motorola makes better phones than Samsung. I own the Stratosphere, and I would give it up for the Droid 4. Although I love the Stratosphere, I had to install a custom rom and some mods before it ran to my liking. Still, it comes up short on RAM, I find it doesn't multitask well, and I've even had it clear a webpage I was viewing out of RAM because it was graphic heavy. As for the battery issue, if you're worried about batter life, Droid 4 wins out on that as well. You shouldn't have to worry about removing the battery, if the phone locks up, just hold the sleep and volume up buttons and it'll restart. The cellular antenna in most newer Motorola devices are also far superior to the Strat's. My friend has a Droid Razr, and he gets full service where my Strat is stuck on just one bar. Also, the Strat looses data connectivity a lot. I can't really think of anything else at the moment, so, if you have any questions, as away.

Thanks. I would want to remove the battery not to reset the device but to replace it with a freshly charged one. Did it today with my BB Bold.

 

[striker1211]

Unless you want to install a custom rom and risk voiding your warranty (which your company might not light) I would go 100% for the Droid 4. I am a loyal samsung owner because of the open boot loader but they should not have ever sold this phone to Verizon. It's a 2010 phone in 2012. It is slow, it drops data, and it's developer support is very weak right now. As for the battery issue lookup "jump packs" for the droid 4. They just plug into the microusb port and act as a charger on the go. They are also coming out with Mophie style battery backup cases for the droids.

 

[KnightCrusader]

If you care about speed, then go with the Droid 4.

If you care about having an open bootloader, replaceable batteries, a bright, clear screen and prefer functionality over speed, go with the Stratosphere.

I might be a little biased, but I love my Stratosphere. I am running TweakStock 1.4 and its like my crack. I haven't had any issues with this phone that the other people have had, except for the slow downs when trying to do too many things at once. It's true that this phone is running with 2010 specs... but with the price tag most places of FREE, its hard to complain for what you get. If you get rid of the bloat and run lean, you won't have any issues.

I bought a Rezound recently but after a day with it, I had to go back to the Stratosphere - I'd rather have a phone that functions the way I want with a full keyboard than a phone with speed.

 

[bubbalv29]

If you care about speed, then go with the Droid 4.

If you care about having an open bootloader, replaceable batteries, a bright, clear screen and prefer functionality over speed, go with the Stratosphere.

I might be a little biased, but I love my Stratosphere. I am running TweakStock 1.4 and its like my crack. I haven't had any issues with this phone that the other people have had, except for the slow downs when trying to do too many things at once. It's true that this phone is running with 2010 specs... but with the price tag most places of FREE, its hard to complain for what you get. If you get rid of the bloat and run lean, you won't have any issues.

I bought a Rezound recently but after a day with it, I had to go back to the Stratosphere - I'd rather have a phone that functions the way I want with a full keyboard than a phone with speed.

Other than the non-removable battery, and the locked bootloader, there's no other reason not to choose the Droid 4. This phone will be paid for by their employer. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to want the phone tampered with. Also, the Stratosphere is damn near obsolete.

I think you should go with the Droid 4, but you should also do a little more research. There may be more of a reason for you to choose one over the other, and only you can be the one to make the decision.

 

[Eldogg]

Other than the non-removable battery, and the locked bootloader, there's no other reason not to choose the Droid 4. This phone will be paid for by their employer. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to want the phone tampered with. Also, the Stratosphere is damn near obsolete.

I think you should go with the Droid 4, but you should also do a little more research. There may be more of a reason for you to choose one over the other, and only you can be the one to make the decision.

Thank you. You're right. All things leaning to Droid 4 right now. Only one other reason NOT to go with it - the weight (when in your pocket, you can feel it). Otherwise, the battery is the only other real reason. Both are free for me. I am waiting another week or so just to see if by chance, my employer certifies the Droid Razor, which I would much prefer. Otherwise, it'll be Droid 4.

Thanks!

 

[KnightCrusader]

Thank you. You're right. All things leaning to Droid 4 right now. Only one other reason NOT to go with it - the weight (when in your pocket, you can feel it). Otherwise, the battery is the only other real reason. Both are free for me. I am waiting another week or so just to see if by chance, my employer certifies the Droid Razor, which I would much prefer. Otherwise, it'll be Droid 4.

Thanks!

Make sure you look at the screen on the Droid 4, especially when there is motion. Its got the same blurness issue the Bionic does. I really, really, want to jump to a Droid 4 too, but even if I can get around the bootloader and battery, there is no way to get around the Pentile screen.

And in all fairness, the screen on the Stratosphere has its drawbacks too - I've started to notice image burn-in. Apparently its a problem with AMOLED screens across all phones - even the Galaxy Nexus.

 

[bperwien]

I came from a moto droid to the stratosphere. All of the motorola's have the same general problems that has never been fixed. After 6 months the phone would just be soo slow. Unless you do a hard reset and destroy all your data it just slows down soo much and freezes all the time,

 

[_Aardvark]

I came from a moto droid to the stratosphere. All of the motorola's have the same general problems that has never been fixed. After 6 months the phone would just be soo slow. Unless you do a hard reset and destroy all your data it just slows down soo much and freezes all the time,

Come on!! I've had my Motorola Droid X since the day it was released. I use it every day for these 20-21 months). I've never factory reset it. I've taken all OTA updates. It runs fine.

Back to the topic at hand:
My wife has the Stratosphere. It's selling point for her was it had a keyboard and was cheap (99$ I think at the time). The droid 4 wasn't out yet, the Droid 3 was 3g and more money. The BB was more money I think as well - for basically the same low-end one that just broke on her.

The core of the Strat an old phone - soon to be 2-generations back in the Galaxy S line (once the S3 comes out in a few weeks). The 4G gives it a little more life, but long-term the Droid 4 will serve you better.

Battery life could be an issue. Maybe you can live with one of those battery pack chargers that hook up to the USB connection?

 

[ozzybiker]

I feel that I must put in a good word for the Stratosphere. My wife has a Droid 2 Global. It has always run well but it is clunky and I don't like the screen. Recently, however, I have heard her at times complain that her phone "is doing something weird". She has always had to do occasional resets to keep it working properly.

I had a Fascinate for a year. That phone was sleek, light, had a brilliant screen, and had no keyboard. And it never worked well. It worked acceptably, probably because I am adept at living with idiosyncracies. Then, after Gingerbread broke it for good, I got a Stratosphere. I've had it since December, and it is everything that the Fascinate should have been, plus 4G.

The GPS is nearly instant. The phone signal is good where all of my previous phones have been weak. It runs multiple programs (at least the ones I use) without a hitch. The screen is gorgeous. It has a keyboard and removable battery, and it gets good battery life. Mine is stock. I keep reading about rooting and such, but the phone runs so perfectly that I am afraid to mess it up. I run it with everything except wifi turned on, and spend 1-2 hours per day web surfing, facebook, etc. At the end of a 16 hour day, I generally have between and 40% and 70% left. 30% or less is rare, but I still carry a spare battery in my pocket at all times, just in case.

As for getting used to the on-screen keyboard, I was afraid of it when I got the Fascinate originally, having come from a Samsung SCH-I760, which has a wonderful slide-out keyboard. But, I found that I could type much more quickly and with fewer mistakes on the Fascinate. Now, with the Strat, I was looking forward to the slide-out keyboard so that I would be able to view more of what I was typing on the screen. But that didn't really happen as much as I was hoping, and my proficiency with the slide-out is really poor.

This is the best phone that I, or anyone in my family, have ever had. Best of luck to you making your decision. I just wanted you to hear from someone who likes the Strat. Funny that there are so many here, in the Stratosphere forum, that don't like it.

 

[dj928]

I would look hard at the Droid4 screen quality and compare it to the Stratosphere. I have the Droid4, and it's the worst screen quality I've ever seen, much worse than the Droid2 or original Droid. Many pictures display with shadowy blotches because the phone can't handle the resolution. It's really distracting and if I had it over, I would have waited for another generation phone when they fix this.

Battery life is dismal and it takes a really long time to charge. I have 5 chargers scattered all over my house, because if I don't, my phone will die when I leave. It has gone from 80% to 20% in 90 minutes of normal use.

It's fast, when it works. I've had lots of connectivity problems (where the signal strength bars go from blue to white) and most functionality ceases, such as mapping, email, GPS, IMing, and all web browsing. Twice a day I have to reboot my phone to help reduce this problem.

Backlight on keyboard is too bright and flashes on and off randomly, not in proper response to the ambient lighting. This is also a well known problem that got worse after the last update.

I would recommend against the Droid4 and wait for their upgrade, or go with another phone. If I had it over, I would have just kept the Droid2.

 

[Eldogg]

Thank you. Ended up with the Droid Razr Maxx. Got permission from my company because the Android OS is at 2.2 or higher. Love the battery. But having a frustrating time with the keyboard. Even after 2 months, it is impossible NOT to make keyboard errors and I'm told the iphone keyboard is superior in this regard. Oh well.

 

[dj928]

Yep, virtual keyboard=errors, that's why my wife and I only get phones with physical keyboards. All (100%) of our iphone friends send us txts/emails full of errors all the time.