Sprint Intercept to VM Optimus V?

[ZaiKur]

First and foremost, hello. I'm a long time reader, first time poster...


My wife and I are considering switching from our Sprint Intercepts to Virgin's Optimus. Of you that have been on both networks, do you notice any difference, good or bad?

Also, I seem to be reading mixed reviews here and on other sites about the optimus vs. the intercept. Now that some of you have been using them for a little while, what are your current thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

ZaiKur

 

[digitaljeannie]

The VM network Is the Sprint Network. They're owned by Sprint & use Sprint's native network (which means no roaming, but is fine for me because I rarely travel outside areas where they have native coverage).

As for device differences, I wouldn't be able to contribute on that topic as I have not owned both devices for comparison. I can tell you that I do like this device more than my HTC Eris which I owned before this one. For a lower-end device it is quite a well made one. Many of the issues people are having are either with the network/service itself or operator error.

 

[pastafarian]

Although I don't own either, I have some experience with both and I'd take the Optimus over the Intercept in a heartbeat. The only thing the Intercept has over the Optimus is the hardware keyboard. OTH, the Optimus runs faster, is more stable, has a higher resolution screen and an overall higher quality feel. Though they have the same sized screen, the Optimus feels larger. Running both on 2.2 side by side makes the Intercept look a little sad, running a 2.2 Optimus against a 2.1 Intercept (VM should release a 2.2 update for the Intercept ~3/25) makes the Intercept look absolutely awful.

One thing I have seen about VM beside the coverage (as mentioned, no roaming off Sprint) is the customer service, or lack thereof. People complain about Sprints customer service, but there's a big drop off to Virgin Mobile. I found it virtually impossible to escalate a problem beyond the initial customer rep. But that's one of the reasons it's so much cheaper.

 

[TVCCS]

I had both side-by-side for a few weeks...and the Optimus V is the more capable phone of the two, especially when it comes to multi-tasking and graphics. I miss the physical keyboard of the V and the louder speaker, but that's about it. If you look at online reviews...and there's a big thread on this at Howard Forums, the V generally blows the Intercept away. The Optimus S at Sprint is their highest rated Android 3G phone, the Intercept is tied for last.

Intercept vs. Optimus

 

[ZaiKur]

Well, my intercept has 2.2 since I'm on Sprint, so I don't know if the comparisons are the same.

Also, I'm more concerned about switching from Sprint to Virgin than I am the phones. Any (major)problems with virgin that I should be aware of?

 

[TVCCS]

Well, my intercept has 2.2 since I'm on Sprint, so I don't know if the comparisons are the same.

Remember most of the reviews of the Sprint Intercept are from when the phone had 2.1...and that 2.2 is by all reports a major improvement for the Intercept, but it still falls short of the V...if all the reviews on Sprint were of the 2.1 Intercept, it would be even worse. Virgin is supposed to release the Froyo update for the Intercept around March 25.

On the VM site...the Optimus V gets a 4.7, the Intercept a 3.5 (of 5).

 

[ZaiKur]

2.2 is a MAJOR upgrade from 2.1 on the Intercept. My wife had nothing but problems with hers up untill she got the upgrade. Sprint even pulled it back (go figure, right?), and I had to manually get it in order to upgrade mine when my Moment (RIP) died. Once the upgrade happened we were able to use the phone with a lot less issues. It's still sub-par to the Moment though.

 

[KentInPhilly]

I had Sprint for 10 years before switching to VM. Like others have said, it's the same network. I haven't noticed any difference. The service in Philadelphia/South Jersey is fine. If you were fine in your area with Sprint, you should be fine with VM.

I ported my phone number from Sprint to VM -- I'd say it took less than 3 hours to be up and going with the new phone on the old number. (It was ported by the time I got around to checking, but I'm not sure exactly when it happened.)

Based on reviews, I chose the Optimus over the Intercept because of the screen resolution. Sounds like some Droid apps won't work properly on the Intercept's weird resolution. I general prefer a hardware keyboard, but have gotten used to the touchscreen keyboard more quickly than I expected. The better resolution seemed more important than the hardware keyboard.

 

[TVCCS]

Yes...that's correct...a lot of apps don't run on the 400x240 display of the Intercept...the V has a more standard 480x320. The Optimus also has the three processors including dedicated graphics vs. the Intercept's one, 512MB of RAM vs 256 for the Intercept, and 2.2 vs. 2.1. And it's less expensive. Almost everyone likes their Optimus V...and other LG Optimus phones...the Intercept gets a lot of complaints. I'd like to see how the Intercept on VM runs with Froyo, but with the single processor I'm afraid it would continue to choke when I need multi-tasking in the car, my main concern.