The ultimate question

[Mozahsuf]

Dear respected community of android sages,

I was hoping to tap into your collective wisdom regarding a most vexing problem I am facing in light of all the impending releases of these spectacular phones.

If I buy the new galaxy or htc holiday how likely is it that the manufacturer will upgrade the OS to ice cream sandwich? If such an update is possible then how does a post-OS update galaxy or htc holiday compare to the nexus prime?
What am I missing out on if I purchase the holiday or galaxy and skip put on the chance to grab the prime, even if the former two devices are updated to the ice cream ?

Thanks,

Novice

 

[Don S]

Well, few things:

• Given how close to the ICS release the HTC and Galaxy phones are, I would think there is a VERY high probability they will get ICS
• Since we don't know any of the benefits at all of ICS yet, we don't really know how much of an advantge at all having ICS will be (other than simply being on the latest OS). We suspect it will have benefits, but without knowing the details of ICS, it's hard to identify what you would miss.
• Having the latest OS, may not mean having the best phone. The Nexus S is out and many people have passed on that early in it's release for other phones on older OS's because they liked the phone better. Things like the camera, the size, the screen, CPU, performance (and yes for some even the skin), etc may still make other phones more desireable to some (though if the Prime is Samsung HD display, then there is a much less chance of screen envy by waiting for it).
• Personal opinion here: Losing the capacitive buttons with ICS can be a BIG potential negative in usability on a small screen with little real estate. We will see how this plays out with ICF if true ..

 

[Mozahsuf]

Thanks. In your opinion how do the specs of the phones match up against each other. I know for the prime and holiday we are working with mostly rumored specs, but can you still determine which phone has superior specs. Your point about the lack of knowledge regarding the new OS is well taken.

 

[Don S]

Well, it's all rumors now with the Prime and the Vigor, but they look very comparable spec-wise. Both are rumored to have dual-core, 1.5 Ghz processors, both with 1280 x 720 displays (I still always prefer Sammy's displays with Super AMOLED + , but that is subjective), both rumored to have 1GB of RAM. Thing like how good the camera is and battery life are anyone's guess at this point..
The GS2 has dual core 1.2Ghz, super amoled + 800 x 480 screen. All the reviews are EXCELLENT for it so far though. Great speed, screen, battery life, camera, browsing, GPS etc, etc ..

 

[jerofld]

Personally, I think capacitive buttons are crap. I miss my DX's physical buttons. Sure, it takes more effort to actually push a physical button, but I've never accidentally pushed a physical button. I've gone to home more times than I can count with a capacitive home key.

I fear software based buttons may end up being worse for my own usage.

 

[Mozahsuf]

Thanks guys. Since I am signing up for another two years with AT&T I just want to make sure I'm buying the best phone possible, even though whatever I buy is likely to be eclipsed in multiple ways by whatever phone is released 2-3 months after it.

I understand the buzz about Samsung is not positive in terms of updates, reliability of product, etc., anyone care to comment on that? Are the whispers surrounding Samsung enough to sway on toward HTC, even if the G2 might be a better phone overall over the "Holiday"?

 

[chanchan05]

The main difference would be the Prime would likely be using Samsung's Exynos chipset, while the Vigor will most probably use Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets. I'd go Exynos.

 

[jerofld]

And if you have no idea what chanchan05 is talking about or the relatively minor differences between processors doesn't bother you, go to a store and try both. You may find that you like Sense (HTC's UI) better than Samsung's TouchWiz. Maybe you like the physical feel of one phone better. Maybe you like SAMOLED+ better than the more standard display of the HTC. Some people despise SAMOLED+. No one can tell you your opinions.

But it is very likely that both phones will get ICS. Don't worry about that.