Why no love for the MyTouch 4G

[sillar68]

I posted this in the HTC Mfr section but got no responses so I thought I'd post over here:

I'm looking to switch over to Android from iOS, and the typical Android super phones are all on my consideration list but I wanted to get some more experienced feedback from all of you who chose to read this post.

One of the phones is the MyTouch 4G. This phone seems to have a solution to just about every objection a buyer might have considering it's one of the more recent releases with a 2nd Gen Snapdragon, HSPA+, front camera, WIFI calling, FAST out of the box, FROYO, yadda yadda yadda.

So why did the price on this phone drop so fast? That's the only thing I can use as an indicator of demand at this point. I've seen it as low as $19 with 2yr contract in the last 2 weeks. It seems like most of the other super phones that came out last summer sustained a higher price for a longer period of time.

Is it that the screen is not that great compared to the big (4+ inches), or AMOLED screens? Is it just not a sexy design? Is it really buggy like I've been reading about the Galaxy S phones? Is there something just plain wrong with the features I listed above?

With some exhaustive googling, i can't find anything fundamentally objectionable to this phone (as compared to the other top tier phones). So why is the demand so low for this phone so soon after product launch?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[IOWA]

Probablybecause its on t mobile

 

[Medion]

Probablybecause its on t mobile

This.

It's great hardware. It's got the fastest actual CPU on the market today (faster than the 1.2ghz Droid 2's OMAP in CPU-related tasks). The GPU is better than SGX 530, but a bit behind the 540 in the Samsung phones. So, it's great hardware. Problem is, as noted above, it's tied to the 4th largest carrier in the US. The only other version of it is the Desire HD, the euro big-screen model. The next time we'll see this hardware will be when the Thunderbolt releases on Verizon, but by that time, it won't be the best out anymore (thanks to Tegra 2 releasing at the same time).

But, if you can actually get service with T-Mo in the area(s) you live/travel, then hey, it's a great phone.

 

[IOWA]

This.

It's great hardware. It's got the fastest actual CPU on the market today (faster than the 1.2ghz Droid 2's OMAP in CPU-related tasks). The GPU is better than SGX 530, but a bit behind the 540 in the Samsung phones. So, it's great hardware. Problem is, as noted above, it's tied to the 4th largest carrier in the US. The only other version of it is the Desire HD, the euro big-screen model. The next time we'll see this hardware will be when the Thunderbolt releases on Verizon, but by that time, it won't be the best out anymore (thanks to Tegra 2 releasing at the same time).

But, if you can actually get service with T-Mo in the area(s) you live/travel, then hey, it's a great phone.

Noo... the sprint evo shift 4gcomes out Jan 9th with the same specs as the g2 butwith real 4g

 

[AndreaCristiano]

My touch is a very laggy device and will be pretty much surpassed in the coming months by many phones

 

[Medion]

Noo... the sprint evo shift 4gcomes out Jan 9th with the same specs as the g2 butwith real 4g

Everyone has a different opinion on "real" 4G. T-Mobile's HSPA + is faster than Sprint/Clear's WiMax of today...in the few areas that actually have reliable coverage.

If you meant the hardware, the guts of the Desire Z/Shift/G2 is an underclocked version of what's in the MyTouch/Desire HD/Thunderbolt.

 

[IOWA]

Everyone has a different opinion on "real" 4G. T-Mobile's HSPA + is faster than Sprint/Clear's WiMax of today...in the few areas that actually have reliable coverage.

If you meant the hardware, the guts of the Desire Z/Shift/G2 is an underclocked version of what's in the MyTouch/Desire HD/Thunderbolt.

No its not.

 

[Medion]

No its not.

The MSM 8x55 in the Desire HD/Thunderbolt/MyTouch 4G is a 1ghz Scorpion + Adreno 205.

The MSM 7x30 in the G2/Shift/Desire Z is an 800mhz Scorpion + Adreno 205.

It is.

If you're talking about actual speeds of "4G" service:

T-Mobile's HSPA + is giving actual speeds of 6-12MB in the few areas it serves.

Sprint/Clear's WiMax is giving actual speeds of 5-10MB in the slightly larger area that it serves.

It is.

Thank you for your time.

 

[dan330]

Everyone has a different opinion on "real" 4G. T-Mobile's HSPA + is faster than Sprint/Clear's WiMax of today...in the few areas that actually have reliable coverage.

If you meant the hardware, the guts of the Desire Z/Shift/G2 is an underclocked version of what's in the MyTouch/Desire HD/Thunderbolt.

^^^ in bold is what is most important part of that..


I agree.. that is a great phone..

TMobile is hard-up for clients... being 4th on list.
so they are willing to dig a little deeper to get clients to sign a 2 yr contract! once in.. they are stuck with a great phone on a spotty service in most areas.

ATT will be in the same problem soon... even worse because they are expensive. the lost of their golden ticket to verison, will make huge changes to their business.


Like Medion said... if you have great Tmobile service in area of importance to you... then it is a great deal!

 

[Medion]

if you have great Tmobile service in area of importance to you... then it is a great deal!

And that's the crux of it. T-Mobile continues to build up, but not out. AT&T does the same thing. Right now, Verizon "technically" has 3G over their entire footprint (you will drop to 1x in some areas for various reasons). By 2015, they will have LTE over their entire current footprint, if they are to be believed.

Compare this to T-Mobile where you have HSPA+ in some areas (3.5 or 3.9G that they call "4G"), with drop offs to HSPA (3.5G), with further drop off to 3G, and yet further drop offs to Edge or even GPRS. That doesn't even mention how often you're roaming on AT&T's Edge/GPRS network due to T-Mobile having no towers.

Now AT&T plans to have users drop off from LTE to HSPA + to HSPA to UMTS to GSM. I mean, how many radios will their phones need? (hint, 3)

 

[SaleenFiend]

The MSM 8x55 in the Desire HD/Thunderbolt/MyTouch 4G is a 1ghz Scorpion + Adreno 205.

The MSM 7x30 in the G2/Shift/Desire Z is an 800mhz Scorpion + Adreno 205.

It is.

If you're talking about actual speeds of "4G" service:

T-Mobile's HSPA + is giving actual speeds of 6-12MB in the few areas it serves.

Sprint/Clear's WiMax is giving actual speeds of 5-10MB in the slightly larger area that it serves.

It is.

Thank you for your time.

So your telling me two different processors are the same? or are they the same processor?

 

[Medion]

So your telling me two different processors are the same? or are they the same processor?

They named them differently to differentiate them. However, they are using the same GPU, and also the same CPU core at two different clock speeds.

The performance difference between the two is there, but it's not gigantic. It's like having an 800mhz Pentium 3 vs. a 1.0ghz Pentium 3. Same architecture, different speed.

 

[IOWA]

The MSM 8x55 in the Desire HD/Thunderbolt/MyTouch 4G is a 1ghz Scorpion + Adreno 205.

The MSM 7x30 in the G2/Shift/Desire Z is an 800mhz Scorpion + Adreno 205.

It is.

If you're talking about actual speeds of "4G" service:

T-Mobile's HSPA + is giving actual speeds of 6-12MB in the few areas it serves.

Sprint/Clear's WiMax is giving actual speeds of 5-10MB in the slightly larger area that it serves.

It is.

Thank you for your time.

I can stand under a wimax tower and get 18 mbps. Do you know the difference between true speed and bursts? Line noise? Packet loss?

So no, Tmo hspa+ is not faster than sprints wimax. In Chicago, Illinois i average 6–7 mbps.... all day. Why? Because wimax isn't subject to network slow down like hspa+

Or that nasty rate of decay.

 

[SaleenFiend]

They named them differently to differentiate them. However, they are using the same GPU, and also the same CPU core at two different clock speeds.

The performance difference between the two is there, but it's not gigantic. It's like having an 800mhz Pentium 3 vs. a 1.0ghz Pentium 3. Same architecture, different speed.

So, these processors can be overclocked to perform at the same speeds ... say 1.3ghz... and perform exactly the same. Same temps, volts, and everything else? (This is only a metaphor)

 

[IOWA]

So, these processors can be overclocked to perform at the same speeds ... say 1.1ghz... and perform exactly the same. Same temps, volts, and everything else? (This is only a metaphor)

Pretty much

 

[Guamguy]

I posted this in the HTC Mfr section but got no responses so I thought I'd post over here:

I'm looking to switch over to Android from iOS, and the typical Android super phones are all on my consideration list but I wanted to get some more experienced feedback from all of you who chose to read this post.

One of the phones is the MyTouch 4G. This phone seems to have a solution to just about every objection a buyer might have considering it's one of the more recent releases with a 2nd Gen Snapdragon, HSPA+, front camera, WIFI calling, FAST out of the box, FROYO, yadda yadda yadda.

So why did the price on this phone drop so fast? That's the only thing I can use as an indicator of demand at this point. I've seen it as low as $19 with 2yr contract in the last 2 weeks. It seems like most of the other super phones that came out last summer sustained a higher price for a longer period of time.

Is it that the screen is not that great compared to the big (4+ inches), or AMOLED screens? Is it just not a sexy design? Is it really buggy like I've been reading about the Galaxy S phones? Is there something just plain wrong with the features I listed above?

With some exhaustive googling, i can't find anything fundamentally objectionable to this phone (as compared to the other top tier phones). So why is the demand so low for this phone so soon after product launch?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

You should have taken advantage when the price is low.

Its gone back up to $199, both the G2 and the MT4G,

 

[sillar68]

So, if someone has great T-Mobile reception in the general areas they live or travel, the MyTouch 4G is a top 4-5 phone? I know about the announcements at CES so far, and I'm sure there will be some better stuff out this summer, but I'm talking about right now. I'm trying to find out if something is fundamentally wrong with the phone, and not T-Mobile.

 

[sillar68]

You should have taken advantage when the price is low.

Its gone back up to $199, both the G2 and the MT4G,

Its still $29 online today.

 

[Guamguy]

No. The $29 bucks is just the cover.

See -
T-Mobile page
Unsupported Browser

Its $199.

Bad? It got a 4.5 star out of a 5 star rating.

 

[sillar68]

No. The $29 bucks is just the cover.

See -
T-Mobile page
Unsupported Browser

Its $199.

Bad? It got a 4.5 star out of a 5 star rating.

I was considering a source other than T-Mobile online.

 

[Guamguy]

You just looked at a "holiday" price. Everyone drops their prices for the holidays. That has nothing to with the love or lack of love for a phone.

I look at TV and I see a lot of cute MyTouch 4G commercials. T-Mobile doesn't advertise anything but that phone. That's certainly a lot of love to merit expensive TV ads.

 

[dan330]

i consider it to be ... a player on any discussion of top level phones.

it is HTC
Mytouch has always had a great dev mods
hardware is most advance for now.
only thing missing is samsungs screen (but they hord it for themselves)

again.. the phone is great.. only reason it gets overlooked is because it is association to tmobile.


OP... i think everyone here has given you more than enough to answer your question.
but you still do not accept the info... why? what is your true concern?

 

[sillar68]

You just looked at a "holiday" price. Everyone drops their prices for the holidays. That has nothing to with the love or lack of love for a phone.

I look at TV and I see a lot of cute MyTouch 4G commercials. T-Mobile doesn't advertise anything but that phone. That's certainly a lot of love to merit expensive TV ads.

I don't watch TV

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Black for T-Mobile - Sam's Club Mobile

 

[sillar68]

i consider it to be ... a player on any discussion of top level phones.

it is HTC
Mytouch has always had a great dev mods
hardware is most advance for now.
only thing missing is samsungs screen (but they hord it for themselves)

again.. the phone is great.. only reason it gets overlooked is because it is association to tmobile.


OP... i think everyone here has given you more than enough to answer your question.
but you still do not accept the info... why? what is your true concern?

The conversation veered off of the actual phone and began focusing on the carrier, processor differences, etc, so I was just refocusing. Your reply is exactly the feedback I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[Medion]

I can stand under a wimax tower and get 18 mbps. Do you know the difference between true speed and bursts? Line noise? Packet loss?

So no, Tmo hspa+ is not faster than sprints wimax. In Chicago, Illinois i average 6–7 mbps.... all day. Why? Because wimax isn't subject to network slow down like hspa+

Or that nasty rate of decay.

I want to thank you for finally answering my question. You have now made it clear which part of my discussion that you disagreed with, and to what degree. Now that we've gotten past that, I think we can agree to disagree.

I feel that T-Mobile's HSPA+, in the few areas it serves, is faster than current WiMax 1 technology. But, I think WiMax is superior in consistency of speed, and connection quality (packet loss, bursts, as you put it). But yes, current max speed, T-Mobile has the edge.

So, these processors can be overclocked to perform at the same speeds ... say 1.3ghz... and perform exactly the same. Same temps, volts, and everything else? (This is only a metaphor)

No. The first-gen processors were 65nm (die process). The 2nd gen are 45nm. That means that, unless you get a lemon, the 45nm has more overclocking headroom with less heat dissipation, and less battery consumption. However, as for speed, at the same clock rates, they will have the same performance. Heat and battery use will be the key difference.

That's part of the reason people are getting obscene overclocks on their G2s.