Just a couple of things to note about the Supreme (Vital) that have been good/bad since getting it before Thanksgiving. Note that I paid $150 for it, so I'm judging from that price.
- Some apps are kind of sketchy. I have ADT security and they have an app for remotely arming/disarming my alarm. It won't work on the Supreme, just opens and then closes again. Works fine on multiple other Android phones in the house including some pretty old ones.
My banking app does not like to work with taking a picture to deposit checks. The camera will not focus within the app so it is extremely hard to get it done. Again, works fine on a multitude of other devices.
Google Play movies will only play if you downgrade the player version (may be fixed soon). Other online players seem to get a black screen with audio. MX player and local videos all work fine though, as well as Crackle and Netflix.
- The battery life has been amazing. After rooting and a few small tweaks (still stock rom) I can easily get about 7 days (yes 7 days) of standby time. That is not in airplane mode, that is with data and LTE enabled, GPS enabled (but not on), and with it getting about 30 emails a day with constant vibrate notifications.
- It is almost too large. A phone like the S3 has a very natural feel in the hand, it is easy to get to all parts of the screen. Even with my large hands the Supreme is still a bit awkward trying to get to the bottom edges of the screen. Luckily after some use I got used to moving the entire phone a bit in the hand and not just moving my thumb alone.
- The screen is amazing. Side-by-side I put it up against the S3 and the screen is simply better. Brighter, better colors, and better definition. I have no problem at all with it.
- The speaker is both good and bad. It is amazingly loud, much louder than any other phone I have used. However, because it sits in one tiny place on the rear it is easily muffled, and when covered (by fingers, or say sitting in your lap) it will easily lose about 75% of its volume.
- Rooting is easy and wifi tethering works just fine. I was in the process of moving just after getting it and used it for watching about 15 Netflix movies on my tablet and getting data on my laptop... no issues.
- Google maps work amazingly well. Once it gets one lock you can leave GPS enabled and it stays off until it is actively needed. I can tap on maps and it is up with a GPS lock in about 3-5 seconds. In a car, in the house, in buildings... it has no issue getting a lock.
- The camera is mediocre. Gives ok pictures at a distance but anything up close is pretty grainy. If you just want something that works ok it will do, but if you are a photo enthusiast it probably won't be good enough for you.
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Overall a good phone, but don't be surprised when an app doesn't work right and there is no real way to get around it.
For $300? No, go with a better mainstream brand and possibly even another GSM carrier so you can more easily swap phones in the future.
For $150? Yes. Quirks aside, it will do what you need it to do and do it as well as most $300-$400 phones out there.
