Either phone would be a massive upgrade from what you are dealing with. Massive.

As in you can't fathom what you're actually missing out on if you've been stuck with a Messenger this long.

The Indulge to a point, is future proof (well as future proof on our network as you can get) since Metro's plan is eventually all 4G all the time.

If you have the cash wait a few more weeks and see if the LG Esteem does it for you (if you need to see a review, it's basically Verizon's LG Revolution with 12 gigs less of internal storage, so look it up), since Metro intends to make that phone their flagship for the time being. If you have the itch (and 4G is a realistic option where you live currently) the Indulge is a very good phone with some moderate tinkering. But keep in mind, as with any 4G phone, the battery life sucks. Tinker you must, for a decent phone experience, so be prepared to hang around these forums for a bit.

If you want a throwaway, snappy little droid that still needs to breastfeed some Wi-fi titty for any decent streaming options, then by all means go with the Admire. It seems like a good little phone, though I don't know if its developer community will ever touch the LG Optimus or Ascend's. Only time will tell.

All three are massive upgrades btw, and if you are going to go for the Indulge, I really suggest waiting two more weeks to see if the Esteem catches your fancy, if only because it's nice to have options.

 

Argh!! So fed up with all the trouble with the Optimus freezing issue. I finally decided I was going to just buy the cheap Huawei and use that until something better came out. I don't like the battery life on the Indulge...

Then today I find out that there is a new phone, the Admire, available... and now you're telling me are only a few weeks away from another phone from LG... what to do, what to do....

 

the esteem will have the same battery problems as it is 4g with a similar size battery. esteem has a larger screen which could decrease the battery even more. if anything, wait for a root for the esteem to get better use out of the battery.

 

right now 4g phone on metro no way to turn off 4g + bad life 2-4 hr of life if you wanna txt or call someone internet bluetooth even less life unless you get an exBatt witch is make your phone bigger but last long with the new phone coming out wil be the same but with add upgrades from the indulge

 

i wanna rom my indulge since everyone says big things but don't wanna have to re download all my apps..

 

you dont have to. the directions tell you to use My Backup Root which, when done correctly, saves you from having to download all your apps again. Just follow the directions k0nane has given and you will be fine.

 

Absolutely false! AnyCut or LTEETL shortcut both can turn off 4G.

Also not true. As yawa said, phone requires a little tweaking and maybe rooting or a custom ROM, but is a great phone once you do these things.

koogiking (and others who may be reading),

Everyone seems to get hung up on the initial purchase price. This is looking at it the wrong way IMO. Think of it like a $100-150 per month UNLIMITED voice, LD, txt, MMS, and 4G data plan, that you are getting for $50 per month. Then you realize that the phone pays for itself real quick!

Remember, without 4G on Metro, you revert to their 1X-RTT. Think dialup speeds (100 kbps). But if you are around wifi a lot, maybe that's not a problem for you.

Or maybe you like a larger screen, or don't care about the slide out keyboard. In that case, wait for the Esteem. But IMO, those are the only smartphones worth having on Metro.

 

I agree with Yawa and TRS-80. Indulge is the best phone available for Metro-PCS, especially if your are in a 4g area and are craving decent internet speeds. Again, like Yawa and TRS-80 said you can greatly increase your phones performance with some minor tinkering, like rooting and a custom rom.

I also must say that these forums have been a great help with all of that little tinkering and you can find step-by-step instructions that make the experience alot less nerve racking.. Especially if you're new to Androids in general as I was a short while ago.

As far as battery life, which is the main detractor to this phone (or any 4g phone), I found that the Basix Rom greatly increased the battery life... especially when on standby. I can easily get 12-14 hours out of my indulge with moderate usage which was unheard of before... but I would still always have a charger nearby lol.

Good luck with your decision. And as far as the difference in internet speed... it is a significant increase. I have no problem streaming movies with the Netflix app... I have a wifi app on my phone and its also fast enough to stream Netflix movies in HD on my Mac (which I hook up to my HDTV).

Good luck with your decision. The LG Esteem also looks sweet and I definitely like the large screen.. Specs wise it seems very similar to the Indulge... So its really a matter of personal preference... bigger screen or a phone that slides open to make texting so much nicer than using those often annoying on-screen keyboards.....

At least that's my take on it. Take care.