Switching to Sprint- Questions regarding the Hero.

[blopez0487]

It's time for my family to get new phones, and I like the price of Sprint's Everything Data Family plan. I've been playing around with a friend's Hero and I really like what I've seen so far. I do have a few questions about it though.

Is the Hero still worth it? I know it's a fairly old phone, so how does it stack up to the newer Android phones on the market? I'm already ruling out the EVO because I just can't get on board with its size. It just seems a bit gaudy for me.

I'm too frugal to buy a phone before I'm eligible for an upgrade. And I've read at a few places that the Hero is pretty close to being obsolete (not getting an official 2.2 upgrade). So would it be wise to buy the Hero with a new contract, knowing I'd have to be with it for the next 2 years. I don't know anything about rooting or modifying phones. How does that work? Would rooting and installing custom ROMs delay the phone's obsolescence?

I guess my main concern is that I don't want to commit to a phone that may not hold up over the next few years.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Kelmar]

Welcome aboard!

I think a lot of your questions will be answered through THIS THREAD.

Honestly, the important thing will be if YOU will be happy with the phone for the next year or two! Only you can decide that one.


Let me know what questions you have after reading the linked thread.

 

[blopez0487]

Thanks Kelmar!

I just read the linked thread, and I guess the remaining concern I have is if the lag/speed issues of the Hero were mostly fixed by the 2.1 update. I know it won't be as quick as Froyo, but I think I can deal with minimal lag.

 

[Kelmar]

I'm not running the official software (am rooted and running a custom ROM) but I think the lag is acceptable. Others, of course, disagree. For the specs of the phone, I think it handles everything mostly fine.

Some have had SIGNIFICANT lag issues. My recommendation if you get a phone that does is to return it pronto.

 

[blopez0487]

Thanks. This will be my first smartphone, so I probably wouldn't even notice the lag that other users complain about, unless of course i receive a defective handset. I think I might go to the Sprint store and play around with it some more.

Here's another question: I heard that the must have feature for Android 2.2 that is responsible for the speed improvement is the JIT Compiler. Do you think there will be a way for Hero users to add that with a custom ROM?

 

[Kelmar]

That's what I would do if I were you.

Yes, currently JIT is enabled with some custom ROM's. Some people are finding them buggy, some are finding that JIT runs great. Personally I'm not using JIT (crashed my phone everytime I tried).

 

[Syphon]

I will say that my Hero still runs great. With sprint, you become a premier customer in no time at all, normally 6 months if you pay your bills on time, etc etc... This allows you to upgrade every year on the main phone on the account.

I personally want to get the Evo however not happy about paying the 10/mo fee they want to charge. If you are not big on getting the biggest and best, the Hero should be fine. I change Roms every few months to keep my phone feeling new and fast.

 

[Lobo89]

I got a Hero a couple of weeks ago and I'm extremely pleased with it. I haven't really noticed much lag. Probably the slowest it gets is during my commute when I'm streaming Pandora and using Google Maps to check traffic at the same time. Even then, it just takes a few extra seconds to switch between apps; there's no music distortion or anything.

 

[matty032]

If you enjoy waiting up to a full minute for your phone to start dialing, after you push send. Or, waiting a minute for the phone to actually answer the call, after you press answer, then the Hero is the phone for you!

 

[matty032]

The Hero, and the Moment are both POS. Stay away from both. The EVO may be okay. But I can guarantee you will regret either of the other two.

 

[Kelmar]

If you enjoy waiting up to a full minute for your phone to start dialing, after you push send. Or, waiting a minute for the phone to actually answer the call, after you press answer, then the Hero is the phone for you!

This is the significant lag I was referring to! If this happens, take your phone back immediately and demand a new one.

The Hero, and the Moment are both POS. Stay away from both. The EVO may be okay. But I can guarantee you will regret either of the other two.

I would beg to differ. But to each their own.

 

[wallyy]

There's lag. It's very laggy, but if that's not a deal breaker for you, then go for it. The lagging can be very frustrating sometimes.

 

[Joehunni]

Not everyone has this lag yall speak of so you shouldn't be scaring people away from it on account of your own inflated opinion, That's like saying "all evo's screens peel off".

Sent from my HERO200 using Tapatalk

 

[kellysa111]

Overall, I love my Hero, there's just a problem here or there that I can't deal with, but I'm gonna get it fixed tomorrow. The only thing I don't like about this phone is that there is no keychain hole (is that what's its called?)

 

[revtime]

wah it lags.......god I get tired of hearing that. I have 2 Heros and niether lag like some say. Mine DO NOT lag at all and yours supposedly do. Who's right and who's wrong?
The Hero is a GREAT first android or first smartphone, don't let anyone tell you different.

 

[blampars]

I have 2 hero's, both are snappy and show only very minimal signs of lag in certain situations.

Mine is rooted, running an alpha release of Android 2.2 with JIT disabled
My GF's is completely stock 2.1

Techies are the only ones who need the latest version of Android with this and that and the other thing. Family members who want a phone that does some cool stuff will be fine with a Hero running 2.1 for the 2 years of their contract.

You/Your family will have a phone that has internet access including email, news, music, weather, apps, you name it. GPS including sprint navigation AND google navigation. The power of google search to find things around you and answer you questions on the go. None of this is going to change because you don't have Android 2.2

Should it boil down in the future to "android 2.2 or bust", there will be at least 1 -but probably more- 2.2 ROMs to choose from after you root, which will be able to hold you over until you can get a newer phone.

To sum it all up, you'll be fine with a hero as an entry level android phone. It'll still have enough life in it to be relevant (with android 2.2 option) for at least the next year or so, possibly even 2 years.

It's all my opinion, but that's how I see it. Hope it helps your decision some.

 

[wrench]

I'm also switching to Sprint, and the advice in this thread helped me decide. I'm going with the Hero - it should do everything I want and it doesn't have the 4G fee.

 

[ron]

I had a Hero which had lag, and the one I got a month ago has no lag and works perfectly. It's a great phone with clear call quality.
If I was starting a new contract I would hold off for something else though, as there are newer faster phones coming out every month. Anyway try Craigslist - Heros can be had for good prices new and slightly used for maybe $150, and keep your upgrade for something huge.

 

[wrench]

I had a Hero which had lag, and the one I got a month ago has no lag and works perfectly. It's a great phone with clear call quality.
If I was starting a new contract I would hold off for something else though, as there are newer faster phones coming out every month. Anyway try Craigslist - Heros can be had for good prices new and slightly used for maybe $150, and keep your upgrade for something huge.

How does that work? If I buy a used Hero, I still have to enter a 2yr contract with Sprint, right? Can I upgrade at any time?

From what I've read, it sounds like I'll can get the discounted rate on the Hero with 2yr contract and get upgrade pricing on a new phone in 1yr. So why would going with a used (more expensive than new from Sprint) Hero be any better?

 

[Joehunni]

If you brought your own phone you could sign a 1 year contract and then be eligible for upgrade in like 11 months. If you already have the phone then that's the way to go, but you could get the discount phone price even on a 1 year contract for cheaper than you could buy a good used hero I'd imagine.

Sent from my HERO200 using Tapatalk

 

[dubtecv2]

In all seriousness, the Hero is a great phone. And will be for the next two years! Sure, it may not receive all the latest and greatest updates and whatnot, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an awesome phone. I've had mine for 7 months and have been 100% happy with it. I've used a multitude of different ROMs and other goodies. I now use the official 2.1 OS with all the updates and am happier than I have ever been.

I really wanted the Evo when it first came out, but after playing with a coworker's Evo I'm content with my Hero. It doesn't have enough lag to frustrate, the CPU is plenty fast enough and it does everything I want a phone to do.

Unless you just have to have the massive 4.3" screen and/or all the latest hard/software, the Hero should suit you just fine.

 

[ron]

Oh sorry Blopez, I thought you were upgrading as opposed to starting a brand new line.

 

[Rcecarbldr]

The Hero, and the Moment are both POS. Stay away from both. The EVO may be okay. But I can guarantee you will regret either of the other two.

Yes, my Hero was laggy until I Rooted it and now it's quick as can be. I think some of that is due to all the crap Sprint has installed on these phones. My wife has the Moment and she'd had no issues with it since the 2.1 upgrade. It's never had a lag issue, just would go into airplane mode suddenly and require a battery pull but that's gone now.

 

[echo4papa]

I'm sure it's too late for the OP, but to anyone else reading this thread, if you're signing up for a new Sprint account, and interested in the Hero, look at Amazon. I just picked up two of them for a family account that I should receive today, and the phones were $.01 each, plus activation fee.

 

[Guitardoc64]

II just made the jump to Android and the Hero after fighting WM for 4 years.I'm fine with the Hero. As to updates, xda will keep them going and fully working froyo is soon to be had(I'm waiting...) The Hero is a solid device with a proven history and right now it's dirt cheap.