Trying to pick an Android phone on Verizon - Moto X, HTC One, S4 or Note 3 - or another

[GadgetTravel]

I have an iPhone 5 from work and a personal line with Verizon. The personal line is part of a family plan with unlimited data and I want to get a new phone for it so I will be paying full retail for the phone. I currently have a BB Q10 on that line, I previously had Droid Incredible 2 which I must admit I was very disappointed with.

But I want to try Android again and am thinking about the Moto X, HTC One, S4 or Note 3 but I am open to other suggestions. I like the idea of voice recognition on the Moto X and I think the bamboo back available from the Moto Maker site looks nice. I do want something that will be easy to root though, although I am not very familiar with that process. I am also considering the Moto X developers edition for that reason. Any comments among these phones or others on Verizon that I should consider. Thanks for any thoughts and insight.

 

[Rukbat]

My only comment is that a lot of people think rooting is going to give them a lot more than it actually does. I have a Note 3, I like it, but that's a personal choice. (And the Verizon version is pretty tightly locked up. You can root it, you can sort of flash ROMs to it, but I don't think anyone's yet figured out a way of flashing a custom recovery.)

 

[GadgetTravel]

My only comment is that a lot of people think rooting is going to give them a lot more than it actually does. I have a Note 3, I like it, but that's a personal choice. (And the Verizon version is pretty tightly locked up. You can root it, you can sort of flash ROMs to it, but I don't think anyone's yet figured out a way of flashing a custom recovery.)

Thanks. That is a very good point. I'm not sure how much it would really matter to me in everyday use to get the developers edition for instance.

 

[kate]

All four of those phones are good choices - have you gone to a store and tested them? That can help you decide which you like most.

For rooting - two benefits are being able to install apps that require root access, and being able to put a custom ROM on the phone. The process is different for each phone.

 

[GadgetTravel]

All four of those phones are good choices - have you gone to a store and tested them? That can help you decide which you like most.

For rooting - two benefits are being able to install apps that require root access, and being able to put a custom ROM on the phone. The process is different for each phone.

Thanks. I have been to the store to test them a bit. Tough to do a whole lot in store. I did see enough of the size of the Note 3 that it concerned me about carrying it around. I have an iPad mini I often carry in a small bag and it seems to intrude a bit there. I liked the feel of the Moto X a lot in terms of size. Seems like a reasonable compromise between screen simple and feel in the hand.

 

[argedion]

If I was going to buy a phone development edition or not I would check out the forums we have for those devices and see what kind of development support they have. If you want a rooted phone you should go with the most active community for the device.

 

[GadgetTravel]

If I was going to buy a phone development edition or not I would check out the forums we have for those devices and see what kind of development support they have. If you want a rooted phone you should go with the most active community for the device.

Thanks. Very good suggestion. I have done that somewhat and will do it more. I have been lurking here a bit, which is how I found out how sad I was with my previous Android phone, Droid Incredible 2.