What's next for those coming up on their 2yr contracts?

[wrench]

The Hero has served me well. It was my first Android phone, and absolutely blew away my prior Blackberry. And with CM7.1, it still runs fairly quickly.

But with my 2yr contract up in a few months, I will probably make the leap to a new phone. Which Android phone are Sprint Hero users getting (or have gotten in the last few months) when your contract is up?

And is anyone considering crossing over to the iphone?

 

[KitsapAndroid]

I'm still using my Hero due to the fact that I am holding out for an LTE ready device. I know many people are happy with their Samsung ET4G, or 3VO, or Photon, and yes even the iPhone. The iPhone will be personal preference. It's not a bad device, but it's a very locked down OS. I mean, you can't even change the wallpaper on it. Anyway, to each their own is really what it boils down to.

 

[wrench]

The IPhone will be personal preference. It's not a bad device, but it's a very locked down OS. I mean, you can't even change the wallpaper on it.

I thought by 'jailbreaking' the iPhone, users could do a lot with it.

 

[KitsapAndroid]

I think the majority of people jailbreak an iPhone so that they can have free apps. I don't know for sure, but that's how I understood it. It may also open up some system stuff like the wallpaper, but again, I don't know. I'm not an iPhone lover. My brother-in-law loves his though. Again, to each their own.

 

[Lobo89]

My kids have jailbroken their ITouches and it seems to be similar to rooting in some ways. They did it more to install cool themes, but I think there are also apps they can get that are not available in the Apple app store.

As for which new phone to get, I'm in the same boat. My contract is up in May and I really want to get a cutting edge phone. The Hero has been great, but I'm definitely facing some EOL issues. I may find a stopgap like a used Nexus S and stay out of contract until something big comes along.

Are there any rumors out there for the next big Sprint phone to drop? Or is everything on hold until LTE gets sorted out?

 

[MahaloCat]

I am VERY Happy with my Evo3d - But coolness of the 3d wears off -
The device is great and with ICS about to drop on it - it should be in your consideration.

If you are into rooting - Wait for the Next NEXUS phone to hit sprint....HTC's Compromised promise of Kinda unlocking the bootloader has gotten on my nerves.

Nexus' will always be first in line for software upgrades....and Unlocked...

 

[Lobo89]

This is a good point. I knew the Sprint Nexus was going to come out mid-2012, but I was not aware that this is going to be LTE and that my city is one of the first four to get the network.

 

[KitsapAndroid]

Well, I finally broke down and used my upgrade. As much as I wanted to hold out for the Galaxy Nexus, my Hero just wasn't cutting it anymore. I spoke with some Sprint folks and got some semi-straight answers about what to expect with the LTE rollout and the life of Wi-Max, and decided that for my situation, the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G would be a fine phone to carry me through the next two years. I hope I'm right. At least the Best Buy Buy-Back program will give me a little more choice if I fall in love with something else before my two years are up. So to my little Hero, C'est La Vie, you've been a great phone. To the Hero forums.....see you on the flip side.

 

[LBPHeretic]

You will really love it, KitsapAndroid. My friend has one and he adores it.

I have messed around with it and it truly is a nice handset. I am still very happy with my decision to get my Sprint HTC EVO 3D though.

 

[KitsapAndroid]

LBP, I thought long and hard about that Evo 3D, but decided that the ET4G was the better option since it's a little newer. Plus I liked the 4.5" screen size a little better than the screen of the Evo. But the 3D effect that thing has is pretty damn cool. Anyway, I'm stoked on the new handset, but I'm stuck waiting for it to ship to me. Wednesday can not come soon enough.

 

[snwbrd40oz]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one stuck in the 'no-mans' land upgrade time frame! I come up for my rebate in April and I've been seriously debating whether to wait and see what comes out for the summer or grab something now... especially since I picked up my Hero two weeks before the Evo launched (really don't want to JUST miss the next big thing).
It's good to hear from all you guys that helped me root and flash that you are happy with the 2 devices that I've been seriously considering (Evo3D and the Epic).
I guess we'll see what the rumors about new stuff are in a few weeks and go from there

 

[KitsapAndroid]

The current rumor is that the Galaxy Nexus is due to launch on April 15th. If you're in an LTE launch market, then that is the phone I would be eyeballing big time. If your not in that initial launch market, but you're in a Wi-Max market, then I would look at the Wi-Max phones since LTE probably won't get to you for a while. That's what I was told by several different Sprint employees at several different Sprint retail locations. Not the release date though, that came from a different thread. That info is on s4gru.com

 

[LBPHeretic]

I have heard that the HTC One X will make its way to the Sprint line-up. It may very well be the first LTE handset for Sprint unless the Sprint Galaxy Nexus takes that crown first.

Historically, Sprint likes to announce its big hitters for the year at CTIA. So, one only has to wait until May to see the future of the Sprint handset line-up.

 

[Lobo89]

I'm upgrade eligible in 11 days. If the Nexus drops 4/15, I can hold on until then. I don't see being able to wait any longer, though; I'm barely keeping this thing going as it is.

 

[Lobo89]

I have heard that the HTC One X will make its way to the Sprint line-up. It may very well be the first LTE handset for Sprint unless the Sprint Galaxy Nexus takes that crown first.

Historically, Sprint likes to announce its big hitters for the year at CTIA. So, one only has to wait until May to see the future of the Sprint handset line-up.

Per the website KitsapAndroid references above, the HTC One X is rumored for a June 10 release. So what are the main differences between this one and the Nexus? It looks like quad-core vs. dual-core and 8MP vs. 5MP camera are the main ones per the Phandroid comparison tool. And Sense, obviously. Is HTC still locking their bootloaders or have they stopped doing that?

 

[LBPHeretic]

Per the website KitsapAndroid references above, the HTC One X is rumored for a June 10 release. So what are the main differences between this one and the Nexus? It looks like quad-core vs. dual-core and 8MP vs. 5MP camera are the main ones per the Phandroid comparison tool. And Sense, obviously. Is HTC still locking their bootloaders or have they stopped doing that?

The HTC One X, for Sprint anyway, will probably use the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Krait chipset, which is dual core, but still a beast that will easily hold its own. The GSM version of that handset will use the Tegra 3, which is quad core. The Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus will probably have the same dual core TI OMAP processor it has in the Verizon one, which is using a last generation GPU, by the way.

I believe HTC will probably always lock their bootloaders from now on. They will provide an online unlocking tool as they have with handsets dating all the way back to the T-Mobile HTC G1. It is not exactly the same as having a fully NAND unlocked handset though. The development community would have to work on that.

 

[Lobo89]

Good info, thanks!

I'm probably leaning toward the Nexus right now, although that could all change once more details are available.

 

[LBPHeretic]

The benchmarks for the HTC One X are pretty amazing. This is for the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Krait chipset. Now, I know that benchmarks are not really the true measure of performance, but these numbers do look pretty darned good. This is for the AT&T variant, but it will be similar to the one that Sprint will supposedly get.

You can view the benchmarks here: HTC One X for AT&T Benchmarked Early, Looks Impressive .

 

[Lobo89]

It may not be the true measure of performance, but those numbers are just silly. The good news for me is that I've tweaked some things on my Hero, making me a little more comfortable with waiting a few months.

 

[Lobo89]

Well, this is it for me. I bought the unlocked Galaxy Nexus from Google and should be receiving my sim card from T-Mobile today or tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who made this board great over the last two years, especially DonB, andygu3, LBPHeretic, MahaloCat and KitsapAndroid. I'm sure there were others that I'm missing, but those were the ones I remember specifically helping me at some point. Best of luck and hope to see you down the road.:vroam:

 

[LBPHeretic]

Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with your unlocked Galaxy Nexus, man.

I am certain you will enjoy it. You will also be first in line for the next version of Android.

 

[KitsapAndroid]

Sweet handset Lobo! I'm sure you'll love it. And T-Mobile isn't bad at all. The only reason I left them was because I had a deal I couldn't refuse with my sister and a family plan on Sprint.

 

[MahaloCat]

Well, this is it for me. I bought the unlocked Galaxy Nexus from Google and should be receiving my sim card from T-Mobile today or tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who made this board great over the last two years, especially DonB, andygu3, LBPHeretic, MahaloCat and KitsapAndroid. I'm sure there were others that I'm missing, but those were the ones I remember specifically helping me at some point. Best of luck and hope to see you down the road.:vroam:

Enjoy that phone!!!! Will likely be the next nexus for me!

 

[xevious]

I've been sticking it out with my HERO but seeing all of the improvements in the latest round of cellphones has me seriously itching to upgrade. Regrettably, I had some life difficulties that required my phone to be 100% reliable and so I didn't want to take a chance of upgrading the ROM. Now that I'm poised to get a new phone, I think I'll finally give it a go (maybe CM 7.1). I'll probably end up kicking myself for not having done it last year.

Anyway, I checked out the Samsung GSII first hand in the store and it feels like "the one". I prefer it over the iPhone's anemic size and fragile (though artful) exterior. I was "so close" to getting the HTC Evo 3D, especially with the $99 deal, but the SGSII looks better to me. And then of course, I hear the SGS3 is just around the corner... Should I wait?

 

[KitsapAndroid]

Xevious, there's ALWAYS something just around the corner.