Best Virgin Mobile Smartphone?

[OSULugan]

My current Virgin Mobile phone (Optimus V) is getting long in the tooth, and I'm ready for an upgrade. My wife and I both have the same phone and would be looking to upgrade together within the next month.

We use our phones for some short video/still photos, minimal talk time, and mobile internet (e-mail/web). She specifically likes to use it to try and get those "kodak moments" with our almost 2-year old, but feels like the current phone's camera speed is lacking. We end up with lots of blurry shots, or the moment has passed because the phone takes 2-3 seconds to focus and snap the picture.

I'd like to get a 4G capable phone. Capability to enable Wifi Hotspot is also a must have.

Recommendations?

 

[Throckmorton]

I have a Kyocera Rise. It's 3G but it has a keyboard and good battery life, but crashes a lot and doesn't have good reception... so I wouldn't recommend it.


For taking pictures of your kid you should get a real camera. In 10 years you'll regret using a camera phone to capture the Kodak moments.

 

[OSULugan]

For taking pictures of your kid you should get a real camera. In 10 years you'll regret using a camera phone to capture the Kodak moments.

I got myself a Canon Rebel T3 for when I'm around. Problem is that by the time you pull a full camera out, a lot of times the moment is missed, or she notices the camera and looks straight at it to say "Cheese!"

Also wondering if I should consider switching carriers. I got into Virgin Mobile's $25/month Beyond Talk plan, but with the phone upgrade, I know this will increase my monthly rate to $35. Would straight talk be a good alternative? I don't want to sign up for a contract again.

 

[Schadenfreude]

I got myself a Canon Rebel T3 for when I'm around. Problem is that by the time you pull a full camera out, a lot of times the moment is missed, or she notices the camera and looks straight at it to say "Cheese!"

Also wondering if I should consider switching carriers. I got into Virgin Mobile's $25/month Beyond Talk plan, but with the phone upgrade, I know this will increase my monthly rate to $35. Would straight talk be a good alternative? I don't want to sign up for a contract again.

If you're looking for a unlimited data option, you'd end up paying $45/mo through Straight Talk, or maybe you can go for T-mobile's 100 min voice/5GB data for $30/mo - both plans use GSM radio so make sure to get one of those phones - I hear that the Lumia 920 (GSM) has an amazing camera.

 

[spaceman]

i got the htc one v for $`129 an aside from lack of front facing camera im very pleased

 

[Apex]

My current Virgin Mobile phone (Optimus V) is getting long in the tooth, and I'm ready for an upgrade. My wife and I both have the same phone and would be looking to upgrade together within the next month.

We use our phones for some short video/still photos, minimal talk time, and mobile internet (e-mail/web). She specifically likes to use it to try and get those "kodak moments" with our almost 2-year old, but feels like the current phone's camera speed is lacking. We end up with lots of blurry shots, or the moment has passed because the phone takes 2-3 seconds to focus and snap the picture.

I'd like to get a 4G capable phone. Capability to enable Wifi Hotspot is also a must have.

Recommendations?

There's really only 2 that are 4G, the EVO V, and the Galaxy S II. Which one to get comes down to your budget (The EVO is less expensive).

 

[wirednuts]

i got the htc one v for $`129 an aside from lack of front facing camera im very pleased

i got one at the shack on xmas holiday for $49. spec wise i didnt think it would be much different then my other single core phones, but in reality its the best single core phone ive ever used. its outstanding really, for its pricerange.

 

[Anonemous]

There's really only 2 that are 4G, the EVO V, and the Galaxy S II. Which one to get comes down to your budget (The EVO is less expensive).

Also, make sure you get 4G in your area before you get a 4G phone. Either phone can be rooted to tether/wifi hotspot (google).

www.sensorly.com will show you the VM 4G coverage for your city from other users

 

[OBLAMA2009]

how is the data coverage and speeds for virgin where you guys live?

 

[wirednuts]

should be the same as sprint, which is normally very good coverage if you can accept that its a slower network compared to others...

 

[phucheneh]

To me, it's hard to justify spending a lot on a phone for VM, simply because it becomes a paperweight if you ever switch networks. I dunno, maybe there's a secondary market for SIM-less prepaid phones; haven't ever looked.

I also have the Kyocera Rise, which is an upgrade from the Optimus, but not a big one. Similar display and general capabilities, but with a keyboard and a faster processor...well, actually, a pretty decent processor upgrade, and a lot more memory. But it's very budget-oriented. FWIW I have no reception issues, and it is rock stable...after a lot of work. Among all the things I've done, I honestly think I made the biggest improvement a couple days ago...went in with a root filebrowser and deleted the 'Sprint Connection Optimizer,' which was already 'disabled' by software option. The things carriers do to mess up phones for no apparent reason...

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/shop/cell-phones/android-phones/

On paper, I think the Evo V is your best option and is priced at a pretty affordable $150 right now. Only 50 bucks more than the Rise (although the Rise has gone for half price in the past, which is just stupid cheap).

For 4G, it looks like it's just that or the Galaxy S2. And I really don't see what it offers for the extra $130. ARM processor instead of Qualcomm; dunno what difference that actually makes.

should be the same as sprint, which is normally very good coverage if you can accept that its a slower network compared to others...

Not quite. I've stood next to someone with identical phones, him on Sprint and me on VM. He has tons of signal, I got nada. AFAIK the difference is that VM phones don't roam, so if you get outside Sprint coverage, you're boned.

 

[spaceman]

i got one at the shack on xmas holiday for $49. spec wise i didnt think it would be much different then my other single core phones, but in reality its the best single core phone ive ever used. its outstanding really, for its pricerange.

yeah i didnt expect alot
i had an optimus v and prior to that a droid 1 moto for 2 yrs
i was surprised by how sleek the phone is, esp next to the rise
and the screen and speed compared to my 2 prior phones is night and day
its no s3 but everytime i look at my one v i smile bc i love it

 

[OSULugan]

Also, make sure you get 4G in your area before you get a 4G phone.

Why? Is there an issue with using a 4G phone on 3G? I travel enough to major metro areas that having 4G when on travel is worth a few extra bucks in the phone department.... but not if it sacrifices performance at home heavily.

 

[sixone]

I recently dumped VM for Ting, couldn't be happier. Ting has a MUCH better selection of phones, and better service options.

Check it out, ting.com.

 

[Apex]

how is the data coverage and speeds for virgin where you guys live?

Here, where I live, Sprint has the best coverage (and VM has the exact same speeds, since it's the same network), then Verizon. At my home, folks with AT&T, T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc can't even get through a single call, much less use data.

This being said, Sprint 3G speeds are slooooow here, so I get 1Mbps down and 750Kbps up on average on my VM One V.

 

[Anonemous]

Why? Is there an issue with using a 4G phone on 3G? I travel enough to major metro areas that having 4G when on travel is worth a few extra bucks in the phone department.... but not if it sacrifices performance at home heavily.

There's no issue with 4G phones on 3G. Was just trying to save you a few bucks since there are people who get 4G phones then find out they don't have 4G WIMAX at their residence then they complain like crazy.

Just a bit of FYI: Unless you are using the 4G, turn off the 4G radio on the phone to save battery. The Wimax antenna on my HTC EVO V 4G tends to drain the battery within 5-6 hours if I leave it on. If i'm running a hotspot, that will drain the battery off any phone in less than 3-5 hours so I leave it plugged in when creating a hotspot.

 

[gmaster456]

EVO V 4G or the Galaxy SII are really the only ones worth considering.

 

[sixone]

There's no issue with 4G phones on 3G. Was just trying to save you a few bucks since there are people who get 4G phones then find out they don't have 4G WIMAX at their residence then they complain like crazy.

Just a bit of FYI: Unless you are using the 4G, turn off the 4G radio on the phone to save battery. The Wimax antenna on my HTC EVO V 4G tends to drain the battery within 5-6 hours if I leave it on. If i'm running a hotspot, that will drain the battery off any phone in less than 3-5 hours so I leave it plugged in when creating a hotspot.

I leave the 4G on all the time on my Samsung Galaxy Victory, and it still lasts two days before it needs to be charged. Do Wimax antennae use battery faster than LTE antennae?

 

[Apex]

I leave the 4G on all the time on my Samsung Galaxy Victory, and it still lasts two days before it needs to be charged. Do Wimax antennae use battery faster than LTE antennae?

Yeah, they tend to use much more juice.

 

[phucheneh]

Yeah, they tend to use much more juice.

At idle? Seems weird. I mean, it's just establishing its signal; obviously I can see transferring data at higher speeds using more power (but then the faster transfer means it's active for less time).

But why would the 4G radio being on automatically consume more? Does it broadcast farther or in a more complex way? Or is it just that you're seeing the power consumed by the 3G radio plus the 4G radio?

Phone communications confuse me. Other radio communications and wireless data stuff has evolved more slowly and consistently...I wish there were better defined standards than simply 'third gen tech' and 'fourth gen tech.'

 

[ncroadster]

The Evo V worked great for me. Real SD slot, dual core and ICS.

 

[Silver Prime]

Galaxy

 

[Apex]

At idle? Seems weird. I mean, it's just establishing its signal; obviously I can see transferring data at higher speeds using more power (but then the faster transfer means it's active for less time).

But why would the 4G radio being on automatically consume more? Does it broadcast farther or in a more complex way? Or is it just that you're seeing the power consumed by the 3G radio plus the 4G radio?

Phone communications confuse me. Other radio communications and wireless data stuff has evolved more slowly and consistently...I wish there were better defined standards than simply 'third gen tech' and 'fourth gen tech.'

Yeah, my wife had an EVO 3D (same as EVO V, but for Sprint), and the battery life was noticably shortened with "4g" on, even when it wouldn't connect.

From what I understand, Wimax tended to be the worst, power wise, then the 4g LTE with separate radios. The most efficient would be the ones with 4g LTE integrated on die (ie. 28nm Snapdragon S4).

How it actually shakes out with software optimization may be another story.

 

[bigrash]

SG3

 

[wirednuts]

yeah i didnt expect alot
i had an optimus v and prior to that a droid 1 moto for 2 yrs
i was surprised by how sleek the phone is, esp next to the rise
and the screen and speed compared to my 2 prior phones is night and day
its no s3 but everytime i look at my one v i smile bc i love it

yeah im not sure why its so fast either... 1ghz processor and 512 mb... but i guess whatever SOC they used along with proper hardware design apparently makes for a very low-lag phone.... it has good 3d processing too so maybe thats part of it..