Fastest mobile phone processor (VERIZON)

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

EDIT: I'm under Verizon

I recently dropped and cracked my screen on my very old Bionic. It's endured a lot to say the least. I'm considering just getting it replaced by Asurion but I'm also considering an upgrade. The Bionic has gotten slow, probably due to the bloatware installed from un-removable apps. Are new phones having this same issue? And what phone is the fastest on the market right now?

 

[paperwastage]

IPhone 5s or any phone with snapdragon 800

Or phone with bay trail when it comes out

For android, if you want smooth optimized without bloatware and inexpensive, nexus 5 is your best bet

 

[crashtestdummy]

I recently dropped and cracked my screen on my very old Bionic. It's endured a lot to say the least. I'm considering just getting it replaced by Asurion but I'm also considering an upgrade. The Bionic has gotten slow, probably due to the bloatware installed from un-removable apps. Are new phones having this same issue? And what phone is the fastest on the market right now?

In terms of raw processing power, the A7 in the iPhone 5S is as fast as it gets. The Snapdragon 800 is the current top-of-the-line for Android and Windows phones.

As a user experience, though, it's worth noting that Android tends to be slower than either iOS or Windows Phone 8 on the same hardware. This is due both to the bloated interface a lot of OEMs tack on the devices (a Moto X or Nexus 5 won't have this problem) as well as the inherent flexibility in the OS. Apps are able to remain loaded in the background, whereas they're partially suspended in iOS and Windows Phone. The result is that while Android can multitask more completely, it's also somewhat more resource intensive.

 

[zerogear]

Really if you need one right now, Snapdragon 800 or 600 or iPhone 5S

Android are: Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3, HTC One, HTC One Max, Nexus 5, LG G2, Xperia Z1 or Xperia Z Ultra

 

[bearxor]

You're on Verizon, correct?

The Nexus 5 would be out in that case. Do you need to worry about keeping your unlimited data?

If yes, you should probably consider the Moto X straight from Motorola. It's not the fastest phone, but it's definitely fast enough with near-stock Android and is available for $400 off contract now, which is still a decent price.

I don't know if I could recommend anything other than an LG G2 on contract. The HTC One is about to refreshed but Verizon might not get that until August. The SGS5 will likely be refreshed in May or June so I'm pretty netural on that. The Note 3 is a good choice if you're in to that sort of thing. I wouldn't buy a MotoX on contract unless it was free.

Presuming you're not interested in an iPhone at all, but if you are then the 5S is really the best choice and it's basically $130 everywhere with a contract renewal right now

 

[s44]

Are new phones having this same issue?

On the Android side, not really. The addition of TRIM in Android 4.3 should have basically solved this degradation over time issue. On the iOS side, their updates tend to make old phones seriously bloaty, but you don't have to update.

nexus 5 is your best bet

Read his post. Bionic = Verizon.

Are you seriously going to take an upgrade and lose unlimited, or will you buy full price?

 

[Joe1987]

I'm using a 5s at the moment, it's blazingly fast.

And bless the jailbreak too, unlimited LTE data with MyWi is awesome.

In order to keep your unlimited data, you should look at Swappa or craigslist, or if you're going to take the upgrade, sell your plan with an assumption of liability (I still can't believe Verizon allows this) and use the cash to make your upgrade free or make some $ even.

G2, S4, Note 3 are all good choices, I'd pass on the Moto X, used a friend's the other day, Google/Moto is still sorting out their mobile strategy, they just dropped the price by $100.

 

[s44]

Btw, the G2, One, and Ultra are all $450 now.

I would seriously consider the G2. Nice camera, top-end SOC, very very good battery, and nice screen. There are some quirks (back buttons, hideous stock interface); you can play with the thing yourself to see whether you mind.

The One doesn't have AWS. Don't buy. The Ultra is halfway between the X and the G2, which means you should buy one of those.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Ah, tough choices :T :hmm:

 

[s44]

Also, if you like flashing ROMs, the MDK (only flashable) version of the Verizon S4 does occasionally turn up on Swappa. Here's one.

(This is also the only device mentioned in the thread, besides the Note 3, that supports microSD storage and battery swapping.)

 

[joshhedge]

No SoC can compete with what Apple produces right now with the A7. As people have said above; the closest competitor would be the Snapdragon 800 by Qualcomm.

 

[bearxor]

No SoC can compete with what Apple produces right now with the A7. As people have said above; the closest competitor would be the Snapdragon 800 by Qualcomm.

Honestly, it's too bad Apple doesn't have a device that really showcases what the chip is capable of but, on the other hand, one could probably guess they're getting the hardware out there in order to do something with it on the future.

*crosses fingers and prays for a iPad Pro running OS X with a x86 to ARM instruction set converter.*

 

[joshhedge]

Honestly, it's too bad Apple doesn't have a device that really showcases what the chip is capable of but, on the other hand, one could probably guess they're getting the hardware out there in order to do something with it on the future.

*crosses fingers and prays for a iPad Pro running OS X with a x86 to ARM instruction set converter.*

I agree somewhat, but Apple wouldn't release a product which offers a sub-par user experience, performance wise, to what they want, maybe in a couple more generations.

Still a vast amount of progress to be made in the mobile space, but I would personally rather see it in the battery life space. Performance has got to a point now where it's good enough for me.

 

[Bateluer]

Being on Verizon cuts you out from the bleeding edge, unfortunately. CES is in a week, there will be some announcements and unveilings there, to be sure.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I'm not under contract with them anymore. How is service outside of Verizon?! Cleveland OH area

 

[gmaster456]

I'm not under contract with them anymore. How is service outside of Verizon?! Cleveland OH area

Should be good with pretty much any carrier there though I'd avoid sprint.

 

[Bateluer]

Should be good with pretty much any carrier there though I'd avoid sprint.

According to coverage maps from Sprint, TMO, VZW, and ATT, Sprint is the only non-LTE carrier offering service in Cleveland.

. . . thats kinda sad, Sprint. Who would buy a Sprint phone in Cleveland?

 

[gmaster456]

According to coverage maps from Sprint, TMO, VZW, and ATT, Sprint is the only non-LTE carrier offering service in Cleveland.

. . . thats kinda sad, Sprint. Who would buy a Sprint phone in Cleveland?

I've found coverage maps not to show the full story. Especially with all the carriers upgrading their networks as of late. Cleveland is a big enough city that I'd be shocked if nobody but sprint offered LTE in that area.

 

[poofyhairguy]

*crosses fingers and prays for a iPad Pro running OS X with a x86 to ARM instruction set converter.*

I got bad news for you. It is obvious OSX is collapsing into iOS, not the other way around. OSX keeps getting iOSy features, iOS gets Aero Glass.

 

[s44]

Cleveland is a big enough city that I'd be shocked if nobody but sprint offered LTE in that area.

I think he meant that everyone but Sprint offered it.

OP, if T-Mo covers where you go, then that's good. Otherwise... AT&T won't let you use nearly as much data as Verizon unlimited, but I suppose that depends how much you actually use (or would use, if your phone could handle it).

 

[bearxor]

I got bad news for you. It is obvious OSX is collapsing into iOS, not the other way around. OSX keeps getting iOSy features, iOS gets Aero Glass.

I don't know how that's bad news, that's basically what I'm asking for and what we'll (eventually) get.

Microsoft kind of shocked people by leap frogging the evolution process and jumping straight in to a OS designed for the future, whereas Apple is taking this kind of slow, methodical process. Wish they'd just hurry up already though.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I don't know how that's bad news, that's basically what I'm asking for and what we'll (eventually) get.

Microsoft kind of shocked people by leap frogging the evolution process and jumping straight in to a OS designed for the future, whereas Apple is taking this kind of slow, methodical process. Wish they'd just hurry up already though.

I don't know about you, but I for one will really miss the general purpose operating system that is modern OSX. The second you can only get apps from an App Store and the walls on the garden go up the platform dies to me. But that will have to happen to make iOS and OSX one (well it doesn't HAVE TO happen, but its the only way Apple would do it).

I prefer the Windows approach of a general purpose machine hidden by basically a mobile GUI on top. Of course that doesn't tap into the target market of people iOS has had success with- those who need the walls because things like viruses and malware makes a general purpose environment be too much responsibility for them.

 

[bearxor]

I don't know about you, but I for one will really miss the general purpose operating system that is modern OSX. The second you can only get apps from an App Store and the walls on the garden go up the platform dies to me. But that will have to happen to make iOS and OSX one (well it doesn't HAVE TO happen, but its the only way Apple would do it).

I prefer the Windows approach of a general purpose machine hidden by basically a mobile GUI on top. Of course that doesn't tap into the target market of people iOS has had success with- those who need the walls because things like viruses and malware makes a general purpose environment be too much responsibility for them.

Well if Apple did release a "OS X Pad", I would suspect it to work very much like Windows 8 at this point. A iOS front end with full access to the OS X system behind it.

But, yes, at some point I expect the ability to install whatever you want outside of app stores to come to an end for both Windows and OS X.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Well if Apple did release a "OS X Pad", I would suspect it to work very much like Windows 8 at this point. A iOS front end with full access to the OS X system behind it.

I don't know about that. I don't think the Windows route is the certain best path. I think Apple might prefer just bolting on advanced features onto iOS when needed. So for example if you are using a "power user" app that needs a mouse, you get mouse function when that app is open and only in that app.

But, yes, at some point I expect the ability to install whatever you want outside of app stores to come to an end for both Windows and OS X.

Which is why I make sure to stay current with new devices and updates in the world of Android and Linux. I have accepted for a decade that one day the general purpose computer in its current form will die, or at least the economies of scale will end.

 

[Kelvinz]

Galaxy Note 3 or iPhone 5S.

But to be fair, the Galaxy Note 3 has much higher processing power.

The iPhone 5S only does well in benchmarks because of the lower resolution screen, so it's really cheating.