Switching to Verizon, which phone should I get? with poll

[prism]

All of the phones I'm looking at have distinct advantages and disadvantages, and I'd like some input from all y'all. Coming from a Blackberry 8900 if that helps...

Droid Pro - physical keyboard (which I think I'll still use), but smaller screen and 5MP camera

HTC Incredible - big screen, but heard the quality isn't as great as Samsungs, however HTC seems to be timely with Android UI updates, 8MP camera

Samsung Fascinate/Continuum - sexy screen (only one of these phones I've seen in person), but Android 2.1??? For serious???

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Droid X or Droid 2?

 

[Tristicus]

Fascinate has a nice screen. Very nice.

 

[zerocool84]

Droid X or Droid 2?

Yea, why not any of these???

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Droid X

 

[prism]

Yea, why not any of these???

They both seem a bit big and bulky for my tastes...I have a couple friends with Droid X's and while it looks nice, it doesn't seem as snappy as a Fascinate, and my friend's original Droid just feels physically cumbersome (the actual phone, not the UI).

 

[YoungGun21]

I'd go with the Fascinate. Sure it is still on 2.1, but Samsung has said 2.2 by the end of the year and promised that it would receive the 2.3 update (no timeframe, but I've heard Q1). GPS problems can be fixed with root now (unless you are unlucky). Several ROMs and kernels available. I think it is the best phone on the market.

 

[Bateluer]

On Verizon, buying any phone now is foolish. You can't wait a month for CES to see whats coming? Even if you're not in an LTE covered area at launch, odds are, the new devices will make today's look like junk.

FYI, Droid 2 Global and Droid X have locked boot loaders, so their ROM development really lags in the dark ages. You won't get anything resembling Gingerbread until a Motorola build leaks and the kernel can be used by the community.

The Fascinate is a Samsung phone, with all the problems inherent. The screen is a beauty, but the phone feels very cheap and plasticy in comparison to Motorola's well build Droid 1/2/X. Some people like the lightweight, cheap feel though. For the Fascinate, its also locked to Bing Search and Bing Maps, both extremely poor substitutes for the real thing. While you can install Google Maps and the Google search widget, and hit the Google home page without issue, if you hit the Search button, its going to Bing. Others may be able to give more detail on this, but to my knowledge, there is no official 2.2 build for the Fascinate yet, and Gingerbread likely isn't even a twinkly in Samsung's eye. There's some leaked versions and some source built versions in work though.

But, I'd still wait a month.

 

[zerocool84]

I'd go with the Fascinate. Sure it is still on 2.1, but Samsung has said 2.2 by the end of the year and promised that it would receive the 2.3 update (no timeframe, but I've heard Q1). GPS problems can be fixed with root now (unless you are unlucky). Several ROMs and kernels available. I think it is the best phone on the market.

This post is reason why NOT to get a Samsung phone.

No 2.2 on all Galaxy S phones (Only the Epic)
GPS STILL jacked up
No 2.3 timeframe
Always extremely slow to fix bugs on their current phones

Samsung's Android record is not good at all, going back last year to the horrible Moment which still has tons of bugs never fixed and that phone had GPS problems as well. They never fixed the GPS issues and data lock-up issues on the Moment. You shouldn't have to "hack" a phone to fix something that should work stock.

 

[gsaldivar]

This post is reason why NOT to get a Samsung phone.

No 2.2 on all Galaxy S phones (Only the Epic)
GPS STILL jacked up
No 2.3 timeframe
Always extremely slow to fix bugs on their current phones

This x 1000.

 

[SolidSnake42]

Droid X.

 

[Dulanic]

While I still agree that Samsung has kind of dropped the ball on the GPS, it is fixable with flashing and rooting. While that sucks for most consumers, I think anyone on this board can overcome that problem. I have an epic and I love it. Yeah it has some issues, but man is it freaking fast! I love this phone.

It also helps that Samsung has increased the battery life quite a bit with Froyo. While this can't be verified with all galaxy S phones yet s not all have access to froyo, I think it is pretty safe to say this would be the case with all of them.

Also, ignore the camera stats. Sorry, but the picture quality on samsung's 5MP camera is better than HTC's 8MP. I used to have a touch pro and wow just wow was that camera HORRIBLE even if it was only 3.2MP. The picture quality on the samsung camera is excellent. I know it is just a phone camera, but the galaxy s has awsome picture quality. I'm not saying HTC doesnt have good picture quality for a phone, it does.

 

[preslove]

I own a Samsung Vibrant. Because of the GPS and update issues, I would avoid a Galaxy S phone. Look at the HTC incredible or Droid x/2

 

[shortylickens]

I am finding I like a nice, big screen.
Just played with the Dell Streak at BB last week and it was awesome. Next phone I get will be a 5 incher.

 

[Unheard]

Droid X

 

[vshah]

HTC Incredible - big screen, but heard the quality isn't as great as Samsungs, however HTC seems to be timely with Android UI updates, 8MP camera

what? the incredible feels way nicer in the hand than the galaxy S phones.

also, it supports cyanogenmod if you're interested in that.

 

[prism]

On Verizon, buying any phone now is foolish. You can't wait a month for CES to see whats coming? Even if you're not in an LTE covered area at launch, odds are, the new devices will make today's look like junk.

Hmm, they'll be at the show in January, but how soon after do you think they'll launch? I can maybe hold out that long. I have the option to stay in my T-Mobile contract until June, but they're letting me out of it early since I get little to no reception in my house.

Has anyone here had hands-on experience with a Droid Pro?

 

[purbeast0]

if there is no iphone announced officially for verizon by the beginning of march (when my wife and I are up for the new every 2) i'm probably going nto get the HTC incredible.

i agree that the droid x and droid 2 are just too bulky and big.

 

[Bateluer]

Hmm, they'll be at the show in January, but how soon after do you think they'll launch? I can maybe hold out that long. I have the option to stay in my T-Mobile contract until June, but they're letting me out of it early since I get little to no reception in my house.

No idea, I've heard everything from late January to early May and everything in between. More credible reports seem to be around March. Still, I'd be irked to buy a phone now, only to have it completely outclassed so quickly.

Numbers from the Tegra 2 devices outstrip today's devices, and thats on half baked, unoptimized software from both the manufacturers and from the community. Once these things get a little cleaned up . . .

 

[YoungGun21]

This post is reason why NOT to get a Samsung phone.

No 2.2 on all Galaxy S phones (Only the Epic)
GPS STILL jacked up
No 2.3 timeframe
Always extremely slow to fix bugs on their current phones

Samsung's Android record is not good at all, going back last year to the horrible Moment which still has tons of bugs never fixed and that phone had GPS problems as well. They never fixed the GPS issues and data lock-up issues on the Moment. You shouldn't have to "hack" a phone to fix something that should work stock.

I don't know if you really understood my post... GPS fixes are in line for the Fascinate (and it is VZW's fault they are taking so long. The one that was set to come out soon just got scrapped for some reason). However, the community got the leaks so you can install those and GPS issues are gone for almost all users.

There is a 2.3 timeframe. Q1. That is what I said. Of course they haven't publicly stated this yet, but that is their timeframe. Whether VZW goes along with that or not, who knows. Samsung has released their code to the carriers for 2.2, the carriers are taking forever on this. Not Samsung.

Bateluer, what you said is incorrect. These devices are only locked to Bing in stock form. You don't even need to root to remove bing, but rooting makes it much easier. Custom ROMs remove any trace of bing.

EDIT: Also, I had the Incredible before I got the Fascinate. It was alright. Nice phone. Loved the AMOLED display. Battery life was absolute shit. One of the worst on the market. I had to turn off 3G sometimes just to make my battery last until I could find a charger. Great dev community (lots of Evo stuff gets ported over too so there is like twice as much stuff to choose from). Mine broke though, had some weird overheating problem. The SLCD ones get even worse battery life, so that is why I got the Fascinate.

 

[boomhower]

Droid X but if you have to limit it to the pole, the incredible.

 

[james1701]

Droid X

 

[Tristicus]

GPS works fine on my Fascinate, found some place in the middle of nowhere easily last weekend, got me there within a few driveways. Does NOT feel cheap, Bat, your bias is really getting old. Screen is amazing. What does 2.2 bring that I'm missing in 2.1? Is it anything I'd notice? Probably not on a large scale, therefore, I don't care. It isn't locked to Bing if you're smart enough to root, which I couldn't understand why anyone WOULDN'T do.

 

[Duddy]

Fascinate, then get familiar with this forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=721

 

[Axon]

I'm in the same boat and I'm waiting for CES. The problem is, of course, that the LTE phones won't be out until March, and the waiting is already driving me mad, as all I have is the iphone 3G (which, at this point, is godawfully slow). I'm also considering the HTC Evo, because that would eliminate the waiting factor for me, give me the 4G access I want, and I hear it accesses the verizon CDMA network in NYC (the network quality is always a huge concern, or I'd just stick with AT&T). Of course, I'm sure CES phones will blow it away as well, and then I'll be stuck with this crap phone until June, when apple will announce iphone 5, which I'll want, and I'll be stuck waiting again.

In short, I should just buy a f**king phone and shut up about it.