T-mobile Upgrade

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Zake202

Gawd
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Jan 19, 2008
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So my G1 has recently hit the crapper. Usually only stays on if I don't browse/call anyone.
Regardless, I am illegible for a full upgrade.
I've been reading around for a while and am torn between the: G2, Mytouch G4, HTC HD7 and the Samsung Vibrant.
All seem to be great phones.

I guess I just can't decide. I'm going to go try them out tomorrow but figured I'd post to get peoples opinions.
I'm not sure what to think about touchwiz on the vibrant as it seems to cripple how fast it could be.
Then again, the OS on mytouch doesn't sound a whole lot better.
Then there is WM7... I know nothing about the new windows OS. Lastly, the G2 has a keyboard which I like, but I know from reviews and owning the G1, the hinge is cheap.

So please, anyone who upgrades their phone every other month, please shed some light!
 
G2: not thrilled on hinge, I've seen them get demolished pretty easy.
MT4G: Laggy. VERY laggy. YMMV.
HD7: POS
Vibrant: Feels like crap, but pretty good hardware. Looks too much like an iPhone for me.
 
I love my vibrant. Great screen, on-screen keyboard is awesome for my sausage fingers. Call quality is good. But its really the screen that gets me. Things beautiful.
 
Not really considering the HD7 anymore.

Going to wait to consider a windows mobile phone.

Leaning on G2 or Mytouch.
 
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I have had the HD7 for 14 days (it is going back today). It really lacks if you ask me in terms of build quality and the camera is just absolute shit. I am going to either move to the Vibrant or wait for the Nexus S or 2 or whatever it is.
 
None of the current T-Mobile phones are worth mentioning. =/ Unlocked iPhone 4 user here. Sacrificed Nexus One with 3G speeds for it. Way happier.
 
I figured none of them are amazing as they all have some kind of drawback, but I'd rather spend $100 for a new one then put a new battery in my G1.
 
TBH, the best phone on Tmobile (imo) is a HD2 with Android on it.

The Vibrant has better hardware.... but it just feels so cheap and fragile.
 
Went and tried both during lunch.

I like the G2 but the hinges seem cheaper than the G1's. That could be because of the way it folds up though.

The mytouch was actually decent. But I'm not sure I like the UI.

Don't think I want the vibrant though.

Basically between G2 or Mytouch I guess.
 
I've had my G2 for a while and really like it. The hinge was a concern at first, but not anymore. So far the best phone I have ever owned.
 
Vibrant probably has the best future as far as dev goes. We already have a ton of blazing fast Froyo ROMs, OC/UV kernels, etc. Touchwiz can be removed completely from the phone quite easily, and many new ROMs coming out don't have twiz included at all.

Another advantage to the Vibrant is that it is amongst the easiest, if not the easiest Android phone to modify. Rooting and installing clockwork is a one click process.
 
How long does something like that take to do?

I had considered it but was somewhat skeptical. However, a manager at work has the galaxy and just showed me his rooted phone.

Can the mytouch be modded?
 
Zake202 said:
How long does something like that take to do?

I had considered it but was somewhat skeptical. However, a manager at work has the galaxy and just showed me his rooted phone.

Can the mytouch be modded?
Click to expand...

Rooting is as simple as downloading a one click root app from the market/xda, running it, and then letting the phone restart-maybe 4-5 minutes tops? From there, you can install clockworkmod recovery to make backups and flash new ROMs on to the phone. There is no point in keeping it stock with so much awesome 3rd party software being released for the phone on a daily basis!

Not sure about the MT4G, haven't been following dev that closely.
 
I had a Vibrant for a few weeks and replaced it with a G2. My wife still has a Vibrant. Battery life on the G2 is far better than the Vibrant. And it's just as fast.

My hinge loosened up after I had the G2 for 2-3 weeks, and that is annoying, but it really doesn't affect my ability to use the phone. It just doesn't have a nice solid click into the locked position. It stays perfectly open when I want it to and it stays perfectly closed when I want it to.

The G2 is much heavier and feels very solid. The Vibrant is light and thin and feels delicate. I prefer the way the G2 feels, my wife prefers the way the Vibrant feels.
 
My manager at work showed me his vibrant again. He rooted it and put android 2.1 with some other things added.

It got a 2200 quadrant score which seems pretty good.

Not sure what the other phones are getting but I'm interested if the mytouch can be rooted and if so what it can be benched at.
 
I have the G1 also... I will surely get the G2 since my G1 is still far beyond what I would ever need really.

Amazon has it WAYYYY cheaper than the T-Mobile stores (and online).

Just $49 shipped free w/ upgrade! T-Mobile wants over 199!


The new Google G2 is surely my pick..... one of, if not the best phones out IMO. Android FTW
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0042RUOFI
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
idk about the G2.

I like it, but I'm not sure I want to deal with the hinges.

The keyboard flips up and back vs the G1 where it slides up from one hinge.

I think with the bigger screens now I could manage the on-screen keyboards.

Just a mater of choosing a phone.

Is it even worth waiting for the new nexus?
 
I looked at every carrier and every good phone available. I decided to go with the Mytough 4g and so far it's really amazing. It has a fast processor, is not laggy at all, great transfer rates, nice UI that's just as customizable as most else. My wife really likes it. At first I thought it looked a bit cheap, that is until I played with it for a while and now I really like it, very solid.

I bought ours from Costco, and with the 90 day return policy you can return it and buy a new phone on the same contract and still qualify for the new contract discount on the phones. So if the Nexus S comes out, and is available to be sold by retailers this time, I'd probably be eligible to get it if I chose to.

I was about to go with the G2, but I just didn't like the hinge system. With Swype I'm getting really good at typing with the onscreen keyboard. I had a keyboard on my last phone and now I prefer the slim design and a more solid phone.

Comparing the MT4G to my friends newly purchased EVO today he was really impressed. I scored an 1831 in quadrant while his was about a 1300. In addition to that my transfer rates were much higher than his. We both have 4g for T-mobile and Sprint in my area, but Sprint's 4g is more spotty here from his experience. Everything I've done on the MT4G has been a pleasant experience, fast enough transfer rates, smooth UI operation, ease of use. I'm a new T-mobile customer and wanted the phone to trial over the next 14 days while I'm traveling. We'll see but so far both my wife and I are really happy with the phones.

Lots of good phones out there, good luck.
 
Really considering MT4g.

Though, I think the vibrant can still score higher with Quadrant when rooted etc.

Grrrr
 
Zake202 said:
Really considering MT4g.

Though, I think the vibrant can still score higher with Quadrant when rooted etc.

Grrrr
Click to expand...

You can always root and overclock the MT4G. Seems to do pretty well. It's a new 45nm and holds it own.
 
I wouldn't mind rooting it but not sure about ocing it.

Can't seem to find any quadrant tests after it's been rooted and running a rom.

Probably too soon to find much. I know it quadrants at 1800 out of box but, still see vibrants that are rooted getting 2200.
 
For me, I wasn't after the phone with the best Quandrant score, but I wanted a new processor and a smooth experience. I liked the build quality of the HTC MT4G a bit more than the Samsungs, and Samsung has been sloooow to get a 2.2 update out, and that doesn't give me much faith on a 2.3 upgrade. 2.2 has been out for months now.

I'd just play with each of them a lot, see what you feel is the best sans benchmarks. Then take that info and compare to tech specs, forum support, 3rd party participation and see what you come up with. That's basically what I did.

At first I didn't think I'd use the "genius" button but it's been handy so far and works every time I've tried it. Not sure if that is phone specific or a general Android thing with the voice commands, but it worked well.

The Samsung's gpu is better I believe, I'm no expert at all in phones, and that's where it picks up a lot of the score in Quandrant. I really don't think I'll be playing many games, other than Angry Birds of course.
 
yea considering going to play with them again.

Not sure where I would buy the phone though. Amazon has it for $99 but is back ordered.

Wondering if anywhere else has good deals if I'm upgrading.
 
Although Quadrant isn't necessarily the best representation of day to day performance, the Vibrant is capable of much higher scores than 2200.

1600mhzVibrant3.png



The Vibrant does indeed have the fastest GPU. The G2s CPU is faster clock for clock, but at stock is clocked slower than the Vibrant (800mhz vs 1ghz). Both phones are capable of being overclocked well past this. Personally, I've had my Vibrant at launch (7/15) and it has gone from being a 7-8/10 out of the box to 11/10 with community support, software, and ROMs. If you are willing to tinker with the phone a little bit and flash a new ROM on, it will speed up the device considerably. A lot of the lag comes from the pre installed bloatware on the factory ROM. Getting rid of all that crapware has a drastic effect on the overall performance and snappiness of the phone (I think the same can be said for almost any Android device). Beyond that, the Vibrant has the best screen by and far and the best form factor. The phone is a bit too lightweight and thin naked to hold without fear of it slipping, but using a nice form fitted case will add just the right amount of mass and grip, making handling the device a lot easier.
 
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Wouldn't even know where to start with rooting and a rom to use.

But I'm considering that as I do like the screen.
 
Zake202 said:
Wouldn't even know where to start with rooting and a rom to use.

But I'm considering that as I do like the screen.
Click to expand...

It's not nearly as complicated as it sounds, you just need to put in some time to learn the platform.

Root: http://www.appbrain.com/app/z4root/com.z4mod.z4root (install this app on the phone, then run it to root the device)

ROMs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=711 (about a billion to choose from!)

Personally, I've been using Team Whiskey Bionix ROMs for the past month or so and I've been incredibly satisfied. They give a good combination of pure speed, minimalism, and battery life. Team Whiskey also has versions of their ROMs with Touchwiz completely removed from the build.

A leaked build of 2.2 (Froyo) was released to devs a few weeks ago, hence the massive influx of Froyo ROMs out now. I'm happy to report that the Bionix versions are stable enough for daily use...just a few weeks ago I would have recommended sticking to 2.1, but now you can have a fully functional Froyo build (with working JIT, GPS, tethering, wifi calling) on your Vibrant :D
 
Still considering both the vibrant and the mytouch 4g.

I know the vibrant has some gps issues and lag issues, is that actually fixed?

Can vibrant run 2.2 yet?

Having trouble finding deals on both of them. Amazon has mytouch on back order and vibrant is still $129 for me.
 
Going to wait until black friday, don't think there will be much for deals but just in case.

After that, whichever of the two I can get for $99 with no rebate etc I'll take.

I think both are pretty good in my eyes.

The vibrant or the mytouch that is.
 
m3ta1head said:
Although Quadrant isn't necessarily the best representation of day to day performance, the Vibrant is capable of much higher scores than 2200.

1600mhzVibrant3.png



The Vibrant does indeed have the fastest GPU. The G2s CPU is faster clock for clock, but at stock is clocked slower than the Vibrant (800mhz vs 1ghz). Both phones are capable of being overclocked well past this. Personally, I've had my Vibrant at launch (7/15) and it has gone from being a 7-8/10 out of the box to 11/10 with community support, software, and ROMs. If you are willing to tinker with the phone a little bit and flash a new ROM on, it will speed up the device considerably. A lot of the lag comes from the pre installed bloatware on the factory ROM. Getting rid of all that crapware has a drastic effect on the overall performance and snappiness of the phone (I think the same can be said for almost any Android device). Beyond that, the Vibrant has the best screen by and far and the best form factor. The phone is a bit too lightweight and thin naked to hold without fear of it slipping, but using a nice form fitted case will add just the right amount of mass and grip, making handling the device a lot easier.
Click to expand...

I have a vibrant and that benchmark is such bullshit imo. There were 2 or 3 tests that dealt with reading/writing to internal memory that brought the score down, and with the lagfix tweak it scores off the chart practically since the lagfix makes a ramdisk or something. To be honest, I never saw any difference with lagfix installed or not. It's a really good phone, the plastic backing feels cheapy but I think that's for better reception. Otherwise we'd have glass back there now wouldn't we?
 
riot8ap said:
I have a vibrant and that benchmark is such bullshit imo. There were 2 or 3 tests that dealt with reading/writing to internal memory that brought the score down, and with the lagfix tweak it scores off the chart practically since the lagfix makes a ramdisk or something. To be honest, I never saw any difference with lagfix installed or not. It's a really good phone, the plastic backing feels cheapy but I think that's for better reception. Otherwise we'd have glass back there now wouldn't we?
Click to expand...

This is at 1.6GHz with the GPU slightly OC'd...it's not just from a lagfix.
 
riot8ap said:
Oh I see...what's the default clockspeed? Do you notice a real performance increase?
Click to expand...

Default is 1GHz. Above 1.3GHz I didn't notice a difference, but from going from 1 to 1.2/1.3GHz made an appreciable difference in snappiness for me. Also eliminated wake up lag.
 
I think if I got the vibrant I'd root it and throw a rom on it, but not sure I'd oc it.
 
Samsclub is showing the vibrant for .96c even with a renewal.

If that works out the way I think it does, hands down going with that as the G2 and Mytouch still show 100+.

Though, how is the GPS and connection speed on the vibrant?

It isn't 4g but do I need 4g if I mainly browse?
 
Zake202 said:
I believe that's only if you want $100 wally gift card or if you want to send in $100 in rebates. So still $200.
Click to expand...

No gift card. $98.88 is the everyday price. I just returned the HD7 and was going to get this but due to their policy I was no longer eligible becuase of my return :(
 
Zake202 said:
Samsclub is showing the vibrant for .96c even with a renewal.

If that works out the way I think it does, hands down going with that as the G2 and Mytouch still show 100+.

Though, how is the GPS and connection speed on the vibrant?

It isn't 4g but do I need 4g if I mainly browse?
Click to expand...

T-mobile doesn't have true 4G as far as I know. The 3G is pretty quick in my area (South Florida).
 
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