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There are a couple of threads on this out there, but I wanted to make a Poll.
So, right now I'm using my old HTC Hero with CM 6.1, and I love it. Rooting my phone made me fall in love with my smartphone all over again (it's my first smartphone).
So for those of you Sprint people, they told me that I can upgrade right now or when my contract is up, it won't matter: I will get the Evo for $200 with a new contract.
Before we dive in, do you know if this is really the cheapest option from Sprint? I am aware I could probably just buy an Evo from Ebay or something of the sort, but I'm a bit worried about doing that. Anyone has experience getting Evo somewhere else and can share?
I use my phone for a lot of things.. internet, calling, texting, games, even as a flashlight sometimes. I got myself an extra battery for this phone but I assume I will need a new one for the EVO. I see people asked about battery life, but seriously, I don't expect my phone to stay alive for more than 8 hours or so with all these apps running.
Next, what I like about the EVO is the better camera, and the fact that it has flash (I use my phone for pictures). Front facing camera is nice, haven't used it before, is it really worth it? Is chatting with it smooth, or is it slow as sh*t?
Keyboard - I used to hate the touch keyboard because it would freeze for split seconds and writing something would be frustrating. I still find it annoying to use the touch screen for typing because the buttons are so small. I have a feeling the evo would help with that, but perhaps I should wait for something with a real keyboard? Anyone knows of a good model that's suppose to come out, and when?
4G - I live in New York city. Anyone from around here knows if 4G is really available, or it just exists in very specific locations? Is it much faster? How do you like the fact that you can maintain data connection while making a call, is it a big deal? I don't barely actually use my phone for talking. I count on Gchat and texting.
Speed - There are speed issues with my phone right, especially when I run intense apps (angry birds is very choppy, for example, and Pandora can hang the entire system up), does the Evo take care of that?
Size - It's a big phone. To be honest, the weight and the size do not attract me, but I do realize that a bigger screen will be better to work with and might aid with the keyboard issue. Thoughts?
Rooting - How hard is it? I think CM runs on the EVO if memory serves right. I Rooted my Hero so I assume doing it to the EVO would not be much harder. Thoughts?
So yeah, these are some points I'm considering. Should I get it? And is there a cheaper (good!) way to get it?
Thanks for reading!
you posted in evo forum, expect biased answers, that said
you will love an evo! I had a hero first, still do. the batteries are the same,
the keyboard on the hero wasn't very accurate so typing was frustrating, on the evo it is splendid,
rooting is a breeze with unrevoked
no slowdowns at all for any apps, in any situation, I've been downloading while streaming pandora and playing games with no issue,
I highly recommend it, the evo changed the way I think of smartphones
I would wait to the end of march and see what sprint announces
Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
I would wait as well. Some new phones should be coming out shortly
Sent from my Evo while i should be working
I doubt an Evo 2 will come out anytime soon. So yes. The new phone coming out is most likely the HTC Arrive, which is the HTC 7 Pro. That aside, the Evo is just f*cking awesome. Also for individual line upgrade, Amazon says $180 with free 2-day shipping: http://wireless.amazon.com/dp/B003N9B3CY
CTIA is soon. Sprint announces new phones at CTIA. So I would wait. Unless you want to buy one off contract on Ebay.
WAIT for something better.. This bad ass brick will soon be replaced and become just a plain old acme brick soon
I have a bad feeling Sprint isn't gonna have much this year as far as Android devices go... we will see. An Evo 2 would be bad ass or a dual core Samsung.
Sent from my Evolutionized Evo!
I don't care if Samsung comes out with a quad-core phone. I'm not touching that **** after what happened with the Galaxy S line.
they better come out with something that will at least compete with others phones (like the droid x::evo) otherwise they will have many unhappy customers who cancel and leave... hell they charge $10 for a premium phone now, how premium will the HTC EVO be come this Spring? (I don't want to pay for a "premium phone" when its outdated)
anyways sorry for the semi rant.. im slightly upset with sprint and their actions right now.
CTIA is guaranteed to give us something good. I am hoping for a Galaxy S2 or something equivalent. But then again... Sprint has been known to let you down. Tough call.
masterfuel said:
they better come out with something that will at least compete with others phones (like the droid x::evo) otherwise they will have many unhappy customers who cancel and leave... hell they charge $10 for a premium phone now, how premium will the HTC EVO be come this Spring? (I don't want to pay for a "premium phone" when its outdated)
anyways sorry for the semi rant.. im slightly upset with sprint and their actions right now.
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You aren't paying $10 for a premium phone. You are paying the $10 for the premium data package, and All smartphones on the sprint network will be paying the exact same fee, its not isolated to the Evo, Shift, or Epic, it will encompass the blackberry's and all other android phones that sprint carries.
On topic of best deals for the EVO, check RadioShack's online wireless store. It's going for $149.99 with free activation on new/upgrade subs. Or in-store, they require a trade-in of any old working phone with a charger to get the $149.99 price (check with your local stores if the deal still available).
IMHO, with all the new phones coming out, I would wait. I love my Evo, but I wouldn't get locked into a new 2-yr sub on a phone that is around 4mos shy of being a year old.
I would wait. EVO is nice but nothing compared to what other carriers are getting (Optimus). Hold out for a dual core device (hopefully from HTC).
Sent from my Unleashed EVO using XDA App
Product F(RED) said:
I don't care if Samsung comes out with a quad-core phone. I'm not touching that **** after what happened with the Galaxy S line.
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I agree with this. Samsung left a bad taste with me after having my epic with GPS issues, dropped keys and no 2.2 (till just recently)
Sent from my Evo while i should be working
Give Dropbox a try for easy file sharing. Use my referral link and help me get more space!*http://db.tt/6qeoiYa
heck yea its amazing i was skeptical too till i played with one
I love my Evo. That said I think it would work perfect for everything you listed except for one. The Evo's camera pretty much sucks.
I have a release day Evo, so maybe the newer ones are a little better, but unless the pictures I have taken were in bright daylight they are almost unusable.
http://www.studentrate.com/STUDENTR...deals/Sprint-Student-Rate-Member-Discount--/0
Not sure if studentrate still offers $69.99 Evos.
ATM The Evo is the best phone for Sprint. If you want to wait for something better you can. Personally this is the best phone I've ever used. While it is on par or a little worse than some of the newer phones coming out, its been a year and they are finally catching up.
You also have to take into consideration how much longer the Evo is going to stay ahead or on par with these phones. We might be seeing Gingerbread and Sense 2.0 but that might be a long shot.
If you aren't having any issues with your Hero, I'd say stick with it for a few more months. See what comes out.
Thank you everyone, for the honest opinions. I got a lot of info.
Well, it's about a month later now, and I'm still on my HTC Hero. I just found out about the $10 extra, which I will be paying if I upgrade. My girlfriend has a big family plan on T-mobile, and after calculations, it seems I will be saving about $20 a month using a phone under her name, on T-mobile.
Of course, this means I need to ditch Sprint. I don't feel too bad after being on the Network for a year and being charged for extra if I want to upgrade. No serious official updates for their phones either, thank god I rooted mine, the best thing I've ever done to it.
I checked the T-mobile 2G today, and wasn't that impressed. I liked the keyboard, but the specs are not as good as the EVO. By the way, what are these issues I'm hearing about the EVO's camera? it's 8MP, how come it's so bad? I only have 5mp now, and so does the 2G. What are the specific issues you guys are having?
Right now I am going to find out just how much it will cost me to get out of Sprint, and if it's worth it (buying a new phone on T-mobile will cost me $100 extra over an upgrade in Sprint). What are some of the good T-mobile phones you guys think are good? Camera with flash is important to me, and so does screen size - two things I really like about the EVO. I do want a big screen. I would also like a keyboard if possible.
Anything changed in the market? New amazing Spring phones I'm not aware of, or T-Mobile? I am specifically interested in HTC, I'm not a big fan of Samsung or Motorola.
beholder121 said:
Thank you everyone, for the honest opinions. I got a lot of info.
Well, it's about a month later now, and I'm still on my HTC Hero. I just found out about the $10 extra, which I will be paying if I upgrade. My girlfriend has a big family plan on T-mobile, and after calculations, it seems I will be saving about $20 a month using a phone under her name, on T-mobile.
Of course, this means I need to ditch Sprint. I don't feel too bad after being on the Network for a year and being charged for extra if I want to upgrade. No serious official updates for their phones either, thank god I rooted mine, the best thing I've ever done to it.
I checked the T-mobile 2G today, and wasn't that impressed. I liked the keyboard, but the specs are not as good as the EVO. By the way, what are these issues I'm hearing about the EVO's camera? it's 8MP, how come it's so bad? I only have 5mp now, and so does the 2G. What are the specific issues you guys are having?
Right now I am going to find out just how much it will cost me to get out of Sprint, and if it's worth it (buying a new phone on T-mobile will cost me $100 extra over an upgrade in Sprint). What are some of the good T-mobile phones you guys think are good? Camera with flash is important to me, and so does screen size - two things I really like about the EVO. I do want a big screen. I would also like a keyboard if possible.
Anything changed in the market? New amazing Spring phones I'm not aware of, or T-Mobile? I am specifically interested in HTC, I'm not a big fan of Samsung or Motorola.
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See: http://www.androidcentral.com/sprin...ils-leaked-expect-evo-3d-evo-view-4g-and-xoom
CTIA is this coming Tuesday. Sprint's presentation is hours long. I'd be sure to keep your eye out on here and other tech news sites for what Sprint announces. If that Evo 3D becomes a reality, I'd imagine anyone would want to hold out for that instead of acquiring the Evo now only to have the Evo 3D replace it in months.
Furthremore, if looking into T-Mobile and leaving Sprint (which, as a biased member, I would be against!), keep in mind that at 3:15 PM EDT, a merger between AT&T and T-Mobile was announced, the former acquiring the latter.
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I thought this was about "the announcement", lol.
I don't feel myself looking forward to the next phone on the horizon I'm actually satisfied with what I have for once.
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I actually identify with this, after coming from a Moment to a Hero to an EVO4G quickly...had that for a year, happily, then to an E3D, to ANOTHER E3D, to an NS4G, to ANOTHER E3D, considered the photon but wasn't impressed, and finally to the ET4G I agree whole heartedly.
I anticipated just jumping to the Nexus Prime ASAP, but, I think I'll hang onto this device for a while....and this is before I've done any more than flash CWM in preparation.
xReMiNGToN said:
I'm currently a Sprint employee and I work at an Indirect retailer/service & repair center. I'll be the first to admit that I have a serious phone addiction. I somehow end up getting all the new phones right when they launch and get to play with all the ones I don't get to carry personally. My family has a business plan with 17 lines so I'm always able to somehow squeeze and upgrade out, do a "Repair" swap to a comparable model, or employee purchase a phone.
My girlfriend has had an iPhone 4 since launch and even though I used to carry one for awhile I've grown to resent them. My first Android upon working here was a Samsung Epic which I loved at first (coming from an iPhone 3G) but as I loaded more apps on it I watched it become laggy and seen it develop quite an overheating problem. I was extremely close to going back with an iPhone then I found this site and began experimenting with rooting and custom roms and now I'm hooked.
So to flash forward since my Epic days (sorry I've been rambling) I've went from a Nexus S to a EVO 3D to a HTC Arrive (tried something new and yeah didn't work out) to a Motorola Photon and now finally a Galaxy S II. Needless to say every single phone I've had up until this one had issues I just couldn't cope with. My nexus got horrible signal wherever I was at and 3G was practically worthless. I was so hyped about the 3D and when it launched the first one I had was defective and my second would freeze and lag constantly. To top it all off about 30% of the ones we would sell were defective out of the box. It's hard to have love for a phone that you sell to someone only to see them come back the next day ready to rip your head off. After that I figured I'd try something new and went with an HTC Arrive. I'll spare you the details lets just say a week into it and I was done. So I decided to go with the Photon and for the most part I liked it other then the horrible UI (Customer Launchers saved me) and the silent call issue that plagued it.
I'd been reading about the GSII for awhile and once I heard it was coming to Sprint I had to make sure I could get it on Launch. Enough calls into Sprint got me my upgrade early and I took the bait and dove right in not knowing exactly what new "issues" I'd be getting myself into. It's been almost a week since I've had mine and I can say without a doubt that I've never ever owned a phone this amazing. Everything about it is superb from the screen, to the UI, and the sleek design. I haven't had NOT ONE single problem with this phone and to me that's saying something. Traditionally almost all of our Samsung devices have been crap. Plain and simple. This phone was bashed by all my coworkers before launch because of the bad name Samsung had made for themselves. Now they're just as amazed as I am. I don't feel myself looking forward to the next phone on the horizon I'm actually satisfied with what I have for once.
I know this post is nothing but rambling but honestly this phone is everything I've ever hoped for and more. Once the roms start pouring in I truly feel it will be a short while before this phone is dethroned as King. I guess I made this post just to see how everyone else was feeling about there phone and if anyone has had similar issues with past phones and now finds themselves satisfied.
This is my first post on here so don't flame me too hard =) Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated especially from anyone else who shares my phone addiction lol
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im an ex-employee so i totally feel you and your addiction. Its a serious issue, and an expensive one lol.
But yes your right. When I bought the 3d, my dude that still works there tried to talk me out of buying it. Because of the power and signal issues. Of course like a idiot I still did. Wanted to love that thing so bad.
Im going to also agree with you 1000%. This is my DREAM phone. Ive lost sleep over the s2. When i heard Sprint was getting it, I literally thought about nothing else than the Epic Touch, aside from women and money. This thing is awesome. ****t, the only thing I want is higher resolution, but even with that I love this phone. I cant imagine what the next one will be like, but for the FIRST time in my life, I AM TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH A PHONE!!!
Yes my addiction to crack started when I was..oh wait...your talking phones...Like you my friend I have had every phone you listed (except the Arrive...my god man what were you thinking!) and this is the best phone I have owned..hands down. No problems...yet. Great camera and fast. I love it!
I will agree. I was happy with the HTC Incredible based on what was available and told myself that no matter how bad I wanted a new phone no 'feature" would be worth the upgrade until dual-core chips hit. Yes I jumped on the LTE band wagon but quickly realized that was far from ready for daily use. Then they(dual-core) hit and man its been disappointing till the chip Samsung used( Exynos). That chip with the GPU totally blows anything else out of the water.
Maybe just stick to iphone if android gives you so much trouble? I'm pretty sure there are lots of users on this forum that use Epic1, Nexus S and Evo 3D with no problems.
+1 from me. Nice write up, thanks.
BenKranged said:
Maybe just stick to iphone if android gives you so much trouble? I'm pretty sure there are lots of users on this forum that use Epic1, Nexus S and Evo 3D with no problems.
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Every thing i was reading was great until this, you had to mention the iPhone and to top ot off, recommended sticking with it if Android gives you problems. Expecially if you're talking about the E4GT, man what were you thinking.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
acrown said:
Every thing i was reading was great until this, you had to mention the iPhone and to top ot off, recommended sticking with it if Android gives you problems. Expecially if you're talking about the E4GT, man what were you thinking.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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+1 this post was pointless. Anywhoo. Back to the subject at hand
sent from my DAMN phone!
Success100 said:
im an ex-employee so i totally feel you and your addiction. Its a serious issue, and an expensive one lol.
But yes your right. When I bought the 3d, my dude that still works there tried to talk me out of buying it. Because of the power and signal issues. Of course like a idiot I still did. Wanted to love that thing so bad.
Im going to also agree with you 1000%. This is my DREAM phone. Ive lost sleep over the s2. When i heard Sprint was getting it, I literally thought about nothing else than the Epic Touch, aside from women and money. This thing is awesome. ****t, the only thing I want is higher resolution, but even with that I love this phone. I cant imagine what the next one will be like, but for the FIRST time in my life, I AM TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH A PHONE!!!
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most definately i am very satisfied with this phone just stock. thats amazing to say cuz i was a flashoholic. from the og evo. i can root but no need to since im on vacation only needed it for work. and the resolution is a small minus but dont mind really the screen looks amazing everywhere. my real minus is kickstand. coming froma evo i miss the hell out of it
I thought sprint employee don't get the phone untill 2 or three week because customer are the one paying the most and they should be the first to have it?.......I am under an employee account ( SWAC ) and sprint wouldn't let me buy the phone at all. They keep saying it's one of the disadvantage of being under this plan, but is more advantage than have a regular plan. God DAMN! I can't wait till is available to buy ( BUT WHEN?).........It was kinda funny on launch day I went to sprint store and they told I can't buy it cause I'm under employee account......I was like WTF! than why ya let me buy the gift card to reserve for the Epic 4G Touch?...they was like, well....who ever sold you that card should of known better, we are really sorry......I was like can I have my refund?......they said, No, we can't refund but you can use to buy any sprint product........I was like, can I use it to buy the phone when is available for SWAC plan?........they said, ummmm maybe... I said...CRAP! bye!!!!
I dont have any desire to worry about any phone coming out after getting this phone. It does everything I need it to better than any other phone I have come across.
Vega said:
most definately i am very satisfied with this phone just stock. thats amazing to say cuz i was a flashoholic. from the og evo. i can root but no need to since im on vacation only needed it for work. and the resolution is a small minus but dont mind really the screen looks amazing everywhere. my real minus is kickstand. coming froma evo i miss the hell out of it
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I miss the kickstand dearly, but funny thing is I never actually used it as a kickstand. I just fidgeted with it ALL THE TIME. Now I have nothing to fidget with so I swipe through my home panels near compulsively.
I went from a Razr to a crap cricket phone to helio ocean to palm pixi to hero to epic 4g to inspire 4g to evo and finally to eptouch
acrown said:
Every thing i was reading was great until this, you had to mention the iPhone and to top ot off, recommended sticking with it if Android gives you problems. Expecially if you're talking about the E4GT, man what were you thinking.
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The guy said he used to use iphone and had problems with the epic1, nexus s and evo 3D, which are all good android phones. I was suggesting the problem was the user not the android phones.
yang704 said:
I thought sprint employee don't get the phone untill 2 or three week because customer are the one paying the most and they should be the first to have it?.......I am under an employee account ( SWAC ) and sprint wouldn't let me buy the phone at all. They keep saying it's one of the disadvantage of being under this plan, but is more advantage than have a regular plan. God DAMN! I can't wait till is available to buy ( BUT WHEN?).........It was kinda funny on launch day I went to sprint store and they told I can't buy it cause I'm under employee account......I was like WTF! than why ya let me buy the gift card to reserve for the Epic 4G Touch?...they was like, well....who ever sold you that card should of known better, we are really sorry......I was like can I have my refund?......they said, No, we can't refund but you can use to buy any sprint product........I was like, can I use it to buy the phone when is available for SWAC plan?........they said, ummmm maybe... I said...CRAP! bye!!!!
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Sprint employees can't buy it yet. That's how it always is they have to wait a while before high end phones to become available to them. HOWEVER...one person per corporate store gets designated to be an advocate, and are responsible for making sure the staff is well informed on it and handling customer questions about it, and they get to keep the phone because of it. I was the advocate for the palm pre and OG Evo
sent from my DAMN phone!
_MetalHead_ said:
I miss the kickstand dearly, but funny thing is I never actually used it as a kickstand. I just fidgeted with it ALL THE TIME. Now I have nothing to fidget with so I swipe through my home panels near compulsively.
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Haha.... yeah I always used the battery cover clip on my Captivate and flicked it back and forth...
I think all phones should have a dedicated fidget system...
Zurginator said:
Haha.... yeah I always used the battery cover clip on my Captivate and flicked it back and forth...
I think all phones should have a dedicated fidget system...
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So true. I barely ever used my E4G kickstand but boy did I miss it when it was gone.
yang704 said:
I thought sprint employee don't get the phone untill 2 or three week because customer are the one paying the most and they should be the first to have it?.......I am under an employee account ( SWAC ) and sprint wouldn't let me buy the phone at all. They keep saying it's one of the disadvantage of being under this plan, but is more advantage than have a regular plan. God DAMN! I can't wait till is available to buy ( BUT WHEN?).........It was kinda funny on launch day I went to sprint store and they told I can't buy it cause I'm under employee account......I was like WTF! than why ya let me buy the gift card to reserve for the Epic 4G Touch?...they was like, well....who ever sold you that card should of known better, we are really sorry......I was like can I have my refund?......they said, No, we can't refund but you can use to buy any sprint product........I was like, can I use it to buy the phone when is available for SWAC plan?........they said, ummmm maybe... I said...CRAP! bye!!!!
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He's not a Sprint employee. Indirect dealers are not Sprint employees, they work for a company that has a reseller agreement with Sprint.
He also said he has a family plan with 17 lines, so he got it on a non employee line, then moved it to his line. I know indirect employees get a discounted line, not sure how much it is though.
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I just became eligible for an upgrade as a Sprint Premier Gold customer - my last one before the program ends in December. I have been thinking about buying an Epic 4G Touch for a while, and am wondering if those of you who got them early on are still happy with your purchase.
As far as I can tell, there is not any Sprint android phone on the horizon that looks any better, and I am not willing to wait until March to upgrade. Also, if it makes any difference I am coming from the OG Epic, which finally seems to be working well thanks to the GB update and the work of our great developers here at XDA.
So, any thoughts? Would you buy the E4GT again? Anything phones coming out soon that you would wait for? Thanks for any input...
If I could have a do over, I would wait until they fixed the LOS issue. Other than that, I love the phone and think it's the best option on Sprint currently (minus the LOS issue of course).
Without a doubt.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
Results have varried, but the EG31 modem update fixed the LOS issue for me. Haven't had one since...
I bought mine on launch day, and still very happy with my purchase. I would definitely buy it again.
Considering Sprints 2011 line up, ET4g is the best phone available.
phatmanxxl said:
Considering Sprints 2011 line up, ET4g is the best phone available.
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Thanks to all for the input. Anyone else coming from the original Epic? How are you getting along without the hardware keyboard?
From evo to epic touch, this phone is amazing
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
dr_gibberish said:
Thanks to all for the input. Anyone else coming from the original Epic? How are you getting along without the hardware keyboard?
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I did come from the original Epic 4G. I was a lil worried about not having the physical keyboard because I text a lot, but surprisingly it hasn't been a problem. I found that I was using the onscreen keyboard on my OG Epic a lot anyway, and with the added screen real estate, it only made it easier. I have adjusted quite well to all touchscreen.
Yes! Honestly, this phone never fails to amaze me. From how sharp and crisp the screen is, to the speed/raw power as the device as a whole, to the sexyness of the phone, even when the screen is off.
Remember, you will have 14 days to return/switch to another phone.
Its the best out now on any carrier besides the att variant.
The next phone that will be a major step up probably won't be out until next April/may at the earliest (on sprint at least). So go for it.
It will get the ice cream sandwich update so its future proof I'd say, I wouldn't wait on the nexus because by time that comes to sprint, if it does, it will be short lived like the nexus s on sprint (dual cores came to sprint a month later)
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
I would definatelly buy one again. It is sweet phone. No regrets here.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
The phone, as a device, is great. The phone, as a phone, sucks a big fat one. The antenna design and/or radio firmware is causing me to regret buying this device.
Not only is there a LoS issue as others have pointed out, but signal quality itself is atrocious. In general, CDMA is meant to be able to operate at very low signal quality. However, when this phone gets into low signal strength, it chops up my audio send/receive. Moreover, the data speed I get is crap. YMMV.
As I stated earlier, the phone, as a device, is great. It has a beautiful screen, the camera is pretty awesome, and it rarely slows down when using it regularly.
I agree with most of what fadeaway said. I wouldn't buy. Wait for a LTE handset to land unless you plan on buying another phone in 6 months. Here's what I posted on another thread:
I bought the ET4G on a whim after seeing it on Craigslist for an attractive price. After using it for a week, it's going back on Craigslist and I am using my OG Epic again w/ the new Gingerbread release (and physical keyboard fixes!).
While the ET4G certainly offers a snappier Android experience and a better camera than the OG Epic, I didn't find the boost in speed or extra screen real estate to be worth the $325 I paid for the device. I think the only speed boost worth writing home about was the speed of the ET4G's stock browser. Lastly, the audio quality of SGSII is inferior to SGSI and in all honesty not worthy of a high end smartphone - this was the deal breaker for me.
Considering that you already have the OG Epic, I'd wait until the middle of next year so you can get a killer future-proof 720p LTE phone at a fully discounted price. All that said, the ET4G is still a great device!
I just got mine last week, and LOVE it, running Calk's ROM + ICS theme and this phone just looks so cool, the screen is perfect for web page reading, and watching YouTube videos look amazing, and the WiFi signal for me is the best I have ever had, upstairs in bedrooms I still get good WiFi signal from the Basement office, no other phone held connection up on the 2nd floor. GPS is rock solid and locks on instant. Yes I have had two LOS's so far in one week, but no big deal, just restart the phone and it's gone, the phone restarts so fast. And that happened at my Mom's house, a very poor Sprint area, with no bars ever.
I am coming from the Nexus-S 4G which was feeling small to me, and before that my EVO 4G which I loved for a year. The Epic Touch 4G gives me that same wow factor I had when the EVO first came out last year. Oh yeah, the sound volume is great, very loud playing videos, where as my Nexus could barely be heard at full volume, and this is even louder than my EVO 4G, which was good.
There won't be a significantly better phone out until Summer, most likely the EVO-Three and Galaxy S3. And I can't wait till there is a solid stable Android 4.0 ICS ROM out for this phone, then holy cow, this thing will destroy anything for a long time.
rpnunez said:
Yes! Honestly, this phone never fails to amaze me. From how sharp and crisp the screen is, to the speed/raw power as the device as a whole, to the sexyness of the phone, even when the screen is off.
Remember, you will have 14 days to return/switch to another phone.
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Yeah, that is a great point. I think I am going to call Best Buy and see if they will match Amazon's $149 price for the phone. If so, I may get it tonight...
The hardware is excellent but the phone doesn't get much support, I would have waited if I was to do it all over again. HTC phones get lots of supports, which I would have waited for. I had the ppc6700, mogul, hero, and eve.
One last thing, I thought the EVO 4G when it first released last year was an amazing device, it just blew me away, the big screen, build quality, tons of custom ROM's, just an awesome smartphone for last year.
I feel the Epic Touch 4G, is the true successor and best next gen device for Sprint.
ehh
I think my biggest problem with the phone is that it feels so unpolished, in terms of all the little issues I keep running into it. Granted, LoS only happened to me after a root, but, it was an annoying issue for many other people. The GPS lock is just absolute crap, and the fact that apps keep crashing because of that sound glitch is just plain annoying. I couldn't even finish PvZ because of it...
Honestly, it feels like Sprint and Samsung were trying to sell this phone quick and leave it to dry while they were working on their other new offerings (iphone4s for Sprint, and the Galaxy Nexus for Samsung). Feels very half assed...
Given a second shot, I think I'd have to really reconsider...
I'm on the EG30 modem with ROOT+CWM5 applied. Stock ROM and kernel other then that.
I've only had LOS one time and that was when I was in a basement where there simply was no signal. No Sprint, nothing to roam to either.
When I came out of the basement and was back in an area I knew for a fact should have had full Sprint bars, my phone showed nothing. Said I had no service. I had to reboot to which fixed it.
First and only time.
I love my new Samsung Epic Touch 4G.
I'm not sure that it's really much better then my EVO 4G was either though. My EVO was tweaked VERY nicely and I was getting 30~35 hours of battery life on MikG ROM with a little SetCPU tweaking. I like the slim profile of the Epic Touch 4G though, sucker is THIN and seems to be better built then my EVO 4G.
That said, I really took a hard look at the Apple iPhone 4S when I was shopping.
I almost picked up the 4S simply because I work for a school system that is loaded with iPhones, iPads and Macbooks.
I'm pretty much the only person in my department (technology dept) that uses an Android. I sorta want to get in line with what the district runs. The ONLY reason didn't get the 4S was the size of the screen. If it would have been 4~4.5 inches, I would have gotten one. If the iPhone 5 has a bigger screen, I might consider that at upgrade time. Personally I think both series, Android and iOS have good things to offer.
Anyway, back to the original question yes I would buy the Epic Touch 4G again today.
so my upgrade is due in about a month for my og evo and was thinking about this phone because i played with it in a sprint store and really liked it except for the touchwiz part... so just wondering if there are any sense roms on this phone or if its even possible... i know there was one for the nexus s 4g. if not, no big deal because i'll probably be running ics anyway but just curious haha
there are no sense roms for this. and being a longtime user of HTC, I thought I would miss sense as well.
did not. not one bit. I actually prefer TW at this point, far closer to aosp, in most ways, cleaner.
of course there are sense "themes" for alternate launchers you could use, if you really needed it...
and with ICS around the corner, well we'll have CM9, AOKP, MIUI4... plenty of better options than Anything sense based.
and again, frankly, still like running stock ROMs on this phone. after all the crap I heard about how "bad" TW is/was, I expected to change it quick. but TBH I can't understand what they were talking about. clean. responsive, light on resources (compared to sense)... to each his own though, right?
alright thanks haha. its just after 2 years sense has kinda made a place for itself in my heart so idk haha. btw any news on the sgsIII? i heard a few rumors but figured this forum would know more about it like any news on a release date or a definite shape or look of the phone for sprint? don't want to buy a device and have it already be outdated like 2 months later haha
PhxkinMassacre said:
don't want to buy a device and have it already be outdated like 2 months later haha
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LOL, i know what you mean. I gave up on that race. I ended up hesitating on everything, because of reading rumor of "the newest thing, right around the corner". I am just committed to buying a new device every year, find something awesome, run it into the ground. ;-)
and this phone is AWESOME. seriously. fast as ****, brilliant screen, SO much internal storage and RAM, I can't make this phone fail.
kingdazy said:
LOL, i know what you mean. I gave up on that race. I ended up hesitating on everything, because of reading rumor of "the newest thing, right around the corner". I am just committed to buying a new device every year, find something awesome, run it into the ground. ;-)
and this phone is AWESOME. seriously. fast as ****, brilliant screen, SO much internal storage and RAM, I can't make this phone fail.
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haha alright. thanks for the info. if nothing else better comes out in a month, this is at the top of my list
There is usually never a point to wait but this time there is a case to wait. Sprint well be starting to sell lte phones around midyear that will support their new lte network. Being this close to that there is no reason to grab a Wimax phone.
Formerly Tuffgong4 on xda
m0ckery13 said:
There is usually never a point to wait but this time there is a case to wait. Sprint well be starting to sell lte phones around midyear that will support their new lte network. Being this close to that there is no reason to grab a Wimax phone.
Formerly Tuffgong4 on xda
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What he said. There ate a few nice phones on the horizon that should really compete with the E4GT, plus have LTE
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
tbh i would wait for an lte phone at this point. this phone is 6 months old now and if the og evo is still kicking i would hold out for an lte one.
I would wait too if that evo is still good..
This phone is awesome but i would wait for an LTE phone.
I wouldn't wait for LTE, Sprint is having their own issues with the rollout which was expected to be limited coverage anyhow for the first 1-2 years. 4g might be spotty but in a good area its crazy fast and its my understanding that phones wont have both 4g/wimax and lte. This means that unless you are in a lte area your new lte phone will only really have 3g and wifi. Just get the best phone out when your contract is up. I got this phone last month and believe its the best phone out right now.
someguyatx said:
I wouldn't wait for LTE, Sprint is having their own issues with the rollout which was expected to be limited coverage anyhow for the first 1-2 years. 4g might be spotty but in a good area its crazy fast and its my understanding that phones wont have both 4g/wimax and lte. This means that unless you are in a lte area your new lte phone will only really have 3g and wifi. Just get the best phone out when your contract is up. I got this phone last month and believe its the best phone out right now.
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Agree completely; there is no way there will be much Sprint LTE before the end of this year, and, then, it will only be in their major cities, if at all.
I would jump all over this phone ASAP, since its the best Android phone out there, bar none..and, if you look around, there are some good deals..
I'd save the upgrade and buy a gently used E4GT for $100 more. I realize there are places that offer the E4GT as an upgrade for less than $200, but that isn't an option for sero users like myself. Anyway lol, I've gone from the og Evo, to the 3vo, to the E4GT just a few days ago, and this thing is Big and Beautiful! I highly recommend switching
Sent from my Samsung Epic 4G Touch using Tapatalk
PhxkinMassacre said:
so my upgrade is due in about a month for my og evo and was thinking about this phone because i played with it in a sprint store and really liked it except for the touchwiz part... so just wondering if there are any sense roms on this phone or if its even possible... i know there was one for the nexus s 4g. if not, no big deal because i'll probably be running ics anyway but just curious haha
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I came from the OG EVO 4G as well. A world of a difference and I love it! I hadn't been using Sense on my EVO for the last half a year cuz I've been using ADW anyway. There are so many good launchers out there and ICS is awesome in itself, I'm sure you won't miss Sense at all.
This phone is a ton faster than the EVO and the screen is amazing. My EVO would take a few minutes to fully start up, the S2 takes <30 sec. You will love it, I'm sure!
---------- Post added at 02:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------
+1 on buying privately instead of upgrading if possible...
In the past 4 months I have bought 3 S2's (one I just bought yesterday), all of them I paid $400 max for. And these phones were brand spanking new, still sealed in the box. If you look for a lightly used one, I'm sure you can get one for around the $300 range.
I had a fortunate situation though cuz my EVO broke on my, so Sprint replaced it with a new one. I sold that one on eBay for $260, so my out of pocket expense wasn't too bad. I love not being under contract, plus it leaves you the option should the Sprint network change and something totally awesome comes out and you wanna be locked in again.
Yo massacre id recommed the et4g i came from evo too lte is having so many issues rolling out on sprint who knows when it will be ready especially now that the fcc either has or is trying to block lightsquared for the gps interference issues which is gonna do some real damage to sprint both finacially and in their ability to obtain the hardware and support they are gonna need, and with wimax continuing to be supported atleast until 2015 if you are currently in a 4g area you will be able to use it til your up for an upgrade again vs you could wait for lte and it wont be available in your area right away or not at all if lte happens as planned right now it looks like anything other than test markets are being delayed for now
We are legion, for we are many
Sent from my Anonymous DeathStar in the depths of GalaXy S2
I have been hearing that BS about 4G/LTE for 2 years now...when a customer asks me when it's coming I just state that I have no idea, best plce to stay current with all of that is www dot clear dot com and keep checking the coverage map in your area.
Clear doesn't do lte yet, atleast not in my area they are exclusively wimax here in the Tampa bay area
We are legion, for we are many
Sent from my Anonymous DeathStar in the depths of GalaXy S2
I would wait for LTE too. I do second buying a used one but good luck finding an E4GT for $100, $200 is more likely. If you want Sense wait for a new HTC phone.
Sammys feel cheaper and are scratch magnets. Appearance wise, I think HTCs hold up better. I'm not a TW fan and I'm not Sense fan either. I like it simple and have used Launcherpro with Fancy Widgets for the sense style clock and the 5 day forecast. Been doing that for all my HTC, LG and Samsung phones. Since I'm now on a an ICS rom, I'm trying Nova Launcher.
The E4GT is the best phone I have owned but it is getting old and the new cycle bigger, badder and faster is about to start. Don't lock yourself into last year's phone with a wasted upgrade.
I would wait for LTE too. I do second buying a used one but good luck finding an E4GT for $100, $200 is more likely. If you want Sense wait for a new HTC phone.
Sammys feel cheaper and are scratch magnets. Appearance wise, I think HTCs hold up better. I'm not a TW fan and I'm not Sense fan either. I like it simple and have used Launcherpro with Fancy Widgets for the sense style clock and the 5 day forecast. Been doing that for all my HTC, LG and Samsung phones. Since I'm now on a an ICS rom, I'm trying Nova Launcher.
The E4GT is the best phone I have owned but it is getting old and the new cycle bigger, badder and faster is about to start. Don't lock yourself into last year's phone with a wasted upgrade.
My contract is up in August and because sprint barely works where I now live, I will be jumping ship to verizon.
I have been planning on picking up the GSIII when I jump, but the last few days the Galaxy Nexus has been looking better and better.
I know that specs wise the GSIII blow the G'Nex out of the water but the dev community on the G'Nex looks pretty awesome and tehre are tons of people building 4.1 roms already.
Specs aren't everything and I know that *most* gnex owners are loving their phones but it's hard to pull the trigger on a phone that is already 8 months old.
Also, I would wait for the next Nexus phone but my girl's contract is up around the same time and we're gonna hop on a family plan. She has a awful Droid 2 and can't wait to get an iPhone. :-/
The only real downfall to the Nexus is no Gorilla Glass. It's only the scratch resistant so it you drop it it's most likely done for.
No GG would be a deal breaker IMO.
I would go with the GSIII, i was at the sprint store today and held the Galaxy Nexus(which I was sure I was switching to when I could) Next to the GSIII and the absolutely beautiful screen, the extraordinarily light weight, the melty buttery smoothness. The GNexus just couldn't compare. If you have to pick now I would go GSIII. IMO
well at the same time, if your going to verizon, there has been alot of news about verizon locking the sgsIII bootloader so no root. but that only matters if your wanting to root.
source #1:
droid-life
source #2:
android-central
but then that doesnt mean it wont, or hasnt been rooted. just means might be a little harder to do than with other carriers.
It would appear there is already a guide for rooting it, i didnt read it, but just something to consider...
guide
no you're not crazy for jumping ship, per se. If the phone service does not work where you're at most of the time, then what are you paying for?
As for phone choices, if you root, I think that takes some heavy consideration. Also, since the SG3 just came out, the community is still building. The Nexus has had about four month start. With all the major carriers taking SG3, it'll come. It'll just have Verzion's quirks.
I would also look at the long term. Assuming you go with the low price you can get, you're looking at phone you'll have to two years. Thus, which phone will be able to handle what you want to do now, and what you think you'll want it do in say, eighteen months. Thus, also specs are not everything, in the long term, they could be important. Developers will design with faster hardware in mind in the future. See the Evo 4g development versus newer phones such as Evo 3D or LTE.
Also, how dare you like the girlfriend go apple. Show her the true power of the greenside, LOL.
lovekeiiy said:
no you're not crazy for jumping ship, per se. If the phone service does not work where you're at most of the time, then what are you paying for?
As for phone choices, if you root, I think that takes some heavy consideration. Also, since the SG3 just came out, the community is still building. The Nexus has had about four month start. With all the major carriers taking SG3, it'll come. It'll just have Verzion's quirks.
I would also look at the long term. Assuming you go with the low price you can get, you're looking at phone you'll have to two years. Thus, which phone will be able to handle what you want to do now, and what you think you'll want it do in say, eighteen months. Thus, also specs are not everything, in the long term, they could be important. Developers will design with faster hardware in mind in the future. See the Evo 4g development versus newer phones such as Evo 3D or LTE.
Also, how dare you like the girlfriend go apple. Show her the true power of the greenside, LOL.
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Yea, the more I think about it the more I think that the GNex is the way to go. The GSIII has some great hardware specs and amazing software features but I know it's just a matter of time before I get bored with touchwiz and go AOSP.
Either way the phone will be rooted but I love the idea that I can almost instantly be on the cutting edge of android roms with the G'Nex. The hardware isn't a big deal. A nicer camera and screen would be great but then again, the camera and screen on my evo have been just fine for me for the last two years.
As for the girl, i tried...Not surprisingly, her crappy droid2 (purchased BEFORE we started dating...I would have never let her buy that ) started slowing to a crawl and getting AWFUL battery life so I backed it up, rooted (pain in the ass) and installed CM7 on it. She likes it but still wants an iPhone bc she's a nursing student and has all her medical dictionary's on her ipad and she can run them on an iphone at the hospital. Ah well, can't win them all
Just in case anyone is reading this...
Does anyone know if I can buy a used phone (thunderbolt or something like that), sign a new verizon contract and activate the phone and then get a discount on another phone down the line?
I'm having trouble pulling the trigger on the G'nex when I could wait a few months and potentially have my pick of a few different nexus devices.