Next Best or Upcoming Android Phone to Buy

[stormcastle]

My DroidX has also died--nothing works right no matter what I do to it. But it is now 24 Apr 2012, I have found nothing about the Fighter. Any other great choices?

I'd hold out until at least April 12, which is the rumored date for the Fighter. It preliminarily looks like the Maxx with a much better screen and a better processor.

Of course, you could wait until May 10 when the Galaxy S3 is supposedly being revealed - that phone looks like a beast. Specs keep leaking all the time, but nobody knows if they're legit or not. A 1080p screen has been rumored.

I have an X2 with an upgrade available and I just couldn't bite on the Maxx because the screen sucks imo. The Fighter is supposed to have the same 3300 battery as the Maxx, which might push me to that over even the Galaxy S3 (which we don't even know if it's coming to Verizon).

 

[dezymond]

You really can't go wrong with any of the current phones. I'd start looking into the current lineup instead of waiting for any speculated release date.

 

[JeffDenver]

I'd like to plug the LG Spectrum. I got a Rezound myself, but a friend of mine got a Spectrum and I have to say, it is pretty nice. The UI is ugly as sin, but it is snappy (Snappier than the Nexus and Rezound IMO) and has the best display on any Verizon phone right now. It is as good as the Rezound's but is a bit brighter and has deeper blacks. It has the 2nd best camera as well (The Rezound still holds #1 IMO). It also has Gorilla Glass.

The main downside is, well, it's LG. So good luck with any updates after ICS and ICS itself will probably be a while, though LG sears to God it is coming "soon". But if you don't care about that or plan to root anyway, this phone is a great deal. I think it is the cheapest of the top tier phones now (he got his from Wirefly for $90).

 

[msu]

I called last night to possible upgrade to the Galaxy and I had totally forgot about Verizon kicking in that $30.00 upgrade fee. So my $100 off went to $75. They have dropped the phone down to $199 which is nice, but I just can't make up my mind. I did run across Amazon selling the Galaxy Nexus for $49.99 on 2 year contract through verizon which to me sounds like a hell of a deal. Only thing that has me hung up on the SGN is the no expandable memory. That has been one of my hang ups with Apple all these years, beside Itunes.
Either way it would be a step up from my DX.

 

[JeffDenver]

Yeah the lack of expansion was the main deal killer for me with the Nexus as well. I might be able to live without a removable battery but I gotta have memory expansion options. The Amazon deal is only $50 for new customers...for existing customers it is still $150. Although that is still even better than Verizon's deal.

The Spectrum does have expandable memory and removable battery as well.

 

[t35rk]

I bought the LG Lucid. It's mostly a nice phone but a couple of issues are causing me to send it back.

First issue is a just okay touchscreen. Coming from an original Incredible it is a disappointment. My wife's Rezound is as it should be and much better.

The second and bigger issue is the battery. It has longer life than the Rezound but it runs hot. Regularly 110 or hotter. It's been up to over 130. On top of that it takes much too long to charge for my liking. The extended battery solves both of these issues, but defeats the purpose of choosing to own a slim and smaller phone.

If the Spectrum isn't an improvement on the Lucid's shortcomings, I would stay away from it.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

 

[msu]

Yeah the lack of expansion was the main deal killer for me with the Nexus as well. I might be able to live without a removable battery but I gotta have memory expansion options. The Amazon deal is only $50 for new customers...for existing customers it is still $150. Although that is still even better than Verizon's deal.

The Spectrum does have expandable memory and removable battery as well.

Ah, I must have been click happy when I was clicking yesterday. I now see the $149. I'm leaning towards the Rezound. I would totally go with Moto Razor if it wasn't so locked down. Iphone still a distant 3rd.

 

[JeffDenver]

Ah, I must have been click happy when I was clicking yesterday. I now see the $149. I'm leaning towards the Rezound. I would totally go with Moto Razor if it wasn't so locked down. Iphone still a distant 3rd.

The two big problems with the Razr are it's display and it's price...it is REALLY expensive for some reason. The new HD Razr will be awesome but of course it will also be $300. I did see a demo model of the razr at the Verizon store and someone had installed Launcher Pro on it...and it looked really really nice. That is the smoothest I have ever seen LauncherPro run.

I love the Rezound, but I have to admit, the Spectrum has the best display I have seen so far period, on any phone. As me and my friend are finding out though, there are NO accessories for it. There is one extended battery, but there are no cases that fit the extended battery. By contrast the Rezound is very well supported.

I would take any Android phone over the iPhone. I do not say that sarcastically, and that is not Hyperbole. I would take a G1 over any iPhone. If someone gave me an iPhone for free I would immediately eBay it and buy an Android phone. any Android phone. iPhone's are awesome hardware wise, and they do look slick, but using iOS feels like fighting in a closet.

 

[JeffDenver]

I bought the LG Lucid. It's mostly a nice phone but a couple of issues are causing me to send it back. First issue is a just okay touchscreen. Coming from an original Incredible it is a disappointment. My wife's Rezound is as it should be and much better.

This must be an LG thing...I noticed the exact same thing on the Spectrum.

Part of me wonders if it is deliberate...it makes it harder to accidentally "click" on stuff, which can be annoying on capacitive displays.

If the Spectrum isn't an improvement on the Lucid's shortcomings, I would stay away from it.

Are you kidding? I cant think of anything the Lucid does better. I consider the Lucid a mid-range device. The Spectrum is a top tier device. It is every bit as good as the Rezound and Nexus and (IMO) actually better than the Razr.

I can confirm that the Spectrum battery does not run hot (at least not the stock one). If you get the extended battery for it though be warned, there are no cases that fit it.

EDIT: My friend found a case that fits the extended battery. It is a shell case sold by Verizon. It isnt marketed as an extended battery case because it will fit normal Spectrum's as well.

 

[t35rk]

....

 

[t35rk]

JeffD: HTC touch screens are spot on. They seem to know what I want to do before I touch it. It's puts the "smart" in smartphone. LG dumb it down.

And I didnt say or imply the Lucid is a higher end phone than the Spectrum. It's smaller (and free on Amazon) which I prefer. The Lucid does have more internal memory, better battery life and less bloat though.





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[JaylisJayP]

Interesting story I saw on Phandroid through my Pulse app today, basically laying out the "rumored" Verizon roadmap through summer and fall. So word is Verizon will have a Samsung Note competitor in a 5" HTC phablet with a stylus - quad core phone, supposedly coming this fall. Not sure I really want to wait until fall to upgrade my X2, although it is still working fine at the moment.

The roadmap also includes the pending release of the S3, which was awesome to read even if it is still a rumor. (Another story on Pulse today showed a supposed scan from the front page of the S3 manual - of which it has a 4.8" Super Amoled HD screen AND physical buttons, along with the already rumored 1.5 quad core). It says summer, which I'm hoping means more in the June area than the August area, but I'd still wait it out if it's coming to Verizon.

The official reveal of the S3 WILL be in 7 days at the May 3 event in London, and rumors are a simultaneous international release, which would be awesome.

The Verizon roadmap also does include the Fighter/Razr HD, which I'm sure will be a formidable phone itself...I'm still hung up on the 4.3-inch screen after you take away the space for the on-screen buttons. I was hoping to upgrade to something a little larger. Actually, of all the phones on the market right now, the Spectrum is the one I almost bought because of the screen size and quality, it's a beautiful screen.

Then, of course, it's not Android, but any upcoming iPhone might be on my radar too if the S3 doesn't hit Verizon...although I can't see them upgrading the screen size past 4", which would kill it for me most likely.

So...all rumor, of course, but things are looking a bit more optimistic. For those who are having major issues with your phones, I'd suggest a factory reset if the problem is software-based and not a busted screen or anything. I was having problems with Gmail coming through and just did a factory reset for the hell of it, and my phone runs almost perfect now. You can export your contacts to your SD card and bring them right back, and redownload anything you've EVER downloaded to your phone right from the google play store online, it's seamless. They did a great job with that.