Database Users

Thinking of Droid Pro on Upgrade

For all you Droid Pro users, would you say the phone is worth getting with an upgrade and contract renewal, now that VZW only offers 2-year contracts?

I picked this up on the last day of the one year contracts just because I didn't want to be locked in to *any* phone for two years right now. (LTE, the possibility of a Merge-like phone, too much I wouldn't want to wait for).
That being said, it really has been a fantastic device. If you are coming from, or just want, a BlackBerry style experience... and if highest end specs for max gaming aren't a high priority for you... this phone would do you well even under a 2 year deal. I dare say though that it's going to start looking long in the tooth by the time you are up for renewal, but with no other good qwerty phones (seemingly) in the pipeline, you could do a lot worse.

I have had my Pro for about a month now and it is a great phone for people that want that style of phone. My biggest disappointment with this phone is the screen not only could it be bigger it could be higher res and brighter. I like a lot of things about this phone but it could really be improved. With a new screen. I also have been unable to root with z4root but ymmv froyo runs well but after having GB on my 2 yr old Eris why this just seems a tad ridiculous battery life is kinda ----ish but i have a 2nd one on the way! if you have any questions please just ask me.

This phone is not worth an upgrade. You can wait and get better. I suggest you just buy a used one. I thought it would be a good decision to buy this, but when I heard my phone rebooting in the middle of a test, I knew I made a mistake. It has a lot of problems, and not much support.

I absolutely love the phone. The latest update has solved pretty much every problem I had with it. No more random reboots, increased battery life, and better exchange support. While it certainly has it's shortcomings, it's just about as close to my idea of perfect when it comes to form factor and function.
That said, if I were you I wouldn't use an upgrade on it at this point in the game. There are much better phones just around the corner (if you're into physical keyboards, the Droid 3 is supposed to drop in the next month or so), including a rumored update of the Pro. I would see about picking up a used one like obutto suggested. You can find them for $200 - $250. That will get you the phone and hold you over until something better comes along without committing to a new contract.

Stick with HD2 or upgrade to Galaxy SII?

Hey all
I've just finished an 18 month contract with O2 for a HD2 - which I've just given a refresh with CyanogenMod.
Given contracts are 24 month minimum now for anything decent (free) - should I stick with the HD2 for 12 months on a cheapo sim free deal or upgrade to the SII?
Is it worth it?
Cheers

Upgrade mate i had a HD2 for a year and a half and a superb phone it was as well but this phone is unbeatable.
I bought mine outright as i hate being tied into long contracts never again.

As hardware goes, it is not worth it. SGS2 is about the same, except it is a lot lighter. As for software, well .. its different OS. All is different .. something better, something worse. It really depends what you use the phone for.

i will stick to HTC HD2 as it more solid case than SGS II...

Hmm.. The advantage of going sim only is I'm paying half as much for basically the same tariff - and with CyanogenMod NAND the HD2 is much much improved over running it off sd or windows bloody mobile 6.5.
Support for the HD2 isn't going anywhere anytime soon either is it?
And I don't have the money to buy the SGS2 outright - although I am off to Shanghai in about 3 weeks so I might find one there on the cheeap.

on what reasons mate? do you own both phones ? @miceormen
I think you should upgrade if you are technology freak like any of us owning a SGII

Dr.Sid said:
As hardware goes, it is not worth it. SGS2 is about the same, except it is a lot lighter. As for software, well .. its different OS. All is different .. something better, something worse. It really depends what you use the phone for.
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Hardware is about the same? You do realize that hardware goes beyond the outer casing right? The SoC to start is a dual core ARM A9 compared to the first generation Snapdragon single core, with the ARM A9 alone offering about a 25% speed improvement per core compared to the Snapdragon. The GPU, a Mali 400, is miles better than the Adreno 200, which even the Power SGX 540 bested by at least three times. The screen size is the same, but the SGSII offers much better contrast and viewing angles with its Super Amoled Plus compared to the TFT LCD on the HD2. And this time around, no Pentile! The SGSII camera is much better than the HD2, no comparisons needed.
Samsung's software on the SGSII is actually superb and without lag, unlike its previous generations, and Touchwiz 4.0 actually offers quite an array of improvements to the standard AOSP Android. Take the butter smooth browser as an example.
Unless you truly want the next greatest (Nexus Prime or Tegra 3), then go for it. The Nexus Prime shouldn't offer a huge technological leap over the SGSII, but it does come with AOSP Android. However, heavy development for the SGSII should make up for updates in the case that Samsung chooses to move slowly (Samsung has improved drastically on its update schedules however).
I wouldn't hold on to the HD2 for long since the touchscreen digitzer is bound to fail over time, due to the power button applying pressure to the touchscreen ribbon connector.

miceormen said:
Hmm.. The advantage of going sim only is I'm paying half as much for basically the same tariff - and with CyanogenMod NAND the HD2 is much much improved over running it off sd or windows bloody mobile 6.5.
Support for the HD2 isn't going anywhere anytime soon either is it?
And I don't have the money to buy the SGS2 outright - although I am off to Shanghai in about 3 weeks so I might find one there on the cheeap.
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Click to collapse
I sold my HD2 and an MP3 player to fund my purchase of the GS2 i wanted it that much, i have been in long mobile contracts before, it's worse in the UK 24 months now is usually the norm i was only on an 18 month one but too long and there's nothing you can do unless you pay off your contract,i missed out on some great deals in that time so i swore never again,a rolling monthly contract or PAYG is the only one for me now.
As regards the HD2, i wont have a bad word said against this amazing phone,probably the most "loved" device on XDA but it's time to move on to bigger and better things and it doesn't get much better than the GS2.

Fair enough. Well I think the best plan is to serve up an ultimatum to O2 who I've been with for 8 years and either get a fantastic 18 month SGS2 deal or keep my HD2 and get a Tesco sim. Customer loyalty doesn't seem to mean a great deal these days..

Check out giffgaff. 300 mins ultd text and data ten pounds a month. i had a hd2. played with it but never got it working quite right. got gs2 and its great. camera is soooooo much better. video is sooo much better. screen is amazing. nothing realy uses its power yeat. but that the same with all dual cores. actually started to prefer the feel of this phone. i go back to hd2 and it just feels really heavy and dated. im only paying 15 pounds a month on two year contract. 400 min 1gig ultd text. freeeeeee.

I upgraded to the S2 and I must say I love it. This beast is Blazing fast and I would not trade it in for anything else!
Best,
Sebkinne

But you had to by the SGS2 yourself right? Giffgaff is a sim only operator is it not..?

I thought u were going to tesco pay as u go and waiting. im on orange. the sales guy messed up and i got a great deal. giffgaff is just pay as u go. if u look on tech radar review it has a box saying about where to buy. there were some 18 month contracts for around 30 but u pay 100 for phone.

same problem
Hi Guys,
Having the same problem here, I am very happy with the HD2 with the Platinum ROM of Laurentius26, that I am scratching my head now what to do!
My question is more like stay with the HD2 (Platinum ROM), go with the Galaxy S2 or wait for the iphone5?
The reason is that I am going to receive 2 new Samsung Galaxy S2 via my provider. My initial idea was to sell them (unopened, unused = more money), stay with the HD2 for the moment and wait for the iphone5 to buy and try out. But now I am reading everywhere that the GS2 is such a magnificent device, and I am starting to doubt. Together with the fact that the HD2 is working perfectly for me, but, being a technician, would like to check out the latest.
I am using my device mainly for:
- calling (of course, but good call quality is important)
- SMS (with Swype, absolutely)
- TomTom (I have heard Sygnic is similar, but have a hard time leaving TT)
- Flashlight (unbelievable how many times I am using the flash as a light)
- camera and video (shooting and viewing)
- syncing with Outlook ( a must, but push email is not needed)
- web browsing every now and then
What do you think?

Upgrade, I gave my HD2 to my Dad and bought a SGS2. Definitely worth the upgrade, in the end the HD2 is not a native Android phone and there will always be some issues.
Sent from my GT-I9100

d3l1 said:
, in the end the HD2 is not a native Android phone and there will always be some issues.
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Click to collapse
Ha, but this might be the issue, the Platinum ROM is soo made for the HD2, I couldn't even be bothered to try out Android or Win7 on the HD2... yep, the ROM is Win6.5

The best thing i done was get rid of WIN 6.5 on my old HD2 and put NAND Android on it, the HD2 should have been an Android handset from the start.

I love my HD2, but this phone is far better in every way, I got my GS2 for 18 month contract, only 21 quid a month, god bless 02 customer loyalty!top deal

d3l1 said:
Upgrade, I gave my HD2 to my Dad and bought a SGS2. Definitely worth the upgrade, in the end the HD2 is not a native Android phone and there will always be some issues.
Sent from my GT-I9100
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Click to collapse
not agree with that, I got less issues with my NAND droid rom on my HD2, then with my GS2, infact its flawless my HD2!

I was a loyal Windows Mobile user since 2003. Had several devices and only the HD2 could live somewhat up to being a really usable device. I had tested Android on my Blackstone and there it was like WinMo nearly unusable. So when I tried out Android on my HD2 simply because I was bored and wanted to see what my device could do, I was surprised. It was faster and more stable than any WinMo device/Rom combo I have ever used. Many features didn't work, but it didn't matter to me. Since then I have become an Android fan, since it is much more user friendly, stable, faster, looks better and has better support for new apps. Never went back to WinMo besides updating quickGPS. Now Android works nearly flawless on the HD2. But I decided to get a SGS2 from ebay, since it has a better screen, camera (It's really muuuuch better) and media playback capabilities.(including HDMI) In everyday usage it isn't really faster than my HD2 since that would be nearly impossible. But another aspect I didn't consider would prevent me from switching back now : The weight. It feels much better in the hand, especially if you are reading a book or surf for a long time. And everything just works out of the box. I nevertheless got a custom ROM with root and switched to ADW launcher since I got accustomed to their benefits on my HD2. Will switch to CyanigenMod as soon as codecs, OTG and MHL are fully working. But considering that these are all features the HD2 does not have, I would say CM is as far as it is on the HD2. Also the HD2 isn't sturdier than the HD2. My HD2 can be twisted and there is a gap between case and battery cover. My SGS2 does not have these problems.
In the end I would say the choice depends on your preferences and money. When I looked at eBay 2 weeks ago, the HD2s with similar or worse conditions then mine got prices from 200-250€ min. I bought it 1.5 years ago for 350€. Now I bought my SGS2 for 450€(that was the Max price I was ready to pay). When I get around to it, I will sell my HD2 and I won't regret it. I had a great time with it and there probably will never be a phone which was it's time that much ahead(there are many new devices inferior to the HD2, in fact pretty much everything up to the release of the SGS2 wasn't much of an improvement if any at all) and could break the software restrictions (thanks to the community) that much. But everything has an expiration date. And for tech junkies that has been reached for the HD2, I think.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Convince me to buy this phone! *** Click if you want to give your epinion!

Hey all you happy Note users! I am thinking of jumping aboard but I do have a slight hang-up. I am going to buy the galaxy s 2 on black friday, and my dilemma is whether or not to sell it and get the not. Bear with me, there are some minor math calculations going on here!
Here are the calculations for my service provider, at&t, over two years(note: my bro's family plan I will be mooching off of has a 25% discount, so that is why prices are different. )
Galaxy S 2:
$50 upfront for the phone (black friday deal)
$9.99/m for the line
$22.50/m for unlimited data (with iphone 2g trick)
= 829.76 over 24 months
Galaxy Note:
~$740 upfront for the phone
- ~350 for selling the GS2
$9.99/m for the line
$7.50/m for unlimited MEdia net (if I can pull it off)
= 809.76 over 24 months.
Somewhat similar pricing at the end, but I think it comes down to whether or not I can get the media net plan. If I cant, the price difference will be pretty huge.
Questions:
Is the media net trick confirmed enough for me to be confident in pulling it off?
If not, is it really worth the extra for this awesome piece of "kit"?
I am coming from a tiny screen dumbphone, so anything is great.
As always, thanks will be given to helpful posts.
You guys rock!

DCSRM said:
Questions:
Is the media net trick confirmed enough for me to be confident in pulling it off?
If not, is it really worth the extra for this awesome piece of "kit"?
I am coming from a tiny screen dumbphone, so anything is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you are in the US, Medianet works. There's no guarantee it'll work forever, as AT&T does notice you swapped phones.
Is it worth it? Going from a tiny dumbphone? I think your head will explode in awesomeness.
S2 is a better one handed phone, and is smaller. It's also smoother, as it's been fine tuned over time.
IMHO The Note smokes the S2 (and every other phone) in every single other category that counts. Stylus is the gimmick, but it's the 5.3" screen that is the biggest deal. GPS rules, battery life is wonderful. What more can you ask for?
The Note is a brand new device so it has the typical problems that will go away in time:
1) Not a whole lot of accessories
2) It needs some more OS updates to smooth things out (right now the S2 is less laggy, but that will change soon enough)
Normally I'd say, 'think about what you do the most, and pick a device that does that the best'. You are entering a whole new world with smartphones, though.
The only turn offs for the Note is the size (it's not a one hander) and price.
Call quality is OK - not that exciting.
For how I use a phone, the Note is very close to perfect for me.
- Frank

i got an hd2...now that i bought the note am finding the note is the awesome size i want...the screen is amazing...web browsing nvr felt better to browse during lectures...smooth enough for me...i agree it's not a one hander...it will suck to use it while driving...but other then that am enjoying every bit of it

Daaaaam Just picked up an i1900 for the wife and now I see this.

I need to keep up. Just picked up a used i9100 for the wife here on XDA last week. I could have given my i9100 to her and bought this. Now I want it and already we have 2 i9100s. I am hesitant to sell mine because it would make a great back up although it would go far to bring down the initial cost.
We are upgrade ready at ATT but I don't want a Carrier device and don't want to blow my upgrades on phones that won't bring a premium like we got with a couple of iPhone 3GS before they went to all the carriers.
Since we don't have LTE here and it's not expected until 2013 we are on the UL data dumb phone 3G+ plans. We use over 200MB but well under 2 GB a month so I did not want to pay $30 each for data. $10 each is great and offsets the cost of the devices as well.
That said the Dell streak failed but somehow I think the Note will be the device to have for those of us who want a bigger screen and a tablet but don't to carry around a bevy of technology.

Edit your Subject .. "i1900"

You are missing a lot by not getting the GNote,I also kept my HD2 for backup,but I'm afraid the battery will totally run out flat dead since its never been used for over six Weeks now.
My wife thinks my lifespan will be extended at least by couple of years after buying this gadget!!!.

Get the Galaxy Note or wait for Note 2?

Hi folks,
My contract expires this month and I'm thinking the Galaxy Note is for me. However, I noticed recently that Samsung are hinting at a possible october (EU) release date for the Note 2. I also noticed that there is a good chance it will look similar to the S3, a design which I really do detest, it reminds me of a bar of soap, not to mention it will mean a fair amount of waiting time. But is it really that much different to the original note in terms of power?
I've probably already answered my question here, but what are your thoughts? Anyone else thinking the same?

Seeing there are no specs for a note 2 only assumptions based on the s3 at a larger size how can anyone answer your question.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

that we don't know really what the Note 2 will look like or anything else until samsung leaks some infos. Your decision is one of the most easy - if you are eager to get a large screen phone and don't want to wait, go for the Note but if you want the most powerful phone in the Samsung lineup, go for the S3. Personally, the large screen of the Note is worth every money especially if you browse the internet a lot but the design of the S3 is also appealing and you will certainly look cool if you own a recently released device - people will think that this person has a lot of cash to be able to afford such expensive device...haha...lol

I recommend you to hold on, don't buy any Note and keep waiting for Note 4S+.
That will definitely far more advance than the GT-N7000 Note!
Sent from my GT-N7000

LowDef said:
I recommend you to hold on, don't buy any Note and keep waiting for Note 4S+.
That will definitely far more advance than the GT-N7000 Note!
Sent from my GT-N7000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto
The Note is last year's tech. Hold off especially if you are getting locked in for 2 years.

Wait for it, use a dumb phone in the meantime.
The GNote is not maintained by Samsung anymore (LPY bug and Screen Issues).

Wow are we getting GN2?
When?
What is the spec?
However, if you want to wait for GN2 you might need to wait more than a year

tannykim said:
Wow are we getting GN2?
When?
What is the spec?
However, if you want to wait for GN2 you might need to wait more than a year
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard Oct 2012. Sorry to be lazy to quote any source, but try googling and see.
I vote to get the S3 Korean version which is Quad Core +2GB of RAM.
Anyway, I think you can sell the S3 without much loss. The resale value should be quite strong?

in your place i would take note and later get note 2, sell note 1 ;D

If they would bring out a note 2 that had the exact same design I'd do it, I really can't get on board with the S3 design though, hate those curves. It really is as if it was designed by their team of lawyers despite what they might say!

I'd get one if i were you. We don't even know for sure that there will be Note 2 - not to mention when.
Not to mention the fact that Note 2 - obviously - will be better, but Note 1 already has everything you would possibly need at the moment.
About Samsung not supporting Note anymore - no offense but that's quite "curious" opinion. We just had 4.0 update, how is that not supporting ? Ok, there are bugs and serious problems but give them time to fix them, don't expect updates after 2 weeks - this is not Apple ( 1 good thing about them i guess ).
Anyway, who cares about Samsung's support if there's CM9
"If they would bring out a note 2 that had the exact same design I'd do it, I really can't get on board with the S3 design though, hate those curves. It really is as if it was designed by their team of lawyers despite what they might say!"
I'm afraid Note 2 might share the "nature-pebblish" design of the S3...

Second good this about apple, and second reason why you OP should wait for GNote 2: http://techpp.com/2011/10/27/sorry-state-of-android-updates-support-infographic/

It's not for everyone but what I usually do (because I am an update freak) is to buy a second hand phone for a good price. Use it until the launch of the new note. And then sell it back for about the same price.
If you do it right you can always have the last technology without spending that much money. The secret is to sell before the new model comes. And to buy after all the first hype is over. It works...

I think if I would personally get the S3 then sells it when the Note2 is out. The S3 resale value will be much higher than the Note 1.

IMO go for the note. You can always trade it in for note 2 when it comes.. S3 isnt worth it. I prefer note to s3 anyday!!!
but if you have a lock in.. then better to wait it out!!

The Note is the most useful/useable phone right now, the Note2 is just an idea still. Get a Note and swap to Note2 later.
Sent from my GT-N7000

If you are in US then you have a good 7 to 8 months with Anerican Note..Go for it...
I think I am the only one who likes the new s3 design...it feels so nice & rounded in the hand...
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

What about buying second-hand Note and resell it when Note2 out? That way you won't lose much money and by the mean time you'll know if the note fit you or not.

I'm gonna buy the phone outright from Amazon, so if I change my mind 4 months down the line, I could just return it for the full price I paid (say it's faulty or something, or I don't like it)and then put the rest towards a note 2, couldn't I?

I think Amazon does that just for 30 days .
It would be cool though, as I did buy mine from Amazon, as the price of it new was almost the same as the second hand devices were selling on eBay (crazy).
The price of a Note now is about 430 euros, and the new Note II should start at 650-750 euros, so maybe even if the Note II was out you would have to spend almost 50% more to get one.
If you are getting it for free by staying in a contract, than it might be worth the wait, but otherwise you need to do the calculations.
For me, after I got my Note, and I am with it for just a few weeks I can say that all the news about the bricks, horrible ICS update (slow and without some nice features like the widget preview) and the lack of Samsung to acknowledge that there is a problem and that they are working on it, is making me seriously consider the return of my new toy.
The screen and size are OK for me, but the fact that SG3 is all smooth and nice and G.Note users are left with a buggy and slow OS, when most of us spent way over 450 euros (over 560 USD) on it, is making me mad. Now with the new tool from Chainfire I have discovered that my eMMC chip has the bug that Samsung doesn't want to acknowledge.
Finally the bug that prevents my Note to go into deepsleep, and consumes the battery incredibly fast for idle (about 6%/h) is just unbelievable.
Well I'm sorry for this feedback, but if Samsung does not do something soon, I'll might be searching for a cheap 2nd hand smartphone to let me by until I make my mind on what to buy.