Switching - Iphone4 to Android - Which Phone to get?

[xisetile]

I'm looking for an Android phone with the following must-have qualities:

-Large Screen (Ideally 4.3 or larger, but larger than iphone 4 will suffice - this, along with texting reliability, is the main reason I'm switching)

-Battery Life (Needs to last at least as long as an iphone 4 does in terms of use; mainly browsing)

-Wi-Fi

-Reliability, especially with texting (Not sure if this is an issue with any andriod devices, but I need to be able to access websites during work hours to do legal research, so it's gotta be reliable. I've also had repeated and frustrating problems with iphone 4 with delayed texts, maybe 1 out of every 50 messgaes. I'm on at&t but with other phones never had a problem. I send out maybe 10-30 text messages a day while working for work purposes, so this is crucial)

Area's I'm willing to compromise:

- Price. As long as we're talking within reason (under $500), but I'm willing to go over if the phone is mind blowing - I don't care how much it costs.
- Replacement Extended Battery, or a Extended Battery Case - if there is a decent one that makes the life equaivalent or longer than iphone 4, and is reasonable in terms of fit, I don't mind using one. Size of the product is not a real issue as long as it fits in a medium to large 2 piece suit pant pockets (which are pretty large)

Nice extras I'd like to have but not a real big deal:

-Being able to watching Netflix
-Being able to out to HDMI/VGA
-Itunes (I have a lot of songs)
-Push Gmail OR active Gmail checking every 15 minutes

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Basically, at the very least, I want an android device with a larger screen than the iphone 4, but with an equavalient or longer battery life and that reliably sends and recieves texts.

I apologize for not searching forum, etc, reading any stickies, but I thought someone might be kind enough to point me in the right direction. 10 minutes of google research made it pretty clear that it was hard to compare screen sizes and battery life at a glance among the many android phones, especially considering that I'm willing to use an extended battery case.

Thanks in advance!

 

[valorian]

Do you want to stay with AT&T or are you willing to switch carriers?

 

[Devinator]

I think you're probably more likely to get an answer if you do some research and post some phones you are interested in. Include a poll asking which phone of the following would you get. I mean, there are a lot of phones out there. You might wanna cut through it and narrow it down for everyone.

And now I'll make my pitch. My X2 would probably meet most of your requirements.

4.3 inch screen.

Not sure how long your iPhone gets from it's battery, but, I'm a heavy user and can probably get through the day with one charge (though I don't since I work in an office and I charge it whenever I can).

I use my phone over WiFi all the time and stream media from my PC as well as browse the internet.

As far as texting goes, I use Google Voice and have zero issues with sending or receiving text messages.

I know you said money isn't a requirement, but, the X2 is free on Amazon right now and you can get stock or extended batteries for 6/16 bucks respectively. These batteries are "new" though. Haha. But, I have four and they all have decent battery life. Maybe 75% what I expect from a new battery. But for that price, can't beat it.

Amazon.com: Motorola DROID X2 Android Phone (Verizon Wireless): Cell Phones & Accessories

Amazon.com: This Battery is 1500 mAh.: Electronics

Amazon.com: Motorola OEM Droid X / MB810 Extended Battery BH6X: Cell Phones & Accessories

My phone fits fine in my pocket. I have a case on it and it's not that much bigger and fits easily in my pocket. Also, my girlfriend has an X2 as well and she is fine with it's size. Here is the case I have. Can score em off eBay with free shipping for five bucks, but, here is an amazon link, just to give one. Not the greatest case, but, it holds up and is cheap and when you drop and scratch it, you don't care. The accessories and batteries can all be cheap because they are the same as the original Droid X

Amazon.com: Motorola RF-WR701 Red Droid Snap On: Everything Else

I would assume I can watch Netflix on my phone, but, I don't, so, I have no idea.

X2 has HDMI out. I use it to stream wireless video from my PC to 50" Plasma.

I know there are apps out there that will sync iTunes to Android phones, but, don't know any of the top of my head since I don't use iTunes.

My phone tells me I have an email before my computer does, haha.

Unfortunately I feel like you are going to end up with a lot of these type of endorsements of this is my phone and it's the best unless you narrow it down. Maybe not though. I haven't kept up on the new phones much lately now that I have mine, but, when I bought mine about five months ago it was my favorite of all currently available 4.3 inch screens. And, coming in at free right now is a good selling point, IMO. But, I'm on Verizon, so, I didn't really check out any of the other carriers phones. So, sorry I couldn't give you here is the best phone advice. All I can give you is here is my experience with this phone and I've been extremely satisfied advice.

 

[srkmagnus]

I was about to ask about the carrier, too. There are good options on most carriers now. If you are on att, the galaxy s ll is the way to go.

 

[Devinator]

I was about to ask about the carrier, too. There are good options on most carriers now. If you are on att, the galaxy s ll is the way to go.

That's what I wanted when I thought it was going to Verizon. :'(

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

GSII not a bad choice on ATT.

 

[ronald600]

I'm looking for an Android phone with the following must-have qualities:

-Large Screen (Ideally 4.3 or larger, but larger than iphone 4 will suffice - this, along with texting reliability, is the main reason I'm switching)

-Battery Life (Needs to last at least as long as an iphone 4 does in terms of use; mainly browsing)

-Wi-Fi

-Reliability, especially with texting (Not sure if this is an issue with any andriod devices, but I need to be able to access websites during work hours to do legal research, so it's gotta be reliable. I've also had repeated and frustrating problems with iphone 4 with delayed texts, maybe 1 out of every 50 messgaes. I'm on at&t but with other phones never had a problem. I send out maybe 10-30 text messages a day while working for work purposes, so this is crucial)

Area's I'm willing to compromise:

- Price. As long as we're talking within reason (under $500), but I'm willing to go over if the phone is mind blowing - I don't care how much it costs.
- Replacement Extended Battery, or a Extended Battery Case - if there is a decent one that makes the life equaivalent or longer than iphone 4, and is reasonable in terms of fit, I don't mind using one. Size of the product is not a real issue as long as it fits in a medium to large 2 piece suit pant pockets (which are pretty large)

Nice extras I'd like to have but not a real big deal:

-Being able to watching Netflix
-Being able to out to HDMI/VGA
-Itunes (I have a lot of songs)
-Push Gmail OR active Gmail checking every 15 minutes

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Basically, at the very least, I want an android device with a larger screen than the iphone 4, but with an equavalient or longer battery life and that reliably sends and recieves texts.

I apologize for not searching forum, etc, reading any stickies, but I thought someone might be kind enough to point me in the right direction. 10 minutes of google research made it pretty clear that it was hard to compare screen sizes and battery life at a glance among the many android phones, especially considering that I'm willing to use an extended battery case.

Thanks in advance!

It sounds like you want a business phone
I would suggest the Motorola Photon
(SPrint) or whatever it is on the other carriers, Attrix, Bionic, Electrify)

It has the security to keep I.T. enterprise people happy.
It has the longest battery life
It is a world phone(meaning you can use it outside the lower 48)
It has a large screen
It has an hdmi port
It has a dock
It has webtop

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

It sounds like you want a business phone
I would suggest the Motorola Photon
(SPrint) or whatever it is on the other carriers, Attrix, Bionic, Electrify)

It has the security to keep I.T. enterprise people happy.
It has the longest battery life
It is a world phone(meaning you can use it outside the lower 48)
It has a large screen
It has an hdmi port
It has a dock
It has webtop

Also not a bad decision. My mom loves her photon... haven't really played with it much, but it was smooth.

 

[xisetile]

Willing to switch carriers.

Looking at reviews on the Photon. Seems to be pretty nice. Looking into the battery life on GSII.

 

[Chex313]

My wife needs a larger screen then her iPhone 3GS so we are in the same situation...I was going to wait till next week to see the new Samsung Nexus. That's been delayed so after checking out the Galaxy S2 that looks like what we will go with.

It should meet all your needs. Netflix App on Android does not work as well as ios's version but its there. You can use the free app Doubletwist to move your music and podcasts from iTunes to your Android phone. They will all be in music so if you use Podcasts put them in a playlist folder so you can find them.

 

[Kekoh]

If battely life is a big thing for you, the Galaxy S2 has very good battery life, and it can be tweaked to last even longer. Gmail sync, texting, phone speed, wifi should all be reliable on the S2. It is the best phone out on AT&T right now, my highest recommendation. The screen is awesome too. I haven't had enough time on an iPhone to compare them.

Texting seems to be a big point for you, Android delivers. Texting is awesome on Android, as you can pick what keyboard you like best, and there are alot of good options.

These 2 are GREAT for texting, and they both suit different needs. Swype is great for simple, easy, and fast texting. SwiftKey you can type a little faster, but its not as easy as swype.

-Swype
-SwiftKey X



The Galaxy S2 is now on Sprint, TMobile, and AT&T. The Tmobile one has a different processor, and the Sprint version is the only one with LED notifiactions - a HUGE plus for those who would use it alot for texts, emails, etc. This is a big feature for me at my work. You came from the iPhone, so maybe it won't bug you though. Sprint has some good plans too.

If money is really not an issue for you (under $500 is more than enough) then I would get one of the top phones on the market.

Other phones that probably kick ass:

TMobile HTC Amaze 4G
VZW Droid Bionic

 

[Small_law]

The SG2 sounds great, but I recommend holding out for the new Nexus device. To get a good impression of what Android is, I think the vanilla experience is the way to go. And if the rumored specs hold true, it will fulfill your needs.

 

[TechTinker]

Samsung Galaxy S2 (Like the android IPhone (not comparing at all..) )
Samsung Nexus Prime (Pure Android Experience)

or If you can wait a few months or so, and you want a business type phone

The Motorola Dinara or I guess the Photon is good too.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

My wife needs a larger screen then her iPhone 3GS so we are in the same situation...I was going to wait till next week to see the new Samsung Nexus. That's been delayed so after checking out the Galaxy S2 that looks like what we will go with.

It should meet all your needs. Netflix App on Android does not work as well as ios's version but its there. You can use the free app Doubletwist to move your music and podcasts from iTunes to your Android phone. They will all be in music so if you use Podcasts put them in a playlist folder so you can find them.

Google Music Beta puts the music in a cloud... 0 SD card storage for music. 1 less thing to was space on an android device. Songs stream from the cloud and if you make a playlist, the songs are downloaded into cache and have seamless transition (ie. no buffering). I have a feeling Google will soon try to tackle iTunes as this is the real thing missing from the store. If you go to the music website, you can add some songs there.

 

[DANNCAS]

If you with ATT why switch. WHO WANTS OLD technology TNDM or CDMA. not use in most of the world. CDMA and TDMA Would not even work in the middle east where the phones kick butt.
Just got the Samsung Galaxy s2 its fast 1.2 gig over getting over 1 gig of download speed ant thats not using wifi. the htc inspire has been a great phone all so. less money

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

If you with ATT why switch. WHO WANTS OLD technology TNDM or CDMA. not use in most of the world. CDMA and TDMA Would not even work in the middle east where the phones kick butt.
Just got the Samsung Galaxy s2 its fast 1.2 gig over getting over 1 gig of download speed ant thats not using wifi. the htc inspire has been a great phone all so. less money

I think you mean 1.2Mbps download? or you're talking about the processor speed... If you are talking about the download speed... that's pretty pathetic. If you're talking about the processor speed... then you are talking about the new standard. In the end, you could have the fastest processor in the world... if your UI doesn't match well, you're going to have a bad experience. Sense, and the former Touchwiz have been hogs and really cripple the smoothness of stock android. Been on CM7 on my phone and couldn't be happier.