HTC First - Is it worth it?

[jrb363]

Just for kicks I spent some time with the HTC First earlier today after using the HTC One. The comparison is not pretty. I realize that the First is targeted towards a totally different market, however the performance gap was laughable. The camera was very sub-standard and while there wasn't much lag in operating the phone it was definitely slow enough while multitasking to be notable. The Facebook skin is ridiculous. I'm not a big facebook/twitter guy personally but the skin was probably the most useless 'function' I have ever seen on a phone.

Personally, I would quickly disable it and move initiate stock Android on the phone. While running stock (after I was able to disable the Facebook skin) the phone picked up the pace and it was able to do a respectable job. However having the option to pay an extra $100 for the One you receive:
- The aluminum build quality of the One
- Double the basic storage (32 GB vs 16 GB)
- Double the ram (2GB vs 1 GB)
- A higher dpi with a larger screen on the One
- Better viewing angles on the One
- Stereo sound
- A quad-core processor at a higher clock

Anybody who would purchase the First over the One is either a dumb teenager or didn't bother to look around the store and consider other options.

 

[gameaddict8]

Stock android and sd slot

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[Alex Dobie]

The First doesn't have an SD card slot as far as I know.... and there are better options for a stock Android phone.

 

[gameaddict8]

The First doesn't have an SD card slot as far as I know.... and there are better options for a stock Android phone.

I must have read it wrong.

Any chance htc releases more stock devices?

Sent from my EVO LTE using Android Central Forums

 

[JRDroid]

People who would like the HTC First:

1. Someone who only has $100 to spend on a phone. The One may be worth the extra $100, but if you don't have $200 you don't have $200
2. People who use Facebook prolifically. There are people, many of them, to whom "getting on the internet" means "getting on Facebook". I live with one. I showed her Facebook Home. She was amazed and asked if she could get it on her iPhone.
3. People who are sick of the iPhone but still want a dead simple interface.
4. People who want stock android on a screen that is usable with one hand without rooting/flashing their phone. (4.7" is not one hand usable for many people. If it is for you great, but you aren't everyone.)

Are there better choices, maybe. Probably even. Is the First a bad choice if you fit one of those categories? No. If you fit more than one, it may even be a good choice.

 

[return_0]

People who would like the HTC First:

1. Someone who only has $100 to spend on a phone. The One may be worth the extra $100, but if you don't have $200 you don't have $200

Galaxy S3. One X. Heck, Lumia 920.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I'd rather have a root canal through my anus than Facebook on my phone, but that's just me.

 

[enik]

Lol I feel like this phone will get zero love.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

 

[return_0]

Lol I feel like this phone will get zero love.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

I wonder why? Lol

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[OMGr8573]

Lol I feel like this phone will get zero love.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

And I think it's a shame. It might not be the most powerful phone but it is still a very nice phone for $99. As the other person pointed out not everyone can afford $200 for a phone.

People keeps bringing up "Oh, gives Facebook another way to steal your info!" Bull, people throw that out there as often as they can while ignoring it's been said Google does the same. So if you feel that way then maybe you shouldn't use a phone made by Google.

Also the whole "Yeah, enjoy having ads all over you phone with Facebook Home!!!" Huh, there is no ads on it, for one people would throw a fit and two I highly doubt companies like AT&T would allow that. Facebook Home shows off your friends posts and photos, that it, no ads at all.

People were bashing Facebook Home before it was even released. They had no real idea on what it was like and already was bashing it, all because it's Facebook. Should try something before bashing it. Facebook Home isn't perfect but I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that they said it was going to get monthly updates. So we will see just where it goes and if it keeps getting better.

 

[return_0]

Also the whole "Yeah, enjoy having ads all over you phone with Facebook Home!!!" Huh, there is no ads on it, for one people would throw a fit and two I highly doubt companies like AT&T would allow that. Facebook Home shows off your friends posts and photos, that it, no ads at all.

Check your sources. Facebook has officially said there would be ads on Facebook Home.

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[OMGr8573]

Check your sources. Facebook has officially said there would be ads on Facebook Home.

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

Even if they do add them later it's suppose to look like any other Cover Feed. Plus how will places like AT&T and Verizon feel about that? Also I'm sure if they slap up ads and it pisses people off and they stop using Facebook Home... Facebook will remove the ads or do something different with them to get people using it again. I doubt they'd let it die if they really want Facebook Home to take off and be a huge hit.

 

[KoukiFC3S]

The ads will be from the companies you follow on FB.

The First seems like a great phone for the casual user. It has very good ergonomics and when that person is tired of FB home, it's very easy to switch to the stock android launcher.

I saw that you can even keep the FB Home lockscreen while using the stock launcher. Combine that with chat heads, and I think that the First would be a very nice device to use.

 

[CreeperCode]

I tried the First for a couple days. It was good and bad.

Good:
-Size. Such a perfect size for a phone. I loved it. I really want a high end phone in this size. Imagine the One with a 4.3" screen...drool...
-Screen: Beautiful screen for being a mid-range phone
-Sound: Great speakers on this thing. Very loud for such a small phone.
-Stock: The option to turn off Facebook Home is a nice touch
-Build quality: Great build quality. Smooth edges throughout and is a pleasure to hold

Bad:
-Facebook Home: I tried running Facebook Home as my main skin and it is not pretty. It actually made me want to go into my Facebook feed and stop following certain peoples News updates, which I did. However, this does not disable the posts from showing up in Facebook Home! Big no no! Also, it displays the same posts waaaaaay too much. I simply got sick of looking through Home because I saw half the posts five minutes earlier.
-Specs: mid-range specs and it feels like it. Phone chugs quite a bit, especially when chat heads open and closes for some reason
-Stock: Sure it's stock but you won't get the updates like the Nexus line. Plus I read that HTC is being moot on whether or not they are going to update it
-Future: Zuckerterd said they are going to put ads into Facebook Home at some point, and my prediction is they will prevent people from being able to disable Home in a future update (when Home gets a few substantial updates to give it more, useful functionality).

All-in-all, a pretty average phone when everything weighs out. I promptly returned it and pre-ordered my HTC One.

 

[darkoman4]

The phone is actually too expensive. $299 without contract and it would be good deal. And they would sell a lot. The heck, I would get one for stock experience, and LTE speeds.

 

[return_0]

$299 without contract

You can get an N4 for the same price and a GNex for even less. Both are better phones IMO.

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[KoukiFC3S]

The phone is actually too expensive. $299 without contract and it would be good deal. And they would sell a lot. The heck, I would get one for stock experience, and LTE speeds.

I doubt they expect to sell many at full price. For AT&T, subsidized sales is where its at.

Sent from my SCH-I415 using Tapatalk 2

 

[superscientific]

I bought mine off of Ebay for 250$ brand new. I am seriously impressed with this phone. Yes it doesn't compare to the flagship devices today but it is a awesome size, really good screen, good build quality and stock Android is a huge plus. It does lag sometimes due to the 1GB of memory but most people would be just fine using this as a daily driver. I use Facebook Home as my lock screen but as soon as I hit the home button it is on stock Android. Best of both worlds.

 

[KoukiFC3S]

I bought mine off of Ebay for 250$ brand new. I am seriously impressed with this phone. Yes it doesn't compare to the flagship devices today but it is a awesome size, really good screen, good build quality and stock Android is a huge plus. It does lag sometimes due to the 1GB of memory but most people would be just fine using this as a daily driver. I use Facebook Home as my lock screen but as soon as I hit the home button it is on stock Android. Best of both worlds.

How's your battery life? The processor is very comparable to the Snapdragon S4 in performance right?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Lol I feel like this phone will get zero love.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

And how many more "Likes"???...lol

One thing about the phone I am curious about is with the news feed and posts that Home is supposed to update fairly frequently, how is the battery life and data rates (on tiered plans) going to be? If Home updates, say, once every couple hours, that may add up to a significant data transfer over the course of a billing cycle.