Fascinate or Incredible 2, Charge, or wait?

**DolfanCole** · 05-06-2011, 08:14 AM

My wife is due to upgrade (has been for some time). She's been sporting an LG Dare (which she loves), but she's ready to move to her first smartphone. I've been pointing her to the Android line as opposed to the iPhone. I'm due to upgrade as well and have been doing quite a bit of research, albeit for phones that would suit me, and Andriod is the direction I'm going.

With that, looking at the devices that are out now, she likes both the Fascinate and Incredible 2, and is probably leaning towards the Fascinate. But, that's based on what's out now. Obviously the Charge will be out soon, and the Revolution is in the not-to-distant future. But before we upgraded, I wanted to get some opinions and help from the community on which way to go -- Fascinate, Incredible 2, Charge, or wait for something like the Galaxy S II, Revolution, or Bionic.

As far as use, she will use it mostly for email, Facebook, probably some light to moderate web browsing, navigation. She's not going to be playing games, watching movies, or other similar CPU-intensive operations. Features that she's looking for also are (in somewhat priority order):

Display brightness, and the ability to view outside
Battery life, must last all day
Size, the smaller and thinner, the better
Ease of use

She's not like me in needing the latest and greatest updates. She's not going to be loading custom ROMs (unless I do it for her

). We're also not in a 4G/LTE area, and don't plan to be this year. Although, I'm probably leaning towards a 4G phone for me when I upgrade. So maybe just having one between the two of us will be sufficient, particularly since my usage is much more data intensive than hers.

She doesn't seem to have a preference of 4-in to 4.3-in display -- it's the overall size of the device that she's looking at. And surprisingly to me, the Fascinate is a rather large 4-in device. The Thunderbolt is almost the same size, but has a 4.3-in screen.

Based on her criteria, the Fascinate fits the bill quite nicely. And after hands-on with both the Fascinate and Incredible 2, she seems to like the Fascinate better (really likes the display). But, I'm one that likes to have the latest and greatest, particularly if I'm signing a 2-year contract. So, that makes me a little hesitant with the Fascinate.

What I'm thinking right now is to at least wait until the Charge hits to see how it compares. I'm anticipating that the screen will be even better. But, the overall size of it may be something she doesn't care for. And if we can wait until the Revolution hits, it'll give one more device to look at (although I don't see it really being a contender).

Anyway, I hoped I laid out most the issues that we've been bouncing around. Any helpful information or opinions on which direction we should go would be greatly appreciated. One reason I'm posting in this forum to get also some advice and opinion from Fascinate owners and whether they would jump to any of these new devices.

**Chris Kerrigan** · 05-06-2011, 08:35 AM

I definitely think waiting a bit longer (for the Charge in your example) is the best idea. I still have, and love very much my Fascinate, but it's been on the market for a while now and as we all know, it doesn't take long before these devices become "old news".

Now, that's not taking anything away from the Fascinate, as I think it's still a very capable and excellent choice for Smartphone buyers on Verizon. In terms of what she's going to be using it for, it should work just fine. The Fascinate is pretty darn thin, and from my *personal* experience, the battery life has been great. I get through a whole day with usually around 30% life remaining.

With that being said, I can't really speak for the Inc 2. From my personal experience, battery life has never been the strong point of HTC devices, and I've always found difficulties getting through an entire day on one charge. Again, people have said the same thing about the Fascinate as well, so take that with a grain of salt. In terms of the screen, it's just about as good as it gets on the Fascinate. It's bright, it's vibrant, and the color depth is amazing. I can sit here and gloat all day about Super AMOLED, but the bottom line is it's beautiful.

**DolfanCole** · 05-06-2011, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by Chris Kerrigan

I definitely think waiting a bit longer (for the Charge in your example) is the best idea. I still have, and love very much my Fascinate, but it's been on the market for a while now and as we all know, it doesn't take long before these devices become "old news".

Now, that's not taking anything away from the Fascinate, as I think it's still a very capable and excellent choice for Smartphone buyers on Verizon. In terms of what she's going to be using it for, it should work just fine. The Fascinate is pretty darn thin, and from my *personal* experience, the battery life has been great. I get through a whole day with usually around 30% life remaining.

With that being said, I can't really speak for the Inc 2. From my personal experience, battery life has never been the strong point of HTC devices, and I've always found difficulties getting through an entire day on one charge. Again, people have said the same thing about the Fascinate as well, so take that with a grain of salt. In terms of the screen, it's just about as good as it gets on the Fascinate. It's bright, it's vibrant, and the color depth is amazing. I can sit here and gloat all day about Super AMOLED, but the bottom line is it's beautiful.

Thanks Chris. The SAMOLED screen is beautiful. No doubt. She looked at both the Fascinate and Incredible 2 yesterday at the Verizon store and just couldn't stop talking about the display. It was just so much more vibrant than anything else there, and in her case, that's a big thing she's looking for.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to see how the SAMOLED+ screen on the Charge looks in comparison. My feeling though is that the Charge may grow to be a bit large for her preferences. But, we'll see. Maybe some sacrifice on one hand to get something else.

In addition to the increase in size though for the Charge, there's no bump on CPU, which is surprising (and somewhat disappointing). I think too though that the speed will be sufficient, particularly with what she plans on using if for. It's just the "techie" in me hates to get months old technology.

**NickA** · 05-06-2011, 09:26 AM

I think if you wait for the Bionic or Revolution then you'll be waiting for the next best thing after that. That's what I do anyway, but everyone wants the latest/greatest.

My girlfriend had the Voyager when the Fascinate came out. She wanted to make the jump to a smartphone, and was concerned about the size of the phones though (and not having a physical keyboard). She ended up with a Droid X and really likes it. The size of it didn't bother her. She does admit my Fascinate has a great looking screen, especially compared to hers.

So to her, size ended up not being a factor.

**DolfanCole** · 05-06-2011, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by NickA

I think if you wait for the Bionic or Revolution then you'll be waiting for the next best thing after that. That's what I do anyway, but everyone wants the latest/greatest.

That's what I've been doing.

We've both been eligible to upgrade since August of last year. I had my sights set on the Bionic, and then the whole cancellation/redesign fiasco. I'm probably going to still hold out for it or possibly the Galaxy S2 if we get any positive word on if/when it's coming to Verizon. The Galaxy S2 just looks like an incredible device, and it can't come soon enough.

Originally Posted by NickA

My girlfriend had the Voyager when the Fascinate came out. She wanted to make the jump to a smartphone, and was concerned about the size of the phones though (and not having a physical keyboard). She ended up with a Droid X and really likes it. The size of it didn't bother her. She does admit my Fascinate has a great looking screen, especially compared to hers.

So to her, size ended up not being a factor.

So size doesn't matter.

On a serious note, that's rather interesting. My wife seems to be drawn more to the smaller, thinner devices, but maybe she could grow to like something like the Charge. And I still find it interesting that many of the 4.3-in devices are really not too much larger than the Fascinate is. What I'm fearing is that she might like the form factor of the Revolution, but the screen of the Charge, and then we've got even more issues.

**jjcasillas15** · 05-06-2011, 10:30 AM

I totally agree on the SG2... Have an upgrade coming up soon but gonna hold off and see if Verizon is getting SG2. Love my Fascinate in the mean time.

**lpt2569** · 05-06-2011, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by jjcasillas15

I totally agree on the SG2... Have an upgrade coming up soon but gonna hold off and see if Verizon is getting SG2. Love my Fascinate in the mean time.

+1

My wife and I got Fascinates in February, and LOVE them. We both had Blackberry's before that. My wife is happy with her device just as it is (we added Launcher Pro and a few other things to dress it up a bit), but I'm already itching to root and can't stop drooling over the SG2. We are locked in for awhile now with our Fascinates, but I still wouldn't trade it for any other device on the market at this point in time.

**NickA** · 05-06-2011, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by DolfanCole

So size doesn't matter.

I left that one wide open

Originally Posted by DolfanCole

On a serious note, that's rather interesting. My wife seems to be drawn more to the smaller, thinner devices, but maybe she could grow to like something like the Charge. And I still find it interesting that many of the 4.3-in devices are really not too much larger than the Fascinate is. What I'm fearing is that she might like the form factor of the Revolution, but the screen of the Charge, and then we've got even more issues.

You know, she looked at the Incredible before the DX, and I thought for sure she would go for that one because of the size. But something really drew her to the DX. And as long as it fits in her purse she's happy.

**voghan** · 05-06-2011, 02:37 PM

This is for your wife? Get her the Fascinate. If she is technical or a geek, wait for the SG2 but otherwise she'll be better off with the Fascinate. It's an easier form factor and runs nice now that we have froyo.

**DolfanCole** · 05-06-2011, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by voghan

This is for your wife? Get her the Fascinate. If she is technical or a geek, wait for the SG2 but otherwise she'll be better off with the Fascinate. It's an easier form factor and runs nice now that we have froyo.

Yep, for the wife. She's not all into the latest and greatest. In fact, if they made a "Dare 2", she'd probably get that. Her Dare has been through quite a bit, including a trip in the porcelain throne. But, she loves it. If it wasn't on it's last leg (been limping along really since it took the dive), she'd keep it.

I'm probably the one holding her back on the Fascinate. And that's partly because I want to jump to Android so bad, but I'm waiting on the "latest and greatest". And in a way, I'm wanting her to get something for me to try out too.

**cfox10** · 05-07-2011, 01:10 AM

While the latest and greatest may be great, you don't want to get yourself locked into a contract with a phone that potentially has issues. You never know what issues a phone may have until months down the road. Given you're tech savvy, it shouldn't be that much of a problem though. The Fascinate has a great community, probably one of the best, and they are great with helping out. I'd only suggest the phone because it has features that work, and work well. The screen is great, form is great, and it's a quality device. If for some reason you run into problems with the phone becoming slow with updates/newer apps, grab the fascinate and throw one of the overclocked/undervolted kernels on and it will feel like a new phone again. The dev community here is wonderful, and have provided a lot for everyone. If you plan on keeping stock, remember it has bing search, and touchwiz. I'm quite sure you're fully aware already. Just something to think about. I have experience with the Droid Incredible, Eris, and Moto Droid, as well as the iPhone 4, and this phone is hands down the best one I've personally used. (after superclean, it got even better) Newer/better always sounds best on paper, but you have to prepare for real world issues. The phone should suit your wife well for the life of the contract, again, being able to load up an overclocked kernel may really benefit in the future, but it's unlikely she'll need it.

Hope I helped, or...made the decision harder?

**Chris Kerrigan** · 05-07-2011, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by DolfanCole

Yep, for the wife. She's not all into the latest and greatest. In fact, if they made a "Dare 2", she'd probably get that. Her Dare has been through quite a bit, including a trip in the porcelain throne. But, she loves it. If it wasn't on it's last leg (been limping along really since it took the dive), she'd keep it.

I'm probably the one holding her back on the Fascinate. And that's partly because I want to jump to Android so bad, but I'm waiting on the "latest and greatest". And in a way, I'm wanting her to get something for me to try out too.

That's a never ending battle my friend -- you'll be searching for the latest and greatest until the day you die, LOL.

**DolfanCole** · 05-08-2011, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Chris Kerrigan

That's a never ending battle my friend -- you'll be searching for the latest and greatest until the day you die, LOL.

I hear ya. And as far as phone tech goes, it seems to be speeding up rapidly, which makes it even worse. I had actually set my sight on the Bionic after CES, and said that's when I'll finally take the plunge and stop waiting (even Motorola said it was the "end of waiting"

). Only problem is the Bionic had problems and now I'm stuck waiting again. So much for that. For me though, I'm pretty set on getting either the "new" Bionic or the GS2 if it comes this summer. Either way, I see me upgrading before the summer is out.

My wife keeps talking about the Fascinate though. I think she's starting to like it even more as the days go by. She's not real interested in the Charge, mainly due to form factor. And she doesn't want to wait until the GS2. And she doesn't want to pay much for the phone either. She's not used to the smartphone prices, and right now we can get the Fascinate for $50 at Costco with some good free accessories. Don't know if I can hold her off too much longer.

**Sheepdog Elite** · 05-08-2011, 09:31 AM

Go ahead and get her a fascinate. They're brilliant! Costco right now is selling them with the car dock, desk dock, spare battery and charging stand for $50 in some areas. Touchwiz is relatively easy to run, and this phone rocks. If she's not picky it will be a great phone for her, especially in the price bracket. Costco.com has them too, and I've been told you don't need to be a member to order off the web site.

**lpt2569** · 05-08-2011, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by DolfanCole

She's not used to the smartphone prices, and right now we can get the Fascinate for $50 at Costco with some good free accessories. Don't know if I can hold her off too much longer.

I say pull the trigger on that deal before it disappears! That's a crazy good deal.

**zombiebot** · 05-08-2011, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Chris Kerrigan

That's a never ending battle my friend -- you'll be searching for the latest and greatest until the day you die, LOL.

I'm realizing the same thing. The Fascinate is nearly on par with most phones out there when you incorporate Voodoo and the many custom ROMs available. For only $50 to $100, it's a better deal than $200-$500 (depending on whether or not you make the full retail purchase). Not many people can afford to go and drop that kind of cash every 6-12 months.

I'm gonna continue with the Fascinate until my contract is up (Spring 2012), and by then there will be something that is leaps and bounds ahead of the GalaxyS2 or other currently new phones. By then, maybe a new Android OS will be out, Near Field Communications will be more widely incorporated, and 4G coverage will be more widespread.

Thats my reasoning.

**adjangs** · 05-08-2011, 04:26 PM

I got the fascinate for $0 at Bestbuy a few days ago, even the $35 activation fee was waived. That was more than enough reason to choose if over the Inc2 or Charge. I'm very happy with it overall, though the GPS chooses not to work sometimes (when it works it works perfectly, though).

**DolfanCole** · 05-08-2011, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by Sheepdog Elite

Go ahead and get her a fascinate. They're brilliant! Costco right now is selling them with the car dock, desk dock, spare battery and charging stand for $50 in some areas. Touchwiz is relatively easy to run, and this phone rocks. If she's not picky it will be a great phone for her, especially in the price bracket. Costco.com has them too, and I've been told you don't need to be a member to order off the web site.

Yeah, we were looking at Costco. We're members and were going to drop by the store to see if they carried them in the store. The website says "online only", and they only have the white version (she has no preference either way, so it's not a big deal). Unfortunately, things came up and we haven't been by yet, but plan on doing it soon. I hope they do have them in-store. If so, I think we'll be coming home with a new Fascinate.

**DolfanCole** · 05-10-2011, 01:29 PM

Well, I couldn't hold her off any longer. We bit the bullet and got the Fascinate for $50 from Costco today. It was the white one and came with a bunch of free accessories, including car charger, case, multimedia dock, extra battery, and vehicle navigation mount. Really couldn't pass up a very good deal. Thanks to all for your thoughts and input. I have a feeling I'll be more of a regular in the Fascinate forums. I do feel quite envious as she gets to have an Android phone before me!

**sushiguy732** · 05-10-2011, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by voghan

This is for your wife? Get her the Fascinate. If she is technical or a geek, wait for the SG2 but otherwise she'll be better off with the Fascinate. It's an easier form factor and runs nice now that we have froyo.

But he said that batter life is a factor and I am not getting good battery life at all. I have read all the power setting blogs and such and still no luck. With that being said, I LOVE my Fascinate and for the first time am not jonesing to get my "new every two".

**s14tat** · 05-10-2011, 04:55 PM

I have my screen cranked all the up to 11 with live wall paper and I still have 25-30% after 15 hours.

**piizzadude** · 05-10-2011, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by sushiguy732

But he said that batter life is a factor and I am not getting good battery life at all. I have read all the power setting blogs and such and still no luck. With that being said, I LOVE my Fascinate and for the first time am not jonesing to get my "new every two".

I am starting to wonder if your battery itself isnt crap somehow. I know you have been trying to improve it for awhile with nothing coming about....

**DolfanCole** · 05-11-2011, 07:50 AM

Speaking of battery ... we have no idea how well it lasts at this point since we haven't even had it a day yet. But, Costco threw in an extra battery and battery charger as free accessories. So, we can always have a charged battery to throw in it. That did sweeten the deal.

**experiment 626** · 05-11-2011, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by DolfanCole

Well, I couldn't hold her off any longer. We bit the bullet and got the Fascinate for $50 from Costco today. It was the white one and came with a bunch of free accessories, including car charger, case, multimedia dock, extra battery, and vehicle navigation mount. Really couldn't pass up a very good deal. Thanks to all for your thoughts and input. I have a feeling I'll be more of a regular in the Fascinate forums. I do feel quite envious as she gets to have an Android phone before me!

She got a great deal.The White Fascinate does look very stylish. How does she like it after Day 1?

**DolfanCole** · 05-11-2011, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by experiment626

She got a great deal.The White Fascinate does look very stylish. How does she like it after Day 1?

Hard to say. Between me and our two kids, she hasn't had much time to actually use it herself.

Seriously though, she does like it so far. It's taking quite a bit for her to get use to since it's her first smartphone. And with it also being the first Android device for either of us, I can't help her too much. I can actually see her teaching me when I finally get my first Android phone.