Switching from Palm on Sprint - what is the best phone?

[Starfinder]

I currently have a Palm Pre on Sprint. I am due for a replacement and it looks like a Pre 3 won't be available on Sprint so it looks like I might jump ship to a droid phone. I would have likely jumped last month for the 3d, however, I found it gimmicky and want to hold out for a better camera.

I am now considering the Photon and the GSII.

I am concerned with the GS2 because I heard that Samsung has a bad history with updating their OS. I have also heard that Motorola has a spotty support history.

I would like be able to use the phone as a hotspot (I guess this would require rooting?), watch Netflix, gmail (synch email & calendar), web browser, picture and video, navigation, Sprintv, games for my 6 year old.

I do not travel internationally frequently so the world option doesn't matter for my purposes.

Any suggestions?

 

[sndplace]

Yes Sammy has had some updating problems but they have done a decent job at trying and working with the dev community.
Moto from what I have gathered just like any phone maker has their pros and cons. The Photon looks to be a solid device and even though you don't need it it is going to be a world phone. Just in case you decide to leave the country unexpectedly lol.

Coming from a Pre, Are you ready for a touch screen? I know i wanted to get the Evo when it first came out but opted for the Epic mainly cause it was a Sammy phone and had a keyboard. But if your ready for it good luck. I myself am waiting for them to come out . I don't feel the same about them as I did when the Evo and Epic came out. I was torn between them and ended with a winner IMO.

Unless the Photon or next Nexus phone super great I am leaning on the GSII.
Touchwiz is not that horrible of a skin but you can always swap out and try others in the market.

I was happy when i left the Pre. I loved it and webos. But the take over by HP and the lack of a new phone turned my off. (Thank you Sprint for the Premier status lol ) And now I AMdroid ...

Which ever one you choose enjoy and you have 30 days to test it out ( again Sprint thanks) ...
Good luck.

 

[Jalarm]

I say get the EVO 3D, I think either that or the sensation is the best phone out right now.

 

[Bujin#IM]

If the hotspot feature is important, then I'd suggest the Nexus S 4G. It can be used as a wireless hotspot for free without root, and you can watch both Netflix and Hulu+. It may not be dual core as the EVO 3D, but it doesn't lack for power or features, and you'll always have the most updated OS.

 

[russeltraut]

Hey, there are many options available. I know it is an android forum that is why i won't recommend iphone 5. Did you see motorola droid charge ? it is a very nice phone.

 

[justinsaneeeee]

Id say wait for the SGS2 because the grafix and processor is going to the best I had the HTC evo 3D but I returned it because im waiting for the SGS2. The UI is awesome for the EVO3D but display camera and hardware is amazing on the SGS2 so I have heard. Photon ehh no lol.

 

[Officerpolabear]

Hey, there are many options available. I know it is an android forum that is why i won't recommend iphone 5. Did you see motorola droid charge ? it is a very nice phone.

Don't you mean the Samsung Droid Charge? Either way, that's on Verizon so it wouldn't help OP.

 

[huix0018]

I'd say EVO 3D. The camera is gimmicky but Sprint has the 30 day trial. Try it out, you probably will love it.

 

[RBrown9180]

All three of the big phones (e3d, photon and gs2) will be able to do what you want without issues. I personally think the gs2 will be the best of the three and the e3d being the worst. The gs2 will be the best of the three for movies and games due to its processor and super amoled plus display. You will hear people talk that qhd display that the evo and photon have are superior cause of resolution. Totally false. The resolution is higher but the Samsung display is much much nicer when actually looking at them side by side. Samsung does have major issues with updates. Anyone who says otherwise clearly hasn't dealt with it first hand. If you are willing to root and install custom themes and roms then that won't concern you. But the fact of the matter is, most people dont root their phone. IMHO the photon is geared towards business users mostly, the gs2 towards multimedia users and the evo for people who like pretty weather animations

 

[Jalarm]

Id say wait for the SGS2 because the grafix and processor is going to the best I had the HTC evo 3D but I returned it because im waiting for the SGS2. The UI is awesome for the EVO3D but display camera and hardware is amazing on the SGS2 so I have heard. Photon ehh no lol.

The hardware is as only good as the software, and touchwiz is not very good.

 

[DanPLC]

I switched from the Pre to the Evo 3D and love it. Very solid build, super fast, and great screen size.

 

[ToddK]

My 2?… After much research, I've settled on the Motorola Photon over the EVO 3D, I like the extra memory, a full 1gig ram, 16gigs onboard storage, and microSD up to 32gigs, the Tegra2, GSM (world phone), and 8mp camera, DNLA streaming, as well as the home and car docking options motorola offers for the Photon.

The only con for me are the VGA front camera, (could be better, but, for Skype I'm sure it will be fine.)

Can't wait for it to be released!!!

 

[Starfinder]

Thanks for the tips. Couple of follow up questions, Can the Photon be rooted? Do all Hotspot options require paying Sprint more? I would like the Hotspot option, however, I would not use it enough to pay Sprint and extra $30/ mo, to do so.

Was the GS 2 delayed?

Thanks again!

 

[RBrown9180]

Nexus s has free hot spot. You can get tethering for free on the other devices but it requires root. You will be able to root the photon. Idk what's going on with the gs2.

 

[Puzzlegal]

I am in a similar situation, except that I mostly use my phone as a portable email device, and I am committed to getting a decent hardware keyboard. I have a strong preference for a portrait keyboard over a landscape keyboard. (The Pre's form factor is perfect for me)

Any advice?

 

[ronald600]

I am in a similar situation, except that I mostly use my phone as a portable email device, and I am committed to getting a decent hardware keyboard. I have a strong preference for a portrait keyboard over a landscape keyboard. (The Pre's form factor is perfect for me)

Any advice?

Currently
The only phones with a portrait keyboard on Sprint are
The Motorola XPRT and the Samsung Replenish

The XPRT is a global phone with a better display
The Replenish has better support on this forum and is exempt from the $10 data fee
The Replenish is also FREE from Sprint if you renew your contract

 

[Puzzlegal]

Ah, but are there any good rumors of other options? (This is the rumors subforum, right?)

I've been waiting for a new Pre for ages, I can wait a little longer for an Android.

 

[ronald600]

There is a rumor of another Motorola portrait keyboard phone coming
There is also suppose to be a Sprint version of the HTC Status
There is the upcoming Iphone

There wont be any webos phones because Sprint and HP have ended there relationship

 

[6tr6tr]

Nexus S 4G is amazing! The best thing is the google integration. While I miss gestures and synergy, the rest of the Nexus S blows all Palm/HP phones away. And unlike most Android phones, the Nexus S actually feels perfect in your hand - like a phone should. My one main gripe: no gorilla glass.

 

[philbw]

Current Pre user myself. When I tried everything at Sprint currently I liked the Nexus S the best. I was able to type faster and more acurately than the physical keyboard on the xprt (surprised me really). I'm holding out for the Photon because I've read so many negative things about the Nexus S signal strength. The SGS2 is definitely a better phone spec-wise, I personally think the Photon looks easier to hold with it's cut corners and it'll be cheaper they say.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to jumping off the sinking ship known as webOS. I'm just glad I didn't invest a ton of time into developing webOS apps like I had thought I would. Time to become an Android developer.

- Phil -
(BoraWare on PreCentral)