Slider War: Droid 3 vs Stratosphere vs Prime Slider

[RoninX]

Anyone else debating between the Droid 3, Stratosphere, and Nexus/Droid Prime Slider?

The way I see it, the pros and cons of each phone are:

Droid 3

Pros

• Dual-core 1 GHz CPU
• Best keyboard (5 rows + great feel)
• Motorola design/materials/build quality (subjective, but I prefer Motorola's designs to Samsung's)

Cons

• Pentile LCD screen

Samsung Stratosphere

Pros

• LTE
• Super AMOLED or Super AMOLED+ screen
• 5-row keyboard

Cons

• Single-core CPU

Questions

• For me, the biggest question is whether the Stratosphere will have an upgraded processor as compared to the Epic's 1GHz CPU.

Nexus Prime/Droid Prime Slider

Pros

• Fastest CPU (dual-core 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz)
• Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich
• Super AMOLED+ display

Cons

• ?

Questions

• For me, the biggest question is whether the Prime Slider will come to Verizon with LTE. If it does, I'm getting it.

If you're a slider fan, which of these are you thinking of getting?

 

[rrhartjr]

Just a few thoughts:

* I think it's almost impossible for the Stratosphere NOT to get some kind of spec bump
* The Droid3 is an instant winner to me, until I remember no LTE.. I don't think I can spend two years without LTE
* A Prime/Nexus slider would be awesome, but I think its going to be spendy, at least $299

I think that leaves me personally with the Stratosphere, even in the absence of a spec bump. I can live two years without a dual core cpu, but I don't think I can do it without LTE.

I just hope the build isnt as flimsy as the Epic 4G. That thing Oreos more than my Ally.

 

[DolfanCole]

Hard to really consider the Prime since it's quite a bit of speculation to say it'll be a slider. If it is, and has the other rumored specs, it would be a no-brainer for me which one I'd choose. Considering the other two (D3 and Stratosphere), that comes down to more of what one values. Like rrhartjr, I'm not sure if I could go 2 years without LTE (it's finally coming to my area next month), but might be able to go without the dual-core for what I use my phone for. The relative priority for others will differ. I also much prefer the SAMOLED+ display over the Pentile. So, for me, I'd go with the Stratosphere over the D3. However, if the Prime turns out to be a slider, I'd go for that over the other two.

 

[MofoMan2000]

Since the Droid 3 doesn't have LTE, it's automatically out of the running. Another con for it is Motorola's classic locked ****ing bootloader, that should be on the list too. And since we don't really know if the Prime we'll get will even have a slider keyboard that leaves the Stratosphere. I don't care about dual core CPU's as long as I get my keyboard. If it has other bells and whistles then all the better. The front-facing camera is a nice touch on it.

If the Droid Prime does have a decent keyboard, I will seriously consider it. However price is also an issue for me, so the Stratosphere is most likely to be my next phone. I'm eligible for upgrade in December, we'll see what happens before then.

 

[demarco5]

will the samsung strat have a notification light though? thats a must for me at work

 

[rickhamilton620]

The main gripe I have about Droid 3 and Stratosphere is the RAM, or lack there of. I'd be perfectly happy with the D1's performance if it wasn't for the lack of RAM it has.

512 doesn't seem "futureproof" enough IMO. I'm on 256 now and feeling like crap, I can only imagine what a few OTA updates and new higher end apps will do to 512....not good.

As far as network goes, I've only justt begun to pine for LTE...that kinda makes the D3 less attractive. Add in bootloader encryption and it's even less attractive.

Stratosphere will be my fallback if Nexus Prime doesn't have a keyboard and I can't get used to the Prime's on screen keyboard. I'm hoping that 4.5 inches will alleviate any typing concerns I'll have.

It's a shame that it'll still be covering up the damn screen though, that's my biggest on screen keyboard gripe tbh.

 

[RoninX]

More memory is always better, but I haven't noticed any problems with the 512MB on my Droid 2.

 

[denon_]

So now that we know the real specs of the Stratosphere, it's decision time. One other thing, it doesn't look to me like the Strat has an HDMI port, and of course no global roaming.

If I *knew* there'd be a Nexus Slider, waiting would be a no-brainer. As it stands now, I'm really torn. The Samsung screen, LTE and unlocked bootloader would be nice.

And I agree-- the qwerty keyboard is a must. I know it's easy to type on the screen, but I don't want to burn the screen real estate, no matter how big/high-res the screen. For those of us who actually work on our phones, and do more than browse the web and post to Facebook, it's important to see as much content or remote screen (ie: logmein) as possible..

Anyone else come to a decision on this?

 

[rickhamilton620]

So now that we know the real specs of the Stratosphere, it's decision time. One other thing, it doesn't look to me like the Strat has an HDMI port, and of course no global roaming.

If I *knew* there'd be a Nexus Slider, waiting would be a no-brainer. As it stands now, I'm really torn. The Samsung screen, LTE and unlocked bootloader would be nice.

And I agree-- the qwerty keyboard is a must. I know it's easy to type on the screen, but I don't want to burn the screen real estate, no matter how big/high-res the screen. For those of us who actually work on our phones, and do more than browse the web and post to Facebook, it's important to see as much content or remote screen (ie: logmein) as possible..

Anyone else come to a decision on this?

I've taken a look at the bionic's screen and it's honestly not bad. I could easily see myself with the D3 over the stratosphere due to it and the newer internals. Even Motorola's skin wasn't bad.

If there are decent semi-custom roms for it, I'll be there.

 

[RoninX]

I'm going to wait for the Nexus Prime announcement before making my decision. In my opinion, the fact that it's coming out on at least three networks (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) increases the chances that at least one of these will have a keyboard.

I'm also very curious to see whether the Galaxy S Glide will be coming to the US. Right now, it's only confirmed for Rogers in Canada, but it looks 100% identical to the leaked SGH-I927 that was originally expected to be the AT&T Galaxy S2 slider . With a dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU and a 4" SAMOLED (or SAMOLED+) display, the Galaxy S Glide looks pretty appealing.

The only drawback is that it only has a 4-row keyboard. I'd much rather have a 5-row keyboard with a dedicated number row, like on the D3 and Stratosphere.

If we don't get a Nexus Prime slider, or the Galaxy S Glide, or any news on a release date for the D4, I'm inclined to get a D3. I like the overall design better, and the D3's keyboard looks fantastic.

I'd still have to play with both a D3 and a Stratosphere in person, to compare the overall speed, screen quality, and keyboard experience.

 

[Puzzlegal]

I'm jealous of you guys and your choices. I'm on Sprint, and couldn't get a decent slider keyboard. The old Epic slider was the only option, and it's pretty out-of-date.

I bought a Photon, and while I've learned to use Swype, I think my next phone will have a hardware keyboard. I will say a word in favor of the Pentile screen, though. It's easier to read in sunlight than most little screens. It's not s gorgeous as the AMOLED screens, but I got used to it very easily, and like it.

Oh -- and people seem to have unlocked this device within a week or two of it hitting the market, and I'm sure there will be more people working on anything called "droid" than on the Moto Photon.

 

[rickhamilton620]

Stratosphere release date: http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...ing-october-13th/&category=classic&postPage=1

Tbh the 4g speeds are tempting....gotta say.

Edit: 480p video capture? yeah....dunno if I can handle that....lte or not....

 

[RoninX]

Here's another interesting, but unconfirmed rumor:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/droid-bionic/78843-new-rumored-motorola-phones-bullet-jet.html

Motorola Jet
- Q1 2012
- Quad-core Tegra 3 CPU
- 4" qHD screen
- 1-1.5 GB RAM
- 12 MP camera
- Phyiscal QWERTY keyboard

A non-QWERTY version (Motorola Bullet) is also rumored to be upcoming with a 4.3" qHD screen.

I wonder if the Jet is what became the Maserati/Droid 4?

 

[rickhamilton620]

Here's another interesting, but unconfirmed rumor:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/droid-bionic/78843-new-rumored-motorola-phones-bullet-jet.html

Motorola Jet
- Q1 2012
- Quad-core Tegra 3 CPU
- 4" qHD screen
- 1-1.5 GB RAM
- 12 MP camera
- Phyiscal QWERTY keyboard

A non-QWERTY version (Motorola Bullet) is also rumored to be upcoming with a 4.3" qHD screen.

I wonder if the Jet is what became the Maserati/Droid 4?

Interesting, I dont know that the D4 would arrive so soon though (doesnt 1st quarter begin in January?) lol.

If that's true and on verizon....that would be great. That's potentially a long time for me though since my D1 gets worse and worse by the day.

I also realized that the D1 camera is 480p....didnt know that, so now im not so concerned about stratosphere.

I just hope that a dev community forms around it. In theory, things should be at least as good as the Droid 2 and 3 but even better due to the unencrypted bootloader. However, depending on whether tinkerers go with the stratosphere, things could be worse...a LOT worse....just look at Merge development, esp. for the Verizon version.

Sigh, maybe i should just force myself to get the nexus hahah.


-- Sent from my HP TouchPad using Communities

 

[RoninX]

I'm also very curious to see whether the Galaxy S Glide will be coming to the US. Right now, it's only confirmed for Rogers in Canada, but it looks 100% identical to the leaked SGH-I927 that was originally expected to be the AT&T Galaxy S2 slider . With a dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU and a 4" SAMOLED (or SAMOLED+) display, the Galaxy S Glide looks pretty appealing.

And here it is, just leaked today by BGR:

AT&T Samsung Captivate Glyde appears again, launching next year

Coming to AT&T in Q1 2012 as the Captivate Glyde. While BGR doesn't have specs, I'd assume it's the same as the Galaxy S Glide (dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU, 4" SAMOLED, etc.).

 

[rickhamilton620]

And here it is, just leaked today by BGR:

AT&T Samsung Captivate Glyde appears again, launching next year

Coming to AT&T in Q1 2012 as the Captivate Glyde. While BGR doesn't have specs, I'd assume it's the same as the Galaxy S Glide (dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU, 4" SAMOLED, etc.).

Looks great, the keyboard looks a bit iffy...could be good, could be bad.

 

[nerdydesi]

Wait a sec, there's going to be a version of the Nexus Prime with a keyboard? I didn't know that, I thought only the current slate version is being released.

If a slider version comes to Verizon, that's an instant buy for me! I can survive without a keyboard, but a phone having one greatly increases its appeal to me.

May keyboarded phones never die!

 

[rickhamilton620]

Wait a sec, there's going to be a version of the Nexus Prime with a keyboard? I didn't know that, I thought only the current slate version is being released.

If a slider version comes to Verizon, that's an instant buy for me! I can survive without a keyboard, but a phone having one greatly increases its appeal to me.

May keyboarded phones never die!

I think that was an early rumor, as much as I want it to be true.

Indeed, I hope keyboards never die.

 

[RoninX]

I finally went down to the Verizon store and spent some hands-on time with the Stratosphere and Droid 3, and I reached a decision.

I'm coming at this as a Droid 2 owner, who is actually quite happy with the D2's performance. But I'm also a tech enthusiast who is always looking for the latest and the greatest. The only thing I don't particularly like about the D2 is its 4-row keyboard, which is usable, but mediocre.

When I got to the store, I tried the Stratosphere first. My impressions were:

Stratosphere

Display: Good

• Sharp, with the rich colors you expect from SAMOLED

Keyboard: Average

• The keys were tiny, but well-spaced, with very little travel, but a distinct click.
• Overall, I'd rate it slightly better than my D2's keyboard, because of the dedicated number row.

Build Quality: Average

• It didn't feel cheap, but it also didn't feel particularly high-end.

Performance: Average

• It felt about the same speed as my D2 (which also has a single-core 1GHz CPU) -- not going to blow anyone away, but definitely usable.

4G LTE: Frustrating

• Unfortunately, I was unable to get 4G to lock on for more than a couple seconds, after which the phone went back to 3G and stayed there. Tried rebooting -- no change.
• Given that the store was located in downtown Boston, smack in the middle of what should be LTE territory, this was disappointing. I noticed that none of the store's other 4G phones (Bionic, Charge) were able to get 4G either, despite all being prominently displayed under a 4G banner. Epic fail on Verizon's part.

Then I went over to the Droid 3...

Droid 3

Display: Average

• Given all of the controversy over the pentile display, I was very curious what it would look like. Put me in the category of people who can't see what the problem is. I saw no pixelation. The text was slightly less sharp than on my D2, and I saw a bit of a shadowing effect when scrolling on a page with pictures. Neither of those would be deal-breakers for me.

Keyboard: Excellent

• This is the best keyboard I have ever used on a phone, period. By a large margin. If I were to buy this phone, it would be for the keyboard.

Build Quality: Excellent

• I've always been a fan of Motorola's build quality and industrial design. To me, their high-end phones (like the Droid line) just feel more solid and well-crafted than any other Android phones.

Performance: Complicated

• There were two D3s in the shop. I tried the first one, and I was shocked that the performance when browsing the web or using Google Maps was slower and jerkier than on my D2. I tried rebooting and turning off live wallpaper, but this had no effect. Granted, this isn't entirely a fair comparison, as the D3 has a higher-resolution screen and all the animations were turned on. (My D2 has animations turned off, but live wallpaper turned on.) Still, not what I expected.
• I ran Quadrant and came up with a very respectable score of 2500, so whatever was causing the slowdown wasn't affecting its benchmark performance.
• Then I tried the other D3, and it was considerably faster than the first, and somewhat faster than my D2. All the animations were also activated on the second D3, and I turned on live wallpaper, but that had no effect -- it was still much faster than the first D3.
• Most likely, there is some sort of D3 software configuration that results in substantially slower performance, but I have no idea what that could be. Maybe the second one had received the latest OTA update and the first hadn't...
• Less likely, maybe some D3s are actually slower than others due to a hardware defect. That could explain why some of the initial reviews described the phone as quick and responsive, and others were saying that it was slow and laggy.
• It's also possible there was a problem with the touchscreen on the first D3, and that was the cause of the lag and jerkiness when doing things like scrolling web pages and maps.
• In any case, I'm pretty sure that with some trial and error (software settings and hardware exchanges), you could get the D3 configured so it was significantly, but not spectacularly, faster than the D2.

My Decision

• Wait

Neither of these phones seemed like a huge step up from my D2. The only thing that would be a big improvement is the D3's keyboard, which is phenomenally good. If I didn't know that other high-end sliders (like the Maserati) were in the pipeline, I would probably pick up the D3 for the keyboard alone.

As it is, I'm going to wait for the twin announcements on Tuesday, and see if we get lucky and find out anything about a Galaxy Nexus slider or the Maserati. If not, I'm still going to wait and see what comes out between now and the end of the year. Given the latest tweets from Droid Panda, it sounds like a bunch of ICS phones are coming out before Christmas, including ones from Moto and HTC. Hopefully, one of these will be the keyboard-equipped phone mentioned in tfleming's poem.

 

[rickhamilton620]

I finally went down to the Verizon store and spent some hands-on time with the Stratosphere and Droid 3, and I reached a decision.

I'm coming at this as a Droid 2 owner, who is actually quite happy with the D2's performance. But I'm also a tech enthusiast who is always looking for the latest and the greatest. The only thing I don't particularly like about the D2 is its 4-row keyboard, which is usable, but mediocre.

When I got to the store, I tried the Stratosphere first. My impressions were:

Stratosphere

Display: Good

• Sharp, with the rich colors you expect from SAMOLED

Keyboard: Average

• The keys were tiny, but well-spaced, with very little travel, but a distinct click.
• Overall, I'd rate it slightly better than my D2's keyboard, because of the dedicated number row.

Build Quality: Average

• It didn't feel cheap, but it also didn't feel particularly high-end.

Performance: Average

• It felt about the same speed as my D2 (which also has a single-core 1GHz CPU) -- not going to blow anyone away, but definitely usable.

4G LTE: Frustrating

• Unfortunately, I was unable to get 4G to lock on for more than a couple seconds, after which the phone went back to 3G and stayed there. Tried rebooting -- no change.
• Given that the store was located in downtown Boston, smack in the middle of what should be LTE territory, this was disappointing. I noticed that none of the store's other 4G phones (Bionic, Charge) were able to get 4G either, despite all being prominently displayed under a 4G banner. Epic fail on Verizon's part.

Then I went over to the Droid 3...

Droid 3

Display: Average

• Given all of the controversy over the pentile display, I was very curious what it would look like. Put me in the category of people who can't see what the problem is. I saw no pixelation. The text was slightly less sharp than on my D2, and I saw a bit of a shadowing effect when scrolling on a page with pictures. Neither of those would be deal-breakers for me.

Keyboard: Excellent

• This is the best keyboard I have ever used on a phone, period. By a large margin. If I were to buy this phone, it would be for the keyboard.

Build Quality: Excellent

• I've always been a fan of Motorola's build quality and industrial design. To me, their high-end phones (like the Droid line) just feel more solid and well-crafted than any other Android phones.

Performance: Complicated

• There were two D3s in the shop. I tried the first one, and I was shocked that the performance when browsing the web or using Google Maps was slower and jerkier than on my D2. I tried rebooting and turning off live wallpaper, but this had no effect. Granted, this isn't entirely a fair comparison, as the D3 has a higher-resolution screen and all the animations were turned on. (My D2 has animations turned off, but live wallpaper turned on.) Still, not what I expected.
• I ran Quadrant and came up with a very respectable score of 2500, so whatever was causing the slowdown wasn't affecting its benchmark performance.
• Then I tried the other D3, and it was considerably faster than the first, and somewhat faster than my D2. All the animations were also activated on the second D3, and I turned on live wallpaper, but that had no effect -- it was still much faster than the first D3.
• Most likely, there is some sort of D3 software configuration that results in substantially slower performance, but I have no idea what that could be. Maybe the second one had received the latest OTA update and the first hadn't...
• Less likely, maybe some D3s are actually slower than others due to a hardware defect. That could explain why some of the initial reviews described the phone as quick and responsive, and others were saying that it was slow and laggy.
• It's also possible there was a problem with the touchscreen on the first D3, and that was the cause of the lag and jerkiness when doing things like scrolling web pages and maps.
• In any case, I'm pretty sure that with some trial and error (software settings and hardware exchanges), you could get the D3 configured so it was significantly, but not spectacularly, faster than the D2.

My Decision

• Wait

Neither of these phones seemed like a huge step up from my D2. The only thing that would be a big improvement is the D3's keyboard, which is phenomenally good. If I didn't know that other high-end sliders (like the Maserati) were in the pipeline, I would probably pick up the D3 for the keyboard alone.

As it is, I'm going to wait for the twin announcements on Tuesday, and see if we get lucky and find out anything about a Galaxy Nexus slider or the Maserati. If not, I'm still going to wait and see what comes out between now and the end of the year. Given the latest tweets from Droid Panda, it sounds like a bunch of ICS phones are coming out before Christmas, including ones from Moto and HTC. Hopefully, one of these will be the keyboard-equipped phone mentioned in tfleming's poem.

If you had a d1, would you still be in the wating for the next big thing, or would you go toward the d3 or stratosphere?

Excellent first look btw. I do wish the d3 had lte, it would make my decision a lot easier.