Buying the vivid off contract

[mc511]

So i got my inspire 4g last year around march and so far the phone has been good to me. I like HTC sense and android overall. Now i thought that my contract would be up by the fall or even in the winter, but it appears that ATT has my up in April of next year. Its kind of a long ways off even for me in terms of OS updates and the hardware. My question is should i buy this phone off contract? If i do would i need a different sim card that i have in my inspire? I live in an LTE area so thats my one concern.

I am also planing on buying it from amazon since the off contract price is pretty good compared to best buy.

AmazonWireless: HTC Vivid 4G Android Phone, Black (AT&T)

 

[ZeroRilix]

So i got my inspire 4g last year around march and so far the phone has been good to me. I like HTC sense and android overall. Now i thought that my contract would be up by the fall or even in the winter, but it appears that ATT has my up in April of next year. Its kind of a long ways off even for me in terms of OS updates and the hardware. My question is should i buy this phone off contract? If i do would i need a different sim card that i have in my inspire? I live in an LTE area so thats my one concern.

I am also planing on buying it from amazon since the off contract price is pretty good compared to best buy.

AmazonWireless: HTC Vivid 4G Android Phone, Black (AT&T)

Funny thing is, AT&T has it for 549.

Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

 

[mc511]

Ahh thank you for that info. ATT wont mind me buying a phone off contract?

 

[Drayk]

I got mine off contract. Bought it off cta*gsl*st for $300. I love it!!!
Longtime blackberry user....came from a torch 9810. Got a 4g/LTE sim from my AT/T store.
The way it handles email leaves a little to be desired, but that's an even trade off for the benefits.

 

[mc511]

Eh i already own an inspire so the email cat be too different from what i am using. Have you have an problems with reboots or any odd issues with the phone besides the interface? I heard that sometimes you do have to reboot the phone every now and again.

 

[Drayk]

Eh i already own an inspire so the email cat be too different from what i am using. Have you have an problems with reboots or any odd issues with the phone besides the interface? I heard that sometimes you do have to reboot the phone every now and again.

No issues here. I've had it for a couple months......so far so good. I don't recall any random boots. My only complaint is email, but that's not the Vivid.

 

[mc511]

I read some reviewers complaining about random reboots or some users have to reboot once a day. I was wondering if anyone has had this issue. It looks like a great phone.

 

[SAENZ_SCENE]

I have not experienced any random reboots. I have had it since mid November and have had no issues. All is well!

 

[mc511]

Oh wow. This is a tough choice. I am trying to decide between this and the skyrocket. It's not easy. They both are similar and such. You guys are making my descion difficult. Lol.

Sent from my Desire HD

 

[SAENZ_SCENE]

Lol both phones ate great. I have used both. I just prefer the HTC build. I prefer sense over touchwiz as well. Unless you want the newly announced, skyrocket hd lol you will have a great device no matter which one you select.

 

[prissysox]

I just bought my Vivid off contract from AT&T. You won't need a new SIM however they will have to do a system change on data package. No change in price or data allowance but showing LTE capability.( I wasn't told this when I bought my phone and learned the hard way.)
I picked this over the Skyrocket as I prefer HTC Sense over Samsung Touchwiz. I think it is a cleaner, more refined look (less cartoony). I love the screen and snappiness. So far so good. On board storage is really good so I guess they used that as an excuse to leave out a SD card and no head phones.
Another thing to be warned about is that some apps/games will not be compatible with the phone. Especially Gameloft games I have bought from the Market. However, if you don't mind paying through Gameloft's site just pick another device and you can install games.

Overall, I would say if you can afford it, get it. Sell your Inspire for 150-200 and have fun!

 

[anon(631531)]

I just bought my Vivid off contract from AT&T. You won't need a new SIM however they will have to do a system change on data package. No change in price or data allowance but showing LTE capability.( I wasn't told this when I bought my phone and learned the hard way.)
I picked this over the Skyrocket as I prefer HTC Sense over Samsung Touchwiz. I think it is a cleaner, more refined look (less cartoony). I love the screen and snappiness. So far so good. On board storage is really good so I guess they used that as an excuse to leave out a SD card and no head phones.
Another thing to be warned about is that some apps/games will not be compatible with the phone. Especially Gameloft games I have bought from the Market. However, if you don't mind paying through Gameloft's site just pick another device and you can install games.

Overall, I would say if you can afford it, get it. Sell your Inspire for 150-200 and have fun!

How's the call & receive sound quality? I read that it's not that good. Please check out the speakerphone, too. Thanks.

 

[prissysox]

How's the call & receive sound quality? I read that it's not that good. Please check out the speakerphone, too. Thanks.

I have not had any issues with call quality or the speaker phone. Used the speaker phone while talking with warranty over 20 minutes, no issues. Call quality has been good. Loud and clear. Unless I've been driving my overly loud car I have had to turn down volume.

Also one thing I forgot to mention is that the battery placement on this is better/worse. Better: you dont have to feel as if you are breaking the phone apart. Just slide metal part up. Worse: you have to take out battery to get to SIM and SD card.

Phone looks much better in person than it does in pics. It is narrower than the Inspire but taller. Screen is beautiful: clear and crisp (at least until I put a screen protector on).

 

[anon(631531)]

I have not had any issues with call quality or the speaker phone. Used the speaker phone while talking with warranty over 20 minutes, no issues. Call quality has been good. Loud and clear. Unless I've been driving my overly loud car I have had to turn down volume.

Also one thing I forgot to mention is that the battery placement on this is better/worse. Better: you dont have to feel as if you are breaking the phone apart. Just slide metal part up. Worse: you have to take out battery to get to SIM and SD card.

Phone looks much better in person than it does in pics. It is narrower than the Inspire but taller. Screen is beautiful: clear and crisp (at least until I put a screen protector on).

Thanks for your feedback. I look forward to getting a Vivid, and dumping my iPhone4.

 

[prissysox]

Thanks for your feedback. I look forward to getting a Vivid, and dumping my iPhone4.

I would take an Android over iPhone every day! I have gotten to where I dislike using even my iPod touch for anything other than music because of lag, limitations, small screen, etc. I've also converted two people to HTC Inspire over their iPhones.

 

[Kalebb2010]

This is what I said in a thread I created a while ago: I had high hopes for this phone and unfortunately it let me down. Used to have the Inspire and it's definitely an upgrade over that, but still has too many issues. The random restarts are ridiculous, battery life can't compare to my iPhone or a Blackberry I used to have, call quality sucked in comparison as well. Also, the text messages being out of order is annoying to say the least. Build quality was awful on mine as the plastic housing and battery cover were messed up. The Vivid is the best I've used for Internet browsing and a great camera. I wish the other problems would've been worked out before its release cause I really wanted to keep it.

 

[prissysox]

This is what I said in a thread I created a while ago: I had high hopes for this phone and unfortunately it let me down. Used to have the Inspire and it's definitely an upgrade over that, but still has too many issues. The random restarts are ridiculous, battery life can't compare to my iPhone or a Blackberry I used to have, call quality sucked in comparison as well. Also, the text messages being out of order is annoying to say the least. Build quality was awful on mine as the plastic housing and battery cover were messed up. The Vivid is the best I've used for Internet browsing and a great camera. I wish the other problems would've been worked out before its release cause I really wanted to keep it.

Ok.
To address your complaints about battery. Anyone who gets an Android device should know before hand that you will NOT get more than a day out of the phone. Plan on charging it every night. No one has ever claimed that battery life exceeded that of iPhone or BB. It just doesn't.

Random reboots: I have not experienced any with the Vivid. With my Inspire it was happening daily no matter what I did. I haven't had any issues with reliability or memory.

Text Messages: My messages are never out of order. They are displayed in most recent. Whether you sent or received the message.

Call quality: I haven't had an issue with this either. I hear every call loud and clear. I actually have to turn the volume down quite a bit. Maybe it was a location issue with reception.

Build Quality: Yes, everyone wants a product they paid for the be well built, to last and not have defects. in reality we will have some handsets that have issues. Did AT&T replace your device? They should have provided you with another unit.

Most times it is a matter of personal experience. What works for one person may not work for another. If you are a dedicated iPhone or BB user, please research Android a bit before purchasing a handset and complaining about things that intrinsic to the platform.

 

[Kalebb2010]

Ok.
To address your complaints about battery. Anyone who gets an Android device should know before hand that you will NOT get more than a day out of the phone. Plan on charging it every night. No one has ever claimed that battery life exceeded that of iPhone or BB. It just doesn't.

Random reboots: I have not experienced any with the Vivid. With my Inspire it was happening daily no matter what I did. I haven't had any issues with reliability or memory.

Text Messages: My messages are never out of order. They are displayed in most recent. Whether you sent or received the message.

Call quality: I haven't had an issue with this either. I hear every call loud and clear. I actually have to turn the volume down quite a bit. Maybe it was a location issue with reception.

Build Quality: Yes, everyone wants a product they paid for the be well built, to last and not have defects. in reality we will have some handsets that have issues. Did AT&T replace your device? They should have provided you with another unit.

Most times it is a matter of personal experience. What works for one person may not work for another. If you are a dedicated iPhone or BB user, please research Android a bit before purchasing a handset and complaining about things that intrinsic to the platform.

I've owned one blackberry, 2 iPhones, and 3 android phones. I'd like to think I'm experienced enough to make my own judgements. I tried out two vivids and both had awful build quality. The battery was much worse than just a daily recharge, more like 2-3 recharges per day. Anyone with any sense would say that's unacceptable. I'm glad you are enjoying your vivid, and I'd love to have one that worked so well for me, but don't criticize my findings just because you're lucky and got a good unit.

 

[anon(631531)]

This is why i welcome feedback, good or bad. To make an informed decision, you need both sides to be heard from. I'm definitely getting an Android phone from AT&T, however, i'm glad that they will let me try it out for thirty days. I'm guessing that any problems i would have, should occur within the first month of usage. I can always return it, if i don't enjoy it. Thanks again for the info, guys.

 

[Kalebb2010]

This is why i welcome feedback, good or bad. To make an informed decision, you need both sides to be heard from. I'm definitely getting an Android phone from AT&T, however, i'm glad that they will let me try it out for thirty days. I'm guessing that any problems i would have, should occur within the first month of usage. I can always return it, if i don't enjoy it. Thanks again for the info, guys.

Yes, the 30 day tryout is great. The only worry anyone could really still have afterwards would be build quality. Hopefully ya have a great experience unlike mine! Lol.