Choosing an Android phone

[jocro]

Okay, this is gonna be a long one guys. A little background for my situation. I'm a freshman at college this semester at UMD, and after two and a half years using a Samsung Gravity on T-Mobile, I want a new phone. I have money saved up to go pretty much in any direction, BUT, I can only work off of T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T, can't do Sprint.

Given that, I spent the last two months or so lusting after the Samsung Galaxy S2. It was everything I wanted, sleek, sexy, with a great screen, great camera, insane speed and Android. I'm starting to get fed up with waiting, especially if I have to switch networks. I've been looking at other phones, and trying to decide whether to wait, or to pull out and just grab the best phone on the market. Problem is, I'm not sure what that is (for me).

Options:

1. Samsung Infuse 4g
I love the design, it has the speed I need, 4g capability (not a dealbreaker, but certainly nice to have) a GREAT screen with good size, and a very nice camera. I was pretty much set on it but for some issues I read about with the battery life. Reviews were resplendent, but user comments seemed to differ.

2. Samsung Nexus S 4g
Again, everything I want. My only worries are about the speed (can it hold up to top-tier phones like the Bionic and the S2?), and the battery life (is it that good?).

Now, if you know of another phone, please feel free to make suggestions, but know that battery life is important to me, I'm not looking for an Evo.

So, Android Central community, what should I do?

 

[milominderbinde]

See the Phone Comparison. Also make sure that none of the 17 Nexus S Facebook, LED, microSD, Email, Text, & Camera Workarounds will be an issue for you.

The Samsung Galaxy S II announcements for the US are August 29th. Are you sure you don't want to wait the last six days to find out?

 

[jocro]

Thanks for that, I hadn't seen that, or the other flaws on the Nexus. I wasn't planning on buying anything before the announcement, but I wasn't anticipating a quick release. I posted this to get some more information in case I elect not to wait for the S2, whenever that does grace a US store (on contract).

 

[Moscow Desire]

Don't be too harsh on initial issues. We all know sometimes new releases have issues (some more than others)

Look at the T-Bolt. It's actually a damn good phone (now). Nothing wrong with the hardware for the most part, just needed an update to work out kinks.

Most newer android phones will have pathetic battery life out of the box. Some more than others, but they usually stabilize after reading the instructions and learning how to adjust settings. Galaxy II S will be no exception I suspect. Unless it comes equipped with a monster battery

Of course the carriers only add insult to injury by skinning the phones with their usual bloatw..... uh added bonus features

And of course, you have to put some blame on the apps themselves for not working properly. How many FB updates have we been through? FINALLY, the chat will close out old conversations after this latest update.

Don't be to sure about release dates. Anybody can tell you it's an "approximate" time

 

[milominderbinde]

The Samsung Galaxy S II will release on Sprint on September 9th. It's battery life is so long because it is LED not LCD. That is also why it is so thin. It has shipped 5 million units since its release in April.

 

[Moscow Desire]

Hmmmmm..... I would "love" to compare the runtime between one of the E European GSII, and one in the States that gets it's fresh "skin" and added bonus features. Would be an interesting comparison.

Anybody know what size battery it ships with offhand?

Edit: 1650 it looks like.

 

[jocro]

Thanks for the advice. I had looked at the Thunderbolt, and it seems like a good option, but from what I've heard it has poor battery life for an HTC phone. That'd be unbearable, particularly because the campus I'll be attending has Wifi campus wide. Given the opportunity, I'd rather utilize that than 3G (I don't think we get a solid 4G signal) if possible, and that's supposedly a battery-killer.

Anybody used an Atrix? That looks appealing.

 

[anon(50597)]

Moto Atrix4g has good battery life. Lasts me all day.