Epic vs Evo vs Shift

[m00nshake]

Word of warning... Samsung does not release it's source so that's why the Galaxy Vibrant still doesn't have CM AOSP whereas the Htc Inspire already has CM7 nightlies.

My advice is HTC all the way. It depends on what's important to you. The EVO 4G is slower but has great development support, a slew of roms to choose from, and a massive display. The Shift is faster but it's newer so it doesn't have as much development support and the screen is smaller.

Sent from my monster Evo using Tapatalk

 

[Donmeister85]

i also work with cars, plumbing, chemicals, and oils. I was just speaking of the average person

Was just messing around. Your Epic definitely sees worse conditions than mine.

 

[jrz5024]

This is an easy decision. You only have two choices to make.

1) Do you want a keyboard? If no, buy the Evo. If yes, move to step 2.

2) You've decided you want a physical keyboard. Congrats! Now to decide between the Epic and the Evo Shift.

Hardware differences between the two are exceedingly marginal when real world performance is concerned. The only real difference between the two is form factor + keyboard, and the screen.

My personal opinion is that the Epic beats the Evo Shift on both. I love the SAMOLED screen, the larger size, and the full 5 row keyboard. I also like that the Epic has the front facing cam, which the evo shift doesn't have (this may or may not matter to you).

What you should base your decision on is simply which phone you like better. Go to the store, try them out, see how they feel. Which keyboard do you prefer, and which screen? Those are the biggest differences, and which is better comes down to personal preference, so we can't tell you what to get.

 

[big_bake]

Even though you already picked up an epic (great choice), it really comes down to hardware and getting on a good plan.

The android system lets everything software related be modified/customized to your liking. Don't like touchwiz (epic) or sense (evo), then grab a different launcher and make your phone your own.

Once you delve into rooting everything is up for grabs. Just make sure to do plenty of reading (and then rereading). Most methods have been done by plenty of people so don't be afraid to ask questions (after searching of course).

 

[Possum15]

To 2.2 or not to 2.2, that is the new question. I think I would do this more for battery than anything. So far my Epic runs great on 2.1. No complaints yet. I have used it a fair amount today starting at 6:30 and it's now3:17 and sitting at 54%. I have GPS turned on.

 

[mdpirello#AC]

i have used all 3 of these phones. the shift had to much of a signal issue for me. i like the evo but coming from a blackberry i love the epic and the display is the best that i have seen yet. if you are just using your phone for internet browsing and texting and some video i would go with the EPIC it is the best out there that i have used so far. you wouldn't go wrong with the epic at all

 

[Jinded]

To 2.2 or not to 2.2, that is the new question. I think I would do this more for battery than anything. So far my Epic runs great on 2.1. No complaints yet. I have used it a fair amount today starting at 6:30 and it's now3:17 and sitting at 54%. I have GPS turned on.

I feel like with the lack of manufacturer support for this phone, rooting is almost a no-brainer. If you want great battery life, I've heard Baked Snack is an awesome 2.1 ROM (never used it myself). I use the SyndicateROM (2.2) and I've had about 1.5x the battery life I had on stock, and the phone is much smoother than it was before (you notice the difference immediately).

 

[4ekbrandon]

For now, go with syndicate rom or ACE rom imo(and then CM7 when it's out of alpha/beta[or you can be awesome and help alpha test?!])

With android phones, rooting isn't optional in my opinion. If you don't take 2 hours of your time to really read everything and figure out how to root, what to root, etc..... you are just missing out on so, so, SO much.

A lot of the guides for rooting here on the androidcentral forum are VERY helpful! Just read through them!

 

[caliskimmer]

Here's what I've noticed:

-I have owned the Epic before. I loved it except for a couple features and the Epic's keyboard would not register quickly enough for me which was a disappointment. The battery life was actually worse than my EVO's battery. No ROMs helped battery life for me (sorry, guys, just my experiences) and I've tried quite a few. HOWEVER, the screen was REALLY excellent and may be worth it despite the battery life (it lasted long enough for me anyways).

- The EVO was actually my phone before and after the Epic. At first I liked it, but, to be completely honest (and this is, of course, just my opinion), I've stopped liking it. It really has become too sluggish for me, even after ROMming and OCing it.

-EVO Shift- no clue since I've never had it, but looks cool.

Just what I think from owning the EVO and Epic and, of course, just my opinion!

 

[T3HKMAN]

What is the easiest way to do the root froyo thing? and I mean EASY

http://forum.androidcentral.com/epi...3-pre-rooted-deodexed-clockwork-rfs-ext4.html

^This thread has everything you need to know, easy peasy! Make sure you read it first however, heck read it twice. I did the wipe method listed here as I just got my Epic and didn't need to save anything as there was nothing on it (obviously). Then I decided to go with the Genocide 1.2OC Rom that you can find here.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/epi...genocide-1-2ghz-froyo-dk28-eb13-rfs-ext4.html

Just take your time and follow the instructions and you'll be good to go.

 

[T3HKMAN]

Shift has a second generation processor and even at 800 MHz it's quicker than the Epic and the Evo. Check the benchmarks.

Where can I read up on this? Thanks for the info.

 

[jrz5024]

Shift has a second generation processor and even at 800 MHz it's quicker than the Epic and the Evo. Check the benchmarks.

This is not correct. It scores higher on Quadrant because Qualcomm optimizes the program for their processors, and gives an inflated weight to I/O scores (which Samsung phones are notorious for having slow scores in due to RFS). In reality, any difference in speed between the two processors is exceedingly marginal, and real world performance will be indistinguishable.

 

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I went to BestBuy the other day to pick up a Sprint smartphone and I asked the rep which Android device on Sprint is the phone to have and he told me the EVO. I asked him about the Epic and he said that it was great phone but no one was buying it. He was selling EVO phones all the time though. I thought that was interesting. He was using an iPhone so I he lost credibility with me from the start. I ended up getting the EVO, but to be honest with you, it was a toss up. The deciding factor was Sense. I like that UI so much better.

 

[Possum15]

To be honest I had never tried anything but sense and after getting the Epic TW was pretty good but I decided to try Launcher Pro Plus and I really really like it. In other words, don't let the launcher be your deciding factor. I think if I were to get an EVO I would probably download it on there also.

 

[9KRacing]

I ended up getting the EVO, but to be honest with you, it was a toss up. The deciding factor was Sense. I like that UI so much better.

Did you hold them up next to each other with the SAMOLED screen's brightness turned up above 0? If so I'm thinking you might have gone another direction...

 

[sonorguy]

I went to BestBuy the other day to pick up a Sprint smartphone and I asked the rep which Android device on Sprint is the phone to have and he told me the EVO. I asked him about the Epic and he said that it was great phone but no one was buying it. He was selling EVO phones all the time though. I thought that was interesting. He was using an iPhone so I he lost credibility with me from the start. I ended up getting the EVO, but to be honest with you, it was a toss up. The deciding factor was Sense. I like that UI so much better.

I honestly wouldn't go by UI. I would definitely suggest looking at different launchers (ADW, Go Launcher, etc.) in the next few days and decide if you like any of those better and see if that affects your decision. As the processing speed is about the same, and if you prefer a UI that you can download to your phone (I personally hate the TW UI), then go by size, battery life and screen. The SAMOLED is just so superior to the traditional LCD IMO, but the Evo's extra real estate is very important to some people.

Bottom line: See if you prefer a custom UI to Sense, and then re-evaluate your decision on phones based on the hardware and size aspects. The Evo is a great phone with a wonderful community behind it, but the Epic is every bit as good.

To be honest I had never tried anything but sense and after getting the Epic TW was pretty good but I decided to try Launcher Pro Plus and I really really like it. In other words, don't let the launcher be your deciding factor. I think if I were to get an EVO I would probably download it on there also.

Have you tried Go Launcher EX? I was using Launcher Pro until I came across Go Launcher, which blows it Launcher Pro out of the water IMO.

 

[Possum15]

Have you tried Go Launcher EX? I was using Launcher Pro until I came across Go Launcher, which blows it Launcher Pro out of the water IMO.[/QUOTE]

I did and I really liked it but LPP seems to run more smoothly on my phone. I went back and forth a few days with both. I have heard others say Go runs smoother on their phones though.

 

[sonorguy]

I did and I really liked it but LPP seems to run more smoothly on my phone. I went back and forth a few days with both. I have heard others say Go runs smoother on their phones though.

If it has been more than a month since you last tried it, you might want to give it another try. There have been a lot of updates and pretty much every issue I had with it has been covered.

 

[Possum15]

If it has been more than a month since you last tried it, you might want to give it another try. There have been a lot of updates and pretty much every issue I had with it has been covered.

I dl'd it last night after reading your post. I really liked everything about it except LPP just runs smoother on my phone. Not sure if there is a setting I have different.

 

[igotsanevo4g]

Another one of these threads?

You cant go wrong with any of your choices to be completely honest. You posted in the epic section so of course your gonna get a lot of pro epic votes
If you plan on rooting/hacking or any of that fun stuff, then id recommend HTC devices, much more developer friendly. Sammy's software isnt easy to work with on that front. Also try to look past the processor battle a bit, even the evo's processor which is the oldest, is still really snappy and unless your going to be hardcore gaming you wont notice much of a difference between everyday speeds.

I can guarantee that you will be happy no matter which one you choose, all 3 are really really great devices. Choose what you need, not what others need.

Goodluck!