Ion vs S

[snowsquirrel]

I am in Canada, and so woudl have to import either of these. But can't decide between the S and Ion. I like the ideda of a slightly smaller screen on the S, and have mixed feelings on the Light Bar. The Ion appears to have more metal while the S looks plasticy. They both look fairly hefty, but if it means battery life, I am for it. Hmmm....

I have a few questions after watching the videos. Do they both have LTE? Engadget says "the S has also has HSPA compared to the Ion which just has LTE". Does that mean the Ion won't run on 3g? Does that mean the S will have 3g _and_ LTE?

~S

 

[T48]

I think just the ION is LTE.

 

[ls377]

I think Engadget screwed the pooch on that sentence. There's no way someone would release a phone with JUST LTE at this point.

 

[snowsquirrel]

I am leaning towards the S, as LTE is a year away for me, and even then I am often outside the city, where LTE won't be for even longer. Plus LTE kills battery. My 3G speeds are ok, but nowhere near advertised, likely due to tower congestion. LTE will likely suffer from the same congestion.

 

[snowsquirrel]

Doesn anyone know if Sony (or anyone) will be selling unlocked versions of these phones?

 

[erwaso]

What network is the S for?

 

[snowsquirrel]

S is for a bunch of UK providers. I don't believe it is planned ofr north america. Starting the pre-order process on phones4u shows the carriers you can get it for.

The Ion is AT&T only for now.

S is for all the UK carriers (and Japan too I think). Ion is for AT&T. None announce for Canada.

 

[LeanNSupreme]

Rogers is most likely gonna get the Xperia S. They have a partnership with Sony (I've seen Rogers displays inside Sony stores) and have been carried all their Xperia line phones in the past too.

 

[snowsquirrel]

Well if nothing else I could buy one from Rogers and unlock it then.I am with Telus, who are usually a little slower to get phones in than Rogers.
~S

 

[rob0101]

The s is hspa+ only, but perhaps only 14 down.
That pretty bar has an antenna in it, which I don't think is a great spot for it...the antenna should be in the back of the top, pointing away from you (in case u use speakerphone).
No SD card.

For these reasons I think the ion is better, and more future-proof. You get LTE which u will want, and I believe that chipset finally combines technologies to give good batt performance. Also, they put in a 1900 mah batt.
I'm not thrilled with the oversized display, but they kept the phone pretty narrow, so I think it'll be workable. At least it should be usable in daylight, unlike the amoled...
Drooling for the ion...bring it!
I'm drooling....bring it

 

[crbauhs]

The s is hspa+ only, but perhaps only 14 down.
That pretty bar has an antenna in it, which I don't think is a great spot for it...the antenna should be in the back of the top, pointing away from you (in case u use speakerphone).
No SD card.

For these reasons I think the ion is better, and more future-proof. You get LTE which u will want, and I believe that chipset finally combines technologies to give good batt performance. Also, they put in a 1900 mah batt.
I'm not thrilled with the oversized display, but they kept the phone pretty narrow, so I think it'll be workable. At least it should be usable in daylight, unlike the amoled...
Drooling for the ion...bring it!
I'm drooling....bring it

Exactly my thoughts. I can't wait either for the Ion. My Atrix is getting a bit long in the tooth. Im trying to wait for this. Gonna be amazing!