Moving to AT&T, which phone?

[f150fan]

I know this has probably been asked a million times over but I am at my wits end trying to decide on a phone for my Verizon to AT&T swap. I was leaning heavily on the Nexus 4 but I have played with the HTC One, SGS 4, and Optimus G Pro. All of these have their pros and cons. The thought of a true Nexus phone excites me as I currently use the 'fake' Galaxy Nexus. I love pure Android and really have no use in rooting and ROMing. Amy thoughts on this? Just looking to get some input from the fine people here in the forums. If this should be in a different place in the forums, mods feel free to move it. Thanks everyone!

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[jneusch]

I just made the same move a couple weeks ago and went with the GS4. My motivation is that I already have other Galaxy devices and came from a Note2, which was a bit big for me.

The new pure Android S4 that was announced last week might fit right in your wheelhouse. It will be pricier than a subsidized phone, but will be an absolute state of the art Nexus device.


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[benhmadison]

I would say it would depend on your "up front" budget and your thoughts on signing a 2 year contract. If money is no object and you like the design of the S4 but love vanilla android I would wait for the S4 Google Edition. I have the Nexus 4 and can tell you that it beats anything I have owned or used. If you have no qualms about signing a contract and can put up with touchwiz or sense, the S4 or the HTC One would be cheaper up front. It really depends on the contract situation as to what is best for you.

 

[mayconvert]

If stock android is a "must have" get S4 google version. (of course it will most likely only be available at full retail)
I lived at AT&T for 2 weeks prior to switching to android, the LG Optimus G Pro is fricken AWESOME.
No lag at all. Great features. Very Fast. Great Camera. Feels great in the hand, solid build quality. 32GB out of the box + SD card slot.
The stock text app is perfection incarnate. Stock email app works with my me.com, outlook.com, live.com etc. I haven't found an email client that won't install and work perfectly.
Not to mention the screen is an absolute beauty. Sharp, Bright!, clear, and color accurate. unlike S4.

LG all the way is my vote. But honestly, the HTC one and S4 are still awesome devices too.

 

[f150fan]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I think that I have pretty much ruled out of the SGS 4, well at least the Google Edition, a little too expensive for my tastes. I really like the on-screen buttons of the Nexus and that is what Google would like everyone to use anyway. I think that multitasking is much easier this way rather than using touch sensitive buttons. That doesn't mean that I would be able to live with them if the device proves to be worthy enough. I will say that the Optimus G Pro did have a gorgeous screen. This is probably the best screen I have ever seen. The HTC One was a very close runner-up to this. I will say that for how fast and fluent everything seemed to be on the Optimus G Pro, I am not sure about its size. I really don't think that I need a phone quite that big. The HTC One was awesome as well, but again, touch sensitive buttons rather than on-screen. Also, the speakers on the One are absolutely amazing. Kudos to HTC on that design. The Nexus 4as a special place with me as well. Since I thought, or at least hoped, that I would finally be able to enjoy the Nexus experience on Verizon with their version of the Galaxy Nexus, I would still love to be a part of that as well. If I were actually able to get updates straight from Google, rather than having to wait for the OEM and/or service provider, that would be awesome. I really love plain ol' vanilla Android, just the way Google intended. I am not saying that the different UI's on the other platforms don't enhance the overall experience, they most certainly do. The downside of that is having to bake all that into the their next update to the device. I know that this really shouldn't be an issue anymore given where Android is today, but it still bugs me somewhat, probably because I have been with Verizon since I started using Android. Decisions......

 

[charlee08]

I really like the Optimus G Pro also, but it's just too big for me. I went with the HTC One before the GS4 & Optimus G Pro were released, because I just loved my HTC One X, and I'm so glad I went with the One. It's just a great overall phone for me. There are things on other phones I like, but the One's beauty, display, sound, speed, camera, and Sense UI really won me over.

I also owned the Nexus 4 before the One was released, and I absolutely loved the stock Android experience. I may even buy the next Nexus whenever it gets released.

If I where you though, I'd get the One and wait for the next Nexus, because it's likely going to be much more affordable then the Google edition S4. That's just me though, but I don't think you'll be making a bad decision with whichever device you choose.

Sent from my HTC One

 

[f150fan]

I really like the Optimus G Pro also, but it's just too big for me. I went with the HTC One before the GS4 & Optimus G Pro were released, because I just loved my HTC One X, and I'm so glad I went with the One. It's just a great overall phone for me. There are things on other phones I like, but the One's beauty, display, sound, speed, camera, and Sense UI really won me over.

I also owned the Nexus 4 before the One was released, and I absolutely loved the stock Android experience. I may even buy the next Nexus whenever it gets released.

If I where you though, I'd get the One and wait for the next Nexus, because it's likely going to be much more affordable then the Google edition S4. That's just me though, but I don't think you'll be making a bad decision with whichever device you choose.

Sent from my HTC One

One thing that sucks, if it really does or not is debatable I guess, is that if I get the Nexus 4 and just get the sim card from AT&T that means I forfit the right to purchase one of their phone offerings at a subsidized price. I would either be paying $350 for a 16GB Nexus 4 or $200 for a Optimus G Pro or HTC One. That alone is something to think on as well. I am usually pretty undecisive when it comes to this anyway, hence why I am on here asking all of you for some insight. Lol.

 

[mayconvert]

Nexus is nice but don't forget, it won't do LTE on any network, and front and back are glass. After having LTE, I could never buy a current phone without it. Some will argue it will do 42Mbps on the "4G' network but I never saw those speeds. Mine was closer to 3Mbps down and .9Mbps up. on LTE I have hit 66Mbps down and 25 up.

 

[f150fan]

Nexus is nice but don't forget, it won't do LTE on any network, and front and back are glass. After having LTE, I could never buy a current phone without it. Some will argue it will do 42Mbps on the "4G' network but I never saw those speeds. Mine was closer to 3Mbps down and .9Mbps up. on LTE I have hit 66Mbps down and 25 up.

I do like LTE but I only use it when i thought that I truly needed to. For me I don't think that it is a deal breaker. I am usually on CDMA 3G for most things to help account for a little extra battery life.

 

[iN8ter]

I do like LTE but I only use it when i thought that I truly needed to. For me I don't think that it is a deal breaker. I am usually on CDMA 3G for most things to help account for a little extra battery life.

Battery Life on smartphones is generally below par and you aren't really going to save all that much especially if you use the internet connection on your phone a lot - not without a lot of tweaking, at least. There's a reason why even when phones come with bigger batteries, the estimated operating times remain relatively consistent. They only add the bare minimum additional battery capacity to compensate from the battery sucking software additions they put in the new phones (some exceptions, mainly Motorola phones).

AT&T does not expose toggles for LTE because it makes no sense. They aren't going to willfully congest their own HSPA+ network when users can get 10x the download and 50x the upload speeds on LTE, which has much better bandwidth management than HSPA.

You're also ignoring a ton of factors that *may* not be important to you now, but may be very important in 3, 4, 6 months or whatever.

 

[f150fan]

Battery Life on smartphones is generally below par and you aren't really going to save all that much especially if you use the internet connection on your phone a lot - not without a lot of tweaking, at least. There's a reason why even when phones come with bigger batteries, the estimated operating times remain relatively consistent. They only add the bare minimum additional battery capacity to compensate from the battery sucking software additions they put in the new phones (some exceptions, mainly Motorola phones).

AT&T does not expose toggles for LTE because it makes no sense. They aren't going to willfully congest their own HSPA+ network when users can get 10x the download and 50x the upload speeds on LTE, which has much better bandwidth management than HSPA.

You're also ignoring a ton of factors that *may* not be important to you now, but may be very important in 3, 4, 6 months or whatever.

I am curious as to what factors you think I may not be including in my decision making process. I have had LTE for a long time, I was one of the early Thunderbolt adopters. I really like how fast it is but for me I don't think it is a big enough thing for me to worry about it. I have it turned off most of the time and rely on slow 3G from CDMA. It hasn't bothered me that much yet, not sure why it would now. Plus GSM 3G is faster than CDMA. Like I said, curious to see if I really am missing something here that would be of relevance that my hard head just won't comprehend right now. Ha.

 

[Wen Pai]

Go with HTC one is the best phone ever

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[vasekvi]

Make a comparison chart and weigh each feature in a category. Price? Seems important to you so make that 20 of a hundred points weight. Vanilla android? May not be that big a deal make it worth up to 10 points. Removable battery, expandable memory, physical or virtual buttons, casing materials, Sound quality, Camera, etc...

May the best phone win!

Oh yeah keep in mind, even though I went with an s4, htc is launching a Google edition One also....

HTC One 'Google Edition' with stock Android reportedly in the works

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/23/4360862/htc-one-stock-android-version-launch-imminent-rumor

Sent from my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk II

 

[f150fan]

Make a comparison chart and weigh each feature in a category. Price? Seems important to you so make that 20 of a hundred points weight. Vanilla android? May not be that big a deal make it worth up to 10 points. Removable battery, expandable memory, physical or virtual buttons, casing materials, Sound quality, Camera, etc...

May the best phone win!

Oh yeah keep in mind, even though I went with an s4, htc is launching a Google edition One also....

HTC One 'Google Edition' with stock Android reportedly in the works

HTC One 'Google Edition' with stock Android reportedly in the works | The Verge

Sent from my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk II

I just might have to start making that chart since I think that I am just confusing myself more each day! Lol.

 

[petaf]

My 3 cents. It was my indecisiveness that led to me owning 4 terrific devices on AT&T. . 3 sims, tho. As I've stated before, in my area I don't find much of a difference between LTE and HSPA. My N4 is smooth, fast, and a joy to use. My other devices are a Note 2 (terrific), an HTC One (fantastic), and an iPhone 5 (meh). In my opinion you cannot go wrong with any of the devices you're considering.

 

[return_0]

You really seem like you want the Nexus 4. Based on what you've said, it's the phone for you. Go for it; you'll be happy with it.

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[f150fan]

You really seem like you want the Nexus 4. Based on what you've said, it's the phone for you. Go for it; you'll be happy with it.

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

I am definitely leaning Nexus 4 right now but the others show definite promise with lots to offer. Hence my dilemma. Haha.

I plan on going back to AT&T and checking out all the options again to get a better feel for them, sans Nexus.

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[f150fan]

My 3 cents. It was my indecisiveness that led to me owning 4 terrific devices on AT&T. . 3 sims, tho. As I've stated before, in my area I don't find much of a difference between LTE and HSPA. My N4 is smooth, fast, and a joy to use. My other devices are a Note 2 (terrific), an HTC One (fantastic), and an iPhone 5 (meh). In my opinion you cannot go wrong with any of the devices you're considering.

What's weird is that I'm basically in the same spot, except the iPhone part. Lol. I really like all those options.

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[f150fan]

Well, I decided that I will go with a month-to-month plan on AT&T and I will start out using the Nexus 4. This way I can always get a HTC One, Optimus G Pro, etc. on contract at a subsidized price later if I choose. I figure that this is the best way for me to go for now and feel out the waters. Thanks for all the replies and help. Now I wait for my true Nexus to arrive. Lol.

 

[return_0]

Well, I decided that I will go with a month-to-month plan on AT&T and I will start out using the Nexus 4. This way I can always get a HTC One, Optimus G Pro, etc. on contract at a subsidized price later if I choose. I figure that this is the best way for me to go for now and feel out the waters. Thanks for all the replies and help. Now I wait for my true Nexus to arrive. Lol.

Congrats! Hope you love your new phone!

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