Please Recommend an Older 4G Phone

[AllThumbz]

Hello,

I recently took the Droid plunge. Ok, was shoved to be more accurate. My wife killed her BB Storm2 and took my BB Torch (kept her from the iPhone). A buddy had a DroidX he wasn't using so he gave it to me. Since I will be using Android and I currently have unlimited data on VZW I thought I might as well pick up a 4G phone. The only 2 Android phones I am remotely familar with are the Thunderbolt (played with it in the store when it first came out) and the Nexus (from reading about it here). I don't need the latest version just a good reliable phone that I can learn how to root and install ROMs on. I just saw the video with the Bolt running ICS and I know the Nexus came with Jelly Bean but I don't want to limit myself due to lack of knowledge.

So this brings me to my question(s): What older 4G phones would you, the Android Central members, be willing to part your hard earned dollars for? Would a Thunderbolt (much less expensive then Nexus on eBay) be a good learning phone?

Thank you for taking your time to respond.
Don

 

[Ry]

I don't need the latest version just a good reliable phone that I can learn how to root and install ROMs on.

The Galaxy Nexus would be your best option.

 

[AllThumbz]

The Galaxy Nexus would be your best option.

Ry,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

I like the idea of developer support that the Nexus enjoys. My only concern, other then cost, is the reception issue which seems to be fine on some phones not so good on others. It appears that the factory updates have helped. Do the aftermarket ROMs fix the problem or is it a hardware issue? <--- sorry for the noobish question.

 

[Jude526]

I like HTC devices. I have had the thunderbolt and currently the rezound. Both are good

sent from either my HTC Rezound or my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet

 

[badbrad17]

Ry,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

I like the idea of developer support that the Nexus enjoys. My only concern, other then cost, is the reception issue which seems to be fine on some phones not so good on others. It appears that the factory updates have helped. Do the aftermarket ROMs fix the problem or is it a hardware issue? <--- sorry for the noobish question.

I love my Samsung Galaxy S II.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[NotJustAPhone]

I've owned both the TBolt and the Galaxy Nexus. The Tbolt launched back in March 2011 and unlikely to have official support beyond Gingerbread. While the development community may be able to get ICS working on the TBolt, the hardware is getting a bit dated.

The Galaxy Nexus is a much better choice if you plan on hanging on to the phone for a while. Plus, if you are willing to unlock and root, the Galaxy Nexus will have support for quite a while.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[anon(94115)]

As far as older, but not ancient, gs2 has great support, rezound, tb, and the gnex are your choices.

I always had a bad vibe from my tb. Battery was the worst.

I love the rez so I would say go that way. If not, it is a tossup between the other two. GNex might have the better hardware...

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[natehoy]

So this brings me to my question(s): What older 4G phones would you, the Android Central members, be willing to part your hard earned dollars for? Would a Thunderbolt (much less expensive then Nexus on eBay) be a good learning phone?

As a learning opportunity, the Thunderbolt should be a decent phone. I'm sporting one unrooted now, and while it's getting a little long in the tooth (especially since it's a company phone and I can't root it, and it's running stock Gingerbread), it's still doing all the things I want from a smartphone and I've been pretty happy with it. My understanding is that it's a pretty hackable phone, and is one of the few capable of simultaneous voice and data on 3G.

There are certainly much better phones out there, so it depends on how much you have to spend. If you can get a T-bolt on the cheap, it's certainly a good phone.

Pick up the extended battery, though, if you can. The stock battery isn't all-day strong for any sort of heavy use.

 

[badbrad17]

Still think the Gnex or SGS2 are the most solid of the bunch. Plus it looks like the SGS2 will be getting Jellybean which is a bonus.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[Nakrohtap]

Still think the Gnex or SGS2 are the most solid of the bunch. Plus it looks like the SGS2 will be getting Jellybean which is a bonus.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

The GS2 is not even on Verizon.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Nakrohtap]

The Galaxy Nexus would be your best option.

Agreed. For the price of one, you can't beat it. I would really caution about getting something too long in the tooth though. Sometimes older 4G phones are more trouble than they're worth.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[badbrad17]

The GS2 is not even on Verizon.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Then it makes it even easier. Lol. Sorry I'm in Canada.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Android Central Forums

 

[ducey99]

Don't go with the Thunderbolt. I'm a current user and the battery SUCKS! It dies in a couple of hours of use.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Android Central Forums

 

[anon(1458)]

HTC is typically a good company to go with. Never had any issues with any other than the Thunderbolt