What now?

[Cruiserdude]

Thank you for your input. That is something to consider. Rev is quicker Charge has a better screen.

But you can flash a custom kernel in about 5 minutes that makes the Charge faster than most anything that isn't dual-core. I even wrote a write-up about how to do all the latest upgrades (clean, stripped-down ROM with GB look and feel/faster, more efficient kernel that fixes lag and gives you the ability to overclock and undervolt/recovery that allows you to flash anything easily) all in one basic step over in the Charge forums.

Granted, modding in that sense certainly isn't for everyone, and its preferable to have a phone that works just how you want it out of the box, rather than needing modification to do what you want. But the fact is its an option and an easy, safe, and reversible one at that. However you can't flash a better screen...

 

[Hand_O_Death]

Good point CD about the hardware.

http://www.androidcentral.com/keep-your-existing-data-plan-verizon-after-rumored-77-switch

But now with the suspected fact that you CAN keep your plan as a current data user, my question is this; I have a DX with unlimited. Would keeping it until the Bionic comes out still warrant me the ability to keep my unlimited, or is it still a change of plan switching from 3G to 4G which would then force me to GET a 4G phone before 7/7?

 

[Issemann]

But you can flash a custom kernel in about 5 minutes that makes the Charge faster than most anything that isn't dual-core. However you can't flash a better screen...

That's good to know. Didn't realize the devs were that far ahead of the game. This might alter my decision, but I still feel something holding me back. If Verizon allows us to keep unlimited AFTER my next upgrade, then I'll wait a bit longer for the Bionic. If I have to buy a 4G phone before July 7th, then the Charge it is!

 

[Cruiserdude]

Yeah, development is really taking off already, thanks to the huge amount of development out there for other Galaxy S devices. The Charge is looking to be pretty popular for awhile, and all it takes is a few devs who know what they're doing to give you some great options. Read this if you want to know how easy it is already.

As far as keeping your unlimited data, I have no idea. I'm glad that they're allowing customers who already have a smartphone with unlimited data to keep that data package when they upgrade, but I have no idea about 3g to 4g. So far, they haven't made any distinction whatsoever between 3g and 4g data, and the fact is, LTE is cheaper to operate and has better range and signal penetration once the network is up, so it really wouldn't make sense for them to act like its a premium option at any point, its just a great feature. So in that sense you may very well be able to upgrade from unlimited 3g to 4g without changing anything.

But I just don't know, considering the much greater bandwidth yet much smaller footprint, they may start to distinguish the two. When the T-Bolt first launched, they acted like offering unlimited 4g for the same price as 3g was almost a promotional thing, though they've done away with that talk now. Yet considering its greater bandwidth, they may start to run out of backhaul, in which case they'd definitely start trying to keep the number of 4g users down. Or they may offer higher caps for slightly higher price points, considering the fact that 2gigs is nothing for a 4g device. Or once they have a strong enough LTE footprint, they will want as many people as possible to switch, and may start offering higher caps for the same price. Any of those scenarios would differentiate the plans, and likely require a plan change.

So at this point, no one has any clue. It sounds like you'll be able to do that, but you definitely want to follow them closely in case you hear anything that may suggest they're distinguishing between 3g and 4g data. And they may do that from day 1, in which case you'd be screwed. I went with a Charge because I didn't have a smartphone at all, and saw no reason to get a 3g smartphone at this point. I thought about getting a DInc off ebay and using that for awhile, but I didn't wanna risk not being able to upgrade from 3g to 4g, and I also don't know if you'd be able to upgrade like that if you never bought a smartphone or signed a contract with smartphone data with them in the first place. They wouldn't have much incentive for someone who bought unlocked and was never under contract with their smartphone.

Regardless, all we know for sure is that anyone who already has a smartphone will definitely keep unlimited data on that phone after the switch. It appears that you will be able to keep that plan if you upgrade, but there's no telling what you can upgrade from and to. All I know is that current 4g phone owners like myself will likely be able to upgrade to another LTE phone in 2 years without losing that unlimited option.

Then again, they haven't said for sure that "upgrade" actually means they give you the 2-year discount. It'd be ridiculous for that to not be the case, considering the average customer isn't likely to be aware of the full-retail price of phones and how the whole price subsidy thing works. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility yet...

 

[anon(236746)]

I'm kinda holding out for the Galaxy S2 on Verizon. Has anyone heard an update on that lately?

 

[spectre1006]

I spent about 10 mins with each of the LTE phones. Personally, I thought the TB was too big and the display was awful. The Charge looked the best, but it was soooo slow. The Revolution felt the best in my hand and was quite snappy, but the colors were washed out - especially compared to the Charge.

Bottom line, I didn't like any of them enough to use my upgrade on and decided to wait a bit longer for something better (I.e. the Bionic or Galaxy S2).

Did u play with those phones at a store? Those things get abused daily. If u did I hope u rebooted them and checked how many apps were on it... I think when I did the same I thought the charge performed okay, tbolt was speedy mibus the battery rumors in my head, and the revo was lackluster to me