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Lets hope this is the Merge

Filipino.Cowboy said:
I don't see why people keep calling this (and the Fascinate) a mid range phone because of its 800mhz processor, though the Fascinate has a 1ghz. The 800mhz is actually faster than the previous Snapdragon 1gz. It's like comparing a P4 3.6ghz to a Core2Duo 2.6. The Core2Duo is actually faster despite the ghz rating. That actually scares me because Bing is rumored to only be on mid range phones, not the high end. So unless Verizon is going to release some super duper phones after this one (that blow this out of the water), looks like Bing can make it to any phone.

But back to what you were saying, the only downgrade there would be is screen size (I assume), and your preference of NinjaBlur to Sense.
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I agree this does not seem like a mid-range phone at all.


  • The screen size is a change I like the 4.3 inches I have now lol.
    I just feel like the Droid X will have better build quality because I feel like the X is the most solid phone I've ever owned, and HTC tends to have some issues.
  • I also really like the camera and camcorder on the X. Now haven't seen and photos or videos to compare but I'm assuming its pretty close to the incredible in terms of quality, which isn't terrible but I feel like the X has the incredible beat there.
  • The X also has the 3 noise cancelling mics which I know is probably overkill but it does help with call quality and even video recording sounds. I actually really like the concert setting for the camcorder on the X works awesome at recording concerts.
  • The X has the HDMI out which I personally have never used and don't know if I will ever but still nice haha
  • The X also gives me fantastic battery life which I hear is not the case with many of these HTC/Snapdragon phones.

But now the Merge has what looks to be a fantastic keyboard, and while I've gotten pretty good at using the onscreen one of the X, I still make more mistakes then I would like mostly because of the auto correct and just feel like itd be so much easy to type precisely with a keyboard.
And the Merge will most likely not have a locked bootloader which will be nice too

So really I don't know what to do haha
 
NKT said:
Merge=3.8
OD=3.7

So pretty much...
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that sucks...why not go for the 4" like the galaxy? I think that it the prefect size without making the phone too big.

So are the only improvements from the Droid the processor/hardware specs and keyboard? Not that that isn't alot but I am just wondering what I am gaining by going to this phone. Any improvement in screen res?
 
jsalimao said:
that sucks...why not go for the 4" like the galaxy? I think that it the prefect size without making the phone too big.

So are the only improvements from the Droid the processor/hardware specs and keyboard? Not that that isn't alot but I am just wondering what I am gaining by going to this phone. Any improvement in screen res?
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To be honest, the only real draw of this device is the keyboard. It's pretty nice.

It's my opinion that you're not going to see any really hot Androids from VZW till early next year. That's when the LTE handsets will start rolling in. In the mean time, manufactures are going to sort of tread water spec wise.
 
NKT said:
To be honest, the only real draw of this device is the keyboard. It's pretty nice.

It's my opinion that you're not going to see any really hot Androids from VZW till early next year. That's when the LTE handsets will start rolling in. In the mean time, manufactures are going to sort of tread water spec wise.
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NKT...any idea about the EVO like device..?
 
JeTaurus said:
NKT...any idea about the EVO like device..?
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Dude, he already said that he didn't have any info on that device....twice.

If Verizon is smart they'll hold off on releasing it until they roll out LTE. So if rumors are true, don't expect to see it until early 2011. Just throwing my .02 into the mix here, but anyone even considering the purchase of another phone that isn't LTE capable is crazy. why would you buy something and renew a contract NOW when that phone is a few short months from being outdated?
 
HTC Merge isn't a mid-level device, it performs pretty close to the top level. HTC G2, which contains near identical internal hardware, already proved to outperform most of today's 1GHz phones, including the likes of Droid X:

http://smartphonebenchmarks.com

It is interesting though, how it achieved this. QSD8250, which is the first generation Snapdragon, in fact, outperforms MSM7230 (and MSM7630 in this phone) if you look at the Quadrant Advanced results. But it more than makes up in other areas.

This makes sense, since both QSD8250 and MSM7230 are based on ARM's Cortex A8 design (yes, Qualcomm did introduce some modifications but they were minor). So for pure number-crunching power, 1GHz QSD8250 will beat out 800MHz MSM7230. But in reality, phones don't crunch only numbers all day long. IO in MSM7230 is MUCH faster than QSD8250, which IMO is even more important for typical phone users. And there was significant gain in 3D performance too.

So overall, except for MSM8255 which is 1GHz variation of MSM7230, HTC Merge should hold its own against other phones in the market today.
 
yhbae said:
HTC Merge isn't a mid-level device, it performs pretty close to the top level. HTC G2, which contains near identical internal hardware, already proved to outperform most of today's 1GHz phones, including the likes of Droid X:

Smartphone Benchmarks - Compare and submit Quadrant benchmark results for HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and other smartphones

It is interesting though, how it achieved this. QSD8250, which is the first generation Snapdragon, in fact, outperforms MSM7230 (and MSM7630 in this phone) if you look at the Quadrant Advanced results. But it more than makes up in other areas.

This makes sense, since both QSD8250 and MSM7230 are based on ARM's Cortex A8 design (yes, Qualcomm did introduce some modifications but they were minor). So for pure number-crunching power, 1GHz QSD8250 will beat out 800MHz MSM7230. But in reality, phones don't crunch only numbers all day long. IO in MSM7230 is MUCH faster than QSD8250, which IMO is even more important for typical phone users. And there was significant gain in 3D performance too.

So overall, except for MSM8255 which is 1GHz variation of MSM7230, HTC Merge should hold its own against other phones in the market today.
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This is somewhat validated by it's Quadrant scores. It's pulling 1500-1600 consistently.
 
NKT said:
To be honest, the only real draw of this device is the keyboard. It's pretty nice.

It's my opinion that you're not going to see any really hot Androids from VZW till early next year. That's when the LTE handsets will start rolling in. In the mean time, manufactures are going to sort of tread water spec wise.
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sorry but what is LTE?
 
oneiztoomany said:
ahh, so basically if i am in the market for a smartphone and use Verizon i am probably better off waiting for a LTE phone to come out before making a purchase.
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Exactly... of course it also depends on how long till your area gets lte. if its gonna be well over a year before it hits your area then i personally wouldn't wait.
 
oneiztoomany said:
i'm in framigham area...
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Small world. I live in the Framingham area as well. I'm guessing we'll see LTE around here in mid February-March. Being that we're close to Boston we shouldn't have to wait as long as say Springfield or Western Mass.

I'm sitting on a NE2 right now and while I'm finding it hard to not go get a free DInc, I'm going to wait for the Inc HD (only if its LTE ready) or until early '11 for a LTE device. I'd suggest everyone sitting on an upgrade do the same as anything you buy now will be obsolete in a matter of months and you'll be stuck with it for 2 years.
 
DanishDevil said:
I for one am hoping they drop the Bing bs and name this something after the Incredible. It basically looks like an Incredible with a slide-out keyboard. And that means I WANT. Not if it's going to be a downgrade from the Incredible, though.
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I hear ya... love my incredible, but I still hate the keyboard.
 
Accessories are showing up on Amazon with the merge name associated with them, especially cases from LUX. They match the shape, size and look to match. I think the name Merge is a go.
 
WormDoes said:
Small world. I live in the Framingham area as well. I'm guessing we'll see LTE around here in mid February-March. Being that we're close to Boston we shouldn't have to wait as long as say Springfield or Western Mass.

I'm sitting on a NE2 right now and while I'm finding it hard to not go get a free DInc, I'm going to wait for the Inc HD (only if its LTE ready) or until early '11 for a LTE device. I'd suggest everyone sitting on an upgrade do the same as anything you buy now will be obsolete in a matter of months and you'll be stuck with it for 2 years.
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Just because LTE is rolling out begining of 2011 doesn't mean 3g phones will be obsolete. I am more then happy with my 3g phone , plus I almost always have a solid WiFi connection when I'm using my phone for things that require fast internet , only times I don't have WiFi is when I'm out doing activities or having a good time which then I have no need for internet or when I'm driving also no need to be surfing the web. LTE will also most likely cost a extra $10-$20 a month on top of the $30 we're already paying. That could be some bills in the $150 a month range, a lot of people won't want to pay that.

I have heard that the Merge and HD are not going to be LTE but if I use one and really like it . I'll upgrade and a year down the road get LTE an LTE device when it should be a little more reliable. If neither device does it for me (like the Fascinate and Droid X) I'll hold on to my Incredible and if the phone that draws me in has LTE I'll get it.
If you're always waiting for the next best thing you're never gonna be able to upgrade
 
I would think that if the Merge was changed at the last minute to add LTE, we will be waiting a bit longer for it. If LTE was added, wouldn't it need to go through FCC clearance again? Has anyone seen an approved or pending doc show up in the FCC database for this phone?

Inkdesigner
 
inkdesigner said:
I would think that if the Merge was changed at the last minute to add LTE, we will be waiting a bit longer for it. If LTE was added, wouldn't it need to go through FCC clearance again? Has anyone seen an approved or pending doc show up in the FCC database for this phone?

Inkdesigner
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it was on the verizon site today for a short time and then taken down so im not sure if it was delayed for LTE there are also rumors around about it launching soon and then another version coming later with LTE but guess we will find out with time.
 
I've been told by the testers that it's been pulled.

I'm inclined to believe the LTE rumors. Just not sure about the time frame. I wouldn't bet on seeing it any sooner than February/March.
 
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