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Ordering my first Android tomorrow, need advice...

T

thakid87

Lurker
I've got an iPhone 3G and my wife has an iPhone 4. I want to get out and experience the Android world. I have 3 options in front of me, which are as follows:

Atrix - allows me to stay with my current family plan which is good, but 4G sucks, no bloatware which is a big plus...

HTC EVO 4G - the first Android phone that I fell in love with and I hear that it is still amazing, best pricing on the plans too and decent 4G network

Thunderbolt - the one I like the most, but I keep hearing about the battery issues, the bloatware, etc. but the 4G network is the best out there

O_O

What do you guys recommend?
 
The following advice is just that: ADVICE, not all of it is FACT and many members will agree that the final call will be based purely on your personal taste and opinions. However, here is some helpful information.

Atrix: By far the best android phone out there right now. Many say it is the phone that VZW should have matched. In my opinion, VZW getting the iPhone, then AT&T getting the Atrix puts VZW right back into their tech disadvantage they started with. Some facts that back my claim that it's the best phone is: only dual core phone on your list, and the only android out right now to have it at all. It also has a superior screen, and battery life (from what I've heard) is not that bad, since it's huge (1900+ mAh). The ONLY downside of the phone is that it has MotoBlur, which will be a show stopper if you want to root and mod since Moto is locking down all of it's phones now.

EVO 4G: Although it is the original 4G Android phone, it is quite dated. If you buy it, you will find yourself envying newer improvements upon it (such as the Atrix, Bionic whenever it comes out, etc). The only reason I would buy an EVO is if the 4G coverage on sprint was better than any, and it'd have to be by a lot. I think T-mo has the best 4G right now.

T-bolt: It is true what they say about battery life, however, I have seen posts and reports that if you turn off the 4G, people are getting 12+ hours out of the battery, which is decent. It has excellent specs, but as I said before, the Atrix blows it away since this one only has single core, a 1400mAh battery, and a SLCD screen (qHD is by far superior).

Normally, since I am a VZW customer, I would preach joining us. But lots of the policy changes they have been making (no 1 yr contracts, getting rid of the early upgrades, etc.) has made me less of a proud customer. Since you are already an AT&T customer, and they have the best phone in your line up, I'd go for that. I apologize for the lengthy post, but I am just trying to help. Let us know if you have any questions, and good luck with your new phone!
 
I have a HTC EVO since launch and it has been a great phone. It is though quite dated now and the quality control on it has been less than stellar (i.e. b-spot, light leakage, dust under screen, and cracked bezel near power button); HTC fails to acknowledge that the b-spot is a manufacture defect. 4G on Sprint is a joke in Houston, TX, and battery drains like no other while 4G is active.

I have no experience with the Atrix or ATT, so no comment on that.

Verizon has great coverage but have the most expensive plans and LTE seems very promising so far. No experience with the Thunderbolt, but heard people are having problems with battery drainage. Not sure if that is fixed by now.

T-Mobile has the Samsung Galaxy S2 coming out soon that is just awesome spec wise. If you tend to flash roms on the phone, then don't worry about Samsung's lack of software updates.
 
If you put the Atrix next to a Captivate with its SAMOLED display, you will be disappointed. Put it this way, despite its qHD resolution, I find the Atrix display to be just so so. Also the Atrix's dual-core is not really bringing you any benefit until 2.4 (dual-core support) is out and Moto updates your phone with it. That and the encrypted bootloader put it at the bottom of my list.

On at&t, you should really look at the Inspire 4G, Nexus S or (cringe) even the much hated Captivate. Late-production Captivates have working GPS, and very root/flash friendly, and of course the brilliant SAMOLED display.

As always YMMV.

Also, if you have been a long time iPhone user, be prepared for a shock in the first few days as you make the switch to Android.
 
Atrix uses a PenTile matrix on that qHD display. NO excuse for that on an LCD-based display. That's why it fails. Atrix is also a Motorola phone, and if you plan to get into customizations and the rooting world, stay away. Motorola encrypts its bootloaders to prevent the homebrew communities from tinkering very much. But if the docking ability is important to you, this would be the phone to get.

As others have said, Evo 4G is starting to show its age compared with a lot of the new phones. Not worth the $199 IMO (btw, Evo is my first and only Android). Evo 3D comes out in a few months and will be the crowdpleaser of 2011 just like the Evo 4G was last year. Sprint does give you the best bang for your buck. They have a very accurate coverage map on their site, so you can see if you get good signal where you live. Also, HTC's rooting community is more active than for any other company.

Thunderbolt is a new phone, but it doesn't really stand out, especially when compared to the upcoming Evo 3D and Samsung's Galaxy S2.

So, if it were me, I'd wait a few months for the Evo 3D. If I had to buy right now, given the 3 choices you provided, I'd go with the Evo or Thunderbolt (close call). Evo mainly because of the carrier. Thunderbolt because it's newer and does have better specs than Evo.
 
Hmm. The Atrix isn't a bad choice off you don't plan on rooting, but there is plenty of bloatware. I don't know who told you there isn't, but they lied!
I like my Inspire, but there is no forward-facing camera, and like it's cousin the Thunderbolt, the battery sucks balls. And because of the strange battery set-up in the back, a stronger third-party battery won't fit.
If I were you, I would go with the Nexus S if you are techie and liked messing with jailbreaking your iPhone, or the Atrix if you just want to use your phone the way it is made.
 
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