T-Mobile G2 on it's last legs, so I need a new Android phone

[nedney]

The G2 has been great but it's definitely past its best. I'm staying on T-Mobile for sure (can't beat $70 for unlimited everything with no contract) but I really don't have a good feel for the pulse of the phone market. Should I wait for the GS4? Is there something else available now that I should go with? Something else coming soon I should wait for?

Any advice at all is appreciated. I'm sure there will be follow-up questions before anyone can give me solid recommendations, so I'll respond to those as they come in.

Thanks!

 

[GuitarG20]

If you liked the build quality of the G2 (it was made by HTC) then maybe you should take a look at the HTC One. Pretty sure it is coming to t-mo.

Metal construction and (like always for HTC) build quality has been reported to be top notch, but the camera reviews have been good and bad.

 

[iTzKPanda]

Like Guitar mentioned, the HTC One would be the best choice at the moment if you're going to stick with HTC. Apparently it's going to go on sale on April 19 (source)

The S4 will not be a bad phone either. It'll just be up to whether you prefer Sense 5 or the new Touchwiz and whether you prefer a plastic build quality or a metal one.

Also, the Note 2 is still not a bad phone if you want to try at a 5.5inch behemoth of a phone That battery life is wonderful, just saying

 

[nedney]

I'm not at all committed to HTC. Ideally there would be some kickass phone out there with a QWERTY keyboard, but I know those are dying a pretty rapid death lately.

So really, what's most important to me is getting the best version of Android possible. Doesn't necessarily have to be the latest version, but I would like to have as little clutter as possible. Is there a stock-Android phone that would be a successor to the G2? I had the G1 and would love to continue that trend, but I don't want to sacrifice phone capability for it.

Basically I just want the best Android experience possible on T-Mobile.

Also, the Note 2 is still not a bad phone if you want to try at a 5.5inch behemoth of a phone That battery life is wonderful, just saying

I'm not sure that this would be something I could do, since I ride the subway in NYC pretty much all the time and need to be able to use the phone easily with one hand. I don't think the Note would really allow me to do that, though maybe others have been able to?

 

[iTzKPanda]

If stock Android is what you want, then there's the Nexus 4.
The only recent qwerty keyboard I know of is the Motorola Photon LTE which is on Sprint :/

I'm not sure that this would be something I could do, since I ride the subway in NYC pretty much all the time and need to be able to use the phone easily with one hand. I don't think the Note would really allow me to do that, though maybe others have been able to?

Haha not many. Only those with enormous hands can handle it one-handed.

 

[nedney]

If stock Android is what you want, then there's the Nexus 4.

I'm not after explicitly stock Android at the expense of all other considerations. Like I say, I just want the best Android experience possible on whatever phone is going to compliment that experience with hardware/features. If the Nexus 4 is how I get that, then I'll do that, but stock Android is not my goal in and of itself.

 

[iTzKPanda]

Then you have to try the different UIs. There really is no universally "best phone" or "best user experience". Sure, some phones are better than others, but when it comes down to this year's flagship phones, it's all subjective. You need to try out the phones when they come out.

 

[GuitarG20]

So really, what's most important to me is getting the best version of Android possible. Doesn't necessarily have to be the latest version, but I would like to have as little clutter as possible. Is there a stock-Android phone that would be a successor to the G2? I had the G1 and would love to continue that trend, but I don't want to sacrifice phone capability for it.

Basically I just want the best Android experience possible on T-Mobile.

I'm not after explicitly stock Android at the expense of all other considerations. Like I say, I just want the best Android experience possible on whatever phone is going to compliment that experience with hardware/features. If the Nexus 4 is how I get that, then I'll do that, but stock Android is not my goal in and of itself.

Then you have to try the different UIs. There really is no universally "best phone" or "best user experience". Sure, some phones are better than others, but when it comes down to this year's flagship phones, it's all subjective. You need to try out the phones when they come out.

Like said above, if you need stock android out of the box, then you've gotta go with the N4. With most other options, you have the blessing (if it's a popular enough phone) that you can pick the phone based on the hardware, and swap out the software for a ROM close to stock android if you aren't happy with what it comes with. That's honestly what i did with my HOX (running cm10 now) and I couldn't be happier.

 

[nedney]

With most other options, you have the blessing (if it's a popular enough phone) that you can pick the phone based on the hardware...

Ahh, that makes sense. So any advice on what phone to get based on the hardware alone?

...and swap out the software for a ROM close to stock android if you aren't happy with what it comes with. That's honestly what i did with my HOX (running cm10 now) and I couldn't be happier.

This is where I run into trouble, as I have no idea how to do any of this or what ROM I would be best suited using or anything like that (and wtf is cm10? My brief googling was no help). But "couldn't be happier" is definitely the mindset I'm shooting for.

 

[GuitarG20]

Ahh, that makes sense. So any advice on what phone to get based on the hardware alone?



This is where I run into trouble, as I have no idea how to do any of this or what ROM I would be best suited using or anything like that (and wtf is cm10? My brief googling was no help). But "couldn't be happier" is definitely the mindset I'm shooting for.

Personally, I have a preference for HTC hardware, but I'm biased. Everyone has their own bias. I think the stuff htc is doing with the One looks like great hardware design, and I've heard the software isn't half bad either.

CM stands for CyanogenMod. It's a ROM based off "stock" android. It's not the only one, there's also AOKP or about a million other smaller projects (again, depending on the hardware you pick). For mine, it was as simple as unlocking the bootloader, gaining root access, flashing a recovery, wiping the software off, and putting the new software on (with a kernel that supported it). It sounds difficult, and that's because it wasn't easy per Se. But I had no experience before I tried it, and it went without a hitch for me. There's a ton of people on here really knowledgeable about rooting and custom ROMs and that helps too

 

[iTzKPanda]

Personally, I have a preference for HTC hardware, but I'm biased. Everyone has their own bias. I think the stuff htc is doing with the One looks like great hardware design, and I've heard the software isn't half bad either.

CM stands for CyanogenMod. It's a ROM based off "stock" android. It's not the only one, there's also AOKP or about a million other smaller projects (again, depending on the hardware you pick). For mine, it was as simple as unlocking the bootloader, gaining root access, flashing a recovery, wiping the software off, and putting the new software on (with a kernel that supported it). It sounds difficult, and that's because it wasn't easy per Se. But I had no experience before I tried it, and it went without a hitch for me. There's a ton of people on here really knowledgeable about rooting and custom ROMs and that helps too

^this description is pretty good

HTC 's hardware is better to be honest. I like Sammy, but sometimes plastic isn' t the best. It's nice and light though.

Any flagship phone will get developer support. Heck, the E4GT is still being supported.