Why buy over the vibrant?

[EarlyMon]

Hello again.
I am here with an update. I was PM'd asking if I would share my decision once it was made. I love the EVO and it was a really hard decision. I went with the Vibrant. I went with the Vibrant for simple reasons. It is very light and thin, which I love. The screen clarity is wonderful. I really love the contact list- pics are large and very clear, and it has left swipe to msg and right swipe to call. The photo and video quality are so good I can leave my point and shoot at home. I have small kids and take pics of them alllll the time, so these features are a must have. These were the selling points. Now, if anyone can tell me how to change these features on the EVO, I might reconsider. Obviously the size and weight can't be changed LOL. But what about the contact list or the camera quality? I know it probably isn't likely but you don't know if you don't ask. Thank you everyone for your help

Speaking for myself and others, it was our pleasure. Choosing a good handset that's right for you is often hard enough and the makers and blogsters never make it any easier.

Congrats on your decision, I'm sure I speak for many wishing you all the best!

 

[krichek]

Well, I'm awfully sorry I got confused. I really didn't notice until later that there were two of you - your tongue-in-cheek remark confused me as well as the benchmark shot.

It was entirely my fault that I couldn't differentiate between SV's rehash of specs and reviews and you trying to back him up.

You were, after all, quite straightforward and honest in your post of your phone's benchmark.

Perhaps what confused me that talking to you was the same as talking to SV was the fact that you were showing a benchmark for a Galaxy S class phone that is significantly higher that that published by Tangent.

It's almost as if you're somehow magically getting 2.2 + custom kernel performance out of a 2.1 stock device.

But as you're completely honest and innocent of the guilt by association that I've laid on you and have apologized for, have you considered contacting Tangent to correct their grievous error?

SV, whom you disassociate yourself from, might be interested in your help getting those online benchmarks significantly upgraded. It'll help him greatly with his marketing efforts. Don't tell him that the EVO just got H.264 video recording though - that might spoil some of the fun.

To repeat, I apologize. In a forum where a number of us had let things settle urging someone to judge a device by their own means, I can see now that what you posted was entirely helpful and was not in any way a follow-on fevered pitch by a fan boy with an axe to grind. Everything you posted clearly helped the original case asked.

Yep, my fault entirely that I couldn't tell man from master and I'm so sorry.

PS - Now that your blood's up, let it go.

I did actually confuse the two of you. It happens. Either accept my apology and blame me or ask yourself if you did anything to contribute to that. Either way, it's a beautiful day and I plan to enjoy it. By the way, completely serious about you getting out there and correcting the blogsters on your phone's honest performance.

Have you told the Droid X community about your benchmark results? Like us, they have a whole thread devoted to how their phone is the best, with benchmarks.

They're of the opinion that the Droid X is the fastest thing going right now.

I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.

Don't worry, my blood's not up. I've been around long enough to have learned not to worry about the little stuff.

I'm not a zealot either, I actually tried the Droid X out for 15 days and had the Vibrant for 3 of those days to compare them side by side. I made my decision based on what was important to me as I would hope most folks would do.

I'm not familiar with who or what Tangent is, but I'm sure there test wasn't faulty. My quadrant score is based on a fix/hack however you prefer to look at it that moves some files to the sdcard. This allows the Galaxy based phones to achieve I/O scores very close to that of the Droid X.

Anyway, no need to apologize. Have a great day.

 

[EarlyMon]

My quadrant score is based on a fix/hack however you prefer to look at it that moves some files to the sdcard. This allows the Galaxy based phones to achieve I/O scores very close to that of the Droid X.

So, let me get this straight.

On an aggregate benchmark test that claims to test:

• CPU speed
• Memory access speed
• I/O speed
• 2D graphics efficiency
• 3D graphics efficiency

That just by moving some apps to the SD card your phone's test result is double that of a stock Galaxy S?

BTW - many of us are under the impression that ShootMe requires root. That was a ShootMe snap, was it not?

And your rooted rom - is not Froyo and is not using a custom kernel?

While we're all confused by how Quadrant weighs things - to my knowledge, that's not published - does it make sense to you that a benchmark with those metrics suddenly doubles if you move some apps to the SD card?

It certainly doesn't to me.

Have you used the hack to move Quadrant to the SD card? On its own under 2.2 it certainly doesn't seem to include the flag to allow that.

 

[jroc]

^He's talking about this:

What is the fastest Android phone? – Android and Me

On the I/O part of the test there is a link to the fix.

http://android.modaco.com/content-p...alling-lagging-problem/page/180/#entry1344806

This is why I dont try to compare rooted phones, phones running custom ROMs to a stock phone. If that stock phone performed better than that other phone stock....and u had to root it or run custom ROMs to get it to outperform the stock one...

The stock phone is nothing to sneeze at, no matter what bugs and phone issues the rooted on had that got fixed by rooting it, or running custom ROMs.

(And it might be possible for Samsung to issue an official update about the I/O, stall, lag issue)




Not having used either, and I have the Droid and X:

I like the UI's on both. Like them better than Blur on the X.

I like the specs on the Vibrant more.

Size is good on both phones. I feel 4" is the sweet spot and will knock 3.5" -3.7" inches out the ring.

After being one of the main folks who always mentioned specs before the X came out and saying "this phone is better than that one cuz of this specs, this spec, etc"...I have decided....u cant go wrong with all the choices we have. Everyone isnt on the same carrier too. I feel that 4" is the sweet spot for size, but some Inc owners will tell u that even that is too big for them.

Its all about preference. Like how the OP decided on the Vibrant., its what she preferred for how she uses her phone. Even if one phone has better battery life....if I cant really use my phone during the day until I get off work....(for me security reasons; I work with very sensitive documents) whats better battery life gonna really mean?

 

[EarlyMon]

jroc - MANY THANKS.

I recognized the signature of a custom kernel instantly and knew that wasn't disclosed.

As you know me and shenanigans, I posted the results of my Evo with a non-disclosed custom kernel.

Is dealing with custom kernels and root for everyone? Absolutely not, that's a step for all of us performance maniacs, and those fixes often do make it into the mainline for everyone.

Because my point is your point: we don't carry benchmarks, we carry phones.


Hey - we recently got H.264 SD video recording and the results are _remarkable_ so w00t! I mention this because I'd like to personally see every Android handset sporting that for SD _and_ for HD where applicable. Maybe then I wouldn't have to visit threads with mindless drones 'splaining how their pitifully over-burdening high bitrate cameras with crappy recording codecs "blow away" other phones with the same crappy codec and a different bitrate. It's so 1995 it kills me laffing.

I'm so hoping you'll get to enjoy this soon on your X, and that we'll both get it on HD.

I'll be keeping a close eye on the Droid X and Android Central. I want to see what's going to happen with performance when you guys get an officially supported 2.2 - I understand that's very, very soon for you.

My benchmark shows the results of stock Froyo with the fps cap lifted, as that levels the playing field for the Evo against every other phone out there - and shows that like the Nexus One - the performance improvement is quite wonderful.

I did claim that it was likely that some 2.2 goodness had crept into the Droid X to get that benchmark. Do you recall from our previous discussions, there was another guy claiming that perhaps some memory management techniques in the kernel to exploit the processor's capability was the cause?

I think the optimized Hummingbird kernel is proving his point, and that's probably what's in your X, an optimized kernel out of the box. If true, then you're in for an even bigger treat with your X.

I'll close by reminding my confusion over the outlandish claims of the Hummingbird's GPU performance claims used in the Galaxy class phones. While many blogsters continue to insist that it clocks in with 90 million triangles/second for optimized 3D, Samsung still claims 10 for that metric on the semiconductor supply side of their sprawling web.

Babylon. Semiconductor specs being fed to consumers with their phones, and the blogsters that report them - all Babylon.

(Cheers and congrats on your X! PM and keep me up to date of anything interesting you turn up!)

 

[octagon]

Thanks for the great reading everyone

Aside from mflops/polygons and all that jargon, I was wondering about battery life with the Samsung SAMOLED screens. The marketing materials say something like 20% increase in battery life vs. other screen types, and after searching the galaxy S forums I have yet to read anything that emits as much hype as gpu performance for battery life.

My question is does SAMOLED really make that much difference in terms of battery life say vs. the Evo?

I think both phones are great for what they are, and apologies as I know battery life has been beaten to death in terms of the evo forum here.

Cheers

 

[krichek]

jroc - MANY THANKS.

I recognized the signature of a custom kernel instantly and knew that wasn't disclosed.

As you know me and shenanigans, I posted the results of my Evo with a non-disclosed custom kernel.

Is dealing with custom kernels and root for everyone? Absolutely not, that's a step for all of us performance maniacs, and those fixes often do make it into the mainline for everyone.

Because my point is your point: we don't carry benchmarks, we carry phones.

I'll be keeping a close eye on the Droid X and Android Central. I want to see what's going to happen with performance when you guys get an officially supported 2.2 - I understand that's very, very soon for you.

My benchmark shows the results of stock Froyo with the fps cap lifted, as that levels the playing field for the Evo against every other phone out there - and shows that like the Nexus One - the performance improvement is quite wonderful.

I did claim that it was likely that some 2.2 goodness had crept into the Droid X to get that benchmark. Do you recall from our previous discussions, there was another guy claiming that perhaps some memory management techniques in the kernel to exploit the processor's capability was the cause?

I think the optimized Hummingbird kernel is proving his point, and that's probably what's in your X, an optimized kernel out of the box. If true, then you're in for an even bigger treat with your X.

Sorry but you are mistaken. I'm using a stock kernel/rom with a script that copies data and dalvik to an ext partition created on the sdcard. I am rooted tho obviously as you could not perform the copy or create the links to point to the new location if you were not.


I have tried the kernel that is out there and it does improve my quadrant scores to roughly the 1890's but after testing it for a couple days and providing some feedback to the developer I am no longer using it as it has an annoying delay when waking the phone.

 

[krichek]

Not having used either, and I have the Droid and X:

I like the UI's on both. Like them better than Blur on the X.

I like the specs on the Vibrant more.

Size is good on both phones. I feel 4" is the sweet spot and will knock 3.5" -3.7" inches out the ring.

After being one of the main folks who always mentioned specs before the X came out and saying "this phone is better than that one cuz of this specs, this spec, etc"...I have decided....u cant go wrong with all the choices we have. Everyone isnt on the same carrier too. I feel that 4" is the sweet spot for size, but some Inc owners will tell u that even that is too big for them.

Its all about preference. Like how the OP decided on the Vibrant., its what she preferred for how she uses her phone. Even if one phone has better battery life....if I cant really use my phone during the day until I get off work....(for me security reasons; I work with very sensitive documents) whats better battery life gonna really mean?

I agree completly. I owned the original Droid as well since release and was looking forward to the X from the day it first popped up on Engadget. I bought it on day one as well and was happily using it convinced it was THE phone for me.

it just so hapened tho that I got the chance to see a Vibrant one day and thought maybe I should check it out just to see what else is out there. That's how I ended up with it.

The X is a great phone as I'm sure the Evo is. I based my choice on what was the best for me and what I need in a device which I'm sure is much different then most folks.

Thanks for the great reading everyone

Aside from mflops/polygons and all that jargon, I was wondering about battery life with the Samsung SAMOLED screens. The marketing materials say something like 20% increase in battery life vs. other screen types, and after searching the galaxy S forums I have yet to read anything that emits as much hype as gpu performance for battery life.

My question is does SAMOLED really make that much difference in terms of battery life say vs. the Evo?

I think both phones are great for what they are, and apologies as I know battery life has been beaten to death in terms of the evo forum here.

Cheers

Battery life for me has been comparable to what I was getting on the X, which was much improved over my original Droid. I can increase the battery life an additional 10% roughly by setting a black background and using auto brightness if I cared to. It lasts the entire day for me tho so I don't bother.

 

[damewolf13]

Thanks for the great reading everyone

Aside from mflops/polygons and all that jargon, I was wondering about battery life with the Samsung SAMOLED screens. The marketing materials say something like 20% increase in battery life vs. other screen types, and after searching the galaxy S forums I have yet to read anything that emits as much hype as gpu performance for battery life.

My question is does SAMOLED really make that much difference in terms of battery life say vs. the Evo?

I think both phones are great for what they are, and apologies as I know battery life has been beaten to death in terms of the evo forum here.

Cheers

I have 3 amazing smartphones with 3 different types of screens (TFT, AMOLED, SAMOLED) and I can't see much difference in battery life at all.
It depends more on which one I use the most in any particular time period, and less on screen type. They all three last between 15/20 hours depending on usage.

 

[dr g]

The Vibrant doesn't even have a LED flash. That's a major omission in these times and frankly, mystifying.

 

[damewolf13]

I have read the specs between the Evo, and Vibrant, and I can tell you from my own experience that my Evo beats my Vibrant in benchmark scores every time.
I don't know how it would have gone before Evo got Froyo, or how it will go after Vibrant gets Froyo, but in both stock versions, my Evo wins. However, like it's already been said, "We don't carry benchmarks, we carry phones".

 

[jroc]

krichek:

Yea....after learning the EVO's HDMI was better than the X's, (the TV Out for the Inc might be better than the X's too), learning the Samsung's phones TV Out is amazing......

I'm peeking out the corner of my eye at a Samsung phone...lol Reception would be the only thing holding me back. Its the only reason I got the X. If the reception wasnt better, I was gonna stick with my Droid. It was that simple.


EarlyMon:

Thanks. I'm happy with the X so far. All I wanted was better reception. I'm a simple man with simple needs...lol

Yea I remember. I remember talking about why they chose the 3630 over the 3640 too. I remember someone in another forum mentioned the 3630 handled memory better vs. the 3640. 3630 may handle memory better than the 3640, memory management techniques in the kernel? Its believable.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

The Vibrant doesn't even have a LED flash. That's a major omission in these times and frankly, mystifying.

If you read tech reviews about the Vibrants no flash, you would know the Vibrants cam is equipped with Night Mode Technology. Side by side comparisions show that Vibrants night mode takes better pictures in dim lighting conditions compared to flash.

Again, check facts before you state false statements.

 

[krichek]

krichek:

Yea....after learning the EVO's HDMI was better than the X's, (the TV Out for the Inc might be better than the X's too), learning the Samsung's phones TV Out is amazing......

Nobody has actually seen it yet that I know of but, the Samsung apparently has HDMI out as well via a cable that connects through the USB port..

 

[jroc]

If it works the same way as their TV Out thru the 3.5mm jack....thats a serious plus for the Samsung phones.

 

[EarlyMon]

Sorry but you are mistaken. I'm using a stock kernel/rom with a script that copies data and dalvik to an ext partition created on the sdcard. I am rooted tho obviously as you could not perform the copy or create the links to point to the new location if you were not.

I have tried the kernel that is out there and it does improve my quadrant scores to roughly the 1890's but after testing it for a couple days and providing some feedback to the developer I am no longer using it as it has an annoying delay when waking the phone.

No pity necessary, I'm ok with being wrong when it happens.

What you're saying, if specifically accurate - and I don't yet doubt you, is simply remarkable.

You've just said that the Galaxy class phone is architected in such a way so as to make the data paths more efficient between on-board memory and the external SD card.

Would you happen to know what class your SD card is? Is it the stock one or aftermarket? Have you noticed if it's branded as a Samsung card?

You're claims suggest that cost corners were cut with internal memory, but that the SD interface control spec is protecting the processing investment.

Given that Samsung has pioneered 20 nm process memory for the mobile market - I am truly shocked.

Would you kindly post a reference to the kernel source where you got this particular fix? Not necessarily the source code - simply the reference for the developer or his download site. I appreciate this in advance.

Naturally, I am particularly curious to find out if this method might not be applied to other phones - this could be a boon for all users.

I'm curious if you know - should there be an SD card failure for any reason whatsoever, will your phone still boot into normal operation? Is that documented in your community?

 

[EarlyMon]

Again, check facts before you state false statements.

Hey - we recently got H.264 SD video recording and the results are _remarkable_ so w00t! I mention this because I'd like to personally see every Android handset sporting that for SD _and_ for HD where applicable. Maybe then I wouldn't have to visit threads with mindless drones 'splaining how their pitifully over-burdening high bitrate cameras with crappy recording codecs "blow away" other phones with the same crappy codec and a different bitrate. It's so 1995 it kills me laffing.

Yes.

Let's all check the facts before making false statements.

Capital idea.

And please drop the Kool Aide off at the door regarding Night Mode, no one here is particularly thirsty.

Night mode is also known as slow shutter mode. As any beginning photokid can tell you, a slower shutter speed will increase exposure in low light conditions.

There being no such thing as a free lunch, this approach is not your friend for moving pictures.

Facts.

Those pesky, pesky facts.

Oh, BTW - in your response, kindly address how a higher bit rate with MPEG4 Part 2 encoding is indeed superior for optimized motion compression in comparison to MEPG4 Part 10.

PS - Someone really should help you understand that the Evo's video camera also has Night Mode.

Only on the Evo, it's simply called the Brightness adjustment.

Did you know that the average rainfall in Peru is over 150 inches a year in the jungle regions? And that that doesn't hold a candle to the tripling of that of Mount Wai'ale'ale in Kauai?

Perhaps you'd be better off choosing another class of facts to peddle.

The kind you can get right would be a good place to start.

BTW - Do you agree that Samsung must have cheaped out on the data pathways between the on-board processor and internal memory?

Why would they do such a thing?

 

[Milan Z]

I got it because of the front facing camera, 8mp camera, and the fact that it felt like it was higher quality. The vibrant feels cheap (like one of those fake iphones from china)

 

[krichek]

No pity necessary, I'm ok with being wrong when it happens.

What you're saying, if specifically accurate - and I don't yet doubt you, is simply remarkable.

You've just said that the Galaxy class phone is architected in such a way so as to make the data paths more efficient between on-board memory and the external SD card.

Would you happen to know what class your SD card is? Is it the stock one or aftermarket? Have you noticed if it's branded as a Samsung card?

You're claims suggest that cost corners were cut with internal memory, but that the SD interface control spec is protecting the processing investment.

Given that Samsung has pioneered 20 nm process memory for the mobile market - I am truly shocked.

Would you kindly post a reference to the kernel source where you got this particular fix? Not necessarily the source code - simply the reference for the developer or his download site. I appreciate this in advance.

Naturally, I am particularly curious to find out if this method might not be applied to other phones - this could be a boon for all users.

I'm curious if you know - should there be an SD card failure for any reason whatsoever, will your phone still boot into normal operation? Is that documented in your community?

The card I'm using currently is labeled as 16GB class 2 card from Sandisk. It originally came with my first generation Droid. The original card that came with the device was a 2GB Sandisk labeled card with no speed indicated. I didn't use it as it comes with the movie Avatar loaded on it and is almost full out of the box.

I honestly am not suggesting anything. At this point I do not think anyone really understands why this works, just that it does. I have read speculation that it could be anything from a software problem to a hardware problem. I'll let the experts figure that out.

I've pulled the card while the phone is in use, it doesn't crash or anything you just suddenly lose all your settings associated with individual apps.. Putting the card back in and rebooting restores everything as it was because the script does error/corruption checking on boot.

The discussion relating to the kernel is here [KERNEL/RECOVERY] Vibrant EXT2/3/4 with init.d support - xda-developers This is a 2.1 kernel and is built on the source released by Samsung just recently from my understanding. No hidden 2.2 goodness in here sadly.

This is the discussion about the script that moves data and dalvik to the sdcard. [MOD] data and dalvik to SD (ext partition) - xda-developers

I have posed a similar question with regards to whether other devices might benefit from a similar mod. No one that I know of has actually tried it as far as I know.

 

[it.]

Hello again.
I am here with an update. I was PM'd asking if I would share my decision once it was made. I love the EVO and it was a really hard decision. I went with the Vibrant. I went with the Vibrant for simple reasons. It is very light and thin, which I love. The screen clarity is wonderful. I really love the contact list- pics are large and very clear, and it has left swipe to msg and right swipe to call. The photo and video quality are so good I can leave my point and shoot at home. I have small kids and take pics of them alllll the time, so these features are a must have. These were the selling points. Now, if anyone can tell me how to change these features on the EVO, I might reconsider. Obviously the size and weight can't be changed LOL. But what about the contact list or the camera quality? I know it probably isn't likely but you don't know if you don't ask. Thank you everyone for your help

I always choose carrier over phone. Check which provider has better coverage in your area. Sprint has the best coverage in my area so I'm with them. If Sprint has better coverage in your area, I'd go with the Samsung Epic. It will probably be released in the next couple weeks (no official release date yet). It's also also a galaxy s phone like the vibrant. The epic is a bit heavier (155g) than the Vibrant (118 g) because it has a hardware keyboard but its still lighter than the Evo (170g). It basically has the same camera quality of the Vibrant but it also has an LED flash. I like the design of the Vibrant more but I've heard that the vibrant feels a bit plasticky and cheap. From the pictures I have seen, the epic looks solid but not too heavy either. Check the sprint and tmobile websites to see which carrier has better prices and coverage.

Sprint has an employee referral program that gives you discounts on their already low prices. Here's the site:
Sprint | Everything Plus(SM) Referral Program
Enter these:
E-Mail: russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com
Last 3 of CID: 383

You really can't go wrong with any of these devices. Good luck!

 

[SamsungVibrant]

While it appears the evo screen shatters into thousands of pieces upon falling to the ground. Some users even report screen shatter from a small tiny one foot drop. Galaxy S owners take comfort in knowing Samsung used Gorilla Glass. So go ahead Galaxy S users drop your phone, no worries what so ever, your phone's screen wont shatter into a million sad pieces.

I guess evo users can still argue they have a kick stand that constantly tilts over.

Ahh gorilla glass or cheap glass that shatters, which should I CHOOSE? Such a hard choice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xASJobjD68&feature=player_embedded

 

[jroc]

Well to be fair, if it hits the right spot when it falls....Gorilla Glass can shatter too.

Check the Droid sections of some forums and see. I trust Motorla's build quality, but I also dive like an outfielder whenever I drop my Droid.

Dont ask what I did the couple of times I dropped my X.....

 

[nahpungnome]

LOL some of these responses make me laugh. OOOO look at my benchmark, it's faster than yours. OK you measurebaters, who gives a crap? The EVO is fast enough to do the things >>I<< want it to. Choose your carrier, then your phone, get the one >>you<< like. My dad can beat up your dad! My phone can beat up your phone!

 

[SamsungVibrant]

LOL some of these responses make me laugh. OOOO look at my benchmark, it's faster than yours. OK you measurebaters, who gives a crap? The EVO is fast enough to do the things >>I<< want it to. Choose your carrier, then your phone, get the one >>you<< like. My dad can beat up your dad! My phone can beat up your phone!

This entire thread started when Robinelli asked an innocent question. Then Evo Sprint owners had to point out that Samsung Galaxy S phones are trash, and so is T-mobile.

The evidence and facts speak for themselves. Galaxy S phones have
Fastest CPU, Fastest GPU, Super Amoled Screen, Gorilla Glass, Vibrant is under a network that outperforms Sprints 4G, also Vibrant is supported by T-mobiles Best Customer Service, An amazing 16gb internal memory with 2gigs dedicated to aps, and external sd card upgradable to 32.

Evo users could have just admitted to Robinelli from the get go, that Samsung Galaxy S phones are the Gold Standard when it comes to Android Phones. Instead of stating facts, they responded with rubbish.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

I got it because of the front facing camera, 8mp camera, and the fact that it felt like it was higher quality. The vibrant feels cheap (like one of those fake iphones from china)

Oh really, the Vibrant feels cheap? Is that why Evo is using Cheap glass that shatters, while Samsung Galaxy S phones use high quality Corning Gorilla Glass.

The evo cheap shattering glass doesn't even join the case tightly, resulting in the light leakage everyone is reporting.

Let me see, a phone that uses Gorilla glass, that helps to avoid scratches and shatter. Or should I get the cheaper evo glass that shatters, scratches, isn't glued down properly, and doesn't have tight junctions to the case. Gosh such a hard decision again.

I wouldn't point out the facts, if evo owners stoped spewing nonsense.