It seems like there were/are a lot of people wanting some hands-on reviews from people before they take the plunge on such a unique phone, so I'd like to pass on my experience so far with the handset. I picked it up on Verizon at launch on Thursday, and previously I've used a Droid X, Thunderbolt and iPhone 4.
I'm going to first address the potential shortcomings that people have previously mentioned and/or worried about. The internal storage on the device is low, but I have fully downloaded all of the included games, several other Gameloft games, all of the console emulators, and a large handful of other random stuff such as Handcent, Netflix, Facebook, etc. I've not moved that many of the apps to SD yet and I still have 75 mb of internal remaining. I'm really not concerned about running out of space, but your mileage may vary.
The 4" screen is nothing to write home about, but it is completely "good enough" on this phone. It's bright enough, clear enough, and the glass feels "normal" if you choose to remove the anti-shatter plastic film over it. The rest of the build quality feels totally fine too, although I could see why some people might have an issue with the "spongy" feeling of the L-R triggers.
The processor has handled everything I've thrown at it so far without a hitch. All of the emulators I've used have run perfectly smoothly, although for some PS games the frame skip option is being used a little. The Gameloft array of games run perfectly and look awesome on this device, and the controls are very responsive.
I've not used the camera much, but I've noticed no problems with it for the few photos I have snapped off.
Battery life has been surprisingly good, but anyone expecting to play games on it all day is going to need to charge before the day is over.
I must say that this is the most excited that any of my smartphones has made me. Having a real, quality controller slide out of my phone satisfies a gamer/nerd itch in me that nothing else has come close on. Being able to fire up super mario world, zelda or final fantasy at the drop of a dime and not pressing touch-screen buttons to do it just feels right. If this is what you're looking for, this phone is absolutely for you and I promise you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for Xperia play-exclusive games from Gameloft and others, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good the launch titles are, and hopefully it's just the first handful of many more to come. For the rest of you, it's up to you. This phone is a great Android experience, and the only vanilla Android handset on Verizon's current lineup, but outside of the controller it's entirely normal. If the controller seals the deal for you like it did for me, it's totally worth the money.
Hope this helps someone decide! If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer those too.
I'm going to first address the potential shortcomings that people have previously mentioned and/or worried about. The internal storage on the device is low, but I have fully downloaded all of the included games, several other Gameloft games, all of the console emulators, and a large handful of other random stuff such as Handcent, Netflix, Facebook, etc. I've not moved that many of the apps to SD yet and I still have 75 mb of internal remaining. I'm really not concerned about running out of space, but your mileage may vary.
The 4" screen is nothing to write home about, but it is completely "good enough" on this phone. It's bright enough, clear enough, and the glass feels "normal" if you choose to remove the anti-shatter plastic film over it. The rest of the build quality feels totally fine too, although I could see why some people might have an issue with the "spongy" feeling of the L-R triggers.
The processor has handled everything I've thrown at it so far without a hitch. All of the emulators I've used have run perfectly smoothly, although for some PS games the frame skip option is being used a little. The Gameloft array of games run perfectly and look awesome on this device, and the controls are very responsive.
I've not used the camera much, but I've noticed no problems with it for the few photos I have snapped off.
Battery life has been surprisingly good, but anyone expecting to play games on it all day is going to need to charge before the day is over.
I must say that this is the most excited that any of my smartphones has made me. Having a real, quality controller slide out of my phone satisfies a gamer/nerd itch in me that nothing else has come close on. Being able to fire up super mario world, zelda or final fantasy at the drop of a dime and not pressing touch-screen buttons to do it just feels right. If this is what you're looking for, this phone is absolutely for you and I promise you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for Xperia play-exclusive games from Gameloft and others, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good the launch titles are, and hopefully it's just the first handful of many more to come. For the rest of you, it's up to you. This phone is a great Android experience, and the only vanilla Android handset on Verizon's current lineup, but outside of the controller it's entirely normal. If the controller seals the deal for you like it did for me, it's totally worth the money.
Hope this helps someone decide! If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer those too.
