I'm going insane.. please help me decide upon an Android Smartphone!


FaeMinx said:
Even though you've decided on the Nexus, I'll just give you a spot more info to concider:


If you *were* concidering the S2, my phone - the HTC Sensation, is not a bad alternative and is cheaper.


It has a higher resolution screen than the S2, has a full aluminium body, feels more comfortable in the hand, is weightier, has a convex gorilla glass screen to prevent scratches when turning it on it's face, and while it's dual core is clocked at 1.2ghz, HTC have actually downclocked the chip - it will run at 1.5ghz no problem, and I know that people have successfully overclocked it to 1.8ghz.


The downsides to this phone are obviously that it has no physical controls so an icp is required. If you are buying second hand be aware that a large number of the first units HTC produced were prone to getting dust under the screen. As far as I know they've since solved the issue.


It also has less ram than the S2, which while still on Gingerbread made the phone feel not as snappy sometimes - particularly because of the Sense overlay. Now that the HTC Sensation officially runs ICS it's a non-issue as both the seny's asynchronous cores are now properly utilized.


The seny only has 1gb onboard storage, but this is mitigated by being able to put a large microSD inside.


The last big issue is the battery life - it's crap. Heavy use will not last you the day... This issue is also resolved by purchasing an Anker 1900mah battery replacement.


Playing the latest 3D games on the Seny is quite a pleasure (if you don't mind touch screen).


I am rather pleased with my phone - particularly because it was so cheap relative to the S2. But if I could, I would swap it for a Note. :)


I just thought I'd give you this info if while you want a high-end phone, you still want to keep costs down as much as possible.


This certainly was an issue for me and I don't feel I made a bad choice.


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

That's very interesting, thanks.


..sigh this is proving to be much harder than I anticipated.


What's the differences between the Sensation £255 & the Sensation XE Lite £338 & Sensation XE 349..?
 
Garrett said:
That's very interesting, thanks.


..sigh this is proving to be much harder than I anticipated.


What's the differences between the Sensation £255 & the Sensation XE Lite £338 & Sensation XE 349..?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the delayed reply - I was busy packing down my craft stand.


Forget about the XE. In actuality it is the same phone as I have - the original Sensation, the z710e.


All that HTC have done is remove the artificial restriction on the CPU so that it runs at 1.5ghz like it's supposed to. That and it's 'supposed' to have better augmented audio. That's just plain nonsense as it's nothing but software - you can flash a Rom that turns your z710e into an XE.


But why stop there, flash a Rom that gives you 1.8ghz and sense 4 or whatever you like. The XE is a waste of money... Unless of course you absolutely have to have those red highlights which I personally think are rather ugly.


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 
Remember that flashing requires rooting the phone and voiding the warranty though, not everyone is prepared to do that.


Personally I think the Nexus really is the best option here, it's the most no-nonsense choice and it's got timely updates
 
Sugar_Kane said:
Remember that flashing requires rooting the phone and voiding the warranty though, not everyone is prepared to do that.

Personally I think the Nexus really is the best option here, it's the most no-nonsense choice and it's got timely updates
Click to expand...

Oh I agree. I myself haven't rooted or flashed a custom Rom yet. My vanilla seny is performing quite nicely on the official ICS update and I have yet to run into a situation where I feel I need those extra MHz.


I still think the z710e is better value for money than the XE. If I ever do decide to root and flash a custom Rom, it'll probably be at that point in the future when my phone has fallen significantly behind the curve and it no longer meets the requirements for the latest software. Then I'll bump it up to 1.8ghz and perhaps even remove sense completely to free up more ram.


And yes, updates for the Sensation are somewhat delayed due to HTC having to spend time integrating whatever version of sense they feel is appropriate.


I know nothing of the Nexus. What are the specs and price difference compared to the original Sensation?


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 
The current front runner is now the Sensation.. but feel free to chip in if you believe I'm missing something.


I'm not averse to fiddling about with new hardware & warranty voiding, having done more than my fair share with multiple devices over the years.


Whilst I like the look of the Nexus it's almost £70 more than the Sensation, and as FaeMinx says that can be pushed well above 1.5Ghz and gives you sense 4 (whatever that is) and anything else you like.


I've no experience whatsoever of rooting & flashing, but part of the reason I opted for an Android device was the fact that this could be done & you can more or less customise to your hearts content.
 
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If you like to fiddle with your gadgets, check out this awesome mod you can do to your Sensation:


http://blog.whitesites.com/HTC-Sensation-4G-Chrome-Polished-Frame__634471425817343750_blog.htm


One of the big plus points for choosing a sensation IMO, and a mod I fully intend to do myself one day - probably at the same time I decide to root and flash a custom Rom. It will feel like a brand new phone and will turn heads for sure.


Anyways, a word of caution: before you get all gung Ho about the Sensation, read up as much as you can... Go visit xda developers and see what's being said about it and research all the other phones that people chose instead of the Seny.


You can never be too informed. I spent over a month researching options before I chose my phone.


Also check out YouTube vids regarding the sensation and it's Sense overlay... Find out what Sense is all about. Sure it looks slick and has nice eye candy, but a lot of Android puritans won't touch it... Mostly due to the ram it uses up... But again, if you intend to flash a custom Rom it can always be removed.


Edit: Oh, and the Sensation is unlikely to receive Jellybean officially, or Sense 4. Custom roms will be required for those. I know Sense 4 is available, but as far as I know, Jellybean is yet to become an option, if ever.


The Sensation officially runs ICS with Sense 3.6


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 
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If you haven't read it already, check out this thread - it gives a good impression of what Sensation owners think of their phones in general:


http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1767790


Please keep in mind there are better options than the Sensation if you are willing to pay a bit more - I only suggested it as a fairly decent budget option with good overall features.


If you have concerns you should probably go for the Nexus.


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 
Sugar_Kane said:
Size, but this may not be an advantage if you would feel silly using it as a phone because it's massive.


galaxy-note-tenue.jpg



It also comes with a digital stylus which apparently works very well. I honestly think you should check out the Nexus
Click to expand...

People at work take the piss, but I'm 6-foot- 3 (and full of muscle - so the song says; actually I'm 294lbs of fat but I digress) and man enough for such a phone! This guy in the picture, is just too puny to handle such a manly phone... buy a Blackberry. :p
 
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So what did you decide? Have you got your new phone yet?


It's probably too late, but - I hadn't done much 3D gaming since the official update to ICS... Now that I've had a chance - I've definitely noticed a hit in performance. I had a look and there's even less ram available for apps. Seems they allocated even more of the very limited ram to the os.


This would have to be the Achilles heel of the Sensation: it's small amount of ram that's further crippled by Sense.


I would have to say if smooth 3D gaming is your intention, flashing a custom senseless Rom is manditory.


I will probably be doing so in the next few months.


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 
The next phone I get gotta be a 5" a la note. It'd be nice if Sammy made a note with a phisical keyboard too.
 
If they made a note 2 or 3 with a physical keyboard (or clip on attachment)... It would almost be the perfect device for me. :)


But I completely agree with your choice - I would do exactly the same... Infact, if I had known about the upcoming release of the Note when I was shopping for my Sensation, I would have held off and saved up the difference in order to get the Note.


Damn sexy awesome piece of kit is the Note. :)


The Note 2 or 3 will definitely be my next phone purchase in a year or two.


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 
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