15 Android Phones Versus the iPhone 5

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MegasXLR

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No comments, read for yourself.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Google-Android-Apple-iPhone-5-Windows-Phone-7,review-1650.html

Apple-Versus-Android,U-U-290118-13.jpg
 
This is what I would like to have in my next phone:

- Latest version of Android
- Stock implementation of Android, no bloatware from manufacturer or carrier
- Dual-core CPU (not such a big deal right now, but I expect this will become more important over the next year or so
- Quality materials
- Unlocked/unlockable bootloader
- Non-ugly design

It's a pity that none of the OEMs seem able to deliver all of this. Samsung has the best specs, though I wish they would get over their love of cheap plastic for the physical construction of the phone. The HTC Sensation looks amazing, but HTC seems to be going the way of Motorola with their policy of locked bootloaders, so you might be stuck with HTC Sense and whatever version of Android the phone ships with. Motorola Atrix is cool, but it has a crappy Moto UI and definitely has the locked bootloader. Sony-Ericsson phones have great industrial design and an unlockable bootloader, but seem to be generation behind in terms of hardware (single-core processor on the Arc). The latest LG phones have good specs, but they're physically ugly.

Based on my above preferences, and the fact that I won't need to upgrade for more than a year, I would be most interested in the LG Nexus 3. The SGS2 is also extremely appealing, as is the Sensation, depending on how heavily it's been locked down.
 
enigma243 said:
Personally I regard HTC's Sense an an improvement, and not just SE/Motorola-flavour bloat...
Click to expand...

Well, I guess we just have to agree to disagree here. But that's the nice thing about Android, compared to iOS or Blackberry. It gives you a choice. Some people prefer Sense, some people prefer AOSP, some people want something entirely different like MIUI. I don't begrudge manufacturers installing custom skins on their devices (although I do wish more manufactures would offer non-skinned versions of their high-end devices), but I do take issue with manufacturers locking down devices so I don't have a choice. If I've paid for the phone, why can't I choose what software I want to run on it?

Ideally, of course, my preference would be to buy something that has the setup I want from the start, so I don't need to violate the warranty by rooting the phone. That's why my preference would be towards getting a Nexus device, assuming there's one that is available and affordable.
 
What would have been grate is if we could buy the handset we like and install the OS on top, like say Android, Symbian, Windows mobile. Similar to what we have in the PC world. But the fear of Microsoft doing to mobile what they did to PC's would be to grate so we cant live in that dream world.

Instead I would go for the next best thing, All manufacturers come with the phones with their look and feel, but this can be a apk that can be uninstalled to get the vanilla experience for those that dont love sense and what not.
 
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If you don't like Sense/Motoblur/whatever you can simply install another launcher from the Market. I don't see the problem.
SMS/Contacts/dialer apps can be replaced easily too.

I like some of Samsung's apps on the SGS though, haven't come across an app I consider worthy of replacing some of them.
 
enigma243 said:
Personally I regard HTC's Sense an an improvement, and not just SE/Motorola-flavour bloat...
Click to expand...

Fully agree with you.

HTC Sense is really a huge improvement over plain vanilla Android (IMHO) and it's really nice to use. Things like turning the phone on its face to go to Silent Mode, the big selection of themes, cool HTC widgets, etc just makes it very special - and a phone you constantly want to play with.

Motoblur's designers most probably designed cardboard boxes before, cos there' no imagination there.

Nobody has ever said a HTC Android phone looks like a cheap iPhone knock-off, but a lot of people have said it about Samsung's Touchwiz.

And LG's UI looks like a cheap knock-off of Samsung's Touchwiz.

For the purists who like plain vanilla Android.....I think there's more good stuff coming with Android 3.1, so don't sweat. :)
 
Vulk said:
The HTC Sensation looks amazing, but HTC seems to be going the way of Motorola with their policy of locked bootloaders, so you might be stuck with HTC Sense and whatever version of Android the phone ships with.
Click to expand...

Just a quick follow-up here:

Android Police: Bummer – Latest HTC Sensation System Dump Reveals Signed Bootloader, Custom ROM Support Is In Danger

Oh well, so long HTC. We had good times together, what with my first two Android phones being made by you. You still have the best industrial design of all the Android smartphone OEMs, and I still really love my Desire. But if you expect me to pay thousands of rands for a new device and then tell me I can't even choose what software I want to run on it, then I'm afraid my next phone is going to be a Samsung/SE/LG/whatever the next Nexus is.
 
Vulk said:
Just a quick follow-up here:

Android Police: Bummer – Latest HTC Sensation System Dump Reveals Signed Bootloader, Custom ROM Support Is In Danger

Oh well, so long HTC. We had good times together, what with my first two Android phones being made by you. You still have the best industrial design of all the Android smartphone OEMs, and I still really love my Desire. But if you expect me to pay thousands of rands for a new device and then tell me I can't even choose what software I want to run on it, then I'm afraid my next phone is going to be a Samsung/SE/LG/whatever the next Nexus is.
Click to expand...

Just keep an eye on XDA... many phones that were supposedly unrootable have been rooted. Not saying it will happen, but don't write off the possibility just yet.
 
enigma243 said:
Just keep an eye on XDA... many phones that were supposedly unrootable have been rooted. Not saying it will happen, but don't write off the possibility just yet.
Click to expand...

XDA has accomplished some impressive feats. Nevertheless, it took XDA more than a year before the encryption on the X10 was cracked; by that time, the Arc was already shipping. And the Motorola Droid X has been out for over a year and is one of the best-selling Android phones in the US market, and yet the encryption has never been broken and probably never will.

However, after reading the comments section on that blog post, it seems as though the initial headline was possibly misleading. As I understand it (and excuse me if I get this wrong, I'm hardly an expert), the Sensation bootloader is definitely signed and locked (like the Desire), but not necessarily encrypted (like the Droid X).

Okay, so there's still at least a theoretical chance that people will be able to run custom ROMs and kernels on the Sensation. But even so, forgive me if I still feel like I'm losing patience with HTC. Yeah, it's nice that there's a possibility that the community will come to your rescue and help you circumvent the onerous "security" restrictions that manufacturers insist on putting on their devices in order to prevent you from customising a phone that you have bought and paid for. But why should we have to rely on that? If you're a hobbyist, and you like to tinker with your gadgets, why buy from a company like Motorola or (sadly) HTC at all, if they hate you and don't want your business? Especially when there are companies like Samsung competing for your business that deliberately make it easy for you to modify your software if you choose.
 
Seeing as the A5 processor is still the best on the market - dual core Cortex A9 with SGX543MP2 GPU, the iPhone still holds the crown for best battery life, it's one of the thinnest phones on the market, and has one of the best cameras, one of the best screens, I don't see how they can say it's obsolete before release!
 
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Synaesthesia said:
Seeing as the A5 processor is still the best on the market - dual core Cortex A9 with SGX543MP2 GPU, the iPhone still holds the crown for best battery life, it's one of the thinnest phones on the market, and has one of the best cameras, one of the best screens, I don't see how they can say it's obsolete before release!
Click to expand...

You obviously been fast asleep, go read SGS 2 specs and reviews....
 
Elimentals said:
You obviously been fast asleep, go read SGS 2 specs and reviews....
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It's very impressive. The CPU and GPU are just as good as the iPhone. Not as many games yet. The screen is just as good as the iPhone's - and it's bigger. The camera is also good. However it's not like the iPhone is obsolete.
 
Synaesthesia said:
It's very impressive. The CPU and GPU are just as good as the iPhone. Not as many games yet. The screen is just as good as the iPhone's - and it's bigger. The camera is also good. However it's not like the iPhone is obsolete.
Click to expand...

The CPU, GPU, and camera have much higher specs than the iPhone....
As for the screen being "just as good", have you seen a SAMOLED screen in person? Their quality is incredible.

Not that I'm saying the iPhone is obsolete. Just because something doesn't have the highest specs on the market doesn't make it obsolete.
 
I have seen the SAMOLED screen. It's gorgeous. Yes it is better than the iPhone's in terms of sheer contrast. The iPhone still has a great screen though, the IPS display rivals AMOLED for black levels and contrast.

The CPU and GPU in the Galaxy S II is better than the iPhone 4's, but not the iPhone 5's. They are pretty much the same speed.
 
Synaesthesia said:
The CPU and GPU in the Galaxy S II is better than the iPhone 4's, but not the iPhone 5's. They are pretty much the same speed.
Click to expand...

Probably because it uses a Samsung processor, like the iPhone 4 did.
I don't think the iPhone 5 specs are known yet though...?
 
Well assuming the iPhone 5 uses the A5 processor, which is a rather obvious guess.
 
Samsung is limiting access to the new CPU's to competition in the next year+

That is why suddenly certain people are not best buds anymore ;)
 
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