Phone dilemma, decisions decisions...

[Jayce]

My story kind of goes like this: originally I was gung ho on the G-S3, especially after I saw the Wal Mart/Costco (particularly Costco with their 2 yr warranty extension) prices... So far I haven't been a big fan of tablets, so my train of thought was I would just get a fast and bigger phone and it would negate the point of having a phone AND tablet. However, Costco's shipment was delayed (thanks to Apple... don't even get me started) so it's by default given me more time to think about it.

After watching more N7 reviews and considering how much I sometimes beat up phones, I ended up preordering the Nexus 7 last night, which is something I thought I'd NEVER do (order a tablet) because I've always believed all tablets have been very expensive for what features you get. Since a tablet isn't something I'd carry with me everywhere, including into ceilings where I'm running cable (which high drops have claimed two phones so far), I figured it's chances of being safer from drops vs a phone are rather high. Based on the N7 specs, price, features, there's *finally* a tablet beginning to crush that opinion I once had. So now, because of the N7 coming, I figured I'd downclock the degree of which phone I got, which brought me to... well, yeah, I have no idea.

I love the look of the G-S2, but the only semi offsetting thing about it is the phone was originally released over a year ago, and of course I want something that's going to be well supported for quite some time. The only thing that may be canceling out that mindset is the fact that even the G-S2 is still *that* powerful that I don't see why updates wouldn't be provided for quite some time... take my Optimus T for example, it's a super low end Android that likely couldn't take newer versions of Android, so it makes sense it would become slowly extinct... very different from the G-S2, I would say.

I'm not too sure about HTC phones. They don't typically scream "amazing" to me so I'm a little on the fence with getting one. The Samsung Exhibit and T-Mobile myTouch sparked my interest too, as they'd be an upgrade from what I have while not breaking the bank substantially. But there again, comparing specs and features the G-S2 still looks like an extremely solid contender. Plus, I'm trying to consider, which one of these will be the most future proof for 2 years from now when I get a new one?

I've also tinkered with getting a low end (but still upgraded from what I currently have) phone and just use that... anything is bound to be an upgrade! Problem is, I've accepted that I'm likely never going to leave T-Mobile... best bang/buck ratio I could find. While I'm with T-Mobile now, I'm not in contract, so I'd be signing on as a new user if I got a subsidized phone from them, which would still save a substantial amount of money vs buying something like the G-S2 full price on a place like Ebay, etc.

Right now (based on the last few minutes of Googling around) the two that look the most comparable is the G-S2 and the G-S Blaze. The Blaze looks like it was more recently released and has a slightly faster processor. Both are dual core, but the Blaze is 1.5ghz while the G-S2 is 1.2ghz. Besides that, the only real difference is the onboard storage - the G-S2 crushes the Blaze with 16GB of storage while the Blaze has 4GB of storage. The only difference is... right now... I only have 100MB of app storage, and everything else is on SD card. I wonder if I'd even utilize anything beyond 1GB? (as long as I have a Micro SD for personal data). Hmm... some food for thought here...

TL;DR - So, there you have it. I went from the plan of getting the G-S3 to instead having the N7 and wanting a lower end (but still upgraded) phone. What say you on the matter?

EDIT - The Blaze is available from Costco for 79 bucks while the G-S2 (also at Costco) is 149... since we'd be getting two phones, that's comparing 160 vs 300... Considering how similar they are, it's going to be hard pressed to go with anything else. The Blaze, while it has 4GB of internal memory, is cited to have just over 2GB available to the user, which is of course substantially less than the G-S2... that being said, I'm just not sure I'd use that much space. All of my pictures, music, videos would be on the Micro SD card, while the apps themselves would be sitting on the ~2GB portion... I'm just not sure I'd ever come close enough for that to be a concern, however, I've never had a phone with enough space to install every app known to man.

Can some of you guys with loaded apps on your phones comment? I'm curious how much space you're using for your app storage...

 

[KSoD]

Dont go by what is said when it comes to what is available to the user. I have a Note which comes with 16GB, 2GB for app storage. 11GB for my personal use and the other 4GB is for Android to do what it wants. Given that and the fact I have installed a 32GB MicroSD card, the thing has almost 50GB of storage for me to use as I see fit.

So if the Blaze only comes with 4GB and they say 2GB is for the user, that means that you are looking at less for app storage and would have to get a App2SD app to get more apps that you wanted.

I know I am a heavy user with 200+ apps installed and backed up at all times. Here let me make this simple.

Screenshots:

I think those will be better to answer your query than anything else.

 

[carnageX]

So if the Blaze only comes with 4GB and they say 2GB is for the user, that means that you are looking at less for app storage and would have to get a App2SD app to get more apps that you wanted.

I know I am a heavy user with 200+ apps installed and backed up at all times. Here let me make this simple.

Shouldn't have to get App2SD anymore, really. You can move the applications yourself without the need of an extra app. Go into the application that you want to move, and tap "Move to SD" and voila it moves the app over to the card. Some data will stay on the phone yes, but significantly less.

I've used App2SD Pro a few times, and both times it didn't play nicely; it caused some problems with apps that were moved over. Not sure if it was the apps, or if it was the ROM I was using or what... But I avoid that app now. Just my 2 cents.

If you want a phone that will last a while (updates and such), then find a phone that is developer friendly. Samsung makes dev-friendly phones now that the creator of CyanogenMod works for Samsung. HTC phones are usually fairly dev-friendly... just a matter of waiting for HTC to release source code (and they're usually restricted when they can do this by the carrier... e.g. Verizon). Nexus phones are the way to go for updates...they're the first ones that will get updated since they're pretty much right from Google. The new Nexus is getting JB already, even I believe. Not a big fan of Motorola phones at all.

Custom ROMs will also net you more app space as well, if you pick a low-profile, slimmed down ROM. All the bloat is removed, and enhancements are done by good devs. But like previously said, you can always move apps over to your SD card.

This is all my opinion, mind you.

 

[KSoD]

I have not had an issue using App2SD Pro with my setup. That is the only reason why I suggested it. Cause it has never given me any issues. But yes it can be done without an app, but it is more time consuming. You have to go to each app and move it individually, as where these things can move them in batches.

Motorola Phones in and of themselves are not bad. My Atrix rocked, till I bricked it. Even my "refurb" still kicked. It is the ROM they use with Blur that makes the devices problematic. That and they dont release their source code to devs in a timely manner. They still dont have source code for the Atrix to get the ICS ROMS running smooth, even though they are in soak testing for the ICS ROM, from what I hear. So it isnt the device itself but how the company handled things.

That Razor and Razor Maxx are not that bad of phones. Just support wise they suck for devs.

Yes any device can be great if the dev community gets behind it. But if your not willing to learn about hacking your phone and all those extras, so you dont brick it, then stock I would go with Samsung devices over anything else. I personally prefer TouchWiz over Sense or Blur.

 

[carnageX]

I have not had an issue using App2SD Pro with my setup. That is the only reason why I suggested it. Cause it has never given me any issues. But yes it can be done without an app, but it is more time consuming. You have to go to each app and move it individually, as where these things can move them in batches.

Was just noting my experience with it is all, since I had used it a couple times and both times it acted up. Figured it would be worth mentioning.

Motorola Phones in and of themselves are not bad. My Atrix rocked, till I bricked it. Even my "refurb" still kicked. It is the ROM they use with Blur that makes the devices problematic. That and they dont release their source code to devs in a timely manner. They still dont have source code for the Atrix to get the ICS ROMS running smooth, even though they are in soak testing for the ICS ROM, from what I hear. So it isnt the device itself but how the company handled things.

That Razor and Razor Maxx are not that bad of phones. Just support wise they suck for devs.

Not saying the phones themselves are that bad, but yes, its mainly the company Moto I don't like. It's about like Apple; Apple makes good devices and products. Do I like them as a company? Hell no . How a company behave reflects their products to me.

Yes any device can be great if the dev community gets behind it. But if your not willing to learn about hacking your phone and all those extras, so you dont brick it, then stock I would go with Samsung devices over anything else. I personally prefer TouchWiz over Sense or Blur.

Honestly not that much to learn. A few hours of reading up on the subject will get you started. Then it's a matter of picking a ROM that you might like that's fairly stable. Personally I don't really like any of the proprietary interfaces; I prefer stock ICS launcher/homescreen. Even stock GB was nice.

He just mentioned that he wanted a less-than-top-of-the-line device to keep down on costs; getting a dev friendly phone will benefit you on this since it will stay up to date longer, because more devs will make ROMs and port the updates for it, and make them stable. Heck, my Incredible is still being developed for. Hikari's HTC Hero was still being a little bit updated, as somebody ported over CM9 (even though its slow - just ask him lol). And since Jayce is proficient, I don't think he'd have any trouble picking up at how to root / ROM a phone.

 

[Jayce]

My current phone is rooted and flashed to CM7. I had no choice. The 150MB app storage was the most laughable thing I've ever seen. I ended up doing all of this entirely to install Link2SD, which does more than Apps2SD as it actually symlinks the data over to my micro SD card. That was the only way I could get around it.

If you guys think the Blaze has little-enough storage that it would be an issue down the road, yet I'm not entirely sure I want to pay 150 for the G-S2 (I'm open to it, but would rather not go that high since I just preordered the Nexus 7), what else would you recommend? Reminder: T-Mobile.

 

[KSoD]

In all honesty I would get the SGII. While the Blaze does seem like it is a quality phone, the fact that the SGII already has been updated to ICS and it holds more is the killer for me.