Calling All Phone/Tech/Android Junkies

[INACTIVESamusAranX]

Hey there. I'm going to be due for an upgrade here in a couple of weeks with Sprint. I want to get an Android phone, as I've heard and read great things about them.

That said, a couple of questions...

1. I've been eyeing the HTC Evo, and it's nice, but my question is this; does anyobdy know if there's any newer Android devices coming out soon that pack the same or a better punch? I ask because I finally for once can afford to get the latest and greatest, and I for once would like to have it; I'd hate to turn around two months from now and see the new Evo 2 or Incrediawesome being advertised.

2. Is Android really the best? Anything better?

 

[PsychoPere]

When I was preparing to buy my Android OS phone, I used (and still read often) two websites in particular: Android Guys and Android Central.

The former website has a "Power Rankings" list where they gave the HTC Evo 4G the #2 spot, behind only the Samsung Epic 4G. Hell, their review of the Evo 4G opens with "The HTC EVO 4G is the best phone you can buy for your money right now," while the Android Central review states "It's big, it's fast, it's easy to use, and it's just about the best Android smartphone available today."

I don't really know what's coming out down the line because I haven't paid much attention to hardware news since I bought my HTC Incredible, but I think both of those websites would be helpful to you.

As far as your second question goes, "the best" is so subjective that it's hard to say. I love my Incredible, but it's also the first smartphone I've owned. I have a friend who loves her iPhone; I've used it and prefer my Incredible. Two other friends have purchased Android phones over the last couple of years, and both of them love their phones. But, of course, that's all anecdotal; you could just as easily find such musings from iPhone users as well. I don't know anything about the new Windows Phone 7, and I do have one friend who loves his Palm Pre. Most of my friends with smartphones seem to be ending up with Android more than iPhone, and those seem to be the dominant two in the market right now.

 

[The Doctor]

The Evo does look to be the the best Android phone out there, so you'll probably be very happy with it. Just stay close to power outlets as the battery life isn't the greatest on the big Android phones.

However, if an iPhone were available to you on your preferred carrier, I'd strongly suggest you check it out. I've used recent Android phones and I'm still quite partial to iOS over Android 2.1 or 2.2. I still don't get why Apple would hamstring themselves in the domestic US market when it has extended to basically every single carrier in Canada and most other major markets where the iPhone is sold.

 

[RapidNadion]

In the world of technology (and phones in particular) there is always something bigger and better coming down the pipe. So on the one hand you're never going to be the king of the heap for very long ... But on the other hand, if you pick the right device, you don't have to.

I carry the Evo and I have to say, it's been a very capable, very impressive beast. Battery life is atrocious, but that's par for the course with most modern smart phones. Still, get a spare battery from eBay for fifteen bucks like I did.

I'd recommend the Evo over the Epic just based on reliability and frequency of updates. Samsung doesnt have the best reputation for supporting their devices after launch, and the Epic has a slightly buggier user experience than the Evo, from what I've read. But if you need the physical keyboard or want the better display, you should go Epic. Just don't expect on-time software updates.

 

[Sheep]

In the interest of full disclosure, I own an Evo. The phone is absolutely awesome. The claims about bad battery life are very much exaggerated, IMO. I can consistently get a full day with my everyday usage patterns (LOTS of web and RSS reading, a few emails and calls, a handful of texts and some music played from my microSD card)--it's only when I turn on 4G or Google Navigation that my battery life goes down the tubes (4G alone makes my battery drop 12% an hour).

Sprint still has their full advertising backing behind the Evo, even 6 months after its release. That leads me to think the phone's going to be well-supported for some time to come.

The Epic is also getting quite a bit of advertising love, but personally I wouldn't buy any Samsung phone after reading about how awful Samsung is at getting important fixes and updates out. The Epic just got Froyo (2.2) this week while it's rumored that HTC is trying to get Gingerbread (2.3) on the Evo by the end of this year (they were among the first to officially release Froyo for the Evo as well). If history holds, it'll be a long wait until Epic owners see Gingerbread, if they get it at all.

 

[Arrqh]

In terms of upcoming phones, I don't think there's going to be anything significantly better then the current crop until the dual cores start shipping in what I suspect will be ~6 months from now.

Samsung apparently said yesterday, on Twitter of all places, that they are intending on getting Gingerbread onto the Galaxy S phones (which shouldn't really be that hard considering the Nexus S is basically a repackaged Galaxy) but the timeline on that is anyone's guess. Though if timely updates are important, the best way to guarantee that is to jump onto the T-Mobile ship with a Nexus S. The N1 had both 2.1 and 2.2 ahead of everyone else and that trend is clearly going to continue as developer phones will always get updates first.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I love my Incredible, but it's also the first smartphone I've owned. I have a friend who loves her iPhone; I've used it and prefer my Incredible.

Same here. I've never been particularly attached to this kind of "personal tech" up until now, but I love this phone.

 

[kes7]

I have the Samsung Moment (I think it's the predecessor to the Epic) and it's a very nice phone, but it's definitely got its quirks. I chose it because of the full physical keyboard, and I'm not sorry I did, but I will seriously consider choosing something from HTC next time, or see if something even better comes along.