Nokia Lumia 710 vs. Samsung Exhibit II 4G

[pierretong]

In the market for a new T-Mobile smartphone for prepaid. I just bought the Samsung Exhibit II 4G the other day off Amazon but I heard about the Nokia Lumia 710 and people seem to have generally good reviews for the phone.

A few questions though:
1. From someone who has used Android the past 2 years, how does the Windows Phone operating system compare?
2. What kind of tradeoffs would I be making by swapping phones? (for example: I've heard the Nokia has a better camera and it freezes/crashes a lot - something the Exhibit II tends to do, but Windows Marketplace apps are sort of limited)
3. Which phone would you get between the 2? (can still return the Samsung)

Thanks!

[IsLand_BoY]

1. It lacks customization (I root my Android phones so the initial switch to Windows Phone felt like I was limited in customization), but no force closes and it just works very well.

2. Windows Phone 7.5 is VERY stable and the Lumia does not crash a lot. Not sure where you heard that from. The app market is limited but I haven't found something personally that isn't on the phone or in the market.

3. I tried the Exhibit II and ended up returning it, but I'm on the pickier side. Seems like most people here are happy with it for the price. I had a problem with texting because the bottom of the screen wasn't as sensitive so when I pressed the space bar it wouldn't register. I really like Windows Phone but a lot of people like Android too so it just depends on what your preference is.

You should try Windows Phone out, it's come a looooong way from Windows Mobile. I have a Galaxy S II but am currently on my Radar 4G and I find myself liking Windows Phone a lot. I also bought a Lumia 710 for my second line.

[pierretong]

Oops sorry it should've said in the original post that the "Nokia DOESN'T freeze/crashes". Seems that Windows has a pretty stable system. I've had the Exhibit II for 4 days now and I've had to restart it numerous times when too many apps are running.

I think I'll get the Lumia 710 if I can find a good deal somewhere

[IsLand_BoY]

Ah okay, I was going to say.. I restart my Android phones every couple of days just out of habit but I don't have to do that with my Radar or Lumia. It's rock solid thus far. I did have one restart when I opened the HTC Hub but after I updated it, it hasn't happened again.

You know, I really like Android and having force closes and small bugs like that are just a trade off. Just like how you kinda can't really customize Windows Phone, but it definitely is stable. I was a little put off by the fact that you couldn't do custom ringtones in WP 7! After the 7.5 'Mango' update, you can do it thru Zune but there's no memory card so you *have to* plug it in to your computer. You can't even MMS it over. I did find a really nifty app that lets you download 30 sec snippets online and save them as ringtones, so I'm pretty happy about that.

I'm just impressed with Windows Phone. Not enough to get me to dump Android/my Galaxy S II, but enough to keep my Radar 4G (I was originally just going to sell it, or try it out and sell it cause I was curious about WP 7) and then buy a Lumia when it came out. Got the Lumia for $250 including first month of $50 unlimited prepaid. I didn't need the prepaid activation but it's either pay $250 for it that way, or pay $350 full retail, so obviously I went with the prepaid activation route anyway.

[jimxx200]

Last week I played with the Nokia..hands down, the best resolution screen I have ever seen..gorilla glass too. Guy puts his iphone 4 next to the Nokia and the Nokia was noticeably sharper and crystal clear with vibrant and true colors.
The Nokia is SMOOTH when moving tiles..absolutely no lag. I read where it has very good battery life and the call quality I tried was excellent (loud and clear speaker phone too). That said, there is no hotspot provision and good luck finding a VOIP app for wifi calling...rep went into the Nokia market and found nothing. If those are not important, I would have taken one home. I suggest you head down to a T-Mo store and play with the Nokia..very impressive.

[IsLand_BoY]

Call quality on the Lumia 710 is definitely very good, as is the speakerphone. It trumps the Radar 4G for sure. But yes, no WiFi hotspot and no WiFi calling. I really want WiFi hotspot, and WiFi calling is nice, so I went with the Radar. That and I don't like the micro SIM because I need a full sized *and* certain SIM for my Galaxy S II.

I don't mean to sound like a Windows Phone broken record, but I think they'll be a contender in the next year or two. Right now they're at that Android 1.6 stage. Once it gets more updates, more devices, and more attention, it'll be something big.

PLEASE let there be something with a faster HSPA modem! I usually pull 5mb down on my Radar 4G where my Galaxy S II is always 10mb+. That makes a big difference when downloading files or streaming.