Fed up with BB -- HTC 1X or Galaxy S2?

[saccur]

Hello all!

Been a BB user for a number of years now primarily due to communication functionality (push features, nice blinking customizable LED msg notification, BBM, etc).

I'm getting weary of BB and thinking of switching over to Android. I have a few questions - please bear with me - hopefully I'll pick up some nuances here which I'm having a tough time by researching droid phones (there are so gosh darn many).

1) Is there any sort of push feature for e-mail on Android devices or do I have to check online for new e-mails? LED notifications (customizable?). BBM - whatever. Ppl can just SMS me their grief.

2) I'm contemplating either an HTC One X or Galaxy S II LTE (HD?) - I've been reading about both but hard to make sense of it all seeing past the "glitter" that's offered in review sites...
- what does "rooting your phone" do? Is either model easier to root than the other?
- Is either phone better than the other in terms of reception and signal strength?
- how are OS upgrades handled? Is it as simple as BB OS (just download off the net and upgrade?)
- HTC One X - there's an "international" version and "north american version" - either better than the other? Any benefits to either aside from Quad/Duo core processor?

I don't really mind, or care, that the HTC comes with a built-in battery and a fixed memory. I'm not exactly thinking of running Windows 7 on this thing, or loading it up with music/videos/what-have-you. A cpl of applications here and there and that's about it.

Have other questions but don't whant the post to be overwhelming. Appreciate your insights, comments and suggestions.

Cheers

[Steve Punter]

Is there any reason you are considering the S II LTE instead of the S III? Don't get me wrong, I love my S II LTE and I don't intend to upgrade to an S III, but as a new buyer why not go for the new technology?

I can't speak for the Exchange support, but when you use Gmail the app never needs to be manually updated. When messages arrive at your Gmail address your phone gets them instantly and alerts you. Many Android phones don't have alert lights, but the new S III does.

Rooting a device means that you (as a user) are granted full unrestricted access rights to the O/S. Through an app called SuperUser you can selectively grant this access to various apps. This allows you to install apps that would otherwise be unable to do what they do without being granted super user status.

I've tested the HTC One X and the Galaxy S III (and as I noted earlier I own an S II LTE). They all have approximately equal RF performance.

On phones OTHER THAN the Nexus line from Google, updates are handled through your carrier. However, if you root your phone you can install any custom ROM you like at any time. Using a Nandroid Backup you can take a snapshot of your phone's O/S, apps, and data and restore your phone to a previous state should you not like any of the ROMS you install.

Both the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III have "international" and "North American" versions. In both cases they provide LTE on the North American versions, but they go with the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. Their international versions do not support LTE, but come with quad-core processors. The jury is still out on whether the quad-core processors are actually superior to the Snapdragon S4.

You can read my full reviews of these phones at:

http://www.arcx.com/sites/Samsung Galaxy S III.htm
http://www.arcx.com/sites/HTC One X LTE.htm
http://www.arcx.com/sites/Samsung Galaxy S II LTE.htm

Note that the S II LTE HD is the same phone as the S II LTE, but with a higher-resolution screen. However, that screen is still powered by the same Adreno 220 GPU and graphics performance on the HD model suffers as a result.

[saccur]

Thank you for your very informative reply, for explaining rooting, comparing the models in their most basic but equally most important aspects (RF, core differences). I've researched a little on the subject, but it takes a while to absorb all the terminology, procedures, etc, so your summing this up is very helpful.

Why not the SIII? I don't consider myself an early adopter and allow manufacturers to introduce bug fixes. tweaks and so on before gauging whether or not a unit fits my requirements. I'm no "cell-phone" gamer nor do I watch movies or listen to music (I have a computer, TV and MP3 player for that), so 3D performance is not a consideration - general menu speed is a consideration (of course), but processing speed isn't something that is an absolute requirement. I don't mind apps that let me read (news, articles, PDF's), other sources of informational nature, etc..

Most important aspects for me are RF (signal strength), general (tele)communications (e-mail, txt, social, call quality) and battery life (that may be a non-topic with hardware running Android OS in general though - seeing how all the phones are full touch screen, loaded to the hilt with power-hungry technology, etc).

Anycase, I thank you for your thoughtful and informative response.

(I'd spam the +rep button but I won't let me.)


After-thought question:
- Can the LTE radio be turned off on these phones and if so, what signal does the phone radio then use -- 3G or H+ (aka 3.5G)? I find H+ sucks the life out of any battery.

[Steve Punter]

I'm not 100% sure about the HTC One X, but the Samsung S II LTE can be set to auto (in which case it selects LTE if available, HSPA if there is no LTE, or GSM if there is no HSPA), or you can also select HSPA/GSM mode, in which the phone just pretends it doesn't have LTE, or you can choose GSM only, in which case it pretends there's no LTE or HSPA.

[Migzyboy]

For early adoption, the HTC One X has only been out a month longer than the Galaxy S III, and if you plan on use it for multitasking, the One X has complaints across the internet about it.

For battery life, the SIII definitely outperforms the SII as its components while more powerful they are more energy efficient, not only that the SIII has a bigger battery than both the SII and One X.

Email/texting/social networking is pretty much the same across all 3, with minor tweaks here and there.

For signal strength/call quality, try the internet there are lots of comparisons between phones posted everywhere.

[saccur]

Thanks folks for your input.

I've been digging a lot concerning the RF and call quality of both HTC and Samsung - findings are ... disturbing. Seems for all the bells and whistles these two companies offer in their smartphones, they come up very short with regards to actually making a phone call. Sure enough, I bought and tried the Galaxy S2 for several days to test the features, but specifically call quality. In short - not impressed... at all. Talking on my 2-yr old Blackberry is like using a fiber optic line compared to the can-to-string quality of the Samsung.

I think I'll stick with BlackBerry (different model) for call quality's sake and PIMgmt or perhaps go with the Motorola Razr MAXX GSM - read some good reviews regarding both RF and call quality (not to mention battery life).

Again, thanks for the input to all.

[GeminiIII]

Thanks folks for your input.

I've been digging a lot concerning the RF and call quality of both HTC and Samsung - findings are ... disturbing. Seems for all the bells and whistles these two companies offer in their smartphones, they come up very short with regards to actually making a phone call. Sure enough, I bought and tried the Galaxy S2 for several days to test the features, but specifically call quality. In short - not impressed... at all. Talking on my 2-yr old Blackberry is like using a fiber optic line compared to the can-to-string quality of the Samsung.

I think I'll stick with BlackBerry (different model) for call quality's sake and PIMgmt or perhaps go with the Motorola Razr MAXX GSM - read some good reviews regarding both RF and call quality (not to mention battery life).

Again, thanks for the input to all.

many phones have signal boost(aka UMA) these days. i have it on my sensation where call quality is boosted wherever i have wifi connection

[NickC]

Thanks folks for your input.

I've been digging a lot concerning the RF and call quality of both HTC and Samsung - findings are ... disturbing. Seems for all the bells and whistles these two companies offer in their smartphones, they come up very short with regards to actually making a phone call. Sure enough, I bought and tried the Galaxy S2 for several days to test the features, but specifically call quality. In short - not impressed... at all. Talking on my 2-yr old Blackberry is like using a fiber optic line compared to the can-to-string quality of the Samsung.

I think I'll stick with BlackBerry (different model) for call quality's sake and PIMgmt or perhaps go with the Motorola Razr MAXX GSM - read some good reviews regarding both RF and call quality (not to mention battery life).

If you are still thinking of switching, might want to look at Galaxy S III, esp if you liked GS II except for call quality. My friend just got one & I thought call quality was great. Didn't compare directly with BB or GS II but the call was very clear.

Battery life... Well it's not gonna come close to BB!