Nokia Lumia 710 (Windows Phone) or Samsung Exhibit II 4G (Android)?

**pierretong** · 07-25-2012, 01:04 PM

I currently am in possession of these two phones and need to figure out which phone to keep.

Nokia Lumia 710

Pros: Runs really smoothly, never had a problem with it freezing up, like the Zune music pass a lot better than Rhapsody/Rdio apps on Android, Camera has digital zoom and is 5 MP as opposed to 3 MP, easy to use.

Cons: Lack of apps (Instagram is a big one, free games etc..), facebook/twitter app isn't as good

Samsung Exhibit II 4G

Pros: A lot more mainstream apps than Windows Phone, better notification system (as opposed to having to check live tiles every now and then)

Cons: Phone freezes too much (will be using Google Maps Navigation on the highway and it will shut down and restart itself), can be slow and sluggish at times

Would have liked the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze but they don't have that at any local retail stores for a decent price (don't want to pay a restocking fee if for some reason I don't like it and have to return it)

**MrObvious** · 07-25-2012, 05:59 PM

Have you tried rooting the Sammy and seeing if a custom ROM will fix it?

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**IsLand_BoY** · 07-25-2012, 06:24 PM

Out of those two, I'd keep the Lumia unless you got the Exhibit II at a significant discount. I got my Exhibit II from HSN.com for $130 so I'm going to keep it as a backup and put up with its bugs.

Windows Phone 7.5 is lagging in apps but it's a very polished and smooth experience. Plus the Lumia 710 just got updated to include WiFi tethering among other things like minor bug fixes and performance enhancements.

**pierretong** · 07-25-2012, 10:29 PM

I know what rooting is - what do you mean by creating a custom ROM? (and will that fix the problem?)
I really like Android - the phone is just too buggy for me to deal with.

**TMOCustomer** · 07-25-2012, 10:45 PM

Android is so unstable some people replace the Android operating system provided by the manufacturer with a modified version called a custom rom. This voids the warranty. Windows and IOS are so stable a custom ROM is not needed

**TMOCustomer** · 07-25-2012, 10:52 PM

Forgot to add Nokia quality and customer service easily beat Samsung. Go with the Lumia, you won't regret it. As an added bonus the Nokia is a penta band phone supporting ALL the North American GSM frequencies so you can switch to ATT or who ever your GSM carrier is. Plus you will more than make up the difference in price when you go to resell it.

**tmobiley** · 07-25-2012, 11:21 PM

I believe the Nokia is best.

- They retain their value
- Great manufacturing, solid device
- Great support options (from Microsoft, Nokia, and your carrier)
- Nokia Maps is hard to beat
- Windows 7.5 is a great UI and OS

I just picked up a Nokia Lumia 710 off Ebay today. These are some of the reasons I chose it over any other phone.

**adam1991** · 07-26-2012, 04:38 AM

FoxFi for the Exhibit II.

'Nuff said.

**aurora40** · 07-26-2012, 06:29 AM

Originally Posted by TMOCustomer

Android is so unstable some people replace the Android operating system provided by the manufacturer with a modified version called a custom rom. This voids the warranty. Windows and IOS are so stable a custom ROM is not needed

Is this a joke?

Custom ROMs exist mainly because they have custom features. Custom launchers, custom notification bars, custom themes enabled overclocking, no carrier bloat, etc. Even phones like the GNex, which is incredibly stable with ICS and bloat-free, have people creating and running many different ICS ROMs because they like different tweaks.

Windows and iOS are so locked down, custom ROMs are not feasible. How would you build your own iOS ROM? Check out the source code and go from there??

**hooked** · 07-26-2012, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by aurora40

Is this a joke?

Custom ROMs exist mainly because they have custom features. Custom launchers, custom notification bars, custom themes enabled overclocking, no carrier bloat, etc. Even phones like the GNex, which is incredibly stable with ICS and bloat-free, have people creating and running many different ICS ROMs because they like different tweaks.

Windows and iOS are so locked down, custom ROMs are not feasible. How would you build your own iOS ROM? Check out the source code and go from there??

Don't want to start a whole debate here, but I think most people who are not Android Modders turn to custom ROMs to increase the stability and battery life of their phones. The ability to customize the UX is and added bonus.

It's a shame that the first recommendation that people have for Android is to root and replace the OS. That's like buying a brand new car and having to replace the engine with a customized one to prevent overheating and lousy gas mileage.

And this is coming from someone running CM7 and CM9 on his phones and tablets.

As for the OP's question, from an OS perspective, I think it would depend on your personality. If you do like to tinker with your phoneand want access to the most popular Apps then the Exhibit might be the way to go. If you're not App-obsessed and are happy with a handful of Apps that do what you want/like then the Lumia is the choice.

**MrObvious** · 07-26-2012, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by hooked

Don't want to start a whole debate here, but I think most people who are not Android Modders turn to custom ROMs to increase the stability and battery life of their phones. The ability to customize the UX is and added bonus.

It's a shame that the first recommendation that people have for Android is to root and replace the OS. That's like buying a brand new car and having to replace the engine with a customized one to prevent overheating and lousy gas mileage.

And this is coming from someone running CM7 and CM9 on his phones and tablets.

As for the OP's question, from an OS perspective, I think it would depend on your personality. If you do like to tinker with your phoneand want access to the most popular Apps then the Exhibit might be the way to go. If you're not App-obsessed and are happy with a handful of Apps that do what you want/like then the Lumia is the choice.

My stock ROM has tons of bloatware. I have a Droid 3.

**IsLand_BoY** · 07-26-2012, 08:50 AM

Did you install the software update on the Exhibit? You'll have to do it through Samsung Kies software on your computer.

I updated the one I bought (which came yesterday) and already I see it fixed the long SMS issue and the phone feels more responsive.

That said. I still say to keep the Lumia. Judging by what you've said, it'll fit you better for your usage.

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**luther349** · 07-26-2012, 07:07 PM

Exhibit II. i got this phone i love it. i am running rebel rom. the blot free tethering enabled rom. but even when it was stock the phone was pretty nice. crappy apps make android crash run the correct apps and its rock solid. kinda like desktop windows. windows phone is fail.

**Chriss1928** · 07-27-2012, 02:52 PM

Of the two id easily pick the Lumia. Low end windows phones run just like the high end ones but with less fancy hardware(screen size, cameras etc). That is the beauty of WP7, you get a very high quality brisk fresh experience on every one of their handsets regardless of manufacturer. Now, if you go high end Android, there is a big difference from their lower end handsets.

I liked the Exhibit II at first, then it pulled the usual android nonsense(for me at least) of slowing down and force closing and there is a fair amount of bloat(I know rooting gets rid of it, but I like things to just work). Theyre both nice phones, but WP7 is simpler but does lack some key apps and games that android has.

In terms of being a phone, Id say the Nokia is the clear winner, if you need certain games and apps then you need to look at the exhibit very hard if it has something that you can't do without.

Hope this helps!

**aurora40** · 07-27-2012, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by hooked

It's a shame that the first recommendation that people have for Android is to root and replace the OS. That's like buying a brand new car and having to replace the engine with a customized one to prevent overheating and lousy gas mileage.

Again, I think your analogy and its implication is way off. It's more like buying a nice car, say the new F10 M5, and having people on forums all say "you gotta get a tune!" or "you gotta get rid of those runflats!" It's because it can make the car even better, but if you leave it stock it's still a really nice and fast car. People mention that as the first recommendation because it's a commonly available way to change the phone to suit your needs more. Not because of shortcomings of it stock. People don't suggest ROM'ing a Windows or iOS phone first-thing, because it is impossible to do. You either like the phone, or you suck it up, or you move on to something else.

That said, he owns the phone already. He likes the apps. If his other problems could be solved with a custom ROM, what is wrong with suggesting it? He can't custom-ROM his Windows phone to run the games and apps he is saying aren't available. If he doesn't want to do that, he'll have to make a choice between a phone he feels is more stable, and one he feels is more useful.