Okay Geek Farm
Android Smartphone Buyer's Guide for Q2 2011
Jason Tsay
Picking an Android phone is a tough job these days. There are simply too many of them to choose from and carriers don’t exactly do the best job of letting you know which is the best. Fear not however, we’ve got the buyer’s guide for the second quarter of this year, sorted out by each carrier.
Note - our picks are only for the four US national carriers.
Before we begin, I’d like to give special thanks to Myriam Joire (@tnkgrl) for letting us use her awesome pictures in our post. You can check out more of her content here and will find each image linked to their respective Flickr pages.
T-Mobile
G2x
The newly launched G2x is one of the best Android devices out there as of now. In fact, mobile phone expert, Myriam Joire, calls it the “Best phone I’ve played with since the Nexus S.” And that’s saying something. Sporting a 4” display, Tegra 2 processor, and stock Android (sadly, only 2.2), this handset will not disappoint.
Nexus S and Galaxy S 4G - Runner Up
Both of these devices are Galaxy S phones on T-Mobile but they do have some slight differences. The Galaxy S 4G features HSPA+ speeds on T-Mobile’s network, the main reason we listed it. Looking forward, the Nexus S will be getting Android updates first until a new Nexus device comes out from Google. We’d pick the Nexus device (pictured above) of the two but both devices are very good and feature similar internals.
Sensation 4G - Coming Soon
The Sensation 4G, like the EVO 3D in the Sprint section below, is one of the most beastly devices we’ve seen to date. It features a qHD resolution on a 4.3” display along with a dual core 1.2 GHz processor, as well as HTC Sense 3.0. The aluminum unibody casing on the exterior only adds to its appeal. If you can wait about a month, this will be one of the most impressive phones you can get.
AT&T
Atrix 4G
The Atrix 4G needs no introduction. It made our short “Top 5 Android devices at CES” and we even described it as “The Future of Comuting As We Know It”. Main features include a Tegra 2 processor, qHD display, and the many docks available as accesories. Former Engadget editor in chief, Joshua Topolsky, is know for favoring it over the iPhone 4 as his personal device. And that is saying something.
Inspire 4G - Runner Up
If you absolutely cannot stand the Blur skin on the Atrix 4G, your best bet is the Inspire 4G. As one of HTC’s newer offerings, it features a gorgeous aluminum unibody design and one of Qualcomm’s newer processors. It is also a 4.3” device, which HTC has made so ubiquitous nowadays.
Coming Soon
The future of Android smartphones with AT&T is fairly foggy. We did see an impressive 4.5” Infuse 4G from Samsung at CES but now we’re unsure if it will even make it to market now. And when it does, there might be something even more amazing in store for us. We do know for sure that the LG Thrill 4G 3D is coming soon, which would basically be the G2x with some AT&T customizations and 3D.
Verizon
Thunderbolt
Ah the Thunderbolt. It’s electrifying name matches its blazing 4G LTE speeds. Network speeds are literally so fast, you won’t be waiting for the phone to load, but it will be waiting for you to figure out what to do next. The phone’s hardware is not to shoddy at all, sporting HTC’s famous 4.3 inch display but with better viewing angles this time around. The 8 megapixel sensor on the rear should allow for some decent shots and the new gen Snapdragon is one of the faster processors out there.
Droid X - Runner Up
It’s rather strange but we’d find ourselves recommending the Droid X if you absolutely do not want the Thunderbolt. The device is quite impressive but has been on the market for quite some time. What we’re saying is, take a look at the above and below Verizon recommendations before you sign over 2 years of your life.
Coming Soon
New Droids — We’re a little confused ourselves about Verizon’s upcoming strategy due to some conflicting leaks we’ve seen but so far it appears that Big Red will be launching the Droid 3 (successor in the slide out keyboard series), a new Droid X 2, and a “Targa” device. We’re also expecting the Droid Bionic, which we saw at CES. There appear to be several Droid out there but we are unsure which are the ones Verizon wants to use.
Sprint
EVO 4G
That’s right. We’re recommending a phone that is about a year old. This just goes to show how impressive of a device the EVO 4G was, and still is. It was a tough choice between the Epic 4G and the EVO but we preferred the better aesthetics and feel of the HTC. Honestly, we would recommend you wait for the EVO 3D, which you can read more about below.
Epic 4G - Runner Up
As we mentioned in the above paragraph, it was exceptionally difficult to pick between the Epic and the EVO. If you are in need of a hardware keyboard, the Epic 4G is your phone. With a more powerful 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, it would theoretically outperform HTC’s offering although both devices are quite fast. Either way, the Epic 4G is a much better device than the EVO Shift 4G (the EVO 4G’s smaller, keyboard-equipped brother).
EVO 3D - Coming Soon
Unless you’ve got to buy a phone right this moment, you should be able to wait a while for the EVO 3D. This is the next generation of HTC devices, featuring Android 2.3 along with a plethora of cameras and HDMI out. It is truly powerful and worth the wait until it launches some time this summer.
Looking Forward - Rooting and Updating
Smartphones these days come with a typical 2 year contract in the US. In that time, you might be tempted to do some hacking, or more specifically, rooting (the jailbreaking equivalent for Android). Here is a great site you can use to find out how easy it is to root certain devices and manufacturers. We’ve also included a Google spreadsheet being constantly updated on which devices will get Gingerbread (Android 2.3) and when.
Which Android Phone is the Best?
This is one of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to buying any product - which one is the best? Well, it really depends on what you’re looking for. Be it network speeds, your first choice should be the Thunderbolt on Verizon. If you are in need of the latest version of Android at all times, the Nexus S is no brainer. Are you looking for the fastest processor? The G2x and Atrix 4G both utilize the powerful dual core Tegra 2. So to answer the question, there isn’t one definite “best Android phone.” There are a lot of great ones out there and it all depends on what you want out of your mobile device.
