HTC G2
Phone Scoop Review
Oct 14, 2010 by Philip Berne
The T-Mobile G2 is a top-of-the-line successor to the original Android phone. Even with great specs, is the basic Android design enough to satisfy? read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
HTC G2 - THE WIRELESS DATA POWERHOUSE!
Carrier: T-Mobile (New York City)
I work for a wireless distributor and have access to any phone i want and this phone blows every phone i have used out of the water. The data on here is amazingly fast, not just for a phone but even compared to dsl and cable lines. We have a T1 server at work and my G2 is faster. Using speakeasy.net speed test i get an avg of 3mbps up and 1.5mbps down BUT i have seen it go up to 6mbps up and 3mbps down at times depending where i am. My favorite feature on the phone is the wireless tethering. If you are not sure what that is its simple, Your phone becomes a portable wifi hotspot/router that connects up to 8 devices. This means you can use your laptop, ipad, pda, and any wifi device you may have simultaneously on the web through your phone. In the past that feature wouldn't have been so great with the speeds you would get but now that hspa+ (3G+/4G) is here the speeds are just as good or better than dsl or cable.
PROS:
-Lightning Fast Data Connection
-Wireless Tethering
-Slide Out QWERTY Keyboard
-Touch Keyboard w/ SWYPE
-Very Durable / Well Made
-Large selection of Apps and Games for free
-Good call quality / reception
-5mp camera with flash and video
-Voice activated (very accurate)
-Does not freeze up and runs very smoothly
-fully customizable in every aspect
-Car Mode for driving safely
-Attractive looking
-Pinch to zoom (multi touch)
-flash media for streaming audio & video
CONS:
-800mhz snapdragon (would have liked to see a 1ghz)
-Heavy compared to other phones
-Screen could have been bigger w/ better resolution
-no front facing camera for video chat
-color seems to be fading off the housing
-battery life is "ehhhhhh", could be better
OVERALL:
I like this phone ALOT. Yes its not perfect but it does everything i need it to do and than some. If you have never used Android give it a few days of getting used to. If your looking for a well made reliable phone with a ton of features you found it!
Expresso Would Be a Nice Addition
I like this phone enough to leave my EVO. The pictures had more clarity with finer details even though it is a 5MP, compared to the shots I took with my EVO. The speed benchmark tests were consistently faster than the EVO (this was comparing the Sprint 3G to the HSDPA service not their HSPA+). The internet rendered pages faster than the EVO, the MAJORITY of the time. The call quality was better than the EVO. Yes the GSM network does pick up some âwhite noiseâ every now and again, but the voice call quality was still better.
I like the input options of a keyboard or SWYPE and the thickness was about that of the EVO. The screen resolution was not that of the VIBRANT or the MyTouch Slide, but the intensity of color for the screen size was an improvement over my EVO, the EVO is a bit washed out.
The G2 fits in smaller places better. I get unlimited everything $25 per month cheaper than with SPRINT, because I can APPLY a discount, and the Tmobile network finds a signal where my EVO did not and they were both set to ROAM automatically. I think VZW is âroam blockingâ over the last few months, because my service coverage shrunk on SPrint.
The G2 build quality is very good. The phone feels like it can withstand 2 or more years of use. The music player COULD have been stepped up a little, but so long as it plays.
I did have to do two mini charges (20 min) during the course of a day, but I was truly wearing the phone out with talk, browsing, music and some downloads, just to evaluate what it can do. I feel confident that in my regular day to day use, it will not need an interim mini charge
The only thing it's missing is the option to have the Expresso version of the SENSE UI.
Almost perfect..
I've waited for this phone for quite a while. Ive been using the G1 since the day of release and also have ALOT of hands on experience with all the T-Mobile phone as I work for T-mobile. =)
So lets get down to business.
*** PROS ***
Great size, feel, and weight. The screen is just the right sized in my opinion. Not small, Not huge..
Display is BEAUTIFUL!!!
Live wallpapers are great on this phone.
A psyical keyboard is a plus. (although see Con's)
The web on this phone is lightning fast when in a reg 3G or wifi (10 MBPS!), cant imagine with HSPA+ (not in my area yet).
The camera on this phone is amazing!!! Seems WAY better then 5MP. Even in the dark the flash pulls through better then any other phone I've ever seen.
Call quality seems great.
The processor is FAST, don't let the 800 MHz fool you, check the benchmarks.
Android Froyo is amazing, havent had a single force close yet.
Speaker phone is LOUD.
NO TRACKBALL!
Camera has a zoom, its not alot, but it works pretty good.
Trackpad flashes with new msgs/emails.
*** CONS ***
No front facing camera.
The Z hinge could be a little tighter.
The layout of the keyboard, I like the G1 layout ALOT better.
Internal Memory (Says it has 4GB, HOWEVER, all is used but about 1.5G due to froyo).
Proprietary charger!?!?!?! Seriously... Why not mini USB??
Came with quite a few useless programs (for me anyways) that I cannot find a way to get off the phone..
Just 1 color notification light (G1 had like 4)
Battery life seems ok at best.. Could be better.
Overall I was quite skeptical about this phone when I saw the spec's at first however I am extremely pleased with the G2 and will probably use it till the day it dies, or the G3 comes out. Lol. Great Job HTC!!!
Awsome phone!
This is a great phone.The only thing that bothers me is battery life!It does everything and more.I have no idea why they don't list the wifi hotspot on it.Mine has wifi hot spot capability.Over all it's a great phone.I also do'nt understand why their isn't a front facing camera.Why T-mobile didn't include that is beyond me.Those are my only two gripes.This is spposed to be T-Mobiles flagship phone.But they didn't add that.Seems to me that the Mytouch 4g is their flagship.Their pimping the hell out of that one.But for my money I could have had either and the pros on this phone far out way the cons.
Great Phone
Ive go though about 6 phones a year, about 2 a month. The resolution on the Galaxy is far more superior than the G2. The speed could be better with a 1ghz processor. There are too many pre-installed apps which are difficult to remove. Other than that this phone is outstanding. Android has a great interface which I like more than the Iphone and blackberry (Owned multiple of both).
Pros
Keyboard
Speed
Wifi/tethering
Cons
Resolution
If you have to have a keyboard....
They got just about everything right:sturdy (luv the weight of it!) HD display, good camera & video, decent music player & speaker phone. My 800MHz Snapdragon processor is noticeably faster than my friend's 1GHz Hummingbird in his Vibrant! With so many apps out there you can customize the phone to a tee to meet your needs! If there is one thing lacking, its the back light on the keyboard. The main letters very hard to read & there's no option to adjust the back light settings
Awsome pick
I have had this phone for some time now, and i must say, it is totally cool, being my first smartphone i guess one could say i don't know too much on the subject, however i do know what i like, and this is it. One of the cool thing about this phone that people at first would think is a bad thing, is the processor, people think that since its not a gig, then its not very fast, however it has been proven to out perform many gig processors, just look it up. Anyways, that's all i got, short and sweet.
G2 is tops
I replaced my my touch 3G for this phone i already had the 2.2 version but it seems faster
on the G2 this phone blazes the calls are crystal clear the net is super fast,camera is really nice all in all i only have one complaint the battery life is not the best but i shouldn't really complain I'm using the live wallpaper my WIFI is on all the time so i guess if turned off all of those things i would get more time from a full charge. If your on the fence on this phone you should really buy one you won't be sorry plus It's tons of fun with some really cool apps from the market. I make a pretty god salary and i could have purchased an I phone but after looking at both the G2 was my choice....
G2..No I Phone but why would it want to be
After 1 week of the G2 I thought this is heaven. I had the Iphone went to the HTC HD2 and now the G2..I missed my Apps now with the G2 it does everything. The Droid market is great. The G2 is smooth it does take some time to get used to it. Phone quality great.
Pro's
1. Andriod market great
2.Very user-friendly phone you can lay it out any way you want.
3. Quick camera key so you don't have to go through menus to get to the camera.
4. T-Mobile Internet speed ultra quick.
5. Easy removable battery.
Con's
1. Battery life is not bad but you have to monitor it the phone is so active you can have 10 apps open at the same time. Just remember to shut them down.
2. Keyboard the hinge thin was a bad idea but i deal with it.
3. Cases for this phone is limited so get a pouch or put it in your pocket
Theres alot of good not too much bad and theres nothing ugly about the G2..If you want the best phone that Tmobile has to offer this is it. I personally fee its one of the top 5 phones on the market.
G2 - Fast, Fun, User-Friendly
I've had the G2 for 3 weeks. The phone has a capacitive touchscreen, with a, slide-up z-hinge, that opens-up to the physical qwerty keyboard.
Pros:
-800mhz Processor
-HSDPA ("4G" internet) *flash & adobe enabled*
-Vast amount of useful, quality apps available for download
-8Gb SDcard
-QWERTY physical keyboard
-Multi-Tasking
-720i display
-5mp camera +flash (takes good pictures in the dark)
-Easily upload to social networking sites.
-Turn by turn navigation
-Voice commands (talk to text, speak to search, voice dialing)
Cons:
-Battery life (one time lasted 8hrs with normal use)
-Keyboard, sometimes have difficulty telling the O apart from the 0 when typing.
-Still getting used to the keyboard. Questions like, "why have two alt keys, or, what's the use for two shift keys?" (Can be rhetorical questions)
-No XT9 mode
-Loudspeaker not loud enough for calls
-Earpiece volume not loud enough for calls
-Default browser often redirects you to mobile sites with no link to full site found (Skyfire browser solves this)
-Z hinge sometimes swings open when using a t-mobile belt clip case
The things that make a smartphone sought after, have been strung together with the G2. To summarize, its fast in all respects (even battery life lol), clearer picture, access to many apps and programs. Simple user interface. It is a large phone.
