HTC Vivid
Phone Scoop Review
Nov 15, 2011 by Eric M. Zeman
The Vivid is HTC's first Long Term Evolution 4G Android smartphone for AT&T. How does this device stack up against other devices on AT&T's network? Phone Scoop finds out in this full review. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Magnificent Phone
Pro's
1) The phone's design and shape
2) Display is the best I have seen around
3) 4g LTE speeds are realy fast (coming frome
an iphone 3gs)
4) The weight of the phone is great, not to heavy and not to lite.
Con's
1) volume control button is not the best
2)battery life is just ok (coming from an iphone 3gs)
Awesome phone
I tried the Skyrocket and I was disappointed with it's battery life and size (too big).
The Vivid is a homerun.
Pros: size
speed
battery life
android
screen (great colors and visability)
Cons: No Siri but everything else is better than an iPhone in my opinion.
Great phone!
I get tied up myself when I am trying to pick up a power house Android. Right now, on AT&T's network, there is battle going on between the HTC Vivid and Galaxy S II Skyrocket. In the end, I decided to keep the Skyrocket for a couple of reasons.
The Vivid is a fantastic phone. There is everything you need on this device. It has a quick dual core processor clocked at 1.2ghz, 8mp and 2mp camera, and of course a nice 4.5" Super LCD display. I decided to stick with the Skyrocket due to being a bigger fan of the Super AMOLED Plus display, but that Super LCD is superb, and some may even argue that they'd prefer it.
In the end, the only complaint I have on the Vivid is the same complaint I've had on every HTC device. Battery consumption. Being that this phone is LTE, that doesn't get any better here.
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Awesome phone!
I really love this phone......
Just Okay
Okay the pictures this phone takes are amazing. The screen is great, size awesome and I like the way the apps are organized. But I have some VERY BIG CONS:
I cannot seem to delete the apps that came on the phone that I do not want. They won't go to the trash bin.
I have virtually no service to text message or make phone calls in A LOT of areas. I live in a rural community but never had this issue with Sprint, whom I was with before AT&T, so not sure if it is a phone issue or a service issue.
I have to restart the phone multiple times a day in order for it to send text messages. I know this isnt the service because my kids have different phones on my account and neither have this problem at all. I have already had the sim card changed once for this problem so I think it is a glitch.
I Dig This Phone
I must have received wtlgditc's phone or something, because I noticed the clicking noise and the loose feel of the back cover right away. However, I bent the little slide clips on the back cover slightly outward, and the cover now feels extremely solid and doesn't click at all.
My phone is a refurbished one, and I'm amazed at the speed. It came with Ice Cream Sandwich, and I was able to get the updates right away. The sound is clear, it connects to all of my devices very easily, and it has only crashed a couple of times. I've dropped it many times, and it never seemed to get damaged, until one time the corner hit the tile in my house and send a crack all the way through the glass. I'm finding out that it's an easy fix, though, and the screen still looks good and operates fine even with the crack.
My biggest complaint is that there is no Hulu+ app for the Vivid, and that's something I really would like to have. There are many other useful apps, though.
The camera is amazing. I've never seen a phone camera with such clarity and color. The video camera shoots HD 1080p video, and can even do 2X slow motion. After shooting stuff with it, I can connect my phone to my computer, and immediately edit the video in Final Cut Pro X, which I definitely did not expect to be able to do. It has the front camera, too, which is good but not as clear as the rear camera. Also, the front camera doesn't benefit from the dual LED flash, which is very bright.
Everyone talks about the volume button, but I found it easy to get used to. It's nice to go into a theater, unlock my phone, and have it silenced in 1 second.
The best part about my phone is, because it was refurbished, it cost me very little compared to many other devices.
I would recommend, and have been recommending, this phone to my friends and family.
Great Device - More Recent Review
With the release of the One X, AT&T has begun the process of flushing Vivid stock. Still, I'd like to post a more recent (post-ICS update) review.
This is my third HTC phone, coming off the Aria and Inspire previously. I've had it now for three weeks.
The ICS (Android 4.0.1) update began and installed within 24 hours. Visually, the update is "meh" since they didn't also update the Sense overlay to version 4 (still at 3.6). BUT, the functional improvements are significant - namely battery management. I get more than 10-12 hours of battery with moderate use now.
I'm told the Twin Cities is inline for the LTE upgrade October 2012, but the HSPA+ speed still seems noticeably snappier - most likely due to faster processing time with the phone itself. However, I was just in Chicago and the LTE speed is AH-MAY-ZING. Blazing fast - a 5MB app update took less than two seconds to download and 10 seconds to install. Nice.
Overall performance is very smooth and response times are snappy - no screen or app launch lags so far. The 4.5 inch screen is more than large enough and the display is beautiful.
PRO'S:
- ICS. The download time is totally worth it.
- LTE. Seriously.
- Screen. Perfect size, great pixel density and color rendering. BRIGHT.
- Processor. Snappy.
- 16 GB on-board and allows micro-SD card expansion up to 32GB - (By comparison, the One X has no expansion slot - cloud storage only beyond on-board.)
- Handling. Feels great - solid build, may be too "heavy" for some.
- Price. By FAR the best value for the money.
- Great Android developer support network
CON'S:
- Back plate dislodges rather easily. A body case eliminates that issue.
- Weight. Good for me, but maybe not for all.
- Lack of accessories makes finding cases in stores difficult, but plenty are available online.
- Short retail cycle means AT&T and HTC support will also vaporize.
Best LTE and True SPEEDS Amazing Device
Got this phone now for about 3 weeks. I am in San Diego, they just launched LTE 4G.. I am getting up to 48MPS download and up to 14MPS upload speeds. This is faster than anything I can get on my home connection.
I have to say this phone makes and receives calls with ease , big bright screen and far better than the Inspire which I had before. Batter life seems to be better and this time I got smart and got a battery pack case for it. Overall , for , this phone is a winner. you can't go wrong with this phone. If you are an android users. It blows away anything else I have found with AT&T....
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Smooth & featured
Pros:
1) very responsive with everything I've done so far.
2) LARGE screen with HIGH resolution
3) Responsive on internet based requests (my Captivate was AWFUL)
4) 8 Megapixel back camera with flash and a front camera to go with it.
5) It's like everything is a pro - compared to my Galaxy Captivate which is my dominant prior experience, in two days, this phone is just AWESOME.
Cons:
1) The back is a metal cover covering the battery and just seems a little flimsy. Even makes a noise if I put pressure on it.
2) While the screen LOOKS nice and I doubt I'd notice, but just knowing it has an 18bit/262K color display seems a little pathetic compared to other phones.
3) The screen locking - more specifically, the unlocking is a three step process - wake the phone with the power button, drag a "ring", enter your pin. (I'd be happier with a power button-->code-->home screen/last screen appears.
Other thoughts:
1) I wouldn't call it a pro or a con, but I tend to agree about the volume control ... it's excessively large.
2) Yes, the battery life stinks... if you use it for anything other than calls... but I expect that from smart phones and so far, the life is about what I'd expect to get... so to me, it's not a pro and it's not a con.
Only had it 36 hours or so, but I'm VERY happy so far... NIGHT AND DAY compared to my Samsung Galaxy Captivate I left behind.
