Focus or Surround?

[ptb127]

I have an iPhone 4 but I am strongly considering making the jump to WP7.. every post and topic seems like things are working out pretty smoothly.

Which device should I buy? The HTC Surround or the Samsung Focus. I like the feel of the iphone(solid) and I know the HTC would feel that solid but I want the amazing screen too and it seems as if the Samsung has the better screen.

What are some opinions out there of which one?

 

[EddyKilowatt]

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Really wish Microsoft had made AT&T bring in the Omnia 7 rather than the Focus... much classier flagship with which to set the tone for the new brand!

Wonder if an unlocked Omnia (I have friends in England) would work here (USA) on AT&T?

Eddy

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Focus.

Well, let me qualify: if you plan on watching a lot of media, or using the device as a radio/mp3 player (speakers) than the Surround is better.

If you want something more akin to the iPhone, then get the Focus. Once you see the Focus's screen, you'll see why.

 

[ptb127]

I do plan on using it to listen to music but only via the music player and with headphones.

I am just not sure 8GB is enough space for me.

 

[MattH93711]

I picked up the Surround. Very nice phone. The speaker is actually really good.
The screen is very good. I get lots of complements and "wows" when people see the phone.

 

[bjfcm3]

Focus... Go to the store and put your hands on both and it's a wrap

 

[electricbopeep]

There's a surround vs. Focus thread in the surround forum and I did a detailed comparison of the two based on the reviews i had read.

Now that I've gotten to get my hands on both devices, I stand by the comparison but would add that the surround is thinner than expected and that the focus is slightly more impressive in person (although it still falls short of the captivate, iPhone 4 and venue pro design-wise, imo).

I purchased the focus and I'm still in awe of the screen. I've seen the super amoled on Android phones but I think it stands out particularly well with the stark UI of WP7. The focus is replacing my Zune as an mp3 player (and my iPod touch as a podcast player) and the sound is very nice. I'm not an audiophile but I do listen to a wide range of music and K was pleased with the sound quality. I was worried about the media controls but i realized that you can swipe the screen or use the hardware button on the included headphones to skip tracks. The latter is very useful while I'm running and can't look down at the screen.

Based on what you've described, I'd recommend the focus.
ETA: I can't speak to battery life yet but that's dependent on an individual's pattern of use, to some extent

 

[falconeight#IM]

I had a captivate and it was nice but not having a flash on a flagship or actaully any smartphone is stupid.

 

[electricbopeep]

I had a captivate and it was nice but not having a flash on a flagship or actaully any smartphone is stupid.

completely agree. I've resented missing flash since '06 and with every passing year, its omission becomes more baffling. It's not acceptable for it to be missing from mid-range or higher smartphone/feature phone and I'm glad Microsoft made it a requirement.

I do like the squared off edges and feel of the captivate better though. The focus might have a pinch more class, depending on one's personal taste.

 

[MarcMaiden]

I went with the surround myself.

I had the captivate before this, and samsung kind of scared me away from their smart phones. They were good, don't get me wrong, but the only real thing they had going for them was the SAMOLED. The humming bird chip was cool, but no android software was programmed to run well with it.

putting that aside;

the surrounds build quality is what really did it for me. that, and the speaker/kick stand combo. For me, I never really used any apps from android, aside from the stock ones. I never cared too much for the android games, and random apps they had. I used my phone more for media if anything else. Thats why I switched to WP7 in the first place. So naturally, I went with the HTC surround for the speaker/kick stand combo. I was wayyy to comfortable at work sitting down watching my episodes of the office through netflix.

honestly, while the SAMOLED did look a little better, thats not what i miss about it. The battery life is what I missed. Honestly, the quality of the HTC surrounds LCD is really good, and I am satisfied. I havent noticed any battery differences...I havent had much time to test it with the phone.

You honestly cant go wrong with either phone, thanks to microsoft being strict on internal hardware. So if you are looking for a more durable phone with some weight (similar to the original moto droid if you ever owned one) the the surround is a great choice. If you are looking for something a little more sleek and stylish, the focus is probably the way to go.

 

[electricbopeep]

The fact that the focus is a wp7 phone made me less hesitant about getting a Samsung. I knew I wouldn't have to deal with touchwiz and that I wouldn't be at their mercy when it came to software updates, which seem to be some of the major gripes with their galaxy s phones. I'm still taking a risk with the GPS issue. I have had some issues with location but I don't *think* they're related to the GPS.

 

[MarcMaiden]

The fact that the focus is a wp7 phone made me less hesitant about getting a Samsung. I knew I wouldn't have to deal with touchwiz and that I wouldn't be at their mercy when it came to software updates, which seem to be some of the major gripes with their galaxy s phones. I'm still taking a risk with the GPS issue. I have had some issues with location but I don't *think* they're related to the GPS.

Ive actually heard good things about the Focus's GPS which is good


sometimes I do miss the SAMOLED, but other than that, I like the surround very much. Thank goodness for Microsofts strict hardware guidelines huh?

 

[falconeight#IM]

completely agree. I've resented missing flash since '06 and with every passing year, its omission becomes more baffling. It's not acceptable for it to be missing from mid-range or higher smartphone/feature phone and I'm glad Microsoft made it a requirement.

I do like the squared off edges and feel of the captivate better though. The focus might have a pinch more class, depending on one's personal taste.

The design of the captivate is great I love the look and squared off edges. I do like the taper on the focus, it makes it easy for me to know which side is up. But thats a little thing the captivate looks great.

 

[ebadger#WP]

Focus Focus Focus

 

[action_efn_jackson]

I am going with the Surround simply because I felt it was built better. I like the speakers and kickstand. HTC Hub is a nice little feature. The Focus OLED is vibrant and offers a greater viewing angle but that is it IMO. If you put both phones side by side and turn the brightness all the way up they both are crystal clear. The Focus has deeper darker colors of the 2. I also noticed when you look really close at the Focus you can see the actual LED's where as with the Surrounds WVGA LCD it all blends together because well its liquid. Other then the screen 1 more thing I just thought of is the Focus offers an expandable memory slot and the Surround doesn't. The Surround has 16GB which is plenty for most.

 

[action_efn_jackson]

1 more note. Because of MS strict MFG guide lines you really just need to go to the store and mess around with them. They both are good devices and aren't really that different. It just comes down to personal preference.

 

[Con Chuot]

Me! I chose Focus after trying out Focus and Surround at the store for following reasons:

- Beautiful Screen
- Light, thin
- Have a microSD slot so you can expand the memory

 

[timGSU]

Me! I chose Focus after trying out Focus and Surround at the store for following reasons:

- Beautiful Screen
- Light, thin
- Have a microSD slot so you can expand the memory

All the same reasons why I picked up a Focus instead of the Surround as well!

 

[Manuelitoohno]

Let me start with my story...

I had a blackjack 2 made by samsung, the quality was great but not superb. yet i couldnt complain since i got it for 99 dollars on jan. 2009. then i got a blackberry and loved it.. got it stolen. then this month I got captivate made by of course samsung. LOVED IT! loved the big gorgeous screen. but honestly it had its flaws. it felt steady plastic-y and of course the GPS didnt work whats so ever. that made me HATE SAMSUNG cellphones...


and the Focus has GPS problems according to some reviews (NOT ALL) and feels plastic-y to me..

So i picked up the surround. Its basically the flagship AT&T WP7 phone. with all the media attention it has gotten. it feels heavy and sturdy. not in a bad way.. but in a good way. when holding it i feel like It is a HIGH PREMIUM product. the screen is gorgeous. to be honest you wont notice the difference much seeing as how WP7 just has a plain background with colored boxes LOL and even when playing video the surround looks good. period.. the only time i realized i didnt have a super amoled screen was when looking at it from weird extreme viewing angles. but that doesnt matter because 99% of the time your gonna look at your cellphones screen in a normal straight angle lol..

surround is the only way to go with AT&T !

 

[anthonok]

Focus. its amazing. that is all