High End WP7 Phones

[Diamondx_8]

I am currently an AT&T customer with a family plan. Two phone currently off contract and two more in July. I have been doing extensive research on all of the platforms as I consider our next purchases. I initially started off heavily biased towards Android. However, I am now leaning just as heavily towards WP7. Why:

- Went to the store to try the interface and really like it.
- I like the integration with Office.
- I perceive there will be better integration with Hotmail.
- Kids love xBox
- I perceive it to be a more secure platform.

My question is where are the high end phones with massive screens? Android seems to get better hardware. Is that because Mango is so close that manufacturers are waiting for it? I really want a WP7 phone with Droid Charge specs.

Would appreciate any insight.

 

[Dave Blake]

At this time Microsoft has strict requirements for these phones. I fully expect that there will be added hardware support for high end devices but at this point MS wants all the devices to have very similar specs. High end hardware is necessary for and OS like Android but but the duel core processors and things like that aren't necessary with WP7. I would like to see some of the new bigger high resolution screens. For now the Samsung devices have a really nice offering if thats what your looking for. To answer your question WP7 devices wont get higher end hardware until MS changes the hardware requirements. Some added hardware support will come with Mango.

 

[Luisraul924]

I am currently an AT&T customer with a family plan. Two phone currently off contract and two more in July. I have been doing extensive research on all of the platforms as I consider our next purchases. I initially started off heavily biased towards Android. However, I am now leaning just as heavily towards WP7. Why:

- Went to the store to try the interface and really like it.
- I like the integration with Office.
- I perceive there will be better integration with Hotmail.
- Kids love xBox
- I perceive it to be a more secure platform.

My question is where are the high end phones with massive screens? Android seems to get better hardware. Is that because Mango is so close that manufacturers are waiting for it? I really want a WP7 phone with Droid Charge specs.

Would appreciate any insight.

At this point on a controlled OS there is no point in differentiation of hardware power in the point of view of the manufacturers. Microsoft made the OS optimized on specified hardware (which isn't exactly the latest) so the OS will technically run the same on the required hardware or above so in reality extra horsepower is pretty much just a waste of money. The only thing I can see a manufacturer adding more power is if they advertise it as a "gaming phone" or something to that effect. But for the most part its useless so don't expect to see anything "bleeding edge". As a matter of fact the latest specs dropped from 1 GHz to 800 MHz (2nd Gen of course) but yeah that's how it is... Regardless of that though the OS feels way better and more fluid than Android probably ever will.

 

[Mateosmith]

At this time Microsoft has strict requirements for these phones. I fully expect that there will be added hardware support for high end devices but at this point MS wants all the devices to have very similar specs. High end hardware is necessary for and OS like Android but but the duel core processors and things like that aren't necessary with WP7. I would like to see some of the new bigger high resolution screens. For now the Samsung devices have a really nice offering if thats what your looking for. To answer your question WP7 devices wont get higher end hardware until MS changes the hardware requirements. Some added hardware support will come with Mango.

well i mean there is the hd7 4.3 inch screen, then in a few months the hd7s for at& t with the same screen size, but with an amoled screen..thats abt the standard size of massive right now

 

[enahs555]

The hd7s is going to have a Super LCD screen, not AMOLED.

But yes, it will be huge and powerful with a really damn nice screen.

 

[Diamondx_8]

At this time Microsoft has strict requirements for these phones. I fully expect that there will be added hardware support for high end devices but at this point MS wants all the devices to have very similar specs. High end hardware is necessary for and OS like Android but but the duel core processors and things like that aren't necessary with WP7. I would like to see some of the new bigger high resolution screens. For now the Samsung devices have a really nice offering if thats what your looking for. To answer your question WP7 devices wont get higher end hardware until MS changes the hardware requirements. Some added hardware support will come with Mango.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[Diamondx_8]

At this point on a controlled OS there is no point in differentiation of hardware power in the point of view of the manufacturers. Microsoft made the OS optimized on specified hardware (which isn't exactly the latest) so the OS will technically run the same on the required hardware or above so in reality extra horsepower is pretty much just a waste of money. The only thing I can see a manufacturer adding more power is if they advertise it as a "gaming phone" or something to that effect. But for the most part its useless so don't expect to see anything "bleeding edge". As a matter of fact the latest specs dropped from 1 GHz to 800 MHz (2nd Gen of course) but yeah that's how it is... Regardless of that though the OS feels way better and more fluid than Android probably ever will.

Thanks. You make some really good points. The smoothness of the operating system really impressed me. I don't need the extra processing power as much as a bigger screen and higher resolution.

 

[Diamondx_8]

well i mean there is the hd7 4.3 inch screen, then in a few months the hd7s for at& t with the same screen size, but with an amoled screen..thats abt the standard size of massive right now

Thanks. You are correct about that being a big screen. I would just really like that on a real 4G phone. The HTC HD7s is the one I am leaning toward.

 

[Diamondx_8]

I would love Super Amoled plus on a WP7 phone.

 

[eric12341]

**** 4G, 3G is still adequate for alot of things. but of course u have the spec haters who don't acknowledge that

 

[Dave Blake]

I hope Sprint gets a WP7 device with big 4.3 inch screen like the HD7s. I would snach one of those up quick.

 

[IamNabil]

At this time Microsoft has strict requirements for these phones. I fully expect that there will be added hardware support for high end devices but at this point MS wants all the devices to have very similar specs. High end hardware is necessary for and OS like Android but but the duel core processors and things like that aren't necessary with WP7. I would like to see some of the new bigger high resolution screens. For now the Samsung devices have a really nice offering if thats what your looking for. To answer your question WP7 devices wont get higher end hardware until MS changes the hardware requirements. Some added hardware support will come with Mango.

Not quite true. Microsoft has set MINIMUM specs, not maximums. And those specs, for this chassis, a 800x480 screen, a specific button configuration, and a 1 gig proc, among others. I would wager that the reason we aren't seeing something more powerful is that the manufacturers want to guage interest before investing more expensive parts.

 

[Winterfang]

Nokia should release a super phone. Something that will not want to competed with Android but with Apple. I mean why is the Iphone 4 that small, that light, has great battery power and a really good screen at an affordable price and you are forced to choose any of those stuff from your droids and wp7 phones? I want everything on it.

 

[IamNabil]

Nokia makes better hardware than anyone else. I want to see a N9-style chassis, with a Samsung screen, and WP7.

 

[jimski]

**** 4G, 3G is still adequate for alot of things. but of course u have the spec haters who don't acknowledge that

Why 4G. It drinks battery acid and by the end of the year all US carriers will probably have tiered pricing, and there is already a 4G upcharge on most. All that capability, and you need to be plugged into the wall, plus you cant afford to download much. Bring me more widespread free WiFi and screw 4G and 3G.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[Luisraul924]

Why 4G. It drinks battery acid and by the end of the year all US carriers will probably have tiered pricing, and there is already a 4G upcharge on most. All that capability, and you need to be plugged into the wall, plus you cant afford to download much. Bring me more widespread free WiFi and screw 4G and 3G.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

Or maybe someone can focus on advancing battery technology for a change you hear SAMOLED+, Super LCD, dual-core, 1.2 GHz, 1.5 GHz, blah blah blah... But you never hear battery tech advancing...

 

[Exomondo]

Nokia should release a super phone. Something that will not want to competed with Android but with Apple. I mean why is the Iphone 4 that small, that light, has great battery power and a really good screen at an affordable price and you are forced to choose any of those stuff from your droids and wp7 phones? I want everything on it.

The Omnia7 is larger because of the larger screen, which i count as being better than the iphone4, yet it is only 1g heavier, so a 4" iphone4 is likely to be significantly heavier. It's personal preference but i prefer the lower resolution SuperAMOLED screen of the Omnia to the higher resolution LCD screen of the iphone4. Battery life doesn't seem to be too different to me, i get a day of use out of both though i use the dark theme on the Omnia.

Really i think the Omnia (Focus) hardware package is better than that of the iphone4.

 

[Diamondx_8]

Not quite true. Microsoft has set MINIMUM specs, not maximums. And those specs, for this chassis, a 800x480 screen, a specific button configuration, and a 1 gig proc, among others. I would wager that the reason we aren't seeing something more powerful is that the manufacturers want to guage interest before investing more expensive parts.

Good point. It is almost like which comes first, the chicken or the egg. If someone came out with a killer WP7 phone that might drive interest. There was no iPhone interest intensity before the it hit the scene. However, I think you are probably right.

 

[Diamondx_8]

Why 4G. It drinks battery acid and by the end of the year all US carriers will probably have tiered pricing, and there is already a 4G upcharge on most. All that capability, and you need to be plugged into the wall, plus you cant afford to download much. Bring me more widespread free WiFi and screw 4G and 3G.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

You are right about how expensive it is going to get. More free wifi would be great.

 

[Duvi]

Or maybe someone can focus on advancing battery technology for a change you hear SAMOLED+, Super LCD, dual-core, 1.2 GHz, 1.5 GHz, blah blah blah... But you never hear battery tech advancing...

I agree. Aside from Apple, most aren't concerned with battery life. The battery on the iPhone 4 is ridiculously good. Nokia, at least from when I used to use those devices were also top in that category.

With this Microsoft + Nokia deal, I expect to get the excellent battery life and the high-end parts that a lot of the high-end devices have now. One other thing I expect from Nokia is an excellent camera.

My only concern with Nokia is the touch screen accuracy and responsiveness.