- Nov 8, 2011
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This is my personal thought and impression. Your mileage may vary.
I picked up Focus S the day it came out. I was very well impressed with the OS but perhaps less with the hardware itself. Mine came with a battery defect, but I decided to wait a little longer for Titan so I could see my options.
Here are a few key points:
1. Better material = Slip-free handling
I like Focus S, but I thought it feels plasticky (for lack of a better term). The combination of the plastic material and the contour make the device a bit slippery to handle. I drop it once and almost drop it numerous of times.
Yes I'm an Asian and I have a smaller hand, but I don't think that is the case. Holding Titan feels natural despite the fact that it's slightly larger than Focus S. The key is the metal chasis not only on the back but all around it, so that it feels secured on my hand. The contour does help too because it's not as curvy as Focus S.
2. The camera button
Titan does it right! The problem with Focus S is that the button is somewhat loose and it's very easy to accidentally press it. What happenf is that I become so consciously aware of this issue that handling the phone becomes somewhat awkward.
The camera button on Titan is not as raised as Focus S and it's quite firm. It's almost impossible to accidentally press it. However, they require you to add an extra push to the button to take a picture. It takes some getting used to, but it's not bad at all.
3. The Power button
This is where Focus S has a slight advantage over Titan. The power button on Focus S is okay, although after weeks of using it I still don't understand why they put it on the right. But it still works okay.
The issue with Titan is that the button is not raised enough, so it makes it harder to press if I'm holding and pressing at the same time with one hand. It's not a deal breaker by any mean but it's still a bummer nonetheless.
4. The Screen
I think you can't go wrong with Titan or Focus S in the screen department.
Perhaps it's me being picky (this may have something to do with my daily job as a designer), but I thought the color on Titan is slightly less saturated compared to Focus S. But nonetheless they are very comparable.
I was contemplating to mention this or not, because I thought this was a bit vague. The Titan screen is somewhat very easy on the eye. And at the same Medium brightness, the screen on Titan is not so glaring.
Pixels are more pronounced on Titan? Nope, it's barely noticeable. Unless you dedicate your time to do some pixel hunting, then yes you will see that it's more pronounced than Focus S.
5. The Volume button
I don't completely understand why they put the Volume buttons on the right. But for my situation (smaller hand) it makes sense. Titan is big and slightly wider than Focus S, reaching the button is not much of a problem than pressing it.
Since I always hold my phone with my right hand, the volume buttons are always within the reach of my thumb. If I hold it with my left hand somewhat my finger has trouble pressing the top volume button. So I guess this may well be a legitimate reason behind the button placement.
6. Bigger Keyboard
The keyboard on Titan is bigger although not by much but you can certainly tell. It's easier to type although typo is still happening here and there
7. Little things count
- Subtle Vibration: The vibration you feel when you tap the win/search/back buttons is very subtle on Titan, which is very nice.
- Ringtones: I think I prefer the Titan's collection better Although they pretty much sound the same lol
- Panorama and Burst shots: Very nice additions I like the panorama function a lot.
Overall I think Titan is a better device than Focus S. Focus S is a good device too but perhaps not in the $199 category.
I picked up Focus S the day it came out. I was very well impressed with the OS but perhaps less with the hardware itself. Mine came with a battery defect, but I decided to wait a little longer for Titan so I could see my options.
Here are a few key points:
1. Better material = Slip-free handling
I like Focus S, but I thought it feels plasticky (for lack of a better term). The combination of the plastic material and the contour make the device a bit slippery to handle. I drop it once and almost drop it numerous of times.
Yes I'm an Asian and I have a smaller hand, but I don't think that is the case. Holding Titan feels natural despite the fact that it's slightly larger than Focus S. The key is the metal chasis not only on the back but all around it, so that it feels secured on my hand. The contour does help too because it's not as curvy as Focus S.
2. The camera button
Titan does it right! The problem with Focus S is that the button is somewhat loose and it's very easy to accidentally press it. What happenf is that I become so consciously aware of this issue that handling the phone becomes somewhat awkward.
The camera button on Titan is not as raised as Focus S and it's quite firm. It's almost impossible to accidentally press it. However, they require you to add an extra push to the button to take a picture. It takes some getting used to, but it's not bad at all.
3. The Power button
This is where Focus S has a slight advantage over Titan. The power button on Focus S is okay, although after weeks of using it I still don't understand why they put it on the right. But it still works okay.
The issue with Titan is that the button is not raised enough, so it makes it harder to press if I'm holding and pressing at the same time with one hand. It's not a deal breaker by any mean but it's still a bummer nonetheless.
4. The Screen
I think you can't go wrong with Titan or Focus S in the screen department.
Perhaps it's me being picky (this may have something to do with my daily job as a designer), but I thought the color on Titan is slightly less saturated compared to Focus S. But nonetheless they are very comparable.
I was contemplating to mention this or not, because I thought this was a bit vague. The Titan screen is somewhat very easy on the eye. And at the same Medium brightness, the screen on Titan is not so glaring.
Pixels are more pronounced on Titan? Nope, it's barely noticeable. Unless you dedicate your time to do some pixel hunting, then yes you will see that it's more pronounced than Focus S.
5. The Volume button
I don't completely understand why they put the Volume buttons on the right. But for my situation (smaller hand) it makes sense. Titan is big and slightly wider than Focus S, reaching the button is not much of a problem than pressing it.
Since I always hold my phone with my right hand, the volume buttons are always within the reach of my thumb. If I hold it with my left hand somewhat my finger has trouble pressing the top volume button. So I guess this may well be a legitimate reason behind the button placement.
6. Bigger Keyboard
The keyboard on Titan is bigger although not by much but you can certainly tell. It's easier to type although typo is still happening here and there
7. Little things count
- Subtle Vibration: The vibration you feel when you tap the win/search/back buttons is very subtle on Titan, which is very nice.
- Ringtones: I think I prefer the Titan's collection better
Although they pretty much sound the same lol- Panorama and Burst shots: Very nice additions
I like the panorama function a lot.Overall I think Titan is a better device than Focus S. Focus S is a good device too but perhaps not in the $199 category.
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