Considering a switch from Lumia 710 to Radar 4G -- input/feedback appreciated

[sp3ci4lk]

Hi all. I'm considering a switch from my Lumia 710 to the Radar 4G, and I was wondering if anyone could provide me with any input/feedback in terms of any "gotchas" with the Radar. Though I've heard nothing but good things about the Radar (other than its limited storage capacity), I'd hate to exchange my 710 for a Radar, only to find that it's got a bug or two (or three) that my Lumia doesn't. (I love Windows Phone but HTC and I have a rough history of Android phones.)

My reasons for considering the switch are:

- After having used the Lumia for a week, I can't get over how plasticy it feels. It's actually started to "crick" and "creak" ever-so-slightly, and I do believe the Radar 4G is the far more solid-feeling device.

- I tried to suck it up and deal with the Lumia's physical "button bar," but I'm beginning to see that the part-line between the button and the face of the phone is going to become a nasty little dust collector; further, given the phone's on the smallish side, having to physically press a button (versus simply touching a capacitive button) often makes using the phone quite a bit more awkward to use.

- Batter life: Though the Radar's battery is integrated, it's a higher capacity unit that powers a 1GHz processor, versus the Nokia's smaller battery that powers a higher clocked CPU. From all of the reviews I've read comparing the two, I don't expect to see a marked difference in overall performance, but I do expect I'd see longer battery life.

- I also understand the Radar's camera is a bit better; the Nokia's isn't bad, but I do like having a phone that takes the best possible pictures.

- I don't really care about Nokia's Drive navigation app, believe it or not. In fact, I'd rather use Bing Maps for Navigation; Drive's turn-by-turn directions don't pause music playback, which to me is just retarded, and in my opinion, that's a pretty big ding. (Funny I haven't heard this mentioned in reviews.)

Given those four points, are there any "gotchas" with the Radar 4G I should be wary of? The 710, while it does have it's little negatives (in my book), still works really, really well, and I'd hate to jump ship to the Radar for its positives, only to find a few unexpected "surprises."

Thanks!

 

[crystinonfire]

I don't really have any negatives with mine. I got the Radar because of its stellar battery life. The salesperson at T-mobile had broken her Radar and gotten a 710 as a replacement. She said that she much prefered the Radar.

 

[dnlbntl]

I recall the Radar lacks a digital compass?not that it's something everyone terribly needs. Other than that and the FFC it comes down to build quality and aesthetics.

Not having handled either, I like the Radar for it's looks and the Lumia 710 for it's Nokia-ness.

 

[Ohgeez10]

No quirks at all with my Radar. I've played around with the Nokia and although a nice phone, it did feel plasticky.

I know the difference in screen size isn't that much (3.7 vs 3.8 radar) the icons seemed to be a tiny bit larger than on the Nokia.

The battery life on the Radar is great. Takes pretty good videos and pics as well.

As for the storage issue, I've had no problems at all. I've got about 100 songs some pics and videos and still have 4GB available storage.

Also, im not sure if the Nokia can do this but the Radar has "internet sharing" capability.

 

[freestaterocker]

Radar has internet sharing, 710 doesn't.

 

[sprocket01]

We have had our Radars for about a month now and really like them. Have had no issue with storage (which I was concerned with at first). The battery life is amazing going from about 4-5 hours of frequent use (not on WiFi) on our galaxy S to over 8-10 hours easy on the radar (not on WiFi) its a huge plus. The internet sharing is great I had to use it the other night when my home internet went down so I could finish a couple things I was doing on the laptop for. The camera is great too takes great Macro shots as well! I don't know much about the 710 but certainly for the money I find the Radar to be a great all around phone. I hate when people compare it to 600 dollar phones and say its crap well that's kinda like comparing a Benz and a Toyota. Just because its a cheaper model doesn't make it crap just means doesn't have all the frills that the more expensive phone has. Good luck with your decision.

 

[sp3ci4lk]

Thanks peeps. Yeah, the superior build, better camera, FFC, and internet sharing are all big plusses to me. I pulled the trigger and ordered it last night.

 

[sp3ci4lk]

I don't really have any negatives with mine. I got the Radar because of its stellar battery life. The salesperson at T-mobile had broken her Radar and gotten a 710 as a replacement. She said that she much prefered the Radar.

She "broke" her Radar?! The Radar seems like a pretty solid phone. I wonder what she did...? I would like to try and avoid repeating her mistake.

 

[AsianXL]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but how many hours can you guys get on average with moderate to heavy usage on the HTC Radar?

Thanks!

 

[sp3ci4lk]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but how many hours can you guys get on average with moderate to heavy usage on the HTC Radar?

Thanks!

Can't really say how many hours I get, per say, because I haven't paid that much attention to it; however, I can tell you that some days I use my phone pretty heavily, and assuming I start the morning with my phone at 100%, I've yet to have the battery die on me before plugging it in before going to sleep, usually around midnight.

 

[HeyCori]

I don't have a Radar but I've heard a ton of great things about it. There are a few negatives that have been posted in this forum but most of them are not deal breakers. If your heart strings is telling you Radar then go for it.