7 replies to this topic

[theboxman]

Hi all,

Having lost my beloved HTC Desire (rooted thanks to paul and running MoDaCo custom ROM) I came straight back here once I'd researched the smartphone market a bit to see what was available.

What are people's opinions on the HTC Sensation? Any actual owner's thoughts, and especially anyone who has also owned an HTC Desire would be very welcome!

I gather we haven't got S-OFF or rooting working yet? But that there are a few dumps from already S-OFFed devices floating around?

Also (and I'm fairly sure the answer will be no, sadly) are HTC Desire batteries compatable with it? (as I've got two spares and an external charger kicking around).

Thanks all.

[EddyOS]

theboxman, on 13 July 2011 - 01:32 AM, said:

Hi all,

Having lost my beloved HTC Desire (rooted thanks to paul and running MoDaCo custom ROM) I came straight back here once I'd researched the smartphone market a bit to see what was available.

What are people's opinions on the HTC Sensation? Any actual owner's thoughts, and especially anyone who has also owned an HTC Desire would be very welcome!

I gather we haven't got S-OFF or rooting working yet? But that there are a few dumps from already S-OFFed devices floating around?

Also (and I'm fairly sure the answer will be no, sadly) are HTC Desire batteries compatable with it? (as I've got two spares and an external charger kicking around).

Thanks all.

I've had my Sensation 3 weeks or so now having come from a Desire and it's definitely a step in the right direction! It's awesome! Rooting isn't needed as yet due to the decent internal memory and already quick UI but battery life isn't as good as a custom ROM will be once HTC unlock the boot loader. Definitely worth getting, I love it!

[dopeness]

i did not have the desire, but I hope that you find this helpful.

Despite all the "benchmarks mean nothing" comments the Sensation is last in almost every review you will watch on youtube or on the major internet review sites. it is NOT by accident that Galaxy 2 owners are in love with the speed and it gets great reviews for being over 3000 when quadrant. The same holds true with the LG GX2.  It has problems, but everyone raves about the speed.  That IS NOT the case with the Sensation.  One one had people say that they love the phone and that it is fast "enough" but in the next sentence they can't wait for the root so that it can be opened up and reach its potential...? Hmmm..I like the phone a lot.  I am not enamored with it.  

If you want great standby time, a great camera, good movie playback, a sturdy feeling build and very good download speed then by all means get the Sensation. It is a good phone. Conversely, if you are looking for a game-changer phone or a phone that makes you say: "Hey, you gotta get this phone because..." this, in "MY" opinion, is not that phone. Why? Despite what you may read, there is a lag or an average feel to the speed of the processes.  Just on physical comparison alone, I took my Sensation into a Sprint store.  I played with the Sense UI on both phones.  i CLEARLY saw a difference is speed and sensitivity in the EVO 3D compared to the Sensation.  I also saw a delay in the way the app screens popped up when I wanted to add widgets to the home screens.  I could see it in the flesh. Also, the speaker is horrid. Absolutely abysmal in playing music and movies.  There are volume apps you can buy, but for a multimedia phone I am severely disappointed in HTC's effort.  The front facing camera is too dark and looks like it was one of the last features htc worked on before they boxed up the product. Then there is no kickstand to prop up the phone so you can take advantage of the multimedia capabilities of the phone. smh.

There are more things, outside the specs and other observations I made that don't involve the build of the phone. Exterior annoyances like defective cases, screen protectors (sold at the t-mobile store) that don't stick because of the curvature of the glass screen and a paltry offering of accessories, but your experience my be totally different than mine. I have read some people have  zero problems and then there are some that are on their 3rd phone.  It is really up to you during your trial window to put it through its paces.  I kept mine knowing the good and the bad. Decisions my friend...

[theboxman]

Many thanks to both of you. After careful consideration I decided to go ahead and get the phone - let's hope that the promised S-OFF and hopeful subsequent rooting happen soon as I really do like my AdBlocker software and other root powertoys.

The build quality of the phone looked great and when I tried it out in the store (sorry to the poor guy who felt so sure he'd get a sale out of it - I just needed to see what the interface was like) it seemed pretty snappy.

I'm not so sure on the linux-cube type behavior when flicking between the various desktops - I prefered the smooth flat look of my previous desire - but I'm sure when the security is removed and the custom ROMs start appearing this will be fixable! :-)

One quick question I've seen both 4GB and 1GB quoted as the storage space of the phone... which is it?

Anyway I look forward to getting my hands on my new toy tomorrow and will post up my thoughts in case they'll be of use to any other users.

A hearty thanks to both of you for your advice! ;-)

[PandaKiller]

theboxman, on 14 July 2011 - 08:49 PM, said:

One quick question I've seen both 4GB and 1GB quoted as the storage space of the phone... which is it?

This smartphone has an 4GB internal memory which is divided for RAM, ROM and User Area.
So the User Area have 1GB, for applications.

[theboxman]

PandaKiller, on 14 July 2011 - 09:42 PM, said:

This smartphone has an 4GB internal memory which is divided for RAM, ROM and User Area.
So the User Area have 1GB, for applications.

Ah that makes more sense. What on earth does the phone need 3Gigs of RAM for??? Some laptops don't have that! (my maxed out alienware m11x of course has considerably more...but still that's one huge amount of RAM for a mobile...)

It should be arriving tomorrow! Let's hope it's early so that I can get out and see the new Harry Potter ;-)

[steve1221]

Without wanting to start a new thread for a similar question...

How are people find the Sensation for size?

I always thought the D HD was a little too big, I know this slightly smaller (but only slightly).

So dose the size make it hard to use as a phone ??

[BengtBrutal]

i have fairly large hands and I find it perfect. sometimes the wake/power button is hard to reach, depends on how your'e holding the phone. In general no prob but sometimes u'll might need to use your second hand to wake.
otherwise, awsome screen for movies/browsing.