Atrix 2 or wait?

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arun687

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So Atrix 2 is launched in India. Can get it around 21k from ebay with coupon. I wanted a phone which would be a big upgrade from ZTE Blade and I've been waiting patiently for next gen phones but this deal looks very good VFM and hence confused whether I should go ahead and buy it or wait further for next gen phones. I plan to use this for 1.5 to 2 yrs.

My budget is around 20-22k and I wouldn't like to spend more than this for a phone right now. Atrix 2 betters O2X and SGR which are anyway unavailable right now. The build quality and design look solid as well.

Comparison with O2X and SGR

O2X - 512MB RAM, 4" Screen, 480x800

GSR - 4.2" Screen, 5 MP Cam, 720p video, 480x800

Atrix 2 - 1GB RAM, 4.3", 960 x 540, 8MP, 1080p video

Only downside is not much developer support, when compared to O2X. ICS is scheduled for q3 which is again very late IMO. Why this phone isn't very popular? It's cheap in the US and still packs in so much power (just a notch under SGS2), yet doesn't seem to have many takers.

Is there anything significantly better coming out in the mid range (with ICS pre-installed, big battery, 720p display etc) in the near future which will be priced similarly? For eg, something like HTC One S or new Xperia lineup. The quad core flagship phones will definitely be out of my budget even if I wait long enough, but I can hope that these phones will push down the price of current flagship phones into my budget.
 
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Atrix 2 was launched in US by motorola one fine day on AT&T website, in comparison Motorola spent a lot on marketing their flagship models - Atrix in 2011 and RAZR in 2012.

Basically everyone gets the flagship model in USA as its just 200 bucks (RAZR was available for 111 $ on Nov 11th) with contract.

I have used the atrix 2 for few weeks in December and it had too many bugs for me, I sold it and moved on.

A software update has been released which fixes a lot of problems, and dev community has released few custom ROM's in last few months.

http://www.techenclave.com/topic/507862-atrix-2-problems/
 
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^ I read about the apps in SD card disappearing problem from other forums (and other bugs from your thread), hope the new software update fixes them. So 8GB internal can be used only for apps? In that case, is it necessary for apps to be moved to SD card? I've a 8GB card which then can be used for media but 8GB internal only for apps seem like waste of space.
 
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arun687 said:
^ I read about the apps in SD card disappearing problem from other forums (and other bugs from your thread), hope the new software update fixes them. So 8GB internal can be used only for apps? In that case, is it necessary for apps to be moved to SD card? I've a 8GB card which then can be used for media but 8GB internal only for apps seem like waste of space.
Click to expand...

The phone has some weird restriction, so some apps like Flikie wallpapers used to always crash as it was unable to use the SD card partition to save app data.

And on the motorola forums theres mention about bad picture quality as well, ensure that the image quality has been fixed as a bad 8 MP is worse than a basic 3.2 MP cam
 
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Possible phones launching soon in the mid range that would make sense to wait -

HTC ONE S

Huawei Ascend D1

Samsung Galaxy S Advance (Though doesn't seem to be better than Atrix 2)

Some phones from ZTE (ZTE Era?) and Sony Xperia line

Any other phones? Are these gonna be priced around ~22k?

Sanav3 said:
The phone has some weird restriction, so some apps like Flikie wallpapers used to always crash as it was unable to use the SD card partition to save app data.

And on the motorola forums theres mention about bad picture quality as well, ensure that the image quality has been fixed as a bad 8 MP is worse than a basic 3.2 MP cam
Click to expand...

On further reading, it seems the image quality issues etc are fixed in the update but not the apps disappearing issue. Only solution it seems is not to move apps to SD card, which I'm okay with if there's 8GB for apps. Also looks like the phone misbehaves with SD cards higher than class 6 in some cases.

itzmydamnlyf said:
If you are comfortable with importing phones from US, try and have a look at samsung infuse.

Looks pretty solid to me.
Click to expand...

Would have considered this but since the amount in question is a little high, I'm looking for something locally to minimize risks.
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[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Get the Atrix 2 if you are in a hurry. Else wait for the Xperia P. It should be priced in the ~22k or so mark since the Xperia S would drop in @ ~28k-30k.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]The Xperia P uses a NovaThor processor with a Mali 400 GPU. It seems to easily beat the Galaxy R in many benchies and sometimes even the Exynos carrying SII![/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Also the Xperia P has a very unique styling, better camera, 1080p video recording, much better screen with a bright-vibrant RGBW matrix @ 275ppi.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]The Galaxy Advance too has the Ericsson Novathor processor. But it has a smaller camera sensor, lesser RAM but a SAMOLED screen.[/font]

Samsung I9070 Galaxy S Advance review

[font=georgia,serif]Comparison: Sony Xperia P LT22 / LT22i vs. Samsung GT-i9070 Galaxy S Advance 16GB vs. Motorola Atrix 2 MB865[/font]
 
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As far as I've seen... the new lineup of phones offered by htc and sony dont have extra ordinary hardware.

Htc one V is speculated to cost somewhere around $420, It sports a 1Ghz processor of unknown origin

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_v-4575.php

I'm pretty sure its going to be a single core... But you never know.

Apart from that the sony xperia U is coming along really well

it's got a dual core processor good display and everything one could ask for on a "decent" smartphone.

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_u-4437.php

This could be somewhere close to the 30k considering the flagship costs 41k

if you could wait, there are chances that the s2 could drop in price.

Otherwise, the current sony xperia arc s are being sold at retail outlets for 22k in bangalore, for 22k its not too bad considering the official ICS update, the features, and of course the reliability....

It all just boils down to personal choice... With so many phones out there it's hard to choose.

sorry i couldnt edit the above post, I'm talking about the lower ends among the new Xperia line up and Htc One Series

DarkAngel said:
[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Get the Atrix 2 if you are in a hurry. Else wait for the Xperia P. It should be priced in the ~22k or so mark since the Xperia S would drop in @ ~28k-30k.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]The Xperia P uses a NovaThor processor with a Mali 400 GPU. It seems to easily beat the Galaxy R in many benchies and sometimes even the Exynos carrying SII![/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Also the Xperia P has a very unique styling, better camera, 1080p video recording, much better screen with a bright-vibrant RGBW matrix @ 275ppi.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]The Galaxy Advance too has the Ericsson Novathor processor. But it has a smaller camera sensor, lesser RAM but a SAMOLED screen.[/font]

Samsung I9070 Galaxy S Advance review

[font=georgia,serif]Comparison: Sony Xperia P LT22 / LT22i vs. Samsung GT-i9070 Galaxy S Advance 16GB vs. Motorola Atrix 2 MB865[/font]
Click to expand...

The price of the Xperia P would be about 30k as I expected... Could be more... Cant say... it costs [font=Arial, sans-seirf]€449.[/font]

found the information on Gsmarena http://www.gsmarena.com/here_are_the_prices_of_sony_xperia_u_and_xperia_p-news-3911.php

I'd much rather buy the Xperia U... could be about 20k...

check out the details on the link provided
 
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freeze said:
The price of the Xperia P would be about 30k as I expected... Could be more... Cant say... it costs [font=Arial, sans-seirf]€449.[/font]

found the information on Gsmarena http://www.gsmarena....p-news-3911.php

I'd much rather buy the Xperia U... could be about 20k...

check out the details on the link provided
Click to expand...

Sony's 2012 portfolio launch schedule leaks with pricing

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]According to earlier leaks it was pegged at about ~24k with the Xperia S @ 30k and the U @ 17k.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]So my guess is that those would be the launching prices in India couple of months down the line. [/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]If not, then he can very well get the Atrix 2 then, for the same or cheaper price.[/font]
 
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Xperia P for 30k would be way too much I guess. I think it would land here definitely under 25k, if not 22k. Looks great and the downsides I can see are smaller screen and no card slot, but positives compared to Atrix 2 are slightly better GPU and CPU, better screen and much better cam.

Any idea about Huawei Ascend D1 launching here? Could well be the most VFM phone I think. 720p screen, Dual core 1.5ghz, ICS out of the box.
 
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Awesome deal on the Sensation at Letsbuy. Didnt know about it. I am using a Sensation and extremely happy with it. And the promised ICS upgrade is on its way.

#arun687, I wholeheartedly recommend this phone!
 
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DarkAngel said:
[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Get the Atrix 2 if you are in a hurry. Else wait for the Xperia P. It should be priced in the ~22k or so mark since the Xperia S would drop in @ ~28k-30k.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]The Xperia P uses a NovaThor processor with a Mali 400 GPU. It seems to easily beat the Galaxy R in many benchies and sometimes even the Exynos carrying SII![/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Also the Xperia P has a very unique styling, better camera, 1080p video recording, much better screen with a bright-vibrant RGBW matrix @ 275ppi.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]The Galaxy Advance too has the Ericsson Novathor processor. But it has a smaller camera sensor, lesser RAM but a SAMOLED screen.[/font]

Samsung I9070 Galaxy S Advance review

[font=georgia,serif]Comparison: Sony Xperia P LT22 / LT22i vs. Samsung GT-i9070 Galaxy S Advance 16GB vs. Motorola Atrix 2 MB865[/font]
Click to expand...

[OT]

I love the fact that you are giving reference from PdaDB website.Keep it up...!

@OP

Avoid the Atrix 2 if possible.When Atrix 1 was launched there was nothing quite like it in the market,and that is the reason why it was so popular both in TE and among general public. If you are looking for a phone with good dev support then It always makes sense to go for a flagship phone even if it means getting an older phone...

Also The tegra chip while mighty fine by itself does pale in comparison to some Soc coming our way in summer 2012... I would suggest the following in order of preference:

1)Wait for a month

2)Increase budget and get SGS 2 /HTC sensation

3) Go for O2X

Regards,aka.

do note that If you choose to wait, Then The O2x option might not available in a few months time...
 
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@aka911 quoted, do avoid motorola, many have complained about bugs and there is very little development on the android market... it could be worth waiting for xperia's new lineup... everything on the new series has been improved apart from the fixed storage, I wonder why they do this
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I was considering the Sony ericsson Xperia Neo V. But as of now, I have considered waiting for the Sony Xperia U. It's only setbacks is the limited storage at 8gb. I have my own Mp3 player so i wont be using my smart phone for that... maybe a few tracks at most.

I definitely wont be stuffing it with apps.

But if the xperia P isnt too far behind in price. If coming at around 22-25k... i will definitely go for that

Xperia S, NEVER!! The samsung Galaxy S2 and Xperia S comparison showed that when it comes to performance they tie in certain places... and with the new HTC lineup and Xperia lineup. The price is S2 is bound to drop drastically... if it drops to something about 22l to 25k i see no reason why I shouldnt be buying that phone instead.

The new league of high end smart phones are going to be really expensive!
 
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Even I am on a lookout for a phone in the past few months, I have been playing the waiting game so far. What I have realized is that dev support is of paramount importance, rather plain hardware specs. If the phone has a vibrant userbase, you will keep getting ROM's even if OEM stops supporting it (case in proof Samsung Galaxy S I9000), besides some of the ROM's are much better then stock android ROM and make the user experience a delight. My bro has installed the MEUI ROM for the Galaxy S and its beautiful, the latest build does not sap too much of power too.

Hence I would rather buy a very popular phone the world over, or wait for the next popular phone. HTC Sensation if available for 24k is a very good buy given the dev support. And in general HTC phones have a better build quality than Samsung, but suck at power consumption (although I feel the issue is sorted for HTC Sensation in custom ROMS).
 
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Aces170 said:
Hence I would rather buy a very popular phone the world over, or wait for the next popular phone. HTC Sensation if available for 24k is a very good buy given the dev support. And in general HTC phones have a better build quality than Samsung, but suck at power consumption (although I feel the issue is sorted for HTC Sensation in custom ROMS).
Click to expand...

You're very right. My ZTE Blade is a prime example of what the dev support can do. Such a cheap phone launched with Eclair, now even running ICS and MIUI albeit with few bugs.

I somehow really like the Motorola Atrix 2 but the locked bootloader doesn't help it's dev support at all. Having to wait for 6 months for ICS is another huge disadvantage.

paarkhi said:
My eyes are on LG Optimus 4x HD or Huawei Ascend D Quad XL
Click to expand...

These, along with SGS3 and HTC One X, are gonna be mighty beasts, I've a feeling the next gen flagship phones might push the price to 40k as a standard price for high end Androids.

freeze said:
But if the xperia P isnt too far behind in price. If coming at around 22-25k... i will definitely go for that

Xperia S, NEVER!! The samsung Galaxy S2 and Xperia S comparison showed that when it comes to performance they tie in certain places... and with the new HTC lineup and Xperia lineup. The price is S2 is bound to drop drastically... if it drops to something about 22l to 25k i see no reason why I shouldnt be buying that phone instead.

The new league of high end smart phones are going to be really expensive!
Click to expand...

The mid range from HTC and Xperia lineup are certainly interesting phones, almost on par with current flagships, can do very well if priced appropriately. The price drop on current flagship phones is another very important factor for playing the waiting game.

aka911 said:
Avoid the Atrix 2 if possible.When Atrix 1 was launched there was nothing quite like it in the market,and that is the reason why it was so popular both in TE and among general public. If you are looking for a phone with good dev support then It always makes sense to go for a flagship phone even if it means getting an older phone...

Also The tegra chip while mighty fine by itself does pale in comparison to some Soc coming our way in summer 2012... I would suggest the following in order of preference:

1)Wait for a month

2)Increase budget and get SGS 2 /HTC sensation

3) Go for O2X
Click to expand...

I really admire the O2X for its excellent dev support, but the WVGA and 512MB Ram makes it a less of an upgrade from ZTE Blade, compared to the other phones in question. HTC Sensation though looks like a great balance. The Roms at xda look impressive and the processor is easily overclocked to 1.5ghz like the Sensation XE I think, seems like a very nice phone at this price range.

kvignesh said:
Get and HTC sensation which is around 24k now.And the ICS update started rolling out in some countries.
Click to expand...

paraman said:
Awesome deal on the Sensation at Letsbuy. Didnt know about it. I am using a Sensation and extremely happy with it. And the promised ICS upgrade is on its way.

#arun687, I wholeheartedly recommend this phone!
Click to expand...

Thanks for suggesting the Sensation guys. I didn't know it had a price drop. Now at 24k, it's looking like a great deal considering the dev support, build quality, design and ICS update. A little worried about battery life, death grip issues and low internal memory.
 
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Yup, Htc Sensation is a definite go if you're getting it for that kind of price... even the samsung s2 wont hurt... compare and buy what you like..
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but have a lot of custom rom development.
 
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