T-Mobile kicked off the Android frenzy in America with the HTC G1. Although that phone had its quirks, it was a glimpse of Android’s excellent future. For a while, T-Mobile was the premiere Android carrier in America, but Sprint and Verizon surpassed it with phones like the Droid, Droid Incredible, Evo 4G, and Droid X. The company is striking back with the HTC G2. This Google Android 2.2 phone features a rock-solid build and compatibility with T-Mo’s blazing HSPA+ network.
The first part of my review will cover this excellent phone’s build quality, battery life, software, and performance. If you’re the impatient sort, here’s a spoiler-free summary: I’m shocked that the T-Mobile G2 has become my favorite Google Android phone of 2010.
Build Quality
The G2 is built like a tank, with ample use of metal. It’s relatively small compared to recent Android releases, measuring 4.68” (L) x 2.38” (W) x .58” (H). The phone feels heavy, especially in contrast to super-light Samsung Galaxy S phones like the Verizon Fascinate. It’s definitely a matter of personal preference, but I think that most people would prefer the feel of the G2. Its heft and use of metal give it a luxurious feel. The G2 feels like a $500 piece of consumer electronics, while Galaxy S phones feel like display models.
One of the big hooks of the G2 is its slide-out keyboard. Instead of the customary spring-loaded slider, the phone has an unusual hinging mechanism. It works well. The keyboard slides out smoothly, without the harsh snap found on most sliders. The keyboard itself is very good, with nice spacing and three programmable buttons. That said, I preferred the feel of the Droid 2’s keys. I recommend trying it out in a store for yourself instead of listening to a guy that has sworn off physical keyboards in favor of Swype.
Software and Performance
The pre-release buzz on the G2 was that it would use the stock version of Android 2.2 (FroYo). It does not. The G2’s OS is very, very close to vanilla Android, but features like WiFi tethering have been removed and subtle usability tweaks have been added. Pretty much every Google Android app known to man has been pre-installed and you can’t delete any of them. The good news is that the OS runs smoothly and it will be easier for HTC/T-Mobile to bust out Android updates since it’s almost the stock version.
Android 2.2 is a nice step up from 2.1. The interface is smoother and features clever tweaks (I love how easy it is to switch between Gmail accounts in 2.2). The JIT compiler makes everything much, much faster. Although skins like HTC Sense and Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 add some nice usability features, most of them are not worth having to wait longer for Android updates.
As for performance, the G2 reminds me of WWE NXT season two’s Husky Harris — an army tank with a Ferrari engine. As you can see from the benchmarks I took, the phone flies. Some people were turned off by the phone’s “only” 800MHz processor — don’t believe the hype! It’s a newer version of Snapdragon that’s faster and more efficient. In real-world testing, it’s noticeably faster than the Samsung Fascinate running Android 2.1 (1GHz Hummingbird) and the HTC Nexus One running Android 2.2 (1GHz Snapdragon, first-gen) — apps launch faster, scrolling is smoother, etc.
Battery Life
This was the biggest and most pleasant surprise using the T-Mobile G2: the battery life rocks! The combination of a smaller screen (3.7 inches) and a more efficient processor really lets the phone last throughout the day. Using the G2 for the last week with my typical nerd usage (lots of browsing, tweeting, Foursquare check-ins, email, maps, etc.), I averaged 16.5 hours on the G2’s 1,300 mAh battery. There were even two days where I hit over 17 hours! Out of all the Android phones I’ve reviewed in 2010, the G2 has the best battery life by far.
Next Up….
That’s it for the first part of my T-Mobile G2 review. The next installment will cover the phone’s screen, HSPA+ speeds, voice quality, camera, and more. As always, if you have any questions about the phone, ask away!
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The pic with the hinges exposed: Is that how is pops out or are you pulling it apart?
It looks very similar in size to the HTC Tilt.
@Foursquare – Every time I try to do anything it says Over capacity please try again in a few minutes.
@SlickyFats Yes, that's how the keyboard slides out, but I'm holding it in place. The hinge never stays that way.
Foursquare has been having massive server problems the last two days. Everything seems okay today.
@smartguy Personally, I don't. I also have faith in the XDA community that it won't be an issue. The Droid X was supposed to be un-flashable too.
Wow favorite our Android phone of the year huh that is pretty serious. Can't wait to hear more about it.
@Rpad
Did that order show up for you?
@Big Blak It's very close. In some ways I liked the Droid X better, but the G2 brings so much to the table. The phone I really want would be the offspring of the G2 and the upcoming myTouch.
And yes, the order is there. Thanks so much!!!
@Ray
Yeah I get that. If I have an Android device though, I expect wifi tethering. An amazing utility and honestly it is Android's biggest draw to me.
@smartguy Using the WiFi tethering on the Evo 4G and Droid X is a really convenient feature, but it sucks battery life super fast and isn't as fast as wired tethering. Plus, I don't like the prices being charged for the feature.
@smartguy Even if the phone is plugged into a wall outlet, the battery depletes fairly quickly with WiFi tethering. That's not surprising though — that's an awful lot of signal i/o.
@Ray
Do you care that supposedly you can’t flash this device? I’m only asking because you mentioned not being able to remove any preinstalled app.
@Ray
Hehe yeah I’d imagine I’d have to plug the device in and then just let it sit while I used the hot spot feature.
If /when I get an android device, I won’t pay for it either. I will root the phone. :)