More info on the Samsung Hercules for T-Mobile has been leaking out and I’m really tempted to pick one up, but I also have some concerns that prevent it from being a day-one purchase. I first read about the phone on ThisIsMyNext and recently saw a photo of it on TMoNews. Although it’s being positioned as part of the Galaxy S II line, it’s more like a cross between the Galaxy S II and the Infuse 4G (AT&T). Here’s what’s going through my head with the Samsung Hercules:
Love
- HSPA+ 42: The Hercules will be T-Mobile’s first HSPA+ 42 handset. This is probably the phone’s biggest selling point for me. I’m tired of my current 6Mbps/down service. The download load speeds should be better than Sprint WiMax and almost as good as Verizon LTE. The upload speeds will be improved too, but the increase won’t be as dramatic.
- 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus Screen: This is the best screen tech currently out there. The latest iteration of Samsung’s AMOLED tech is considerably better than its last. The color reproduction is better, while the power efficiency and viewing angles of the last gen are excellent.
Don’t Like
- Build Quality: I’ve never been a fan of Samsung’s build quality. Their smartphones feel cheap compared to those that use more glass (iPhone 4) or metal (HTC Sensation).
- Screen Resolution: While the screen tech is impressive, the resolution is not. 800 x 480 is not the best, especially for a 4.5-inch screen. I wish it had a higher resolution and a higher pixel density. I read a lot on my phone and have yet to see a handset that can match the text quality of the iPhone 4 with its vaunted “Retina Display”.
Unsure
- Processor: The rumor is that the Hercules will features a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060. While that’s certainly a powerful processor, it doesn’t have the raw power of the 1.2GHz Exynos process in the original Galaxy S II. The Snapdragon is more efficient and has better battery life, but the Exynos is better for games.
- Gingerbread: By the time this phone comes out in late September, Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) phones will be a few weeks away. It sucks that America has had to wait so long for its Galaxy S II variants, but each major carrier wants a unique Galaxy S II model so that’s how the cookie crumbles. For bleeding edge consumers, this makes the Hercules a tough sell. The Hercules in September? Or Google’s next Nexus phone in October?
- User Interface: I’m still not sure about TouchWiz 4.0. I played around with it on a friend’s phone at E3 2011, but need to spend more time with it. From what I saw, it’s a huge improvement over TouchWiz 3.0. That’s not saying much, as TouchWiz 3.0 wasn’t the best.
It was good to get my thoughts on the Hercules down. (It was also fun searching for Kevin Sorbo photos for this post’s thumbnail. That guy cracked me up.) Now that my thoughts are on screen, I’m actually less tempted to pick up a Hercules. The big selling point is the HSPA+ 42. Aside from that I think I’d be happier with a new Nexus or an iPhone 5. Let’s see!
Now that I know the G2x is discontinued I think I will try this as a replacement. I dropped my phone and cracked the screen while camping and I am afraid that they would replace it with a lesser phone. I always get insurance lol.
Now that I know the G2x is discontinued I think I will try this as a replacement. I dropped my phone and cracked the screen while camping and I am afraid that they would replace it with a lesser phone. I always get insurance lol.
I just got the Infuse 4G. Have you used one Ray? It does feel a bit cheap to me, but only because it is very light. I would say the build quality is bad though. My Captivate did feel much better/higher quality.
The 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus display is pretty great. Though I do see a bit more pixelation due to the larger screen that has the same resolution my 4" captivate had.
Touchwiz 4.5 is "out" now. Lots of people have moved to it on XDA. 4 was/is a huge improvement over 3. They seem to have taken many of the key elements of ADW Launcher and Launcher Pro.
The Exynos has been putting up some crazy impressive numbers. I haven't looked at the Qualcomm, but that would be a big breaking point for me. I know the Exynos is out there and I would want it.
I just got the Infuse 4G. Have you used one Ray? It does feel a bit cheap to me, but only because it is very light. I would say the build quality isn't bad though. My Captivate did feel much better/higher quality.
The 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus display is pretty great. Though I do see a bit more pixelation due to the larger screen that has the same resolution my 4" captivate had.
Touchwiz 4.5 is "out" now. Lots of people have moved to it on XDA. 4 was/is a huge improvement over 3. They seem to have taken many of the key elements of ADW Launcher and Launcher Pro.
The Exynos has been putting up some crazy impressive numbers. I haven't looked at the Qualcomm, but that would be a big breaking point for me. I know the Exynos is out there and I would want it.
I played with it in an AT&T store a while back because I wanted to check out the screen.
The G2x is still available and there are plenty of refurbished ones out there from all the people that had software problems. If you return it any time soon, I'd expect a refurbed G2x as the replacement.
I'm boycotting Samsung over that stupid screaming woman commercial with the spider.