Featured: The Worst of the Best; Top 10 Android Phone Letdowns of 2011

| June 19, 2011 | 108 Replies


    We’re not quite to the mid-way point of 2011 yet, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to put together a list of the worst of the best. I’ve seen some of these devices and some I haven’t, so I’ve approached this list more from the standpoint of a shopper, albeit one that knows what last year’s model was like as well.

    These aren’t reviews. Well, nine of them aren’t reviews. It’s a list of poorly conceived Android devices with my top reasons for hating them. In the case of our overall winner, I have extensive experience with it’s suck factor so I have expanded my reasons for the love/hate status that I have with it.

    Now, on with the smack-down.

    10. Motorola Cliq 2

    This one could have made the list solely for it’s MotoBlur UI, but I’ve got other issues with as well. As if shipping with Froyo weren’t bad enough, this phone is heavy for such a small screen size, and the scant 1GB of storage is a miss. Worst part? That slider keyboard.

    9. Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

    I’m going to step out on a limb and say that most Android phone buyers won’t want to have a slide out game pad on their phone. Sure, it’s got Gingerbread on board and a 1GHz processor but it’s limited by the 512MB of storage and, again, that slide out game controller.

    8. HTC Incredible S


    This was a very minor refresh of the wildly popular Droid Incredible. Other than Gingerbread and a slight processor bump current Incredible owners don’t have much of a reason to update to this phone.

    7. Motorola Flipside


    I don’t even know what to say about this ugly duckling. It’s Eclair 2.1 OS, 512MB of storage and 700MHz processor should be enough of a turnoff for most people. For those that can look past those issues, well, look at it. A trackpad Moto?

    6. Samsung Replenish


    Seriously? I mean, look at that thing. It’s shaped a lot like a 2007 Blackberry Curve and it has the tech specs to match it. Froyo, a 600MHz processor and 512MB of RAM make this device a total loser. Totally.

    5. Samsung Galaxy S 4G

    I’m kind of anti-Samsung when it comes to the whole Vibrant/Galaxy thing. The similarities between the device and TouchWhiz are just a little too iPhone like for my taste. That said, Samsung sells a lot of phones. Galaxy S 4G is just enough of an upgrade to be a slap in the face to the Vibrant owners out there.

    4. LG Thrive


    Wrap a 600MHz processor, 150MB of storage and Foryo in an ugly shell of a phone and call it the LG Thrive.

    3. HTC Inspire 4G


    Hey look, it’s the HTC Evo/Thunderbolt/Inspire 4G with it’s crappy video camera and outdated operating system. It’s a great phone but come on, AT&T doesn’t even have fauxG.

    2. Kyocera Echo


    I really don’t want to offend anyone that may have picked this freak phone up, but what the hell were you thinking? Horrible battery life, a nearly useless second full screen and a grossly under powered 1GHz single core processor make this a laugher. This might be the worlds first phone where battery life is more appropriately measured in minutes than hours.

    1. HTC Thunderbolt


    Yes, I do realize that the Evo/Inspire/Thunderbolt already placed at number 3 on my list, the Thunderbolt just deserves a special place on the list.

    I’m just going to make a list of all of the issues that I have had with this phone in the two months that I have had it.

    1. Absolutely no data the day I got it. No 3G, no fauxG. Radio issue.
    2. Handoff from fauxG back to 3G is still spotty at times.
    3. Constant restarts. Four or five a week. Sometimes four a day.
    4. The VZW fauxG network has been totally down twice. The first time I was on a road trip and had no data. No fauxG, no 3G. Made a round trip concert run listening to my son tell me how great the data was on his stupid iPhone the ENTIRE time.
    5. Ho-ho-rrendous battery life. 3 hours with fauxG on, 8 or 9 with it off. I am totally acclimated to the extended battery, but the 1400mAh battery in the box is an insult.
    6. Choppy video recording in all but the lowest resolution.
    7. Audio problems when recording video.
    8. 8MP camera my hind-end. It isn’t a terrible camera, but even a properly lit exposure is full of pixelization.
    9. No Android Gallery app, just the Sense version. Totally lacks Picasa sync and doesn’t detect new pictures as they are taken. I started with QuickPic and settled on JustPictures because of it’s Picasa sync.

    I hate to love this phone. I walked back into the store with everything in hand to return it but left instead with a great deal on a high-capacity battery. The HTC build quality and that huge, beautiful screen made me hang in there with it to see what HTC can do with software updates. I’m set on getting the Nexus 4G if it comes to Verizon this fall. Even though it will likely be an HTC device I’m a buyer.

    So what do you think? Did I get one wrong? Did I leave off the one that you hate the most? Let me know in the comments here or on Twitter @arrowrand.

      Category: Android News, Android Phone News, Top 10 Best Android Apps & Games Lists

      About the Author ()

      I'm a 40 something early adopter of all things technology. I was first in line to buy both my original Verizon Droid and my Apple iPad 1. I don't hate your phone or tablet choice, but I've probably got an opinion about it.Aside from my family, the only things that I love more than a new gadget are fly fishing and going to the ballpark. Ocassionaly I find a way to blog about both.Though I'm only one more Foxconn story away from being fired, I've been writing for Android Headlines since March 2011.

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        • Jim

          Had for 2 months. Besides all above issues this phone would send my texts to random persons on my contacts list. I several texts to my wife that were sent to my different people in my contacts. This did not occur all the time but was random and would do it to anyone i texted. I finally had Verizon exchange my phone for a droid charge. A million times better.

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      • adam

        I own the thunderbolt. The restarts seem to have been fixed with the recent update. Yes the battery life is aweful, but it depends on what you do with it. If I have great signal and dont play on it ALLLLLL day, then when I need it, its there. FB uploads are great even on the 3g with verizon. I like the simplicity of it, its user friendly, and with the extended battery, its perfect for me.

      • Anonymous

        ive had my thunderbolt for 3 mounts now and it hasn’t randomly restarted once. and i get data everywhere, i went on a trip with about 30 people and i was the only one to get 3g data, and there was about 10 iPhone and 5 blackberries. i only agree with the battery life i always keep my charger with me. and the camera i cant comment about because its a huge upgrade from my last one. um and idk if im alone on this or not but i understand a good amount of tech stuff but it was like you were talking in a different lagunange.

      • Markie

        I have the thunderbolt and havent had any issues with restarting. the main issue i have, maybe the phone/maybe the network, i try to send a txt to someone while in the txt streem of that person, i send the message and it suddenly shifts me to someone else and send the message to a completly different person! this has happend quite a few times and is annoying also potentialy dangerous if someone is sending something in a txt they dont want others to read.
        (i agree with the battery life problem as well)

        • talia

          i thought I was the only one! this happens to me! good think im not talking dirty to my signficant other! It CONSTANTLY changes the text message to other people!!!

          • SP

            Can’t tell you how many times i get a text from someone with “What the???” in response to something that went to them accidentally. I know who the recipient was, and it goes to someone else entirely. How annoying!

        • Stephanie

          I totally agree with the sending text messages to the wrong person . SO freakin annoying !!! Can this be fixed ???

          • TALIA

            personally, im thinking of selling it because of it! it is TOTALLY embarassing to have personal messages forwarded to the wrong person!

            • shawn

              Had the same problem, delete all of your conversations and reboot phone. Havent had the problem sense. Did this about 2 weeks ago.

            • Crumble

              My son’s clique does the same thing!
              I thought he was lying to me until I received random messages from him that were to his friends and because he was already grounded, his phone was in my purse, so I had to believe him! Can’t wait for the upgrade!

      • priya

        i have the mytouch 4g and i love it. I was surprised to see the info about the battery life on the tmobile site to be true! It’s a great phone!

        • Anonymous

          i also have the Mytouch… if i ever changed it i dont even KNOW what phone i would go for. All the phones i have compared it to.. iphones, blackberries, NONE have compared.

      • jenlovesphones

        Let me start by saying As a new customer to Verizon, I purchased the iphone 4 and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! Everything about it is AWESOME!

        I recently bought the MOTOROLA CITRUS from Verizon Wireless for my mother as a second line with my contract with Verizon. I call myself opening up the wonderful world of Android to my mother. BIG MISTAKE! I tell you that piece of crap phone is by far the WORST android phone ever!Major letdown!

        this is why:
        -battery life sucks
        -camera sucks
        -phone freezes
        -phone locks up
        -calls are not received
        -phone must have a mind of its own cause it always
        restarts

        The phone was free so i should have known…

        horrible horrible horrible
        i would not recommend this to my worse enemy

        soooo i returned the phone for a droid incredible
        its OK but better than that crappy citrus and my mom is all smiles!

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        • AH

          I have a galaxy 2, and other than the poor battery life, it’s a fantastic phone!

          • AA

            Check to see if there is a software update. I had the same problem with the Galaxy S2.

            But once I updated the software the battery started lasting much longer, even with usage of data, live wallpaper, games and phone obviously.

            But your spot on – fantastic phone!

      • Natalie

        I’m shocked to see the Samsung Replenish on this list. The Samsung Replenish is the best phone I have ever had from spring, and I’ve been a sprint customer for 6 years, and have had to replace many phones due to machinery errors. I’m very surprised to see that the Samsung Intercept isn’t on this list, Sprint replaced the phone 5 times when I had it, and was worse as they came. Even the employers at various sprint stores said they refused to sell that phone to any customer.

        • c

          yeah what a great phone

        • http://N/A Leigh

          In my opinion, you’re way off on the Samsung Replenish. It was dead-on with its target segment. I should know – the Replenish was the phone that got me to try Android. My requirements: fully Qwerty PHYSICAL keyboard (touch screen won’t cut it) and NO SLIDER. Replenish is the phone that got me to let go of my Motorola Q and finally make the jump. You couldn’t give me any of the total touchscreen phones out there. I could care less about the rest of it. The Replenish does everything I want beautifully, with great battery life. Not everybody cares about the latest OS, and 2 gig of ram. Only thing I would change: allow me to completely disable the camera. To me, it’s useless, are all all cameras on mobile phones. Not everyone’s a power user. Carriers need to have a phone for the rest of us, and the Replenish fills that role beautifully. You couldn’t give me an EVO – or an iPhone.

          • http://N/A Leigh

            “as are all cameras…”. Apparently, even with a physical Qwerty keyboard, I still can’t type.

        • janine

          I agree with the intercept. I have it now and it constantly freezes up and the battery life sucks on it. The camera is good but I have major issues when trying to upload pictures to facebook.

      • Crotchety Old Man

        What in the blue hell is fauxG? I’ve never heard this term before.

        • Kelsey

          I believe the author is making a play on the term “4″G.

        • TW

          Well AT&T says 4G, but it really isn’t. Hence, fauxG

        • choklityum

          fauxG = false/fake 4G

      • Wayne

        I have a Samsung Instinct. Well had it. I had so many problems with it (songs that took over 30 minutes to download, lock ups, horrible battery life, no 3g service -and without a 3g signal the phone would barely work, missed calls- it would ring but not let me answer and that was if it even rang, email apps were terrible and slow.) After 4 months with it I went back to my old non-android phone, it doesn’t have the features but at least I can answer if someone calls me.

      • Anonymous

        Hey so what do you think about the HTC imagio?

      • Cyn

        So I’m curious – what are your top 3 GREAT phones?

      • TL

        Forget the battery life, the OS itself has serious issues.

      • LIZ

        I am very disappointed with my HTC Inspire, bought it in March 2011, replaced it with another in April and still having problems with it. It freezes, drops calls, calls and messages do not come in, battery life sucks, camera is really bad at adjusting. Not sure which one to get next.

        • Rich

          I haven’t had any problems with my inspire. The phone itself works wonderfully, but AT&It’s network sucks. I live in the suburbs of Detroit, populated areas, and it drops my calls everywhere. I normally have to call people back two or three times when I talk to them. Also, the data racks up too quickly. I just switched from Sprint (where I think I only ever had a call stop two or three times in 3 years) so I’m used to unlimited data. I explained to the guy when I bought the phone that I’m on my phone CONSTANTLY and he said the 2gig plan would be enough….used almost 5gigs in the first month. Thinking of switching back to sprint just for the unlimited data.

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      • Mz6e

        Love my Sprint Evo 4G- I have spare batterie , car charger 3 home chrgrs & portable power supply ( requires no electricity) Best phone & provider ever !

        • Bonzi

          Agree 100%!! Evo 4G – Best phone out there

      • Kristina

        Thank you so much for this article! I was about to make a grave mistake! I’ve been thinking about the Galaxy S, but till now, I haven’t had a reason to fear it. Could you tell me your views on the HTC Sensation with T-Mobile vs the HTC EVO 4g with Sprint?

        • Julie

          I would go to consumerreports.com, and some other sites because the Samsung Galaxy is one of the fastest and best phones I have ever had, and I know for a fact that many of the salespeople have this phone, and no, I am not a sales rep. Also, the new latest HTC by T-Mobile is great, and I am thinking about that for my next upgrade, except they are going to be AT&T, and I will NOT be an AT&T customer period. So, Verizon…her I come :)

        • allen

          the sensation and evo are both good phones it just depends on what you like to do with your phone and how the service is in your area since they are with two different service providers sprint does offer the evo 3d which has some of the same specs as the sensation

        • Hops

          Hey, I have had a new Galaxy S 4g for about 2 months now. I was surprised it made it on this list because it gets such amazing reviews on most other websites. If you noticed his only issue was that it wasn’t “much of an upgrade” to the old samsung vibrant, that’s good….that means there’s a great phone that the galaxy s is like with a few upgrade. He also didn’t like how it was like an iphone. Which is true and untrue. Most touchscreen phones have some sort of similarities.

          All I can say is that I love this phone. It’s amazing, FAST, and easy to use. The screen is big bright and the contrast is amazing.

          Honestly the only downside I would see the the Galaxy S 4g is the battery life doesn’t last very long if you are constantly using it, but if you are moderately using it you can get it to last all day, and days if you only use it for text messages and short calls.

          But all around it’s a fantastic phone!

        • david

          I work for T-Mobile. I also personally own a sensation. The Galaxy S 4G and G2X have way too many bugs. I would say the Sensation or the mytouch 4G slide are the way to go on T-Mobile. Good battery life for Android phones and they’re still quick with the dual core processor. T-Mobile’s 4G network won’t disappoint. Its the fastest I’ve seen so far.

      • http://yahoo/Androidstory Greg Thomas

        Contrary to CONSUMER REPORTS claims, as well as other SUPPOSED happy customers, the HTC INCREDIBLE & THE HTC INCREDIBLE 2 are the WORST phones I have ever had. I first got the htc Incredible in December of 2010 at Verizon, along with the standard 2 year contract and after about a month (the allowable return period with Verizon), I started having all kinds of problems. Just for one: I would completely LOSE emails, right in the middle of typing them! Sometimes the screen would blink and I would lose all or part of my email. SO AGGRAVATING!! There were several other problems with the original Incredible phone and each time I went to my local rep at Verizon, he would do the standard “reboot”, by removing the battery – which didn’t do a thing to fix the problems. Furthermore, when I called Verizon Customer Service Tech Support, they would do the same ridiculous “fix” (remove the battery) and/or go into settings and make sure I had the correct settings – which I always DID have! So they never helped whatsoever! And when I complained to the manager of the local Verizon store, THEY ACTUALLY STOPPED HELPING ME ALTOGETHER!! Then, I accidentally left my phone on the roof of my truck one day and drove off. Whem I came back to find it about two hours later, I found it all smashed up in the road. “Luckily” (and I say that with great reluctance), I had “insurance” through Asurion. They sent me an obviously reconditioned HTC Incredible 2 for a $100 “deductible”. And naturally, that phone had all the same problems and more! I have talked to several people who claim to either have the same phone or know someone with the same phone – all who claim to love that phone. I find it very hard to believe that I get two of the same phones in a six month period which BOTH had all the same annoying problems, yet supposedly, no one else has had problems with that phone! I’m here to say that htc phones SUCK!! And so does Verizon!!

        • Denise

          I am on my 5th Droid X IN A YEAR…Love the phone except EVERY SINGLE ONE I have gotten last no longer than 2-3 months and then starts having all kinds of weird problems. No one else I know with one has had a single issue. Makes me wonder if there is something in our electro-magnetic filed that misses with a certain phone and its settings.
          Just got another refurbished Droid 1 month and now the text is all screwed up. In the middle of texting everytime you hit space it reverts back to the original text screen, have to hit box to type again, then it locks up keyboard have to wait for it to catch up and actually post the letter……Im at a lost…I really like the Droid X itself…what is the problem?

          • Heather

            I had the exact same problem with my Droid X, I was also on my 5th one and I decided to just give up and upgraded my phone early.

          • Matt

            I have a Droid X and have experienced the keyboard issue with texting where the space bar will close the keyboard making you have to reopen it.

            It’s an easy fix. Open up the apps menu and go to settings. Click on Applications. Then click on Manage Applications, click on the All tab. Scroll all the way down until you find an app called “Multi-touch Keyboard” click on that. Click the “Clear Data” button to clear the keyboard data (don’t worry it won’t delete anything). Restart your phone by powering it off and turning it back on. Your keyboard should now work normally in text messages.

      • Anonymous

        That’s why I have the samsung epic 4g galaxy phone. pretty awesome and I don’t think it’s that heavy.

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      • dreamer

        REALLY REALLY hate the HTC Thunderbolt. One more thing to add to the list – it’s NOT light. Hard to figure out. Store I bought it from didn’t even know how to figure it out (another bad story). Battery made it hot to hold. HAVE TO buy an expensive “extended” battery. I’m not near a plug=in during the day. Needed a phone I could actually use and access the internet. Bought a Samsung Vibrant – WONDERFUL! Does what it’s suppose to do! Internet and phone and battery that lasts all day. LOVE IT as much as I hated the Thunderbolt.

      • Gregg

        Love the thunderbolt, you guys are all friggin’ crazy. Every phone you buy is going to have a few problems here and there, they always do. I’ve never owned a phone that wasn’t perfect (b/c none are). This phone is incredibly powerful and the battery lasts long if you run the right apps and shut down the right apps. For the power you get of course its going to put a little stress on the battery. Putting this number one seems to be a personal vendetta against the phone seeing as it was caused by very recent frustration.

        • meech

          ^^ yes, they are all friggin crazy. i friggin love my thunderbolt..

        • Katerina101

          I agree with you two. Putting Thunderbolt as #1 was an extremely LOW BLOW and clearly was rated based on a personal problem. What do people honestly expect of phones these days? Of course the battery is going to run out, BUY A SPARE ! CARRY YOUR CHARGER ! SHUT DOWN APPS YOU DONT USE OR NEED ! Jesus Christ all you frigin Americans want is MORE MORE MORE be happy that we even have ACCESS to this type of technology there are people in this world who eat bugs and live in tents and your complaining because you can’t be on FaceBook all day long? Honestly, shut up and get a job. The Thunderbolt is AMAZING I own one and LOVE IT. End of story.

          • Rey

            Another Thunderbolt lover here. I didn’t have any of the issues listed except for the battery life. And the Verizon sales guy told me I’d have that issue when I bought it. I got a couple of spares on Amazon for 20 bucks and that gets me through the day. The tbolt is super fast on downloads and I love making fun of my iPhone friends since my phone works everywhere (I live in the SF Bay Area and am spend a lot of time in the mountains in Tahoe). Didn’t expect to see this phone heading up this list, but maybe I’m just lucky.

      • simo

        HTC DESIRE ROCKS

      • iFun

        I got a iPhone 4 after my old 3GS seamed dated. I have had problems but it is a better then any Android phone. I thought when MOTO said 9 hours of talk time on the ATRIX 4G great I will tell my biz partner (he was using a edge BackBerry) He loves the phone but for the LIES Android tells people of having no problems runing Exchange Email & he gets 3 hours of battery talk or no talk. So my thinking is I feel bad I said get that phone because the phone can’t even do what it tells you it can. Thats is lying to the custumer Android is a joke OS it’s not even the same experience on all Android phones (and if you get off playing with your phone like it’s a computer wow you must have a lot time & hate your life.) Buy a iPhone it works you get Email, txt, GPS & was the phone that if was never made you all would not have a touch screen phone. I have all I need you have fun now.

      • Ed Richards

        I have had the HTC Thumderbolt. The battery life evn for the EXTENDED Battery sucks. The battery that comes with the phone never lasted for than 3 hours. The EXTENDED Battery lasts about 9 hours … maybeeee 12 hours if I use it sparingly. I have had the HTC THUNDERBOLT since about April. EVEN the EXTENDED battery only ran “OK” for about 3 weeks, then even its charge life dropped to only 4 hours or less. I ranted on VERIZON on three occasions since April till they gave new EXTENDED battery each time. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG with the engineering of this crap phone.

      • kim

        You need to add the :rtex to the list of useless smartphones. I’ve had mine since feb 2011 and hate it. Its been returned twice and can’t dob much of what its supposed to do. I tell them I am not happy I get a basic oh well.

      • Jaz

        The Droid X is the greatest handheld personal computer/phone I’ve ever used. Hands down!

      • Bonzi

        I have had the Evo 4G for a little over a year. AMAZING phone. I love it!! I have experience with many other smartphones, and have come in contact with friends who have other smartphones. The Evo is unlike anything else. Best phone hands down, trust me! Iphone may be a close second but Evo still wins.

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      • CHANDRA

        I have the HTC Thunderbolt & I hate it. The battery life is the worst. It is slow as ever, drops calls all the time, freezes up, constantly going from 3G to 4G. My Droid X was 10x’s better, wish I wouldn’t have given it to my husband, cause now I am stuck with this crap thunderbolt till december.

      • Charlie

        Although my Sony Ericsson Xperia Play just inexplicably died on me, I’ll chalk that up to bad luck and say that I really like the phone. From a nuts and bolts standpoint, the phone is fine, in terms of service, reception, and the like; and the basic touch-screen features like the alarm clock and calculator are easy to access and use.
        As a person who spends more than two hours per-day commuting on the NYC Subways, I had been mulling the purchase of a PSP for quite some time. When in need of a new phone, I came across the Xperia Play and I was hooked ever since. The roster of games is adequate, the game apps (and other apps, for that matter) are excellent, and the games that come pre-loaded are fantastic, from a visual standpoint and a game-play perspective.
        I really like this phone and will go today right after work to get a replacement. I really appreciate having a smartphone that fills a need for me in that it offers excellent gaming in order to help me pass the time on my long commutes.

        • Kitten

          I too have an Xperia Play, and I love it. I work in the mobile section of a retail store and when it came out I knew it was the phone for me. I’ve only had one issue with an SD card glitch but love it’s lack of bloatware, it’s ease and I love messing with the games when I’m a passenger on a road trip or itching to play a game of some sort and not near any console or computer. I do think it is a “fad” phone that is for a very specific group of consumers, but that aside, I am very happy with it and the battery lasts well throughout the whole day and in to the night as well. The only thing I would have changed is to add Soul Calibur or Mortal Kombat on there instead of Bruce Lee fighting game :-)

      • Jeaux Jo

        You hit it on the nose with that damn Thunderbolt. I have one now and I have to restart it everyday now. Everything you mentioned is what I have to do. I wish Droid would makd a fauxG version of the X. I would be there first in line to buy.

      • Denise

        the samsung captivate…ive had it 2 weeks and so dissappointed with it..the games suck..the battery life is the worst I’ve ever seen.it freezes more than my freezer does..and it drops calls alot..it barely ever rings .just goes straight to voice mail…what phones do you prefer?

      • pete

        this list should include the HTC Desire HD. absolute crap.

      • sid67

        I love my Thunderbolt. Best phone I’ve ever owned. I regularly had over 12+ hours of battery life even without rooting and the phone is blazing fast.

        Other than the one day when Verizon had a nationwide 4g LTE outtage, I’ve had great 4g LTE up-time. My phone is hands-down far faster than any other non-LTE phone I’ve ever used.

        Hate all you like but the other LTE phones on the market suck a lot more than the Thunderbolt. The Droid Charge is hardly a serious alternative and feels like a cheap plastic toy.

        I think the OP just has some sour grapes here because this phone was hyped to be the second coming and he didn’t get to meet Jesus.

        No phone can live up to that kind of hype. So “letdown” might be accurate in that sense, but is it the “worst” in 2011 .. HARDLY! That’s just a ludicrous emotional reaction.

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      • http://mattrheault.com Matt

        I have a thunderbolt and it is an utterly terrible phone with the stock battery. However the extended battery turns it into one of the best. But there is a downside, the extended battery sticks out awkwardly and makes the device difficult to hold.

        SOLUTION: The seidio thunderbolt convert case. It is a very bulky case, but there is a piece in there that you can use that covers nearly the entire back of the phone rather than just that part in the middle. With this combo you get absolutely fantastic battery life and the weight is evenly distributed and is easy to hold.

      • Chuck

        I have the Thunderbolt and it has never restarted. I have had it for almost 2 months. I know they have released several updates to fix misc problems. As for my battery it last it last through the work day and I have to charge it when I get home. I live in a 4g area so data is not a problem. My only problem is yes the battery could last longer other than that I think HTC has done well with the build and to everyone that is quick to judge please remember… any time a new device comes out (even the great god iPhone) they release a patch to fix its quirks.

      • Baked_Tator

        why in gods name are you downing the galaxy s phones??? are you on drugs? they are the most powerful single core phones around, and thy have nothing locked on them… they are great to develop on, and have no locked boot loaders…who in their right mind would hate on a phone that is easily the best single core phone around…only thing that sux on it is the fact it uses the rfs file system and even that can be changed with ease!!! get real!!!

      • ahayes

        the original droid and droid two are just horrendous. my sister mother and i have a droid/droid 2 and they are slow, poor battery life, fforce close consistantly on apps, my droid 2 doesn’t even charge anymore and the ringer doesn’t work any more. ive had the phone less than a year.

      • ?

        I’ll try to keep it short, but the Droid Charge is just as awful. Just as many restarts, couple of freezes, swapping from 4G to 3G and/or back sucks, and the battery just as terrible. I was never a Samsung fan, but now I am anti-Samsung. I am really hoping the Bionic is not as big of a let down as I have been patiently waiting forever now.

        • Anonymous

          I AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS. VERIZON TECHS LIKE TO COME UP WITH ALOT OF EXCUSES AND SAME TECH ROUTINE ON REMOVING THE BATTERY, NETWORK FLASH REMOVING SIM CARD ETC. THIS GETTING OLD WITH VERIZON. EITHER THEY FIX THIS ISSUE, OR THEY WILL LOOSE ME AS A CUSTOMER.

      • Charles in Vancouver

        In regards to the HTC Incredible S: Please don’t forget to take a step back and look at this from a more global scope. The HTC Incredible was a Verizon CDMA phone. The Incredible S is a device that saw an international release with GSM/HSPA bands. So for the rest of the world it’s more like a refresh of the Desire HD with nicer internals and a front-facing camera.

      • dlh5870

        I think you are all idiots. Get a life other than screwing with your phone. ITS A PHONE, Not a Compouter, Email Server, Internet Browser, Ipot, Xbox or any other bull shit. ITS A PHONE. Make phone calls with them and put it in you pocket.

      • tom

        how the hell is htc inspire the 3rd worst phone?!!!?!?!?!? it has benn amazing since day 1

        • Anonymous

          Totally agree I have not had problems other then Gps sometimes takes a little to lock in but other then that none. I like the camera and be video camera on this. battery dies fast sometimes but I play a lot of games lol so I expect that.

        • kuromi7

          I was surprised to see HTC Inspire on here. I never had a problem with this phone. My mom has an iPhone4, I tried using it and I did not like it at all. And besides, it’s hard to keep up with iPhones, there’s always a newer version almost every year. Does that mean there’s always something lacking with their old version?

        • khris

          Damn skippy! (I agree)

        • Deb M.

          I agree. The Inspire is a great phone, with one exception — the battery. However, the battery also recharges very quickly. One other thing is the latest Android OS upgrade. Things go wacky for a minute or two, but not when I’m using the phone, which is, after all, the reason I bought it.

      • Oscar615

        I have the Thunderbolt and love it!

        I have never had any of the problems you mention. Granted the battery life could be better but all smartphones have short battery life. After all you are carrying a miniature PC in your pocket, what do you expect? And this one is a screamer. Super fast, super smooth. Does whatever I have asked of it without complaints. I would say it is one of the best phones ever, NOT one of the worst. Best of all, you can root it and make it even better. No Iphone can do what this phone can do.

        I am thinking people who complain about the battery life or weight of the phone are whiners who may have never had a smart phone and expect the batteries to last as long as a regular phone. Come on, get real people.

      • bt

        I was so jazzed about the Galaxy when I first got it. Fast, pretty display and nice camera. But a year later I am plagued by poor reception, dropped calls and low battery life. My friend has one and has had it replaced 3 times. I can be standing next to my other friend’s iPhone and he has 2 bars where I have none. Although I hate iTunes, I’m switching to the iPhone.

      • Chris

        I think the Motorola Atrix should have made your list. As you stated above, the fact that they crippled it with the MotoBlur UI should in itself qualify it for this list–not to mention the horrible speeds from the supposed dual-core processor. Sure, there are some neat features/accessories but the phone by itself is a total FAIL. The only things I can compliment are battery life (kind of) and the Super AMOLED display.

        I also think you were a little harsh towards the HTC lineup. Yes, the Thunderbolt, Inspire, Sensation, and Evo are more or less the same phone. I personally like that I can have a version of those phones regardless of my carrier. In my opinion they are all great phones in their own right, noting specifically HTC’s build quality.

        Another thing to consider regarding the Inspire is the price, $99 from AT&T ($49.99 at Radio Shack). Yes, there are a couple features I wish it had but you get a lot of “bang for your buck” with this device

      • Anonymous

        I actually like my Samsung Galaxy mini S5570 3G phone, so I really wouldn’t simply write of a phone because of it being a Samsung. Works great 100% of the time, at a cost only 1/5th of an iPhone without contract. Surfs well for a smartphone, and the GPS helps me find my way out of a paper bag. The wi-fi always works too… very pratical on the road.

      • Ben

        I haven’t had any of the bad experiences that you describe with my Thunderbolt. I was one of the first people to have one and I have loved it ever since. The only problem I have had with it is Pandora seems to randomly shut down a lot, which is not a problem I ever had with my Blackberry. The only time I’ve noticed short battery life is when I’m way out in the boonies where there is no coverage of any kind and the phone searches for a signal. Other than that I have no complaints whatsoever.

      • Don

        I have the Droid incredable 2. Great phone but my fav app doesn’t work on this phone. Google Sky maps doesn’t work because the compass shows inside out and backwards
        North is south and east is west and vise versa. Google maps doesn’t work or various GPS Apps. Calibration up the wazoo and nothin. HTC, Verizon and Google have know about this problem since it came out back in 5/2010 and are “working on the problem”. They contiue to sell them like there is no problem with them. Google this problem its all over! DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE!

      • Bill

        I hate the Thunderbolt only because of battery life. I’m not smart enough to get much of the rest of it yet… but I will. To Katerina.. the world in Asia has had much more then the US in cellphone technology.. we are still lagging in what we can do with them. It totally sucks that a battery is at half charge after 1/2 day of no talking.

        HTC needs to get something changed…. It will likely be my last phone by them.

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      • LL

        ? says:
        August 3, 2011 at 2:33 pm

        I’ll try to keep it short, but the Droid Charge is just as awful. Just as many restarts, couple of freezes, swapping from 4G to 3G and/or back sucks, and the battery just as terrible. I was never a Samsung fan, but now I am anti-Samsung. I am really hoping the Bionic is not as big of a let down as I have been patiently waiting forever now…..

        I AGREE WITH YOU, I AM TIRED OF VERIZON COMING UP WITH EXCUSES.

      • khris

        Someone needs to pelt this writer with phones from 2003 to remind him of what ACTUAL horrible phones are like. XD (HTC Inspire 4g owner)

      • LL

        TIRED OF VERIZON SAME ROUTINE TO GET YOU OFF THE PHONE ABOUT WHY THE CHARGE FLUX FROM 4 G TO 3 G. THEN YOU HAVE TO RESTART PHONE TAKE BATTERY OUT,REMOVE THE SIM CARD OUT AND THEN THEY HAVE TO DO A NETWORK FLASH. ALSO I BEEN GETTING DROP CALLS. EITHER THEY GET THIS FIXED OR LOSE ME AS A CUSTOMER

      • JC

        Is your only complaint about the Galaxy S is that it is too much like the iphone? This is my first time reading this blog, can you elaborate?

      • Jen29

        this reviewer is obviously PRO IPHONE!!! GET LOST!!! come on!!! DO u think IPHONE is THE BEST EVER PHONE???? give me a break! IPHONE is not that good as well there a lot of drawbacks and issues goin on also and why it was not included in this list???

      • arpu31

        Author is an idiot.. doesnt know what he is writing about..Thunderbolt at #1.. you got to be kidding me…

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      • shawn folkes

        I have an Alcatel celll phone that rund Android, and it sucks! The biggest set back is the battery life. – have to recharge it three times a day. Couple this with a new and inferior service provider (WIND) and you’re talking about non stop frustration. I have to search for service constantly, my browser crashes regularly (esp. When I am on Facebook, which I use for business) and my Facebook app is usually hours behind in its updates, even after uploading the new version (which includes a new chat icon, that not only doesn’t work, it will log me on to chat on my home PC)…plus the touch screen is not very responsive and tricky to manipulate. – love Android but hate this phone and service provider!!

      • antonio freeman

        what about the droid merge by us cellular is it or is it a phone that should be on the list as one of the worst phones

      • Oscar615

        Iphones can’t do half of what android phones do. No homescreens, no rooting, on and on. If they did why would the iphone 5 be stealing a lot from android? Iphone is old tech.

      • Dawn M.

        I have an HTC Aria. I absolutely HATE this phone. I am now using a friends old iPhone 3gs and would use it anyday over an android system!

      • ray

        you mention two HTC phones and then clump the EVO/Thunderbolt/Inspire together. i am a Sprint customer and hear good things about the EVO, are these phones all the same except for the name?

      • Jason

        The Thunderbolt as the #1 worst smartphone lol. I’d say right now it’s the #1 smartphone. You cry about battery life funny. The 4G LTE with 4.3 inch screen takes more battery power as it should. The stock battery is big enough for most people who don’t have their grubby little fingers all over the phone it all day. For those who want to use the hell out of it , the extended battery is the option. The extended battery is friggin awesome. Now the battery last longer than other phones and it’s way faster wow that sucks.

        My connection is great no doubt about it. I rarely get under 4 bars in 4g. On road trip you lost data. It’s happened before. You think all phones get constant data any where in the world? You don’t think a phone can lose it’s data or signal at any given location? Mine does in my Dads pole barn. Thats any phone bud and yes even an iPhone can lose signal. Hold it wrong and bam no signal ask consumer reports.

        The Thunderbolt is now $59 with new contract. Incredible for a phone with these network speeds and quality of build. This phone does everything I want it to quite well. Maybe you just didn’t know how to use it. Maybe you wanted a little to much from it a little to soon. You’ll just get another phone and end up on that merry go round.

      • JJD

        I love my HTC Inspire. The only problem for me is the speaker phone!

      • Frank

        Yeah I’m so sick of android as well as Motorola. Thats why I upgraded to the iphone 4s. Buh-bye android…. In a world of does, DROID DOESN’T.

      • Anonymous

        Cmon man, you had no more reason to hate on the Galaxy S4g than it kind of looks iphone-esque?? Have you ever held on? They look nothing alike in real life.

        And they perform great. Go try one.

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      • COLIN SMITH

        Xperia X10 – Sony Ericsson`s so-called flagship phone for about 1 minute after release, then they drop it in favour of something new… Bad after sales support, underpowered, ancient version of android op, and when updates did arrive, half the phone`s original functions stopped working, like camera flash!!!
        Oh, and bluetooth – it has a mind of its own, switching off mid conversation and failing to recognise my car when you attempt to reconnect, meaning you had to switch off the phone, restart it and match it back in again!!
        Strange though – i now have an Xperia Arc original version, which works fine and have no bluetooth probs at all…

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