[Q] HTC HD2 vs Samsung Vibrant?

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So I'm currently with Tmobile and have an unlocked HTC HD2 running energyrom and Froyo 2.2. Android on HD2 is my first experience with android but thus far it seems to do everything wm does but just a bit better and with some of that shine and polish that iOS is famous for. I just wanted to ask if there are any HD2 users who thought the upgrade to the Vibrant was worth it despite losing flash, .3 inches of screen and better build quality especially when the hd2 can already run android? (not perfectly...but it's getting there.) I'm also a bit wary about upgrading to it due to samsung's legacy of awful support and the myriad of issues the phone already seems to have (battery drain, gps, bad reception, etc.) Any former hd2 users care to chime in?

Here are my thoughts on changing phones. I came from a stock rom HD2 so keep that in mind for my comparison.

I really liked the physical design of the HD2 but wish the software had performed better. Like many people I was having data disconnect issues with the phone and frequent lockups prior to the update. Once the update came along the lockups seemed to have diminished (not eliminated though) the lockups but I was still having issues with losing the data connection (also suffered from the audio lag that never got resolved). Unfortunately the update also brought along a serious touch screen sensitivity issue that ultimately was the deal breaker for me. At times I just wanted to throw the phone out of the window when trying to type.

The touch screen on the Vibrant is worlds better than the experience I had on the HD2. I only miss the larger screen when browsing the web but the experience doesn't feel like a big difference over all. As for build quality, the HD2 is certainly more solid and gave an overall feeling of higher quality. I do not find the Vibrant to feel as cheap as some of commented but the HD2 wins that comparison hands down.

I do miss the flash occasionally, primarily since it made a great flash light. My experience with using the flash for actual pictures is small but overall I have found the Vibrant performs relatively well in low light situations so far.

I am happy I made the jump to the Vibrant but I can't help but think that if my data connection issues and screen sensitivity were fixed it might not be so clear cut.

As for updates, it is a bit early to see if Samsung has turned over a new leaf with the launch of the Galaxy S line. I am very curious to see how well the Vibrant performs after getting the Froyo update since it already feels like a snappy phone to me.

Good luck with your choice and let me know if you have any other questions I didn't touch on.

If you are planning to use GPS at all, you should not get the Vibrant - GPS on it is plain broken and that is just that.

Everyone keeps saying this, but mine works just fine.

Originally Posted by Minker17

Everyone keeps saying this, but mine works just fine.

You only think it does...
Did you use any of the GPS applications that actually show whether your device has locked onto any of the satellites? If you did, did you every see a satellite lock on more than one or at most two satellites? FYI: you need a lock onto 3 to get a proper GPS location.

Originally Posted by marsupial99

If you are planning to use GPS at all, you should not get the Vibrant - GPS on it is plain broken and that is just that.

This should not be a blanket statement, mine and quite a few others on here have a fairly good working GPS on their phone and I am running stock except for rooting the phone.

Yes it could be better and hopefully an update is coming sooner than later but it's perfectly usable for me, especially outdoors. Indoors is where it needs the help.

had the HD2, didn't like it on a number of levels, primary was Win Mo -gave me a headache. Screen on the HD2 was nice but the samsung's is in a class by itself - so nice, including touch responsiveness etc, that i'm debating keeping the vibrant in spite of the GPS issue - like the earlier poster said - it's flaky at best right now, and it is an important feature to me. The fact that i'm debating or trying to convince myself to keep it in spite of the lack of reliable GPS should tell you everything.

as to the screen size, i actually like the samsung's size better - the HD2 i almost felt like i was holding a paperback book up to my ear. The samsung seems to be the "right" size, plus it's thinness makes it feel even more comfortable in your hand - i didn't expect that

Originally Posted by gancho

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I do miss the flash occasionally, primarily since it made a great flash light. My experience with using the flash for actual pictures is small but overall I have found the Vibrant performs relatively well in low light situations so far.

there's a decent free app on android market called "color flash" that turns your screen totally white for use as a flash light - not as bright as the HD2's flash , but the app comes close in terms of lumens, it's just not as focus'd as with the HD2, but still very useable - went outside on a dark nite, steps below me were total darkness w/no moon, and the color flash app gave me enough lite to see the steps - and not too bad on battery drain - i ran it for five minutes and only measured about 2-3% of battery life

fwiw

Originally Posted by marsupial99

If you are planning to use GPS at all, you should not get the Vibrant - GPS on it is plain broken and that is just that.

that is a ridiculous statement. I use my GPS every night I drive my car (SpeedHUD) with NO issues at all.

Thanks for all the great replies!

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Thanks for all the great replies, I think for now I'm going to just wait and see how that gps issue turns out because I am awful at directions and thus google navigation is pretty important for me. I actually use tomtom on my hd2 currently and that works fine. The lack of flash is disappointing but nothing a dollar store led keychain can't solve right? It really is a shame that samsung put out a phone with such great hardware but then botched what is a vital feature to many people. So for now it's the waiting game for me I suppose. However, feel free to keep posting replies for any other potential hd2 owners thinking of upgrading. Thanks again!

Thanks larryccf, I will check out the app.