The Titanic T-Mobile Clash - myTouch 4G Slides Fights the G2x

HTC SmartPhones, Mobile
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The T-Mobile 4G Battle

myTouch 4G Slide Takes on the G2x

T-Mobile, despite possibly being bought out by AT&T has made great strides with their network and their smartphone offerings. They were the first to turn on HSPA+ and label it as 4G and they were the original holders of Android smartphones. Now, they’re truly combining these two, with faster and better designed smartphones on America’s largest 4G network.

The T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide and the T-Mobile G2x are two amazingly fast and well designed devices, but when new and old customers look into which 4G smartphone they want, which one wins?

Design and Display

The myTouch 4G Slide and G2x take on differing design cues, while still maintaining the candy bar design found on other Android powered smartphones. The myTouch 4G Slide feels sturdier and has a bulkier build than the G2x. The four Android shortcuts are physical buttons and there’s even a trackpad added into the mix. The G2x is more sleek, with the display turning into the capacitive touch shortcuts below. The G2x is also a bit slimmer, adding to its sleek design, while the myTouch 4G Slide contains a slide out keyboard, adding to its bulk.

The G2x actually does feel more like the higher end smartphone, mainly due to the design used. The slim, sleek look actually works well on the G2x and gives it an iPhone-esque feel, while the myTouch 4G Slide feels a bit too bulky. Coupled with its coloring choice of white back and black front, it makes the phone look like a toy phone, and doesn’t have the luxurious touch that the G2x has. For the design and display battle, the G2x wins out with its slim and sleek design, giving it a luxurious aura that the myTouch 4G Slide cannot match.

Winner - T-Mobile G2x

Performance

Both the myTouch 4G Slide and G2x are dual core smartphones, which means they are significantly faster

T-Mobile G2x

than the previous generation of Android powered smartphones. The myTouch 4G Slide actually has a slightly faster processor speed, clocking in at 1.2 GHz for each core, but it also has HTC Sense running on top of Android, causing a small bit of lag. The G2x has dual core processors clocking in at 1 GHz each, but since it is running on stock Android, it’s very hard to notice any kind of significant lag. That’s not to say the myTouch 4G Slide has significant lag, but when switching from applications or loading applications, there are tiny delays, no doubt caused by HTC’s third party overlay.

There have been reports that the G2x has some annoying habits, such as shutting off for no reason while plugged in, turning off when the battery is around 15%, and randomly rebooting. This is one reason to avoid the G2x, but for the purposes of this battle, the G2x did not exhibit any of the errors, and was actually fine. The only major disappointment with the G2x was the battery life, as it barely lasted over a day before finally dying after regular use. The myTouch 4G Slide fared slightly better lasting almost 2 days before turning off. For this particular battle, the G2x wins mainly due to its faster response time thanks to it being preloaded with stock Android 2.3.

Winner - T-Mobile G2x

User Interface

myTouch 4G Slide

The myTouch 4G Slide and G2x take different paths when it comes to user interface as well, mainly due to the G2x having stock Android and the myTouch 4G Slide adding HTC Sense overlayed on top of Android. The preference of stock Android vs. Android with overlays is one area where user preference really matters. While stock Android is fast, smooth and sleek, it’s also lifeless and dull. HTC has created a fantastic overlay on top of Android 2.3, giving it more colors, vibrance and giving it a more ‘fun’ feel than stock Android. The problem lies in the fact that the latest version of Android will not be available as fast.

The physical keyboard on the myTouch 4G Slide is a great addition to the smartphone. The keyboard is yet another area where user preference comes into play, as some prefer a physical keyboard while others want a slimmer smartphone. The myTouch 4G Slide’s keyboard is a well built keyboard and the keys feel solid and responsive. The G2x only has the virtual keyboard to rely on, and when it comes to typing long messages, the physical keyboard is a more useful addition. Overall the more interactive, customizable and vibrant Sense UI works better than stock Android, though it does lose out on the latest version of Android, and, coupled with the great physical keyboard, that gives the myTouch 4G Slide the edge.

Winner - HTC myTouch 4G Slide

Features

When it comes to features, it’s really neck and neck for the myTouch 4G Slide and the G2x. Both are equipped with 8 megapixel cameras and front facing cameras for video chatting. They are both HSPA+ enabled, meaning they can both connect to T-Mobile’s 4G network. They are both equipped with Android 2.3 and have access to the Market. From a features perspective there isn’t a lot to differentiate the two powerful smartphones.

The cameras on both smartphones are very well made and the pictures come out crisp and clean for both. They both also have camera applications that offer a variety of options, such as macro, HDR, fade out background, panorama and the list goes on. The video for both is also of exceptional quality, with no choppiness or lag when recording. Ultimately for features, the two smartphones really do even out as the myTouch 4G Slide and G2x both have great features.

Winner - Tie

The Winner

In the battle between the myTouch 4G Slide and the G2x, the G2x edges out with the win with a score of two to one with one tie. The slim, sleek design, coupled with the fast performance offered by stock Android beats out the bulkier, but more colorful myTouch 4G Slide. By all means, that does not mean the myTouch 4G Slide is a smartphone to be ignored, it’s still a great offer through T-Mobile. The keyboard is a great addition to the smartphone, even though it adds to the bulk. One item to note is that there have been complaints around the G2x so that is a risk to look out for.

Overall Winner - T-Mobile G2x

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