List Price: $450.00
Sale Price: $139.99
Today's Bonus: 69% Off
...but there are a few things to be aware of:
1) Know Which Hardware Version You're Getting:
If you're going to buy one of these, ask the seller which one they're selling to you. Essentially, there's a Chinese version and a Taiwanese version. The Taiwanese version has an inferior display, and generally isn't a good candidate for mod enthusiasts who want to 'root' their phone. Determining the type of Mytouch 4g in one's possession is as simple as looking behind the battery for the "made in _____" sticker.
I noticed someone gave this phone a one-star review because they got the Taiwanese version and wound up disappointed. I wound up with the China-made version, and my experience has been quite the opposite--it's a wonderful phone.
2) "Stock" vs Custom Firmware, Battery Life: For the common phone user, the stock software (the rom) on this phone is fairly solid. For android enthusiasts who like their custom ROMs (*cough*, Cyanogenmod, *ahem*), this phone is an absolute beast.
From my experience, I've never had any issues with performance or stability with HTC's stock firmware (Android version 2.2 at the time). It is very responsive, and all of my 50+ favorite apps from the Android Market worked very well on it; however, I wasn't very impressed with the battery life (even without any of those 50+ apps installed). For whatever reason, it seems as though there was something slowly, consistently draining the battery--even while leaving it idle and unused.
The official, updated 2.3 firmware from HTC supposedly addresses the battery issue, although I've never tested that for myself. After rooting my phone and installing the ever-popular Cyanogenmod firmware (7.10 / Gingerbread), I haven't looked back. The battery life has been incredible ever since. After tweaking a few things, I've been able to leave it on standby for a few days and still have a decent charge left, or use it pretty heavily throughout the day without the need to recharge it.
3) My Usual Rant About Other Reviewers:
This may or may not contribute to your impression about this phone, but I feel it's worth mentioning (as I usually do for my other product reviews) for the sake of doing justice for a product that gets 1/2-stared for silly reasons.
* If you don't like big phones, then the MyTouch 4G probably isn't a good fit for you. Please don't buy a phone with a large display and then complain about its size. It's like buying an SUV and later complaining about the gas mileage or curb weight.
* At the time of this writing, this is one of the very few phones with a front-facing camera to be had for under $ used. Realistically, most front-facing cameras on any gadget lack the fidelity & resolution of the device's main camera. Like every other phone, this one's front camera was meant for video chat--not professional photo shooting. If you expect more than that, please become familiar with this easy-to-remember formula when buying *anything* in general: "Features. Quality. Price. Pick two." All-in-all, this device is very well-rounded on all three accounts. Yes, of course it could have better [insert xyz] here. But for what I paid for it, it's one of the best phones out there for meeting all of my needs (good hardware specs, video chat, tons of custom roms available, wireless N, nice display, etc, etc.)
* From my experience, the speaker quality and volume for this phone is about on par with the previous 4 Android devices I've owned. I don't expect to use the loudspeaker as a noise-maker at a football game, a personal home security alarm, or a replacement for my frequently-used car-horn in crazy traffic. For what it's worth, I can hear my wife/kids/boss/best-buddy/annoying telemarketer from across the room with this phone just fine.
* I am reviewing this product in a product review section--completely separate from my experience with the seller I bought it from, and without consideration of the shoddy on-hold phone-based support that most companies provide these days (if they provide anything at all). Need I say more?
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