T-Mobile G2 Pro Reviews

The T-Mobile G2 is by far the best smartphone I have used. I am still constantly picking it up and playing with it just because it is a joy to use. T-Mobile G2 with Google Android OSEverything is quick, and the battery lasts long enough that I don't need to worry about it. It works well in all areas, and should be quick to receive operating system updates like the upcoming Gingerbread due to its stock Android OS.

The G2 is not just an awesome Android phone, it's an awesome phone, period. It's clear that HTC has taken its years of experience with devices in this form factor and applied that knowledge to this device. From a hardware perspective, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more attractive, elegant, or capable landscape QWERTY phone, and as far as software is concerned, T-Mobile seems to be doing its best to offer Android in an untainted form. Yes, there is a little bit of bloatware here, and yes, there seems to be something amiss with the G2's potential for hacking, but as a standalone Android device in a world of iPhone 4s and EVOs, it's packing some serious heat.

All in all I had no problems with the design and feel of the phone, and I'm encouraged by its performance on the HSPA+ network. But several things might make me hesitate before buying the G2. I was disappointed with the voice quality, underwhelmed by the camera, and skeptical of the battery life. Perhaps above all, the T-Mobile 3G and 3.5G network should remain a key concern to anyone buying a T-Mobile phone. Although the carrier, HTC, and Google have done a lovely job on the G2 itself, all that luster might quickly fade if your phone calls sound bad and your network connection speeds are slow and unpredictable.

All in all I had no problems with the design and feel of the phone, and I'm encouraged by its performance on the HSPA+ network. But several things might make me hesitate before buying the G2. I was disappointed with the voice quality, underwhelmed by the camera, and skeptical of the battery life. Perhaps above all, the T-Mobile 3G and 3.5G network should remain a key concern to anyone buying a T-Mobile phone. Although the carrier, HTC, and Google have done a lovely job on the G2 itself, all that lustre might quickly fade if your phone calls sound bad and your network connection speeds are slow and unpredictable.

My favorite part of using the G2 was how everything seems to work together, and work well. There has clearly been much optimization, and having an app download, install, and launch all within four or five seconds is thrilling. My least favorite part was the hardware, though admittedly the hardware is still better than 90% of the phones out there. If you want what is essentially a Google-powered pocket computer weighing down your jacket, the G2 is an absolutely smashing phone. If you need something lightweight and simple, the G2 is overkill by miles. I’d go so far as saying this is the premier Android handset on the market right now, if the form factor is to your liking. Highly recommended — but as with any other major tech purchase, get it in your hand before you pull the trigger.

Personally, I am a big fan of hardware QWERTY keyboards. This means that, on paper at least, the T-Mobile G2 is right up my alley. Big display, full keyboard, optical d-pad controller, and a 5 megapixel camera with flash. That's my kind of spec sheet, and it is packed into a really tricked out hardware design that I love. But somehow the phone fails to live up to the potential my gut tells me it should have. It is entirely adequate, but just doesn't elicit the lust response I was expecting. Sure, the 10Mbps HSPA+ data speeds are drool worthy, but the phone doesn't feel as fast as Samsung's Galaxy S devices, and the lack of HTC's better Sense user interface features is felt.

Yes, it's a design marvel from every aspect you look at it seeing that the T-Mobile G2 is one of the best designed smartphones in recent memory. For a while there, we were beginning to wonder if US consumers would ever see an HTC handset that rivals the Nexus One in terms of premium quality. Its metallic, tough exterior will undoubtedly radiate a sense of durability, but its Achilles Heel might be found with its hinge mechanism. Aside from that, its keyboard is one of the better ones out there in the market as it employs a smart layout with buttons that provide great feedback. On the software side of things, the stock Android 2.2 Froyo experience is responsive thanks to its quick 800MHz processor. Naturally, you've got all of the wonders that the platform has to offer, but the ultimate true star of the show is none other than the handset's support for HSPA+ connectivity.

Overall, the T-Mobile G2 is a well-equipped Android device, and offers vanilla Android fans something outside of the Nexus One. It's fast, with an exceptional keyboard and a design that appeals to youngsters and businesspeople alike. I'm a bit troubled by the connectivity issues and poor data speeds, but I have a feeling at least part of it will be addressed in the weeks to come by a software update.

The T-Mobile G2 is an awesome phone with some superlative features, but HTC and T-Mobile didn’t quite push this phone far enough ahead of the Android pack. The phone is insanely fast in every way. In terms of interface performance, there was never a lag or delay in any action, and even the most intense features, like gaming or graphically rich apps, ran swimmingly on the G2. Network performance was equally impressive, and this phone claimed the crown of fastest Web browser among all the 4G-speed devices I have currently in my stable.

In the end, everything that's good about the G2 outweighs the bad, especially if you're not planning on diving into the code yourself. If you've got a broken down G1 waiting to be replaced, or just want a clean Android experience, this is still probably your phone.

In terms of general performance, many were quick to dismiss the G2 because of the fact it had an 800MHz processor instead of a 1GHz processor like many of today's smartphones, but don't let the numbers fool you. The G2's next-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230 processor does just fine at keeping the handset on task. We experienced very little to no delay during our review periods, regardless of what task we threw at it.