The T-Mobile G2 Preview
by Vivek Gowri on October 7, 2010 12:29 PM EST
So, the son of G1 is now out and open for retail consumption, and it’s certainly an interesting device. This is one of the first high end GSM HTC Android devices in a while, so it’s been understandably hyped. The keyboard is another unique factor - this is HTC’s first Android device with a physical keyboard since the original G1, and the G2, along with the Samsung Epic 4G and Droid 2, is currently the one of the few high end Android devices with a physical keyboard.
| Physical Comparison | |||||||||
| Apple iPhone 4 | HTC EVO 4G | Samsung Epic 4G | Motorola Droid 2 | T-Mobile G2 | |||||
| Height | 115.2 mm (4.5") | 121.9 mm (4.8") | 124 mm (4.9") | 116.3 mm (4.6") | 119 mm (4.69") | ||||
| Width | 58.6 mm (2.31") | 66.0 mm (2.6") | 63.5 mm (2.5") | 60.5 mm (2.4") | 60.4 mm (2.38") | ||||
| Depth | 9.3 mm ( 0.37") | 12.7 mm (0.5") | 15.2 mm (0.6") | 13.7 mm (0.54") | 14.16 mm (0.56") | ||||
| Weight | 137 g (4.8 oz) | 170 g (6.0 oz) | 155 g (5.47 oz) | 169 g (5.9 oz) | 180 grams (6.35 oz) | ||||
| CPU | Apple A4 @ ~800 MHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8650 @ 1 GHz | Samsung Hummingbird @ 1 GHz | Texas Instruments OMAP 3630 @ 1 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230 @ 800 MHz | ||||
| GPU | PowerVR SGX 535 | Adreno 200 | PowerVR SGX 540 | PowerVR SGX 530 | Adreno 205 | ||||
| RAM | 512MB LPDDR1 (?) | 512MB LPDDR1 | 512MB LPDDR1 | 512 MB LPDDR1 | 512 MB LPDDR1 | ||||
| NAND | 16GB or 32GB integrated | 8GB micro SD | 1 GB integrated, 16 GB microSD preinstalled | 8 GB integrated, preinstalled 8 GB microSD | 4 GB integrated, preinstalled 8 GB microSD | ||||
| Camera | 5MP with LED Flash + Front Facing Camera | 8MP with dual LED Flash + Front Facing Camera | 5 MP with LED Flash and autofocus | 5 MP with dual LED flash and autofocus | 5 MP with auto focus and LED flash | ||||
| Screen | 3.5" 640 x 960 IPS | 4.3" 480 x 800 | 4.0" 480 x 800 Super AMOLED | 3.7" 480 x 854 | 3.7" 480 x 800 Super LCD | ||||
| Battery | Integrated 5.254Whr | Removable 5.5Whr | Removable 5.55 Whr | Removable 5.2 Whr | Removable 4.81 Whr | ||||
The G2 comes with a Qualcomm MSM7230 SoC, an 800 MHz part based on the 2nd generation Snapdragon core. It’s now on a 45-nm manufacturing process (the original Snapdragon QSD8x50 parts are 65nm) and has an updated Adreno 205 GPU. Beyond the die-shrink, the CPU seems to be relatively unchanged compared to the first gen-Snapdragon, just running at an 800 MHz frequency. The lower clock speed is probably to keep power consumption and yield in check for Qualcomm's first 45nm SoC. The Adreno 205, on the other hand, seems to be a pretty big improvement over the previous generation Adreno 200. The 205 adds hardware acceleration for Flash, SVG vector graphics hardware acceleration, and significantly improves shader performance over the Adreno 200. Performance is expected to be far more competitive to the PowerVR SGX 530 and 540 than the Adreno 200 ever was. So even though it doesn’t break the magical 1GHz mark, the MSM7230 is still a very potent SoC, especially in a device that forgoes the burden of a custom UI layer on top of Android.
The MSM7230 in the G2 has support for 3GPP Release 7, which includes HSPA+ and Evolved EDGE support. The G2 supports HSDPA class 10 for a maximum theoretical downstream rate of 14.4 megabits/s, and HSUPA class 6 for a maximum theoretical upstream rate of 5.76 megabits/s. Qualcomm's MSM7x30 series SoC comes in another flavor - the MSM7630 - which packs HSPA+ support alongside CDMA voice and data.
Rounding out the other specs, we’ve got 512MB RAM (also part of the SoC), 4GB internal NAND with an 8GB microSD card preinstalled (more on this later), a 3.7” Super-LCD TFT display with an 800x480 resolution, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, 720p video recording at 30fps, and a removeable 4.81 Wh (1300 mAh) battery. Oh, and one of the weirdest hinges out there right now.
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ImSpartacus - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
Sorry, I wasn't criticizing the article. I really like that AT phone reviewers use the said phone for a few weeks before posting their full write-up. It shows exceptional polish and class on their part.Like you mentioned, this "preview" has about the same amount/quality of information that a typical "review" provides.
mino - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
Umm, sometimes the stuff in plain sight is the hardest to spot :) Sorry from me.zorxd - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
6Mbps down and 1Mbps up is what I get indoor with my HTC Hero (which is only 7.2 Mbps HSDPA) here in Canada. That doesn't sounds like HSPA+ speeds at all.mino - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
Yeah, And I get barely .5 Mbps from my Huawei 3G router with external antenna. That is explicitly on HSPA+.At the same time I get extremely good .2 Mbps from EDGE on the same spot cause the 2G tower is a bit closer...
Basically, unless testing at the same time, during night, during clear weather, in the same setting, at the most optimal position, any such comparison is moot.
There are just too many unaccounted variables.
zorxd - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
Still, 6 Mbps is below 7.2 so it is not a proof that HSPA+ is even being used.therealnickdanger - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
Using my Sprint HTC Touch Diamond and booting into Android 2.2, the Speedtest.net app reads after 5 tests:136-710 kbps down
83-160 kbps up
140-190 ms ping
Using WM6.5 and mobile speed test web page, I can get 1,300 kbps down, 800 kbps up, and 130 ping. WM6.5 is a bit easier for my meak hardware to run than Froyo.
That's inside with a signal moving between 0 and 1 bar. It may seem pathetic, but it's fast enough to stream Youtube.
vol7ron - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
.5/.2 Mbps seems "offly" low. Are you sure it's not MBps?sprockkets - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
Not on EDGE :)mino - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
.5 is on the last straws of 3G signal & not very bad weather.2 is on 1800MHz 2G network with reasonable signal quality
Why I mentioned is that there encoding and band used is only one of the variables. And in most cases not the most important one.
prince34 - Thursday, October 7, 2010 - link
It does come preloaded with SWYPE. I personally use it when I only have one hand free and can't flip the keyboard out.I think it is at least worth mentioning.