Captain Splendid's Journal: So, which hardware for Android?

Thinking about jumping ship from my cheap but reliable 3GS into the android pool. I'm assuming it's all about the hardware, right? Apart from the Samsung offerings, which everybody raves about (yet I'm not a huge fan of the form factor), has anyone got any recommendations?

You said apart from Samsung

[Marxist Hacker 42]

And my wife's Sony Xperia is almost as bad as my huge GS5. With an otterbox case, both are equally water resistant.

My GS5 has a heartbeat scanner though.

In terms of device reliability...

[damn_registrars]

It seems to be Samsung, and then everyone else. I thought I could come out ahead by purchasing an LG Optimus L9 instead of a Galaxy S(something-or-other). They ran the same version of Android when I purchased mine, yet the LG was a lot less expensive. I knew going in that the LG had less internal storage and a slower processor but I figured I could live with that.

What I didn't know going in was the true cost of this. My wife bought a Galaxy S4 shortly after I bought my LG (she almost bought a new iP

Moto X

[rk]

I have a friend who has the Moto X and frankly won't shut up about how much he loves it. :-)

I've been underwhelmed by the new Samsung offerings, and I still love my Note 2 so I will be carrying this for quite a while.

Re:

[mcgrew]

I have a Kyocera now, but have had Motorola phones in the past. I never had a bit of trouble with them until they got dropped in water and died.

That's the main reason I bought the Kyocera; it's waterproof and shock resistant, and cheap enough that i don't have to worry about losing it.

It is a bit underpowered. It's responsive and fast, but if I'm listening to internet radio over wifi and playing it through bluetooth speakers and Google starts a download (which it seems to do daily) the damned thing reboots.

Re:

[insanecarbonbasedlif]

Also have a friend who raves about their Moto X. Samsung is the top dog as far as people loving their android phones goes though.

My Experience So Far

[stoolpigeon]

Outside Samsung I've used two phones. A Nexus 4 and a Moto G. I was pleased with both in terms of price and performance. The new Moto G should be out soon and it will have an SD card slot. That is what I'll be buying my daughter when we are in the US this summer. The price is great and I've been very pleased with the device.

I don't think either is as styligh as my Galaxy devices, but they are much more affordable and the stock (or very close to it) Android experience is worth it in my mind. On my Galaxy S3

Re:

[mcgrew]

Stylish? Really? You actually care about that??

Re:

[stoolpigeon]

Sure - I can appreciate form and function. I have no idea why one would completely abandon aesthetics.

What's better than something that performs very well? Something that performs very well and is enjoyable to look at/hold. If it doesn't work well, then I'll forgo that but if it is possible to have both, then why not?