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T-Mobile G1 - Google Android Smartphone Review

Author Riyad Emeran
Published 5th Nov 2008
Manufacturer T-Mobile
Price Free on £40 Tariff
Latest Price Click here
Design Score 5 for Design
Features Score 7 for Features
Performance Score 6 for Performance
Value Score 7 for Value
Overall Score 6 for Overall
T-Mobile G1 - Google Android Smartphone
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I also can't really complain about the data speeds on the G1 once it had an HSDPA connection. Downloads from Android Market were very fast, as were downloads via web pages. General web browsing and email were equally swift, although this is as much a testament to T-Mobile's HSDPA coverage as the G1 itself.


But despite the fast data rates, the G1 doesn't offer any form of video calling - there's no front mounted camera on the device, thus ruling the feature out completely, even after future firmware revisions. In fact it's not just video calling that's off the menu, it's any form of video recording whatsoever. I just don't understand why a handset like the G1 wouldn't offer video recording, when bog standard phones can manage it. I appreciate that the iPhone can't record video either, but just because Apple has made a mistake, there's no reason to copy it!

There's a certain dichotomy about the T-Mobile G1. On the one hand it's the first ever handset to sport Google's cutting edge mobile operating system, but on the other, it feels like a genuinely dated device, considering what else is out there. Even taking Apple's iPhone out of the equation, the G1 hardware just isn't special enough. And when you compare it to HTC's soon-to-be-launched Touch HD, the situation just gets worse. All I hope is that HTC and T-Mobile will be launching more Google powered phones very soon, and that the hardware can do justice to the software.


Verdict

We've waited a long time for Google to let Android come out to play, and it looks like this new mobile OS has the potential to be a major player. Everything about Android bodes well for its future, while its open source nature should mean that it will evolve at an exponential rate.

But impressive as Android is, the G1 itself is far from the cutting edge handset I'd hoped it would be. That's not to say that the hardware is intrinsically bad, because it isn't. It's even possible that the issues I experienced with signal strength and battery life are just glitches with my early sample. However, what can't be ignored is that there are far better designed, better featured and better looking smartphones out there right now.

If you absolutely must get your hands on Google Android as soon as possible, you'll probably buy a G1 and enjoy every minute with it. For everyone else though, it's worth waiting until hardware that's truly worthy of this new platform hits the scene.

 

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Latest 4 of 31 Comments

Have your say: Leave a comment below about this article.

comment MarioM said on 12th December 2008

Sorry to resurrect a zombie, but an important gotcha for any UK buyer is the voice dialling isn't active on the UK G1! How rubbish is that? It would have been a dealbreaker fo... more

comment Stuart McIntosh said on 27th December 2008

Had a G1 from t-mobile just before xmas, and I have to say it's the worst phone I've had, Build quality poor, some keys depressed and not sitting correctly. There's ... more

comment Frank said on 16th January 2009

From Stuart :
"After some argument, they swopped the phone for another G1, but it's just as bad, and insist that there is no way to cancel a contract even when a c... more

comment Alexander Tsavalos said on 12th June 2009

Now that Android 1.5 (Cupcake) is being rolled out, is there a chance for the G1 review to be revisited?

See all 31 comments on this article.

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