Oct 01 AT 11:58 AM Taylor Wimberly 16 Comments

Hands on the Verizon HTC Merge

Our friend Phil from AndroidCentral (my 2nd fav Android blog) used his ninja skills and snuck into Verizon’s headquarters to snap some pictures of the unreleased, unannounced HTC Merge. This device is Verizon’s version of the HTC Desire Z minus the unique Z-hinge, plus Sense UI, and the addition of Bing. This phone is pretty much just as we predicted earlier this week, but I suggest you hit up the source link and read Phil’s impressions.

Who do you think has the best HTC Desire Z? Is it T-Mobile with the G2? Or Verizon and their Merge?

Source: Android Central

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16 Comments Join the discussion!

39 jayzeroeee 10/01/10 12:01 PM

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T-Mobile definitely won the Desire Z battle. The keyboard on the Lexicon (Merge) might be better, but it’s hard to beat stock Froyo.

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- 39 jayzeroeee 10/01/10 12:12 PM
  
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  Also, that hinge on the G2 looks better than a plain slider.
  
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- DDDDDDDDDDDDGuest 10/01/10 7:16 PM
  
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  The merge/Lexicon has 2.2 Stock also! and America’s most reliable service! Merge defiantly wins!
  
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UniqueNateGuest 10/01/10 12:11 PM

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I’m not even a T-mo customer and I say they have the best looking one and maybe the best out of the three.
Their color scheme for the G2 looks a lot better. This red and black sounds good but looks unfinished to me on this Merge.
Maybe if it was just mostly black and had red accents only on the keyboard then it could of looked alright.
And they should of went with the bigger buttons. The keyboard looks a lot better on the G2 and Desire Z. The buttons look extra small. Maybe it’ll grow on me or something.

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whyGuest 10/01/10 12:32 PM

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Why did they decide to lose the z hinge? HTC was saying the point of the z hinge was to give the user more room for the top row of keys, but the merge looks like it has the same amount of room for the top keys even with the slide keyboard. I was already a little sketched out about the z hinge, seeing how its new and I have yet to get my hands on it. Now I’m even more skeptical….

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JeffGuest 10/01/10 1:06 PM

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T-Mobile definitely got the better deal. A Nexus One with a keyboard vs a Droid Incredible with a keyboard. Only the DINC isn’t pre-loaded with Bing. Bad move on Verizon’s part. Plus the G2 will be the first to receive updates. Maybe not the first with Gingerbread considering the rumors of Motorola releasing the first Gingerbread phone like they did with the Droid and Eclair.

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- CTownGuest 10/01/10 2:28 PM
  
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  I also feel the G2 is the better of the three. I finally have a chance to get a phone that is similar to the Nexus and has a keyboard (I have the G1). Also, considering UPDATES (not just being baked in the phone’s firmware when it comes out) I imagine the Nexus One will get Gingerbread first, then it should come to this phone. It is all just my guess but the Nexus One always gets the UPDATES first.
  
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RpinazoGuest 10/01/10 1:34 PM

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The G2 hands down. Sorry Big Red but in this comparison, you lose!

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8 krazytrixxxsta 10/01/10 2:06 PM

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definitely tmo version win

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JWGuest 10/01/10 3:49 PM

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Tmo all the way. Stock Android is gonna hum along on the G2.

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EggoEspadaGuest 10/01/10 5:54 PM

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The G2 is the best. Its so damn sexy and having stock is nice. Also to know I have my full Google experience. Either way, I’m getting the Merge because its as close as getting a G2 as I can on Verizon. lol

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NateGuest 10/01/10 8:05 PM

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damn when I saw the twitter update pointing to this article I thought you were saying the two companies were merging. I was gunna be pissed.

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johnGuest 10/02/10 7:21 PM

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The T-Mobile G2 got the best deal because it has T-Mobiles new HSDPA+ and because it has stock android and it looks way more cooler.

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TomNewtnGuest 10/09/10 7:11 PM

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I have a G2 and am returning it because of several issues which you can read all about on TMOs forum re the G2. I have a Nexus One with REAL Froyo….not the TMO G2 lame version of froyo. I thought I was getting a Nexus One with a keyboard, but sure enough, service providers can’t leave well enough alone. One thing about the G2′s keyboard is that it is nice, and feels good when typing, but the shiny black plastic background of the keyboard looks cheap as hell and shows finger smudges. Vz got the keyboard right with this Merge. It’s beautifully done and looks to be a much better and professional design in my view. Reviews of this keyboard have thus far been impressive.

I’m not keen on Sense, especially the former vs the new Sense and Bing can go to hell. I wouldn’t use it and did I mention it can go to hell?

This merge is a better design and look in my view. The back plate isn’t metal where the speaker is, and as a result, it’s speaker won’t sound tinny like the G2 does. The G2s speaker sounds tinny and irritating.

I love the trackpad on the G2 and the merge should have this. Why do they always seem to make sure that no one device hits the mark in all the key areas? Maybe sticking with unlocked devices is the way to go.

The G2 is marketed as having 4 gbs installed memory but guess what, half of it isn’t accessible. Further, it turns out that HTC/TMO locked it out so it cannot be rooted. The hinge may work (for now) but it’s a mystery as to how it will endure with use. It’s new, and I’m not keen to lock into a 2 year contract with these issues coming to light. I will be reverting back to my month to month loyalty plan and go where I like with no termination fees.

Should I consider Verizon’s unlimited phone/data plan?

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- 0 SDscorch 11/16/10 2:32 AM
  
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  geez, sour grapes much?
  
  i’ve got a G2 – like it just fine
  
  its fast, i don’t have any limitations w/ memory, love the kybd and… have you been following #g2root?? cyanogen – slam dunk!
  
  if you want to spend $150 every month to be on vzw’s vaunted network, go for it – i’m on TMo’s everything plus @ $95/mo unltd talk, txt, data — good luck out there
  
  (this merge sure LOOKS awesome though, doesn’t it!)
  
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SaneokGuest 11/29/10 3:49 AM

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I personally love the design on the Merge. The design on the G2 is ok, but some of the design parts are kinda ugly.

I like stock Android too, but after using both stock Android and Sense for a month each, my preference is Sense.. But it was a hard decision to make..

The hinge is a cool concept and I like it, but it seems to have some design flaws (ex. can’t use upside down), but its not a big deal.. as having a normal sliding keyboard isn’t a big deal aswell.

T-mobile is cheap but it doesn’t work everywhere. If T-mobile works where u live and work then you are lucky! T-mobile signal here is horrible!!

So overall both phones are good, but if i could choose I would choose Merge.

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