Reply With QuoteBecause we're trapped by our carriers; I have a legacy unlimited data plan so I'm not leaving Verizon. The Nexus coming to them is great news.Originally Posted by Gary Whitta
H.
I don't know why anyone would consider any Android phone other than the Nexus series. They're always the flagship of the Android line, they always get OS updates first, and they have no carrier or vendor-installed bloatware.
Because we're trapped by our carriers; I have a legacy unlimited data plan so I'm not leaving Verizon. The Nexus coming to them is great news.
H.
Good point. Verizon seems to be the best carrier if you're into Android since 4G is one of the big selling points and they have the best 4G.
Well, they're coming to them if the numerous rumors popping up that the LTE code is atrocious on the Nexus aren't true, at least. Some folks are getting as low as 4 hours of battery life with it, which Verizon considers unacceptable. Unless Google/Samsung get that in line ASAP (or unless the rumors are completely false), Verizon may not *let* it ship, choosing to focus on the Droid RAZR and the new HTC phone, instead.
It wouldn't be the first time Verizon cockteased a Nexus release before finally canning it, either =/
Because they're released infrequently enough that they're not always competitive. Yeah, you could buy a Nexus S this past summer, but you could also buy an Evo 3D or SGS2 or whatever, and get generationally better hardware.
The Thunderbolt gets 2.8 hours of LTE battery life. I don't think Verizon would complain about 4.
I consider the plastic (!) curved screen on the Nexus S to be a serious shortcoming. I don't know why they'd let a flagship device ship like that; mine was scratched in no time, and I'm careful with my gadgets. I wonder if the curved Galaxy Nexus (too bad about the name) will be plastic as well.
It's Gorilla Glass.
Usually some sort of particular feature that people want - I didn't get the Nexus S because I wanted a microSD slot. Also because it wasn't subsidised as much thus I would have had to pay a significantly higher monthly fee. Then again, I'm cheap and pay $29/month.
Verizon has confirmed that yes, they will be offering the Galaxy Nexus later this year. No price or specific date yet.
The android rumor sites claim Corning has gone on record as stating the Galaxy Prime does not use gorilla glass. The phone supposedly uses a different scratch-resistant glass, but Samsung hasn't stated which one.
Arise, long-forgotten thread!
I have a bonus check coming up from work, and my tablet has convinced me that Swype is an adequate replacement for my aging G1's hardware keyboard (as much as I'll miss all the esoteric punctuation that's easily at hand). I see that Google's selling the Galaxy Nexus directly for $400, and so I ask the Qt3 brain trust: is the Galaxy Nexus a solid device? It's well-reviewed, but I'm curious if anyone here is using it day-to-day.
I recently made this decision myself.
For me, I decided to go with the Razr Maxx over the Galaxy Nexus.
First, look at how many z's and x's are in that name. I mean, you can't legally use that many z's and x's unless something is crazy wicked awesome to the max(x).
Seriously though, when I was comparing them, the primary benefit I saw of the Nexus was that it is currently running ICS, and is a vanilla installation. That's neat.
But ultimately, the Maxx has better hardware. So, when it finally gets ICS, it'll be a better phone all around. Also, I don't particularly mind Motorola's stuff. They don't go too overboard any more with their customization of the OS. (and I think Google is still planning on buying their mobile division? I haven't really paid too much attention to that deal)
The big thing about the Maxx is its battery life. It's hard to really understand the difference the battery makes...
If you don't charge your phone over night? It's not really a big deal. You'll easily be able to get through another whole day with it. As opposed to other smart phones where it basically means that phone is gonna be useless the next day.
To give an idea of what kinds of things you can do without charging this phone:
I recently was in Hawaii on business, and on the last day checked out the north shore. On the way I took maybe 50 pictures, and filmed around half an hour of HD video. All of this while using GPS to chart our course to some random shrimp truck and back. After about 12 hours, I got on a plane, after making some phone calls and surfing the web on my phone. I was then on the plane, and listened to music for the entirety of the 9.5 hour flight home, then made some more phone calls and used it during a 3 hour drive.
And the phone wasn't dead at the end of that. I had used it constantly, doing stuff that traditionally would kill a phone quickly... for over 24 hours straight.
That kind of capability is pretty much a game changer for me. I no longer even need to consider the battery life on my phone. It's pretty much always full.
Yep, been using it since it came out here on december 2nd. My previous phone (and indeed my first smartphone) was a HTC Desire.
I love my Galaxy Nexus. Despite it being 4.6inches to my Desire's 3.2, it doesn't feel like some massive change in phone size. It's still pocket and hand sized, and doesn't look crazy when you hold it up to your ear or anything. The extra screen estate is great for the comics I read in guided panel view in Comixology and for web browsing. The weight and thickness is actually less than my Desire, which is good.
The battery life is so very much better than it was on my Desire. I can only assume this is a combination of factors but I'm sure not having Sense running on top of Android has helped. I leave the house at 7:15, get back in at 6:50ish (so 3G or worse for the entire day, until I get home to wifi). With my Desire I would be either red and beeping "low battery" by that point or orange but about to go red and start beeping. If I wanted to use it as a remote mouse and keyboard to watch the NBA on my TV (I do this!) then I'd have to charge it again. With my Galaxy Nexus I have about half the battery left when I get in, and no need to charge it until I go to bed after 11.
The only downside to the phone that springs to mind is the ringer/notification volume. It's fine at max volume but it's not as loud as the Desire, and it could do with upping a bit more. It wakes me up fine though, and I'm a deep sleeper.
What carrier are you on? The Nexus is by all accounts a fine phone, but it's outdated. The HTC One X (and variants) is out in May, and the Samsung GS3 is announced in early May, presumably for June. If you can wait for those, you'll get a better screen and faster processor and LTE.
The Galaxy Nexus is definitely a solid device, but I agree with mkozlows; at this point I'd wait and see what the Samsung S3 looks like.
The Galaxy Nexus is an awesome phone, and the performance of a clean Ice Cream Sandwich build without carrier and manufacturer 'enhancements' shouldn't be underestimated.
I just got one in straight from Google, which is a great deal for $400 /no contract.
If you've stuck w/ a G1 this long, I don't suspect you'll see much performance benefit with the new HTC phones over the GN. Highly recommended.
Razr Maxx charged last night, I've played four levels of PvZ, read a book for 30 minutes, made a couple of calls. Battery is at 70%. It's game-changing.
I'm happy with T-Mobile, so game-changing battery life isn't an option for me. As long as it gets through a whole day, I'm okay with it.
Alright, guys. Thanks for your recommendations-- I'll probably end up holding off another month or so to see if anything announced between now and then catches my eye, and if nothing beats the allure of the pure Android experience plus unlocked plus freedom to tinker, I'll spring for the Galaxy Nexus then.
FYI, the HTC One X is already announced, and maybe even out on some carriers. Take a look at its reviews. To me the big win isn't just the CPU performance (Cortex A15 vs. A9), but the integrated LTE (which in theory shouldn't suck down the battery so much) and the non-Pentile 720p display.
Well AT&T has the One X, the Sprint version is the Evo 4G LTE coming in May and they have the Qualcomm S4 (not technically A15), but it's certainly extremely fast.
I think Tmobile is getting the One S with the smaller pentile oled display? Not positive on that.
You probably don't need to hold off for a month. The Samsung S3 is expected to be announced in a week, and (IMO, of course) that is pretty much the only Android phone on the horizon I'd consider holding off buying a new phone for right now.
The recently rumored Sony Ericson summer device will be rocking an S4 processor (still dual core, but leagues ahead of the Gnex's TI processor) and possibly a next-gen Adreno 320 GPU, along with a disgustingly high-rez camera and a sizeable battery (recent rumors peg it at 2200mAh).
Of course, when/if it will hit is anyone's guess :)
I'm just about fed up with being out of space on my myTouch Slide 3G, and have narrowed the field down to 2 $50 contenders via Amazon Wireless. I need some help deciding though. I mostly read ebooks, browse forums and web, play a (literal) handful of games and use maps quite a bit. Picture quality is *fairly* important, as it's often the only camera I have on me.
Samsung Galaxy II Skyrocket - 1.5ghz dual core, 8MP camera, but Android 2.3 on AT&T which is "supposedly" getting ICS ... but most likely with TouchWiz on top of it.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus - 1.2 GHz dual core, 5MP camera (apparently not hot), but it has ICS now. However, it has no ICS 4.04 and Verizon is apparently historically late with its updates. It is of course bare ICS since it's the google phone.
Coverage is equal on both, i.e. nobody has anything great nor anything terrible to say about it in Portland.
(I doubt any of the devices listed above will be available at the $50 level :)
The version of ICS that the GS2 will get is one that will be visually almost identical to the version that's already on there (which is sensible, as people who own the phone would mostly be freaked out by radical UI change via OTA update). So if you like the aesthetics and usability of ICS, that's a point in favor of the Nexus.
A bigger point, though, which you don't touch on, is the screen. The GS2 has a low-res 800x480 screen; the Nexus has 1280x720 (albeit PenTile). I don't know about the cameras, but otherwise, the Nexus is the one you'd want.
Holy cats, you're right about the resolution! Well then, that's that. Thanks!
My wife has the GS2, I have a GN - there is just no comparing those two screens - GN is higher resolution and larger. The GS2 is a great phone too, but I seriously can't imagine going back to one with an effectively smaller screen than the GN at this point.
The extra rez especially comes in handy for your e-reading! Come on May 3, get here faster and determine what phone I buy. . .
Well, pending the big Samsung announcement...
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/h...or-att-review/
Quite impressive.
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