Returning mine. - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-T989

I got my SGx2 yesterday but I am sending it back. Here are a few things that I found that some may find helpful;
1) Screen resolution is simply too low for this large of a display. Many apps were grainy due to stretching, web pages were difficult to read and did not zoom correctly. Buttons and UI elements were comically large. I think the engineer had a sight problem.
2) Tethering did not work - Mind that I do not have the tethering option on my plan, and yes I know there are work arounds however coming from a nexus s I am spoiled. It simply forces your browser to a t mobile page to upgrade your account.
3) I heard several people say don't knock Touchwiz 4 until you try it, well I tried it and didn't like it. Very fisher price feeling, too cartoony for my tastes. I had to install launcher pro as soon as i could.
4) There was so much bloatware on this device. There were at least 15 apps that I would never use.
Good Stuff
1) Even though the screen resolution is crap, it still is a pretty screen, very bright and vibrant.
2) Data is fast, very very fast. This will be what I miss most going back to my nexus s. I was getting 13MB down in Milwaukee.
3) Fast, can't knock the performance. The first non-stock android experience i have had that didn't have any lag. I would love to see a stock android build run on this thing.
I hope this helps answer any questions for potential buyers. Feel free to ask anything I may have missed.

I've got a nexus s and I have been debating getting the sgs2. I love my nexus and personally like Samsung phones...only thing holding me back is waiting to see if the prime makes it to T-Mobile sometime. I don't wanna be waiting for ICS and I know the nexus s will get it. I'm also debating the amaze, but as I said, I like Samsung better then htc
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

OP what device did you come from and are you going to the IP4S?

i was going to buy this phone on launch date, but i think i will also wait this one out, and see whats coming out in the next few months. nexus one still does what i need it to do.

I use a Nexus S. I do have an IP4S on order, but my Nexus will still remain my primary device. I am the sysadmin for alot of organizations that use the google apps eco system. For that Android will always be my primary.

What did you expect going from pure android to masked android . I'm waiting on this phone for the annoucement next week and to see if Cyanogen supports it. I'm assuming they will because they supported the Vibrant and it sucked.

wondercoolguy said:
What did you expect going from pure android to masked android . I'm waiting on this phone for the annoucement next week and to see if Cyanogen supports it. I'm assuming they will because they supported the Vibrant and it sucked.
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This is precisely why I have been with my nexus this long, and my original droid before that. Unfortunately I was convinced by all of the professional reviewers that this unit was somehow different. It's no harm no foul, im only out the $12 for the overnight shipping

tru.dat I'm currently using Nexus One and have been since the day it came out. It's just time and Hercules w/ Cyanogen or the Galaxy Nexus is the perfect device to give it up. If I do get a hercules then I'm gonna throw launcher pro ASAP I hate touchwiz and I've seen 4.0 on Epic touch just lame

Just walked into the store and played with the gs2. I can't justify spending 600 on it when my nexus works just as well, nothing that special
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

If you have a pure google phone stay away from it. Not a real reason to upgrade. T-mobile wants you to pay for tethering mytouch 4g tethering didn't work outside the box either. Touchwiz makes everything look big use a different launcher like adw ex , go launcher, or launcher pro. to adjust rows and columns. Once root comes change the density of the phone to make everything look better also uninstall the battery draining bloatware. The nexus prime will be nice with its 720p display but for one doesn't have a sd card. Apps will be even more incompatible with the screen look at certain games on the sensation. Ice cream sandwich source will drop meaning it will reach all rooted phones within a month or two. The only benefit you get is straight google updates. Unless you want touchwiz with icecream you'll be running cm 8 or miui.

Like mentioned here, waiting to see how XDA devs support for it, CM7, and other love from developers.
I was lucky to at least have devices with XDA Support. Blind luck. I'm sure it will get it. It better lol

Posting from this phone and i can say this phone is blazing fast!!!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

I think a handful of people doing an upgrade or buying retail will be let down. If your coming from a sensation or a Nexus S than I could see why. This is not a god phone and although it comes with some goodies. Some might think it's not that big of a step up. Personally the screen alone makes the other phones pale in comparison.
People getting new contracts will most likely be happy with this phone. I don't see any other on tmobile at the moment that I would sign a two year contract on.
The people that did get the phone and return it. Did you notice any GPS issues with yours?

Killbynature said:
but for one doesn't have a sd card. .
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How do you know that for sure....

Jjday7 said:
The people that did get the phone and return it. Did you notice any GPS issues with yours?
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Click to collapse
I didn't use it long enough to test GPS sorry. I did turn it on and fire up maps, mine seemed to lock on quickly, I was stationary though.

well at least i know i finally can dump the nexus S for Hercules, for the extra space speed and SD card slot
i felt like i was jailed for a year on the nexus S
couldn't do much with the limited space

wondercoolguy said:
How do you know that for sure....
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Well for one all the reports say it doesn't. Also google would probably want to keep it from having a sd card slot. Less vulnerable to exploits. Internal memory is also faster than sdcard slot.

Killbynature said:
Well for one all the reports say it doesn't. Also google would probably want to keep it from having a sd card slot. Less vulnerable to exploits. Internal memory is also faster than sdcard slot.
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That basically kills it for me....wow now I don't have to wait

wondercoolguy said:
That basically kills it for me....wow now I don't have to wait
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Click to collapse
You should still wait for the prime if it has 64 internal gig memory. Then it will be a buy over this if its just 16 gigs no sd card slot like the nexus s. 16 gig space isn't enough with all the clockwork backups titanium backups. and miui back ups. You'll run out of space fast. I personally cant get a phone without a sd card slot because i watch a lot of movies and listen to a lot of music on my phone.

I got the Hercules this morning, was the 2nd one to get it at my local T-Mobile store. This phone is BEAST. Lightning quick and beautiful display. GPS locks quick.
Also purchased the Body Glove case, very nice case--has an Otterbox feel to it.
I paid full price ($529), didn't want 2 year contract because I dont want to be stuck with AT&T if the merger goes through. Felt it was worth paying extra to have freedom and AT&T would probably offer me a sweet deal to stay (i.e. Nexus Prime).
If you are coming from a Vibrant like I am, you will be very happy with the Hercules

Related

Can you guys still recommend this device?

I had this question recently for the sgs2 forum and was set when I find out att doesnt have them no more, and almost leaned towards the note or sgs2 skyrocket today when I had the most aggravating time with att csr where my upgrade date was changed for no apparent reason so I'm done with att and contracts but thats nor here nor there. Yes I tried to find these devices on craigslist but nothing went through and I rather save myself the aggravation with used devices from people that did who knows what to them.
So my main reason for even thinking of the sgs2 was for the dev support. And I know this device has some great dev support but the reputation for this device isnt the greatest like the screen and camera I believe. So with that being said is it worth the $400 for a new one?
Absolutely it's worth $400. If you want to put it in perspective a bit, yeah it's not as good as the GS3, BUT, it's about 90% as good for 50% of the price. As far as bang for your buck goes, it doesn't get any better without signing two years away.
Yup.
$400 for the GSM model is a really good price IMO.
I guess ordering one this weekend would be useless due to the holiday?
Also, what kind of benchmarks are you guys getting with the custom roms?
And I hardly hear any talk about the led notifications? Do any roms take advantage of them, I mean do they work well with different types of alerts like say just one color for google voice texts?
I think is worth I got a htc one s(had a sprint galaxy nexus loved the phone hated the network) so I got tmobile and I'm gonna sell my sprint gnex and get me a galaxy nexus unlocked the one s camera is really good and sense has improved but man this phone feels faster and with tmobile speeds I'm hooked
SysAdmNj said:
I guess ordering one this weekend would be useless due to the holiday?
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Click to collapse
Well might as well order so it ships out ASAP on Tuesday.
Also, what kind of benchmarks are you guys getting with the custom roms?
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Click to collapse
Benchmarks are pointless.
And I hardly hear any talk about the led notifications? Do any roms take advantage of them, I mean do they work well with different types of alerts like say just one color for google voice texts?
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The stock ROM offers limited LED control app-by-app. Some ROMs have LED control with more granularity. Most people are using Light Flow to control their LED. It works extremely well. You can configure everything.
I wouldn't pay 10 pounds for this phone!!! Google doesn't care about this nexus!!!
Sorry I forgot , this is no phone because u can't make a call after 20 attempts or receive a call )
So its more like a mini tablet )
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Mine is working quite nicely. I'd highly recommend it over others at $600-$700 for sure.
I will never buy a carrier device again after owning a Nexus device. I will get updates beyond what any carrier will offer so my $400 device is worth more than any $2-300 subsidized device.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
As others have said for $400 its a wonderful deal. I got mine 3 months ago for $450. That being said the screen on devices like the OneX look nicer.
For that price, you cant really argue. I love the stock android experience and getting updates direct from Google. There's a really active development community for this phone (and the other nexus devices for that matter) and i've been able to check out a lot of custom roms and kernels.
Go for it
It's obviously still a relevant device if the OP is still thinking about this device compared to what's out there.
It's a great device at a great price. Not much to really say.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
martonikaj said:
Benchmarks are pointless.
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With all due respect benchmarks are not pointless or else people wouldnt use them at all. Its not a black or white issue. Its a bit more complex than that. When used properly they can serve to paint a generalized picture of performance for any given device. Admittedly they can also be manipulated to post huge numbers that do not reflect real world performance. They can also be used as a tool to diagnose or confirm a performance issue. Now in no way am I suggesting that these benchmarks are the be all end all but they surely are not pointless.
A while back I posted in a thread regarding this topic and asked the participants to explain to me a way that would ensure accurate results when testing our devices. No one responded, probably because nobody cares. It seems there two kinds of people here with regards to benchmarks. Those who use them and those who do not. And I have yet to see any rational discussion on this topic. not that im looking for it.
Anyways My Gnex scored a 6801 on AnTuTu
GNEX- Running AKOP 4.04 with Francos Kernel overclocked to 1344MHz
What's not to like? I have had this phone for a few months now, rooted it the first day and am running all kinds of ROMS and Kernels. I guess if you are running stock and wait for Google or carrier updates you may get a bit frustrated but I have had a great experience with it.
The camera controversy is silly. 5MP vs 8mp on a "flat lens" with a cell phone processor to me is not detectable (IMHO). I carry a DSLR to get my high quality pictures not the phone.
My only complaint has always been battery life. Coming from a Thunderbolt with a very large extended battery and a smaller screen, I routinely run out battery. But this phone has a large beautiful screen and that screen eats power. So I bought this
http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-IMP1000-Thunderbolt-Blackberry/dp/B003ZBZ64Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338036621&sr=8-1
and my problems are solved. But performance wise, looks wise, and reliability wise, this phone is awesome. Just run the latest rom (AOKP), kernel(franco), radio (FC04/05) and you'll be fine.
First android device ive owned that ive not felt the need to root or flash a custom rom on.
Very fast and smooth phone.
Stock ICS looks so much nicer than any of the skins out there.
Ive ordered my wife an SGS 3 and im not even a little bit jealous. The novelties that it adds like pop up play i already have on my phone from a free app on the play store.
The hold your phone to your ear from a message to call can be added though smart gestures.
Tried S voice on my phone and i honestly think that speaktoit assistant is better so i deleted the S voice. ( before it was patched )
2 of my friends have One X and i hate the new sense. The only thing i like from the newer phones is the burst mode which again can be added through an app.
The Galaxy Nexus will recieve much better support than other phones obviously in case you care about that.
Great phone and i plan on keep it for quite a while.
Edit: Oh yeah and use light flow for the notification light. I have blue for sms... Green for Gmail... Red for missed call... Yellow for Gtalk etc etc. Again another free app
How about the onscreen buttons , is that hard to get used to?
I upgraded from an og EVO4g and after this I will never use anything but a Nexus phone ever again. LightFlow unlocks all of the LED notification colors, and the 5mp camera on this phone blows the 8mp camera of my Evo out of the water.
SysAdmNj said:
How about the onscreen buttons , is that hard to get used to?
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For a few hours maybe but once you get used to is hard to go back to capacity buttons
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Not hard to get used to, but then I've had a Honeycomb tablet for about a year.
This phone is undeniably worth the $400. I'm getting the GS3 for my husband, and I'm not even jealous.
other than the dodgy radio's it's the best phone ive had soo far. runs ics as it's suppose to be.

iPhone 4 owner thinking of getting the GN.

Hey there. I currently use the iPhone 4 on Verizon. I tried android before and had a Samsung Fascinate for about 10 months before switching to iPhone. The main reasons I switched were speed, efficiency, and a streamlined appearance. I needed a phone that just worked. The fascinate was beautiful, but it was laggy, stuck on 2.1 for FAR too long, and riddled with bloatware (BING, UGH!). I've been looking at the Droid Incredible and Droid 4, but they both seem lackluster. I DON'T want the Galaxy S3, I'm done with Touchwiz and rooting to get rid of it. The Nexus is a bit older now, but only $50 on a contract extension.
So, Nexus owners, do you love your phone? Would you buy it again? And is it worth it to upgrade to one now? I'm a little android-curious and I want to be assured that this phone is a winner!
Also, I'm used to wonderful battery life on my iPhone 4 (light use about 1.5 days). Can the GN compare?
hoclem24 said:
Hey there. I currently use the iPhone 4 on Verizon. I tried android before and had a Samsung Fascinate for about 10 months before switching to iPhone. The main reasons I switched were speed, efficiency, and a streamlined appearance. I needed a phone that just worked. The fascinate was beautiful, but it was laggy, stuck on 2.1 for FAR too long, and riddled with bloatware (BING, UGH!). I've been looking at the Droid Incredible and Droid 4, but they both seem lackluster. I DON'T want the Galaxy S3, I'm done with Touchwiz and rooting to get rid of it. The Nexus is a bit older now, but only $50 on a contract extension.
So, Nexus owners, do you love your phone? Would you buy it again? And is it worth it to upgrade to one now? I'm a little android-curious and I want to be assured that this phone is a winner!
Also, I'm used to wonderful battery life on my iPhone 4 (light use about 1.5 days). Can the GN compare?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love nexus to d core ... goin with 27h battery life with 3.24h of screen on
sent from jElly Belly NeXus PrimE
Can definitely get a good day or two with light use out of the Nexus, everyone's idea of light use differs though.
I've previously owned an iPhone 4. Got to say, with Jellybean you get the same snappy OS feel minus the restrictions.
The camera isn't as good indoors, but much faster and outdoors pic quality is about the same.
If you want an Android device, then it is the one to have IMO.
hoclem24 said:
Hey there. I currently use the iPhone 4 on Verizon. I tried android before and had a Samsung Fascinate for about 10 months before switching to iPhone. The main reasons I switched were speed, efficiency, and a streamlined appearance. I needed a phone that just worked. The fascinate was beautiful, but it was laggy, stuck on 2.1 for FAR too long, and riddled with bloatware (BING, UGH!). I've been looking at the Droid Incredible and Droid 4, but they both seem lackluster. I DON'T want the Galaxy S3, I'm done with Touchwiz and rooting to get rid of it. The Nexus is a bit older now, but only $50 on a contract extension.
So, Nexus owners, do you love your phone? Would you buy it again? And is it worth it to upgrade to one now? I'm a little android-curious and I want to be assured that this phone is a winner!
Also, I'm used to wonderful battery life on my iPhone 4 (light use about 1.5 days). Can the GN compare?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus is without question the best android experience you can get currently. The only problem I had with Ice Cream Sandwich was the lag when using live wallpapers but Jellybean fixed that problem. Honestly smoothness of the Nexus with Jellybean is on par or slightly worse than the iPhone. If I was to get a phone right now I would definitely pick up the Nexus especially at 50 dollars, that said however I would personally wait a few months for the new Nexus phone/s to be announced.
Do it. You got plenty of time before the next Nexus will be unveiled. Absolutely marvelous device. I get a days worth out of the phone with maybe a short charge in the middle of the day. /rant begins: Plus why would anyone want over a days worth of charging?!?!?! Don't you have a charger right next to your bed or charge it at night when you're not awake?!?!?! Really I don't understand.../rant over...kinda..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
nexicon said:
Do it. You got plenty of time before the next Nexus will be unveiled. Absolutely marvelous device. I get a days worth out of the phone with maybe a short charge in the middle of the day. /rant begins: Plus why would anyone want over a days worth of charging?!?!?! Don't you have a charger right next to your bed or charge it at night when you're not awake?!?!?! Really I don't understand.../rant over...kinda..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
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I love the Galaxy Nexus. The biggest downside is the radio--it blows. It is close to seven months since release and none of the software radios have improved the signal quality significantly.
I was at a backyard BBQ this weekend and I couldn't get enough signal to access the internet with the phone. Right next to me was someone with the Bionic and another with the Thunderbolt, both on Verizon. They were both able to get enough bars (one) to access the internet. Here I am running JB and a nice custom kernel but unable to do anything meaningful with the phone in that backyard. GN fails all the time to grab signal where it should. I spent a lot of time inside of restaurants inside bars, clubs, people's houses without signal. What's the point of having the phone?
As for battery life, you have to change the mindset coming from iPhone with a sealed case. Batteries cost $4 each from China. I keep a few in my pocket when I go out. I typically do one or two battery swaps when I go out for the evening.
I'm wedded to this phone for now. I were in the market for a new phone, I would get the nicest Android phone with a replaceable battery that can be unlocked with a strong developer community. Whether the SIII or One X fits that bill, I don't know.
4 days on nexus and without JB it lags coming from S2 i9100.
on JB it rocks, really loving it.
only 2 issues....
no native T9 dialer, using ex dialer donate and plugins to fix the issue and looks
volume of the external speakers sucks, listening youtube videos is hell. (no solutions yet)
i like stock only so custom roms are out of question
For the price its a great device. I enjoyed it a lot. I upgraded to the GS3. The GS3 has all kinds of hardware upgrades over my GN but it also cost more. The camera upgrade is big. 2GB RAM is nice too. But for the price the Galaxy Nexus has some nice things going for it.
atifsh said:
4 days on nexus and without JB it lags coming from S2 i9100.
on JB it rocks, really loving it.
only 2 issues....
no native T9 dialer, using ex dialer donate and plugins to fix the issue and looks
volume of the external speakers sucks, listening youtube videos is hell. (no solutions yet)
i like stock only so custom roms are out of question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Solution- download volume + (sound boost) from play market.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Well as someone who had the iPhone 4s and then moved to the Galaxy Nexus I can say without a doubt that the gnex is the best phone I've ever owned. This phone is a tinkerers dream.
I easily can get a days use with juicy defender (7am-11pm 35%). I will say that the iPhone 4 has better battery than the gnex or the 4s for that matter but then you're buying outdated hardware that will get a watered down version of iOS6 when it gets released while with the gnex you get the latest unrestricted OS.
If you're only experience with Android is the Fascinate, you'll love the GNex or S3. If possible, get the GSM Nexus.
You mentioned you didn't like rooting and such on your original Fascinate...honestly if you aren't about taking advantage of the massive development available on the GN, there isn't anything to recommend it over a GS3. Touchwiz is better these days (I'd still toss it for straight google experience, though). But all indications are that samsung is taking care of it's baby now, and trying not to be the bad mother of the GS1 days.
I have a 4s and its back in its box for now... the nexus with jelly bean feels like a brand new phone no joke. I loooove it!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Man, I recently ditched my atrix 4G about a month ago for the gnexus and I'm so glad I did. I had bought my gf the 4s for her birthday, and I'm not gonna lie- after playing around with her phone then going back to my buggy/laggy atrix, I started considering switching to the iPhone for stability. Most android phones at the time were the 'new phone of the month' crap, and although I love the functionality of android, I ultimately wanted a stable phone that would be updated to the newest OS whenever there was a release.
Before throwing in the towel, I gave the galaxy nexus a shot. This thing rocks. No lag, great dev community, first to be upgraded when there is a new os upgrade, great camera and screen size/resolution.. etc etc. This phone will not let you down, trust me man. Coming from a guy who also would turn down the Galaxy s3 for the same reason, I advise you to go android. Go android, and go whatever Google's flagship phone is. If possible, I'd hold out until Google releases their new Nexus device(s?) so you can have the latest and greatest.
I'm here to answer any questions you've got.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I agree the GNex is the best android phone, and it is best for customization, especially when coming from iPhones.
However you also mentioned you want something that just works. Unfortunately nothing beats the iphone in this category. GNex is a high maintenance phone. From day to day task (getting find my phone to work, typing in different languages), to managing an os update. I am still struggling with issues after jellybean upgrade.
Also, Google now sucks compare to siri. It doesn't extract info from contact, ie. does not know who I am or who is my wife, her phone number. Finally I really missed imessage. Most of my friends are on ios, almost no one use Google+.
In my opinion, stay with your iPhone if you want it to just work. But get a GNex if you are bored of ios and want to tinker your phone.
evil_penguin said:
Solution- download volume + (sound boost) from play market.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
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Doesn't work on jb buddy
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
atifsh said:
Doesn't work on jb buddy
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
I know ..developer is working hard to make it work with jellybean:thumbup:
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Definitely get the nexus. I got mine three days ago and love it. I also bought the wife an iPhone Friday. Side by side the nexus wins hands down...without even turning them on lmao.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
The nexus is a great phone, 4.1 is very very smooth, however I'm going to go against the grain here, because of your comment "It just needs to work". The nexus is on the bleeding edge of android and sometimes problems DO crop up and can take a while to fix and in rare cases be pretty crippling (Nexus S search bug on the i9020a for example). If you can live with little quirks or willing to get your hands dirty and try to fix them yourself, then by all means get this phone, if you want something 100% trouble free, you might be better to stay with the iPhone.
The nexus however does provide you with a bloat free experience, and if you like to tinker, then it's the best choice available. I'm never sure if the verizon variant is properly supported in AOSP, if you have the option, get a GSM version (yes this means going with someone other the version) and get the phone from the play store to make sure you don't have a samsung regional variant (yakju/takju)
Best of luck on your decision.
I spent quite a while playing with my friends iPhones and when I walked into Verizon I was pretty much set on getting one because they do just work. They dont bug up, they dont lag, they just do as you ask. But I also realized how no matter whos phone I was using I felt like I was using just anyones phone. They all kind of felt the same even though people had different wallpapers and what not. I just did not get the feeling everyone had their own unique device and I like having the ability to stand out. When I went into Verizon, they never even brought the I phone out. They put the Droid 4 (which I also asked for) the GNX and the LG Enligten. As soon as they took the Nexus out of the box I was impressed. It was the right size, the screen was fantastic (I thought I wouldnt mind the screen size difference from iPhone to Nexus but I do and I cant stand to use the small iPhone screen now) I got double my data, double the memory, faster cpu. Everyone in the store said they wished it was out when they were considering their next phone so I jumped on it. At first I was a bit annoyed with ICS and its laggyness. Do yourself a huge favor, get JB and load a good kernel and from an interface perspective it dusts the iPhone for me. The only thing I wish worked better is the reception. And that is a huge core feature. I just cant tell if its a radio software issue or a antenna issue. It seems some people have fixed their phones with flashing new radios but it may just be a patch on an underlying problem. Even with that I still have no regets passing on the iPhone.

I don't get why people think of selling there SIII for the nexus 4

I don't understand why people will sell there galaxy S III for the nexus 4. Galaxy S III comes with a with micro sd slot, bigger display, better front facing camera, and LTE.
I understand that the LG nexus is a nexus phone and always get update faster, wireless charging, and quad core. But I don't think it still outweighs the SIII. I think the SIII is still superior.
For those people that don't have either phone yes it be more difficult to choose mainly because the Nexus 4 Price is amazing for what it offers. but for those people with SIII how is this even debatable.
Is there something im missing?
much better processor. hspa+ 42meg compatible. no bloatware. possibly a better screen. wireless charging. I think you pretty much answered your own question. lol. not having lte isnt a huge deal breaker for me since I am near wifi almost always. Tradeoff is the 4 will probably have outstanding battery life. 16 gig is enough storage for me.
The fact that the nexus 4 doesn't have lte is a deal breaker for me. I didn't think lte was a huge thing until it finally came to me are, and now there is no way I would ever consider a phone without it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
iceman4357 said:
much better processor. hspa+ 42meg compatible. no bloatware. possibly a better screen. wireless charging. I think you pretty much answered your own question. lol. not having lte isnt a huge deal breaker for me since I am near wifi almost always. Tradeoff is the 4 will probably have outstanding battery life. 16 gig is enough storage for me.
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CPU is a quad core which is nice I agree but most the stuff on android don't utilize it, so its pretty pointless until later. No bloatware, we can already use custom roms or titanium to get rid of it. Not sure what to say about the screen I never seen it personally not going to judge it either. Wireless charging is cool I guess, but I doubt it charges faster then a direct connection. We can toggle off LTE and get pretty amazing battery life with the SIII both devices are both the same size battery. I agree16 gb is enough for me, but I like the fact that the SIII allows us to add more storage if we ever choose to. Maybe its because its new and its over hyped, i must admit at first I was like I want it. But I really thought about it and I realize its not worth it.
yamahakid said:
The fact that the nexus 4 doesn't have lte is a deal breaker for me. I didn't think lte was a huge thing until it finally came to me are, and now there is no way I would ever consider a phone without it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Thats how I feel.
LTE is great. Those that say its "not ready for prime time yet" must not have it in their area or haven't tried it yet. I'd love to get the N4 but 21mbps HSPA on ATT in San Diego nets me all of 1mbps down and that's a no go. If its 42 mbps then maybe.
sent from my Dark PA Nexus
yamahakid said:
The fact that the nexus 4 doesn't have lte is a deal breaker for me. I didn't think lte was a huge thing until it finally came to me are, and now there is no way I would ever consider a phone without it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
+1 no Lte no way,16gb no where near enough space for me, shoot my 32gb sd card is almost full, no bloat not even an issue can be easily removed with titanium backup, my s3 dual core/2gb ram loads everything just fine, in my opinion I have yet to see another android manufactures phone screen that looks better than the s3, I have a nexus 7 and screen looks washed out compared to my s3, only other phone worth considering selling s3 for right now is the note 2 if you can deal with the size.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
The nexus 4 is nice and all, but it doesn't really do anything the s3 can't . And with the dev support we have here, we really don't need to wait for updates.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
If I wasn't getting the note 2 tomorrow, I'd be on the nexus 4, such a good price
Sent from my JellyBean Galaxys3
The fact that it is an lg phone should be plenty enough to keep me and it gets away. No thx
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
3 main reasons I wont switch to a Nexus 4
1- I need 32g minimum
2- Its made by LG
3- Glass on the the back ? WTF ! I hate scratches.
Well it's a quad core.
Nexus line means direct support. First to get updates. Maybe I don't have to flash roms to get better battery life. Stock Android look.
Beautiful design. Cheap price. Don't use lte that much.
Better screen than s3
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
expertzero1 said:
Well it's a quad core.
Nexus line means direct support. First to get updates. Maybe I don't have to flash roms to get better battery life. Stock Android look.
Beautiful design. Cheap price. Don't use lte that much.
Better screen than s3
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Lol. First to get updates always makes me laugh. Hours after source is released which is when the nexus line gets their updates I have ROMs released for whatever device I own. So I guess in a way I'm first to get updates too.
1.) Its made by LG. That says enough I would think. I can most here all the complaints a month or two after releases about this not working, this is broken, etc..
2.) Better screen? Not sure how you can state this unless youve personally held the phone in your hand. Spec sheets arent always as they seem . Just remember which company is known for producing the best screens out there.
3.) It really all boils down to personal preference either way. But I'm sure we've all learned that newer isn't always better.
The only reason I'm considering it is because of the price. I would love the freedom of being eligible for an upgrade because att will bend over backwards to keep you. Before I upgraded to the gs3 I was considering moving to Verizon and att pretty much gave me $50 off my bill for the next 6 months and sold me the gs3 for $99.
But without a micro SD card I don't see no need to switch
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
thirsty1258 said:
The fact that it is an lg phone should be plenty enough to keep me and it gets away. No thx
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
This...
I'm sure it is a great device, I don't think Google would sully the nexus name with a bad piece of hardware, but the reputation that lg has is not the best in the game.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
I'd have to agree with the few that have noted LG - enough said. They have never been the brand I look to for phone tech - Samsung, HTC and Motorola are the only ones to consider.. The few LGs I've used/played with have been less than impressive.
Addition: Google has stated that they are releasing multiple Nexus devices, so if I were to give up my S3, I'd wait for the next Motorola or Samsung device.
I find it silly that people would sell their GS3 for this Nexus 4. No extra storage, no removable battery, no lte, no thanks.
It's great for anyone that doesn't live under LTE coverage and can't get out of their contract/don't want to upgrade and sign another contract.
I also find it funny that these same people who are praising the Nexus 4 are the same ones that knock the iphone (remember when the 4s came out?) Heavy on the fact that it doesn't have a removable battery, no expandable storage and no LTE. All of a sudden it's cool now? Get out of here...
Lg has crappy software support but with this being a nexus that's no longer an issue. Samsung is taking forever just to release 4.1.1 do y'all realistically see Samsung pushing out 4.2 this year? Even then we would wait for att also. There's not doubt that the phone will get this update eventually with cyanogen.
+1 on no chance of getting it because it doesn't have micro sd or removable battery. I could probably handle the battery, but not the lack of micro sd.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
I would be willing to go out on a limb and give LG a try for a Nexus device but...no removable SD is a complete deal breaker for me. Cloud storage is not a good substitute for local storage yet. And 8GB or 16GB just isn't cutting it anymore. I hope the SGS4 has a 32 & 64 GB version with removable storage. I love my 50GB dropbox (thank you Samsung) but it just isn't the same as direct attached storage.
task650 said:
2.) Better screen? Not sure how you can state this unless youve personally held the phone in your hand. Spec sheets arent always as they seem . Just remember which company is known for producing the best screens out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technologically, it is pretty much undeniable that the screen is better. It can't produce as much vibrancy, but it is so much better on color preciseness. I don't notice it that much on my S3, but when I stick it next to a relative's One X it's pretty obvious that the whites aren't white and some other colors are slightly off as well. In day to day use, I don't care. But, seriously... dat screen...

Get Samsung galaxy nexus for wife or not?

My wife got her first smartphone about 8 months ago. got the samsung stratosphere. had it for about 2 months until I got the samsung galaxy S3 at which point she wanted my rooted thunderbolt. The thunderbolt has gotten very laggy no matter which Rom I throw on there. CleanRom worked well for about a week and then it started its usual lack of performance. When I first got it, it was snappy, quick and smooth. Now it just isn't and i dont know why since I'm doing a clean factory wipe with CWM. She is getting tired of me tinkering around with it trying to get it to perform well. Wants a new phone and is thinking the incredible 4g, razr M or the samsung galaxy nexus.
wanted to see what people thought, who have the galaxy nexus. Would you recommend it again or would you rather go with a newer phone like the Dinc 4g or razr m?
No regrets here. You can never go wrong with Pure Google, and with third-party ROMs you always have the latest Android version before, well especially before the Dinc 4G or RAZR M.
I wouldn't say there's much difference between 5MP and 8MP, and the only reason I'd go for either of the other two phones is for SD storage, which even now I'm losing interest in, but it's nice to have that stuff somewhere separate from the phone.
Plus, I am pretty sure the GalNex is the cheapest, on or off contract..
As far as famous issues go, no inductive charging (come on even the Thunderbolt had that), Micro USB port tends to fail, but that's kind of an all-phone sort of thing IMO, and of course AMOLED screen burn-in. All are nominal issues considering they happen typically after at least a year of use.
My 2.
Good luck!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I had the g2 then the g2x and now the gnex. I personally think this is still one of the best phone around, hands down. Direct Google updates, unlocked (can use any gsm carrier prepaid or postpaid), great screen and decent pics. The developer support will be continuous until the hardware can no longer support the os. Money wise, its the cheapest high end smart phone you can get, period (and I don't think this phone is "cheap", its hardware is great and handles everything I throw at it).
*** edit ***
I noticed your on Verizon, slow updates through Verizon, but the development community will provide those... Plus you can get a 32gb as compared to the gsm 16gb.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I would just get her an iphone that way she can have something that works properly most of the time while you have your android device to play with. It works for me.:good:
woody296 said:
I would just get her an iphone that way she can have something that works properly most of the time while you have your android device to play with. It works for me.:good:
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Click to collapse
Isheep? haha kidding! I nexus would be good for her, it's easy to use, fast, and comes with some good jellybeans!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
For something that "just works" with minimal effort the iDerp is the way to go.
Android can be laggy when "external" SD Card memory size is full, e.g. if 16GB SD Card have only 1GB free memory. makes Android slower..
by doing full Wipe, data factory reset then it should be much faster..
Galaxy Nexus's battery life is not so good so it's better to use older Android phone if wants phone with good battery life...
I'll put it like this. i have had several phones of all brands and companies i just had the nexus 4 sold it. i have the s3.it sits on my desk. The note 2 is hooked to a TV in the guest room for streaming. all the phones I have and have i come back to the nexus. i chose to make it my main driver. i don't even swap sims anymore. Galaxy nexus just works. and we have great devs that make things work even better. and help out. do that on a iPhone. also as
Sd storage is a thing of the past. cloud storage is here.. and it's fast. Anyway nexus gsm with a year straight talk plan works fine for me.. well great actually.. even with Verizon i wouldn't get any other phone. especially since i seen in my area Verizon offering then free or 50 bucks on contract.. roll with it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
The op asked, i gave my answer. Ya give her an iphone and then nobody here will be tempted to screw with it and mess it up. All her friends will say "Oh it's an iphone, how nice!". Otherwise let her shop for an android phone and pick out what she wants, all the top phones are pretty solid. Obviously the s3 is the hot phone now, but for some it's a little large.
She has the Thunderbolt? Good god, man. You're just asking for all kinds of trouble there. You don't give a woman a Thunderbolt. Even men can't stand that phone.
For a woman, you need a trouble-free phone like the:
-Galaxy S3
-Galaxy Note 2 (women actually like it a lot and have more reason to use it because they carry a purse or bag)
-iPhone 5
-Nokia Lumia 920
Seriously. These are the only phones women actually enjoy using. The Nexus is great but its more for geeks than ladies.
Get her a white Gnex, turn it into a takju with a clean flash of the 4.2.1 factory image and you're good to go. Hassle free stock software from then on...
neovdr said:
Get her a white Gnex, turn it into a takju with a clean flash of the 4.2.1 factory image and you're good to go. Hassle free stock software from then on...
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Click to collapse
She's going to complain about the battery life. He should NOT get the Nexus for a woman. I'm being serious here. The other phones I suggested are much better for a woman. You guys keep assuming that women will like what you like. They don't. They're very different. You don't give a woman a phone with any big flaws, and the big flaw with the Galaxy Nexus is battery life.
I say get her the Galaxy Note2 my wife saw it the other day and was like damn I should've waited and got that instead of the iPhone(she got her iPhone a week before note 2 came out)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Ep3n3wp said:
I say get her the Galaxy Note2 my wife saw it the other day and was like damn I should've waited and got that instead of the iPhone(she got her iPhone a week before note 2 came out)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Women love the Galaxy Note 2 more than men do, seemingly. It's like the size of a paperback book or personal organizer that women carry around in their purse. If they can do everything on a device like that, they're happy, and the battery life on it is amazing.
Hell, I'm probably going to get the Galaxy Note 3 next year if Google screws up again and makes yet another glass-backed Nexus phone.
thank you all for the replies. I was not expecting for there to be so many just night.
The other thing I needed to mention is that she does NOT want to spend much. I would love her to have the S3 like I do but she wont spend the money to get it. This is why she was looking into the incredible 4g or moto razr m. both are $49 currently.
If money eliminates the note2, go with the nexus. I got it cheap and got the Samsung extended battery. I have no problem getting almost a full day with moderate usage. If I am at work, it goes in airplane mode between breaks. After work I still have almost a full charge. And the phone charges FAST! I have no complaints. With 2 GS2's and a GS3 in the family, my gnex still has the best performance and least issues of all.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
On the subject of battery life I'm going to add that my stock battery gsm gnex gets better battery life than any android phone I've previously owned or handled.
But based on the reports of battery life with lte I would possibly agree with cadude the Verizon nexus might not be the best choice. I don't know though, maybe it's no different than any other lte equipped phone. I've always used gsm.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I bought GNex for my girlfriend and she loves it. Stock Android is rock stable and super fast. She won't change it for any other phone. Until I get her Nexus 4, maybe?
If you hated the battery life on the Bolt you will hate the VZW Galaxy Nexus more. I went from one to the other last year and u was surprised, I though the bolt had the worst battery of them all.
Otherwise here's my .02 -
If you want to extend/new contract - you cannot go wrong with an S3. Great battery life, expandable memory and Touchwiz 's no tinkering to get great features aspect are great selling points to people who don't want to tinker with the phone.. My wife is a perfect example Lol. Not to mention the camera is 2nd to none on android devices now.
If you don't want a contract I would get a used VZW Nexus. Deal with the battery for a great price.
If your wife wants a smaller device - get the RAZR M. Its quite an amazing little device. All the power/specs of the S3 in a handy little package. I've heard it has great battery too
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
1Android said:
thank you all for the replies. I was not expecting for there to be so many just night.
The other thing I needed to mention is that she does NOT want to spend much. I would love her to have the S3 like I do but she wont spend the money to get it. This is why she was looking into the incredible 4g or moto razr m. both are $49 currently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so you're on Verizon. Trust me, a Galaxy Nexus on Verizon is TERRIBLE. You simply do NOT want that phone. She will definitely complain about the battery because the LTE drains even more on a Verizon Gnex than a GSM Gnex.
Good news for you though! You can upgrade on your Verizon account with Amazon Wireless, and they'll give you another Samsung Galaxy S3 for $99.99 which isn't much more than 50 bucks and the same price as the Verizon Gnex from the Verizon store.
http://wireless.amazon.com/Samsung-...=INDIVIDUAL_NEW&sr=1-1-entd&qid=1355933336314

What made YOU choose S4?

What made you choose this device instead of others? Will you select your next smartphone based on the same criteria or do you care more about some other spec?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
I'm a Samsung fan boy, I've liked Samsung as long as I can remember and it was a shame I was never able to get a Samsung phone, I wanted the sgs1 but got the Evo instead, wanted to upgrade to the sgs2 but samsung wouldn't announce when it would come out and ended up getting a Motorola phone, and when the sgs3 came out I was broke... now come the SGS4 around, I bought it on launch day and it came to me the 30th I was really really happy... I'm going to get every reiteration of the phone as long as my pockets allow it...
Sent from my SGH-M919
I've been using iphones since it first released. Iphone2g, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, iphone 4 then iphone 4s.
Over the years, I've grown tired of apple locking their firmwares to limit user customization; and the only way around was to jailbreak- a major pain in the behind. So the first reason is ease of personal customization.
Second, the screen size and ppi.
Third, the option to expand memory and switch battery.
And lastly, the popularity of S3.
a few reasons actually :
1) expandable storage
2) removable battery
3) community/developer support
a) why I picked Snapdragon > Exynos
4) Generally positive experience from past Samsung purchases. I've owned a few HTC devices and felt really burned in the past by how poorly they support their products in the long-term, haven't heard many good things about LG (other than the Nexus 4). Although I like Apple's stuff, and own an iPod I like Android's openness and flexibility to switch between Stock and AOSP
Copypasta from another thread:
This was my very first smartphone purchase, so I had to weigh all the factors. In the end, I went with the S4 because....
-It has removable/expandable memory. I plan on using my phone for a LOT of media consumption, and depending on the cloud to store all my stuff won't do it for me since I'm going to use T-Mobile on a 5GB/month data plan. Spotty coverage and limited data means cutting down on cloud usage.
-Removable battery. I figure carrying a spare battery ensures I can go a whole day of heavily using all these awesome phone features and apps without worrying about getting tied back down to a wall outlet.
-Better hardware like the CPU, RAM, Camera (for the most part it seems), and sensors.
-More software features. I can't wait to try out stuff like dual-shot and air view!
-The S4 has Mobeam, which should ensure I can largely replace my wallet and a lot of physical membership cards and just use the IR on my phone to purchase items and get discounts.
-It has a bigger screen while still maintaining a fairly small profile and a high pixel density.
-I prefer AMOLED/OLED to LCD on my TV's. All the issues not withstanding, I love the contrast ratios, the rich colors, and the saturation. It makes watching movies a blast. So I'll naturally prefer the same on the phone.
-From all the video reviews and articles I read, I think I'll end up preferring TouchWiz to sense. Once I use the fixes people have posted here and elsewhere to clear up the lag, the phone should be snappy. It will probably feel really snappy to me anyway since I've never owned a smartphone before.
Overall, as someone who is just entering the big boy league of the mobile phone market, it seems I couldn't have arrived at a better time. The S4 seems like the device for me to start with. If it turns out to be all that and more, I could see myself getting an S5 or whatever is the big kahuna next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I actually just got my S4 today and I'm completely blown away. I've been busy downloading apps on my home wi-fi and playing with the device most of the day. I feel like a caveman who just discovered my first computer.
For me, its just has swag!
Sent from my GT-P5113 using xda premium
1) Expandable battery. After having an extended battery on my GS2, I can't fathom having a phone that I really have to hope can last all day.
2) Even with custom ROMs, hearing all the crap HTC owners had to deal was a major negative due to lack of support from HTC.
I really wish I could get those awesome speakers on the GS4 though.
thehelios said:
1) Expandable battery. After having an extended battery on my GS2, I can't fathom having a phone that I really have to hope can last all day.
2) Even with custom ROMs, hearing all the crap HTC owners had to deal was a major negative due to lack of support from HTC.
I really wish I could get those awesome speakers on the GS4 though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup same reasons and same regret also
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2
I've had HTC phones up until now and I've been pretty happy with them.
I've had to replace the battery in my EVO 3D, as well as my wife's Mytouch 4G. So, for me, a removable battery is a really important feature. Also, I wanted to have expandable storage and put large apps and pics on the SD card, so the S4 won easily over the HTC One.
The aluminum body of the One does nothing for me...I put a case on every phone I own anyway. But the One's speakers seem nice.
For my next smartphone, I think I'll still look for the same things.
I switch to the s4 because T Mobile gave it to me absolutely free no $20 a month fee completely free. I had to complain to retention quite a bit because I was having issues with my galaxy s2 and they caved in and said I'll go ahead and give you one for having so many issues with your phone and I don't want to lose your business.
works every time
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Spastic909 said:
I switch to the s4 because T Mobile gave it to me absolutely free no $20 a month fee completely free. I had to complain to retention quite a bit because I was having issues with my galaxy s2 and they caved in and said I'll go ahead and give you one for having so many issues with your phone and I don't want to lose your business.
works every time
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, teach me lol. I tried doing that when the S3 came out because I was having a lot of problems with my s2 but all i got was a credit lol
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4
got mine s4 just because i wanted to get a new phone, and i wanted to switch to unlimited data plan.. i was thinking first of getting xperia Z (about $525 cash) but there was some complaints about earpiece volume from users, so i decided to get a contract tmobile with S4
Basically the loudness of earpiece of Xperia Z made me choose the S4.. (i had an Xperia ION and earpiece on this phone was horrible, i could not hear anyone in loud places... )
Basically I got sick of HTC and sense.

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