Develop Bugs

Nexus.... expecting too much?

Maybe, I was expecting too much... with the galaxy nexus, coming from a Galaxy S2.
At times i feel that the S2 is much quicker and just as smooth..
Is it me or have other users noticed this as well?
Don't get me wrong it is fast and all, maybe for someone coming from a slower device..
But coming from the S2 which is still a great great phone, it doesn't seem faster but a times slower loading apps

habs101 said:
Maybe, I was expecting too much... with the galaxy nexus, coming from a Galaxy S2.
At times i feel that the S2 is much quicker and just as smooth..
Is it me or have other users noticed this as well?
Don't get me wrong it is fast and all, maybe for someone coming from a slower device..
But coming from the S2 which is still a great great phone, it doesn't seem faster but a times slower loading apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the galaxy nexus was never intended to be an upgrade from the Galaxy S2. It was supposed to be the upgrade for those that had a Nexus S.
The product upgrade cycle goes
Nexus S -> Galaxy Nexus-> next nexus
Galaxy S -> Galaxy S2 -> Galaxy S3

So habs I'm kinda stuck here and maybe you can tell me I can return my s2 and exchange it for the nexus. I want to know do you miss your s2 or are you happier with the nexus, and is the screen on the nexus worth the upgrade ?
Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk

I only played with one for about 10 minutes, but it felt about the same. I've used the GS2 for the past few months and love it, but the Nexus feels the same, just with improvements because of ICS and less running in the background (TouchWiz and Samsung apps...yuck).
All the apps I opened and played with acted just about the same.

I concur, the Gnex definitely feels like it has a laggy UI in comparison to the SGS2 and even the SGS1!
The twitter app shows this easily. Putting certain live wallpapers on also shows this.
I hope it's resolved via software soon because other than the SGS2 having a noticeable performance advantage, everything about ICS is awesome.

IMO, the only pro of getting Nexus is the LED notification and a guaranteed swift OS update

mvpeterson said:
I concur, the Gnex definitely feels like it has a laggy UI in comparison to the SGS2 and even the SGS1!
The twitter app shows this easily. Putting certain live wallpapers on also shows this.
I hope it's resolved via software soon because other than the SGS2 having a noticeable performance advantage, everything about ICS is awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take this for what you will. But with ICS on nexus s people said the twitter app kicked ass after they forced hardware acceleration on. But unfortunately that can mess up other apps.
So maybe if twitter app was ICS ready w/ hardware acceleration it wouldn't lag.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

The SGS 2 to the Galaxy Nexus is more of a sidegrade..
The Nexus has a better screen, is more comfortable in the hand (imo), has no carrier or manufacturer crap on it and will get Android upgrades before anything else will.
I've had both but I prefer the Nexus overall, even though the GPU in the SGS 2 is a beast.

Gs2 is another great device. Plain and simple. Can't go wrong with either one. With that said, I don't think ICS will run as smooth as it does on the GN...on any other device. Official or developer made.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

The laggy Twitter app is due to the Twitter dev team. Use another Twitter app. (TweetDeck, Twicca are my favorites.)

nxdu said:
IMO, the only pro of getting Nexus is the LED notification and a guaranteed swift OS update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LED is big, ugly and rarely works correctly.

habs101 said:
Maybe, I was expecting too much... with the galaxy nexus, coming from a Galaxy S2.
At times i feel that the S2 is much quicker and just as smooth..
Is it me or have other users noticed this as well?
Don't get me wrong it is fast and all, maybe for someone coming from a slower device..
But coming from the S2 which is still a great great phone, it doesn't seem faster but a times slower loading apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you expecting too much? Definitely. The GS2 is already blazing fast, so how much faster did you think the GN could possibly be considering it's specs and HD screen??? Think about it logically.

Luxferro said:
Take this for what you will. But with ICS on nexus s people said the twitter app kicked ass after they forced hardware acceleration on. But unfortunately that can mess up other apps.
So maybe if twitter app was ICS ready w/ hardware acceleration it wouldn't lag.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true. The question is, why does it run smoothly on the SG II without hardware acceleration? :S

Isn't the web browser and TW launcher (on the SGS2) hardware accelerated (something Samsung implemented themselves)?

randypurcz said:
The LED is big, ugly and rarely works correctly.
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Click to collapse
I love that it's big. That way you can actually see the notification (hint hint HTC Sensation). Ugly I guess is a matter of preference, but it terms of working correctly, just get lightflow. It works perfectly with the GN and you can customize it however you want.

Smoothness in Honeycomb & ICS

ICS is a mix of gingerbread and Honeycomb and it has fully hardware acceleration unlike honeycomb which has partially.
I do wonder why navigating in ICS with a Galaxy Nexus isn't as fluid and smooth as let's say a Samsung Galaxy tab?
Here's an example on Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftljZ9yGsiE
And if you have used a Galaxy Nexus or seen video with it, you can clearly see that when opening the app drawer and navigating in the OS isn't as smooth as Honeycomb.
Could anyone clear this out for me?

retskrad said:
ICS is a mix of gingerbread and Honeycomb and it has fully hardware acceleration unlike honeycomb which has partially.
I do wonder why navigating in ICS with a Galaxy Nexus isn't as fluid and smooth as let's say a Samsung Galaxy tab?
Here's an example on Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftljZ9yGsiE
And if you have used a Galaxy Nexus or seen video with it, you can clearly see that when opening the app drawer and navigating in the OS isn't as smooth as Honeycomb.
Could anyone clear this out for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My GN seems just as smooth, if not smoother, than my GTab 10.1 running honeycomb... (although I havent updated it to 3.2 yet)

if your galaxy nexus is not as smooth as a galaxy tab then your either running a crappy rom, or have way to many things running at the same time.
my GN is the smoothest device i've ever owned. It puts my asus transformer to shame. and it puts the galaxy tabs i've used to shame as well.

The only thing better than my Gnex on ICS is the Xoom on ICS. It has made this tablet way better. Unlocked bootloaders is where its at! ICS smokes HC in real world use. Both 4.0.3 which I doubt that video had. 4.0.2 wasn't nearly as smooth

My iPad and iPod Touch are barely smoother than my GN, s it's pretty good imo.

Mandelbrot.Benoit said:
The only thing better than my Gnex on ICS is the Xoom on ICS. It has made this tablet way better. Unlocked bootloaders is where its at! ICS smokes HC in real world use. Both 4.0.3 which I doubt that video had. 4.0.2 wasn't nearly as smooth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really have to get ICS on my tab...

Have you actually used a Galaxy Nexus, or just seen it in videos? You would know that it's super smooth with hardly any lag.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

Is it possible to overclock the GPU in the Galaxy Nexus? Is it 304 Mhz or 384?

Btw guys, videos are usually shot 30 fps; the smoothness factor will be gone if you watch said videos instead of using the device first-hand.
I've seen some stutter here and there (just got my GN today) but nothing phenomenal. It's just as, if not smoother than, my iPad 2; that's impressive.

yeah mine seems incredibly smooth too so I think they are in fact the same. However I noticed the 2 Verizon units were choppy as all hell. Maybe the GSM version is somehow different? Makes no sense I know.

RogerPodacter said:
yeah mine seems incredibly smooth too so I think they are in fact the same. However I noticed the 2 Verizon units were choppy as all hell. Maybe the GSM version is somehow different? Makes no sense I know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were they demo units with apps installed? The more apps I've installed/running the slower my nexus runs. I've mostly stripped down my apps to essential ones that I use only. Way better than my moto atrix IMO
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

The GNex launcher is way more responsive than my Xoom. The only time I have experienced stuttering in the launcher was when I'm running any live wallpaper other than phase beam.

El Daddy said:
The GNex launcher is way more responsive than my Xoom. The only time I have experienced stuttering in the launcher was when I'm running any live wallpaper other than phase beam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah this is a good point. if theres a LWP running on a GNex, the smoothness gets destroyed. toss a static wallpaper and it'll put the iphone to shame.

Compared with Honeycomb? Not sure, I hated Honeycomb on the Asus Transformer so much I sold it and removed any memories of the mess that was Honeycomb from my brain.
But compared to my Galaxy S2 (Exynos version) running Gingerbread, certain things are noticeably not as smooth. I notice this most when I open the app launcher on the Nexus, if it wasn't open recently there is some real lag while everything fades into view.
And please, don't give me any crap about being on a buggy ROM or having too much crap installed, this is and has been my experience on a plain old Galaxy Nexus from the day I bought it.
In fact, the slight amount of lag is the one thing I miss about my Galaxy S2... I don't know if it was Gingerbread or that amazing Exynos chip but the S2 was buttery smooth, whereas the Nexus IMO is just adequately smooth for the hardware.

Shawn_230 said:
Compared with Honeycomb? Not sure, I hated Honeycomb on the Asus Transformer so much I sold it and removed any memories of the mess that was Honeycomb from my brain.
But compared to my Galaxy S2 (Exynos version) running Gingerbread, certain things are noticeably not as smooth. I notice this most when I open the app launcher on the Nexus, if it wasn't open recently there is some real lag while everything fades into view.
And please, don't give me any crap about being on a buggy ROM or having too much crap installed, this is and has been my experience on a plain old Galaxy Nexus from the day I bought it.
In fact, the slight amount of lag is the one thing I miss about my Galaxy S2... I don't know if it was Gingerbread or that amazing Exynos chip but the S2 was buttery smooth, whereas the Nexus IMO is just adequately smooth for the hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thats what I was thinking! The Galaxy Nexus isn't as smooth as people want it to be.

Sigh. Just wait til 4.0.3. You're comparing a version of Android and TouchWiz that have had a lot of time to mature.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

kangxi said:
Sigh. Just wait til 4.0.3. You're comparing a version of Android and TouchWiz that have had a lot of time to mature.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey... if things get better with 4.0.3 then all the better. I may be critical but I'm not here to see Android or Samsung fail, I want them to be as good as they can be.
But as for maturing hasn't this version of Android been brewing for 12 months now? It's basically Honeycomb, and that's kind of what scares me a little... ICS was supposed to be Honeycomb without all the bugs and issues
I personally was thinking ICS would be the the best of both worlds, Honeycomb UI and stability and responsivess seen in 2.2/2.3. It's a decent mix of both, but far from the best of both worlds as some of the Honeycomb grossness has seeped in.

Facts straight from a member of the Android team at Google:
https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/2FXDCz8x93s
"Full" hardware accelerated drawing within a window was added in Android 3.0. The implementation in Android 4.0 is not any more full than in 3.0. Starting with 3.0, if you set the flag in your app saying that hardware accelerated drawing is allowed, then all drawing to the application’s windows will be done with the GPU. The main change in this regard in Android 4.0 is that now apps that are explicitly targeting 4.0 or higher will have acceleration enabled by default rather than having to put android:handwareAccelerated="true" in their manifest. (And the reason this isn’t just turned on for all existing applications is that some types of drawing operations can’t be supported well in hardware and it also impacts the behavior when an application asks to have a part of its UI updated. Forcing hardware accelerated drawing upon existing apps will break a significant number of them, from subtly to significantly.)
Some have raised points along the lines of Samsung Galaxy S2 phones already having a smoother UI and indicating that they are doing something different vs. the Galaxy Nexus. When comparing individual devices though you really need to look at all of the factors. For example, the S2's screen is 480x800 vs. the Galaxy Nexus at 720x1280. If the Nexus S could already do 60fps for simple UIs on its 480x800, the CPU in the S2's is even better off.
The real important difference between these two screens is just that the Galaxy Nexus has 2.4x as many pixels that need to be drawn as the S2. This means that to achieve the same efficiency at drawing the screen, you need a CPU that can run a single core at 2.4x the speed (and rendering a UI for a single app is essentially not parallelizable, so multiple cores isn't going to save you).

My GNex can be a bit choppy with a LWP on. Other than that, it's very smooth.

Shawn_230 said:
Compared with Honeycomb? Not sure, I hated Honeycomb on the Asus Transformer so much I sold it and removed any memories of the mess that was Honeycomb from my brain.
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My wife's transformer with 3.2 is pretty damn smooth.. almost iPad smooth. large improvement over 3.1. What version did u have?
my GN is amazingly smooth except for a couple of apps... google reader comes to mind as an example of one that really shouldn't be laggy but is. Most everything else is great.
sounds like u need to go back to your galaxy s2.

[Q]Samsung SG2 to Samsung galaxy nexus GSM

hi guys, just want to know if its worth the switch. also has the heat issue been resolve on this phone? thanks

What heat issue? And if you're coming from a sgs2 its not really worth the upgrade hardware wise unless you're looking for improved audio or want os updates. Really, you'd be paying for stock android and Google updates. Is it worth the price to you?
Sent from my Nexus in Texas.

i heard there's alot of heat issue using the device, to the point of burning someone hand.

I made the switch and definitely think it was worth it, but then again, I am a software guy and love the options. It is a downgrade in hardware though, I especially miss my sdcard. Guess it all depends on which is important to you, hardware our software. If you prefer better hardware then it probably wouldn't be worth it.

jsapp said:
I made the switch and definitely think it was worth it, but then again, I am a software guy and love the options. It is a downgrade in hardware though, I especially miss my sdcard. Guess it all depends on which is important to you, hardware our software. If you prefer better hardware then it probably wouldn't be worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GN isn't really a downgrade, it's more of a sideways move when compared to the SGSII. Processor power is similar, GN has a worse camera and no SD card but a better screen (HD) which is a huge improvement in my opinion (unless you're talking about the SGSII with the HD screen, which is a rare beast, not available everywhere).

ChrisAG said:
GN isn't really a downgrade, it's more of a sideways move when compared to the SGSII. Processor power is similar, GN has a worse camera and no SD card but a better screen (HD) which is a huge improvement in my opinion (unless you're talking about the SGSII with the HD screen, which is a rare beast, not available everywhere).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, it's a lateral-ish HW shift. I didn't dislike my SGSII, but I like my GN that much more. It's an overall smoother experience. I'm happier with the "small" things as well, the phone feels better in the hand, the button action is smoother, etc... I can't run Touchwiz any longer either, and who knows when Samdung will release kernel source for ICS. Probably long after they release a finished ICS.
People who expect impressive benchmark scores will be disappointed, the GN isn't as much of a benchmark queen as the SGSII (Exynos).

I came from the at&t sgs2 and couldn't be happier. I seriously am in love with this phone.

G1_enthusiast said:
i heard there's alot of heat issue using the device, to the point of burning someone hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you hear that from and you believed it? It gets warm like any computer but burning someone's hand?! LOL!
GSII will get ICS sooner or later. Unless you simply can't wait, there's no reason to get GNex when you have a GSII.

I went from the SGS2 to the Nexus. I don't have any complaints but technically the SGS2 is better. If I had to pay for my Nexus I would not have made the switch as there would have been no point really bar having ICS

MilkPudding said:
Where did you hear that from and you believed it? It gets warm like any computer but burning someone's hand?! LOL!
GSII will get ICS sooner or later. Unless you simply can't wait, there's no reason to get GNex when you have a GSII.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently ICS is scheduled to land on the SGSII next Thursday (15th March) according to one of the Samsung Facebook pages and the news site I was reading. Maybe add a couple of weeks(?) for network operators to push it out.

kalinf said:
Apparently ICS is scheduled to land on the SGSII next Thursday (15th March) according to one of the Samsung Facebook pages and the news site I was reading. Maybe add a couple of weeks(?) for network operators to push it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ics + touchwiz= gingerbread + touchwiz
They look exactly the same. Your better off waiting for xboarder port of real ICS
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium App

charlieb620 said:
Ics + touchwiz= gingerbread + touchwiz
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
The only reason I still have my SGSII is so I can experience CM9 on it after kernel source is released, had been my daily driver since December, but no video recording yet, etc...
I wonder how long Samsung will put off releasing source this time.

Go with the Nexus
I dumped my AT&T Galaxy SII for a GSM Galaxy Nexus and haven't looked back. Once you go Nexus you never go back.

Personally, I like my GN more then my SG2 especially find the design of GN more polished. Still got my SG2 but thinking of selling it...rarely use it though I do like some of the features from touchwiz!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Sold my gs2 i9100 a couple weeks back, and used that money to get a gnex. I was tired of constantly looking for a new experimental build for ics experience, and considering how quickly the gs1 was ditched, but the nexus s is still officially receiving updates, makes me more confident in this phones last-ability and value. Only downside is no SD card, if you are a serious media junky.

I sold my SGS2 for my Galaxy Nexus. So worth it.

Hello
I come from a Nexus S that I just sold, I want to hear your opinion about what new phone to buy around 500 Euro

MistaBishi said:
I sold my SGS2 for my Galaxy Nexus. So worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the samething. The SGS2 is a great phone but I got tired of waiting to see some ICS love. The development on the Galaxy Nexus is great, I'm happy I made the switch.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

MistaBishi said:
I sold my SGS2 for my Galaxy Nexus. So worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto, I miss my SGS2 though, SAMOLED+, the camera, FM radio, other than that I like the Nexus a lot.

mr mystery said:
Ditto, I miss my SGS2 though, SAMOLED+, the camera, FM radio, other than that I like the Nexus a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea i agree with you, i like everything about my nexus except the camera and the screen, i meant the screen of our nexus is great but for some reason i think GSII's screen look better. After i tried Amoled Screen i don't want to go back to IPS anymore.

Anyone had gs2 and gnex?

Guys,i need opinions about this...someone who knows,and is experienced,please write in this thread,i really need to choose between this two phones,and im unshure about it...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I had both. Granted it was an sgh-i777 but it essentially the same phone as the i9100. The s2 out performs the gnex on hardware hands down to me. (Only comparing 3d gaming) but cm can be a little buggy at times with wake locks when I had it. Gnex has a better screen and software support but both are great phones. Do you want last years king of the phones or bleeding edge software updates?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Both good phones
I had the gt-9100i and are currently using the Gnex.
And like the post above me i did like my SGS2, but not having the newest version of android really was a dealbreaker for me

Well that is a dealbreaker for me too.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

nyamoV2 said:
I had both. Granted it was an sgh-i777 but it essentially the same phone as the i9100. The s2 out performs the gnex on hardware hands down to me. (Only comparing 3d gaming) but cm can be a little buggy at times with wake locks when I had it. Gnex has a better screen and software support but both are great phones. Do you want last years king of the phones or bleeding edge software updates?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm what has been written above. I sold my international S2 i9100, which I really loved!
Exynos with Mali 400 outperforms TI-OMAP 4460 with its PowerVR SGX540 I guess in every single test. (for example in case of Nenamark2 the difference is 48-52:28-32!) S2 has gorilla glass and better camera (8 mpix + 2 mpix), sd-slot, even hard home button can be considered as an advantage.
On the other hand. Nexus has much better screen, NFC, and great support! It depend what your priorities are but...If you're into aosp/cm world Nexus is far better solution.
Official updates. Even though I think samsung is the fastest update-provider among all manufacturers still S2 got recently...its second 4.0.4 update while GNex has 4.1.2! Samsung confirmed S2 to be scheduled to JB-update in november, but I highly doubt it'll be given more than this. In case of Nexus....I'm certain it'll be supported at least 12 more months.
Moreover...exynos is closed hardware, (while omap is dev's beloved device) which makes it extremely hard for devs to get fully functioning aosp rom. You can see the difference if you compare CM10 on both handsets.
- S2 - no jb-hwcomposer and thus no v-sync, no butter - jittery and yes laggy, problems with audio.
- GNex - almost perfectly smooth! I know that lot of people here complain over smoothness but seriously there's nothing to complain. IT's one of the smoothest android experience today even if you compare it to hardware monsters like international variant of S3.
Smoothness of stock roms cannot be even discussed here. Nexus wins fair and square. So...who cares what benchmarks say? The device is as good as the software running on it.

I wish this had gorilla glass while reinforced also its not as strong it scratches easily compared to my S1 it has small nicks on it and has been though worst then my nexus an nexus has a good 5 big scratches and also cracked display
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

I had both for a while, i really think the gnex outperforms the gs2 in every single way, sure gs2 have a better camera and it was pretty fast with gingerbread but it failed to delivery the same experience with ICS...and it took sooo much time to samsung release ics and with crappy touchwizz wich was the same skin as in gingerbread.
The gs2 has very low resolution and ppi screen so the gpu as an easy time. The iphonish home button really sucked balls. Basically gs2 is already outdated and doesnt deliver the same user experience as the gnex. IMHO.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I still have my i9100, purchased it before the nexus. there are things I prefer on it over the nexus, but not deal breakers.
The s2 has much better standard screen colors than the nexus, I had to tweak using a kernel that support color tweaking to get the same colors that pleased me on the s2.. However, after spending time on the higher resolution nexus screen, the s2 looks real bad.. But prior to purchasing the nexus I thought the s2 screen resolution was fine, but I did not have anything to compare it to.
Call quality I find to be much better on the nexus, much clearer voices.
Cameras.. I don't use them much so I don't have an opinion on it. as long as the phone takes pictures, I'm happy.
Wifi is much better on the s2.. I have fought with constant disconnects on the nexus hardware, while the s2 always had rock steady Wifi.
Speed... This depends on what you use the phone for. I do not play alot of games. I do not doubt the s2 has faster hardware to run games better, however I find the nexus offers a much more fluid experience when doing everything else. Simple things as such as dialing a phone number, typing, scrolling, and the nexus much more responsive and fluid. there are no annoying pauses or lags. the s2 no matter what rom I was using always had some sort of lag.
Ever thing just works on the nexus, while alot of things on the s2 were compromises. you get one feature but another was broken, especially when using custom roms.
I'm going to hang onto my s2 until the official jb release and see if jb can make it run as well as the nexus... If not, I'll be selling it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

dumbdroid said:
.... it was pretty fast with gingerbread but it failed to delivery the same experience with ICS...and it took sooo much time to samsung release ics and with crappy touchwizz wich was the same skin as in gingerbread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right and Touchwizz is extremely ugly but ...ICS on Galaxy Nexus was laggy as hell to be honest, sometimes even worse than in case of S2. For example if you applied live wallpapers. I have never noticed any single scroll-lag on S2 (stock ICS rom), on GNex it was unfortunately pretty common.

Just switched from an i777 to the gal nex and I would never go back...the screen alone is enough...not to mention instant shutter speed on the camera, first to update, I've had much better battery life...plus when you go to a custom ROM, compared to the s2, everything just WORKS...and for $350 you won't regret it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

s2 was my first android, gave it to my dad and now using gnex.
fundamentally the gnex has a higher screen resolution, but no hardware keys on the front so nav buttons are a must on it.. s2 has buttons, and side by side, the displays are actually a bit identical. the gnex looks somewhat better because of the higher ppi, but pentile is visible on text when you see it very closely..
performance wise, both have almost the same cpu specs, but gnex is slightly slower. its because of the higher resolution. and i can tell you this without any benchmark numbers. i tried fpse on both, there's a slight lag on the gnex. the sgs2 runs it smoothly..
jellybean on gnex is stable (of course) and awesome. on the s2, not so much...
all games/apps work on both, with slight differences in things like emulation as i said above..
battery life on both is more or less the same, both are battery hogs. but after using them both for well over two months each, i can say that gnex sucks from 100 to 0 slightly faster.. an extended battery wouldn't be such a bad idea, i personally bought myself an anker 5600mah portable charger, and it does the job for me battery life wise. easily get through the day with super heavy use (navigation,browsing hsdpa, etc)
if you're gonna buy one of these TODAY, it makes no sense to get a s2. nexus is cheaper, and you are guaranteed Key lime pie immediately, and even possible L-- version.. yes the camera is a bit bad compared to the s2, but it's a small trade off for the price difference and software update frequency.

m.kochan10 said:
That's right and Touchwizz is extremely ugly but ...ICS on Galaxy Nexus was laggy as hell to be honest, sometimes even worse than in case of S2. For example if you applied live wallpapers. I have never noticed any single scroll-lag on S2 (stock ICS rom), on GNex it was unfortunately pretty common.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard about it but never experienced it myself because I've rooted and installed a custom rom+kernel in the second day i had it. I think that was with android 4.0.2 witch i never run on my phone. The only "stock" firmware i had was the jelly bean leak and it was great.
---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:25 PM ----------
crazyguns said:
i tried fpse on both, there's a slight lag on the gnex. the sgs2 runs it smoothly..
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yeah but my xperia play beats both and have crappy hardware...why?
Same goes for some gameloft games like gangster in Rio or something like that runs beautifully on my xperia play and it is unplayable on the gnex.

D3HuM4NiZ3D said:
Guys,i need opinions about this...someone who knows,and is experienced,please write in this thread,i really need to choose between this two phones,and im unshure about it...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just recently got a gnex and gave my wife my gs2. I would never even think of going back. Might not ever own another non nexus phone. definitely the better phone imo.

qbanlinxx said:
I just recently got a gnex and gave my wife my gs2. I would never even think of going back. Might not ever own another non nexus phone. definitely the better phone imo.
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That's exactly what I think I sold my S2, bought nexus....and today I bought my father a brand new S2 as a birthday gift. While i was configuring everything....I was like "Oh my how sluggish it is compared to Nexus". No more non-nexus androids!

can't ever go back to touchwiz... I used sgs2 i9100...love nexus software
Sent from Nexus Prime

Can't beat the nexus experience. I still have my i777, rooted weeks after I got it, and have loved tinkering, and tweaking the hell out of it ever since. Both phones are more than capable of remaining relevant for some time, but as I said, it's the Google flagship experience that really seals it. I love my s2, aokp with siyah is amazing, but I've had my nexus for just shy of 2 months now, and I honestly haven't found a reason to root it, official jb is just that good for me. Google wallet is about the only thing I've found that one phone has over the other, though Nfc is fully functional on the s2, aside from the secure hardware element needed for wallet. Not sure what the going rate is on the s2 anymore, but at best its just as good a deal as the gsm nexus right now. Long story short(kind of rambling, I apologize) love both phones, wouldn't ever discourage anyone from the s2, but of this comparison, I'd advise the gnex to anyone.
Pink pony Gs2 i777
Pure Google Gnex i9250
Pink stallion Gs3 i747
Stock tweaked Asus tf201

S2 is fast, like other people said, it out performs Gnexus a lot imo. Even on TW GB/ICS or AOSP, its still faster. Exynos are really good. But then, you wont get a proper OTA if you want JB or latest update in the future. I love the brick look of SGS2 though. when the screen is off, it looks so sexy. but gnex are sexy in both screen on and off.
For me, having the latest software in any hardware are important for me.So I am sticking with Gnex. I gave my S2 to my mum, and bought myself a One X. But then I still use Gnexus most of the time for pretty much everything. Cuz it has official Jellybean and all custom roms are stable enough since it is already an AOSP to begin with. One X still have some trouble with ICS/JB AOSP, so only choice to stick with Sense ICS for stability.
my friend always ask me if its worth to get a Gnex since it is 1 year old already. My answer for them are simple, if you care about updates every time they are announced, Gnex is the answer. and also, if you intent to use it to the fullest(3/4 years duration), its Gnex. Otherwise, buy anything you like. I always change phones, but Nexus is the one i wont replace until a next nexus(if they tempt me enough).

I got 2 phone. but i prefer GNX than GS2. GS2 outperform GNX but overall GNX better than GS2

Depends which s2 as well. I had the s2 skyrocket with the s3 processor and its a laggy pos next to the nexus. Lte was awesome and the camera pwns the gnex but that's it. I've had every nexus and every time I've strayed to get another phone I end up having nexus envy.

So the nexus is really that much better than the s2 skyrocket
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Galaxy Nexus usability - personal

Hello. I'm planning to get a Galaxy Nexus and I'm wondering if it will suit my needs. What I want to do with it is make it my sole communication and social hub with some productivity tools running in the background.
What I would be doing:
Running apps in the background - Adobe reader, Dictionary, Evernote, MX Player, Currents
- I would be occasionally switching between these apps but I would just like them to run in the background
Frequent app switching - Go SMS, Tweetcaster, Flipboard, FB, Google+, KakaoTalk, Email
Do you think the 1.2 GHz dual core and 1 GB RAM of the Gnex would be sufficient for my needs?
I don't have any intention of rooting it. I also am not planning to get a Nexus 4 after all the scary problems that I discovered with it on the web.
Appreciate your replies. Thanks.

sepisepsep said:
Hello. I'm planning to get a Galaxy Nexus and I'm wondering if it will suit my needs. What I want to do with it is make it my sole communication and social hub with some productivity tools running in the background.
What I would be doing:
Running apps in the background - Adobe reader, Dictionary, Evernote, MX Player, Currents
- I would be occasionally switching between these apps but I would just like them to run in the background
Frequent app switching - Go SMS, Tweetcaster, Flipboard, FB, Google+, KakaoTalk, Email
Do you think the 1.2 GHz dual core and 1 GB RAM of the Gnex would be sufficient for my needs?
I don't have any intention of rooting it. I also am not planning to get a Nexus 4 after all the scary problems that I discovered with it on the web.
Appreciate your replies. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure what's your intention to keep them all running in the background.
When there is not enough memory, i feel like some apps that are running in the background automatically hibernate. So it takes about similar time to open if you don't run them in the background.
It's only a matter of a second or two as long as they run smoothly, though loading news in Currents is usually not so fast.
I would say galaxy nexus will do the job.

Well, if you're planning to keep the phone longer, I'd suggest something with 2gb of RAM, like an N4. Now if the money is the issue, GN will suffice.

Dixonism said:
I am not sure what's your intention to keep them all running in the background.
When there is not enough memory, i feel like some apps that are running in the background automatically hibernate. So it takes about similar time to open if you don't run them in the background.
It's only a matter of a second or two as long as they run smoothly, though loading news in Currents is usually not so fast.
I would say galaxy nexus will do the job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just want to save those apps' states. It's like I just want them all minimized all the time.
madd0g said:
Well, if you're planning to keep the phone longer, I'd suggest something with 2gb of RAM, like an N4. Now if the money is the issue, GN will suffice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the specs of the N4 but the problems that I found on the internet (auto-reboot, touch accuracy, etc.) are what's holding me back.

This is more a Dev phone. If you don't plan on rooting and unlocking then perhaps you should look into other devices.
If you plan on doing all of what you said on this phone be sure to get an extended battery
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

sepisepsep said:
I love the specs of the N4 but the problems that I found on the internet (auto-reboot, touch accuracy, etc.) are what's holding me back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know 2 people with n4s and haven't heard such complaints, maybe it was the initial 4.2 release jankyness.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

You say you have no intention of rooting. If you did you could install a custom such as xylon and flash a kernel such as ak kernel and your nexus would be a powerhouse. You could also by an extended battery for about 25 dollars to get all day battery life.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Now if the money is the issue, GN will suffice.

namtombout said:
This is more a Dev phone. If you don't plan on rooting and unlocking then perhaps you should look into other devices.
If you plan on doing all of what you said on this phone be sure to get an extended battery
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it's a dev phone but owning a Nexus S, I just think that the idea of "unskinned" android in Nexus devices really made a difference in the phone's performance.
madd0g said:
I know 2 people with n4s and haven't heard such complaints, maybe it was the initial 4.2 release jankyness.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Hm. Now that makes me think about the N4 again. What do you think of the N4's viability?
ayo234 said:
You say you have no intention of rooting. If you did you could install a custom such as xylon and flash a kernel such as ak kernel and your nexus would be a powerhouse. You could also by an extended battery for about 25 dollars to get all day battery life.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also don't know how to flash roms because I'm kind of afraid of the instabilities of those. But if you could recommend one that's really stable just like the stock android, then I could learn how to flash and go for that. The reason why I'm worried about it's instability is because I'll be using the phone for both personal and business use.
hufqnjhu said:
Now if the money is the issue, GN will suffice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a "semi" issue.

I bought my wife an N4 and she has had zero issues. It's been running smooth for over a month and a half. It's a nice upgrade over the Gnex. Bigger battery, nice screen, better camera. I would say that if you can afford it, get it. Have you checked the N4 forum to see what people are saying?
Saying all that, I still like the Gnex a lot. I was using an HTC One S, but when I bought my wife the N4 I thought I'd give it a shot. It can do all the things you are planning. I did have some lag on stock, so decided to flash a few different Roms. Running the latest Paranoid Android and it's super smooth.
This was the easiest phone to unlock ever, as a Nexus should be.
Goodluck with your decision.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

About N4s viability : well its a Nexus :]
Android has come so far that even if you won't play with custom stuff or even root, you'll still have a quick, good experience and best software upgradability out there.
As for the money thing, I've bought the GN 2nd hand without any signs of usage for 280€ in December. If I wanted a N4 back then it would have been about 400 (if not a bit higher because of the lack of supply). 120€ minimal price difference wasn't worth it for me, I tend to switch phones yearly (sell one, get newer one 2nd hand when it looses it's max value drop).
No idea what your price on buying the GN is, so I can't really say anything, hope my experience can give you a bit of perspective.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I too would strongly urge you to rethink the N4 if it's in the budget. Stock vs. Stock, it's a better device than the Gnex, in my honest opinion. Play with one in person, and own it, so YOU can be the best judge of what you're getting. However, if you do decide on the Gnex, stock 4.2 runs very nicely on it (I have the Sprint Version, so 4.2.1.) and I don't think you'll be disappointed, but the N4 will definitely have more longevity than our beloved Gnex. Good luck with either decision you make!

npiper05 said:
I bought my wife an N4 and she has had zero issues. It's been running smooth for over a month and a half. It's a nice upgrade over the Gnex. Bigger battery, nice screen, better camera. I would say that if you can afford it, get it. Have you checked the N4 forum to see what people are saying?
Saying all that, I still like the Gnex a lot. I was using an HTC One S, but when I bought my wife the N4 I thought I'd give it a shot. It can do all the things you are planning. I did have some lag on stock, so decided to flash a few different Roms. Running the latest Paranoid Android and it's super smooth.
This was the easiest phone to unlock ever, as a Nexus should be.
Goodluck with your decision.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just checked the N4 forum and it scared me even more upon reading the post about its screen of death issue. What kind of lag did you experienced with it? It is just on the interface, apps, or app switching? I'm more concerned here about app/task switching from time to time.
madd0g said:
About N4s viability : well its a Nexus :]
Android has come so far that even if you won't play with custom stuff or even root, you'll still have a quick, good experience and best software upgradability out there.
As for the money thing, I've bought the GN 2nd hand without any signs of usage for 280€ in December. If I wanted a N4 back then it would have been about 400 (if not a bit higher because of the lack of supply). 120€ minimal price difference wasn't worth it for me, I tend to switch phones yearly (sell one, get newer one 2nd hand when it looses it's max value drop).
No idea what your price on buying the GN is, so I can't really say anything, hope my experience can give you a bit of perspective.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you experience any issues with it?
jxr94 said:
I too would strongly urge you to rethink the N4 if it's in the budget. Stock vs. Stock, it's a better device than the Gnex, in my honest opinion. Play with one in person, and own it, so YOU can be the best judge of what you're getting. However, if you do decide on the Gnex, stock 4.2 runs very nicely on it (I have the Sprint Version, so 4.2.1.) and I don't think you'll be disappointed, but the N4 will definitely have more longevity than our beloved Gnex. Good luck with either decision you make!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually played with one alongside with the Gnex and I can't really tell the speed's difference in terms of their interface.

sepisepsep said:
I just checked the N4 forum and it scared me even more upon reading the post about its screen of death issue. What kind of lag did you experienced with it? It is just on the interface, apps, or app switching? I'm more concerned here about app/task switching from time to time.
No lag with the N4, sorry. I meant I had some lag with my GNex running 4.2.2. My wife has never had any lag on her N4.
At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with either. I love the GNex, even though it's a bit long in the tooth. All depends on preference.
Good luck.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

There sod on every device. Including the iPhone
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

While the g'nex is still a solid device I'd also recommend N4. As for issues scaring you, keep in mind that the g'nex was also plauged with reported issues. Display problems, loose USB ports, failing hardware buttons, ect...
A friend of mine bought a N4 second hand a couple months ago and hasn't had any problems, while I haven't had any problems with my g'nex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

npiper05 said:
sepisepsep said:
No lag with the N4, sorry. I meant I had some lag with my GNex running 4.2.2. My wife has never had any lag on her N4.
At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with either. I love the GNex, even though it's a bit long in the tooth. All depends on preference.
Good luck.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean what lag did you experience with the GNex.
ayo234 said:
There sod on every device. Including the iPhone
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but haven't experienced any SoD's with all of my owned devices (galaxy tab, galaxy s, nexus s)
95Z28 said:
While the g'nex is still a solid device I'd also recommend N4. As for issues scaring you, keep in mind that the g'nex was also plauged with reported issues. Display problems, loose USB ports, failing hardware buttons, ect...
A friend of mine bought a N4 second hand a couple months ago and hasn't had any problems, while I haven't had any problems with my g'nex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Now that ironically gave me a sense of comfort. Guess those are just really some type of quality issues, huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If you'll go to Galaxy forums, you'll see tons of problems there, but that doesn't mean every device is flawed. If you sell millions of phones, of course the error rate will be more apparent, specially if it's popular. Same goes for Nexus, buyers of those phones are more aware and they visit sites like xda, so it appears the issues are widespread.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I had just a little lag scrolling between home screens when I was on stock 4.2.2. No issues switching between applications or anything.
I rooted a couple weeks ago and have been running the latest Paranoid Android. Great battery life and zero lag.
Let us know what you decide. I definitely recommend unlocking and running a custom Rom if you get the Gnex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

madd0g said:
If you'll go to Galaxy forums, you'll see tons of problems there, but that doesn't mean every device is flawed. If you sell millions of phones, of course the error rate will be more apparent, specially if it's popular. Same goes for Nexus, buyers of those phones are more aware and they visit sites like xda, so it appears the issues are widespread.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I see that but the only reason why I think it's that really widespread is due to the fact that even if you just google N4 problems compared to GNex problems, N4 really does show up a number of it.
npiper05 said:
I had just a little lag scrolling between home screens when I was on stock 4.2.2. No issues switching between applications or anything.
I rooted a couple weeks ago and have been running the latest Paranoid Android. Great battery life and zero lag.
Let us know what you decide. I definitely recommend unlocking and running a custom Rom if you get the Gnex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With regards to switching apps, on a daily basis, I heard that the GNex sometimes reload the app instead of "restoring the minimized state" of the app. Any experiences?