If you are not a developer, this phone is quite bad - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I know I'm not the only one thinking this, but looks like I'm the only one who has the courage to admit this:
I thought that people who were calling this device a developer phone were exagerating.... Before buying it I was thinking: "Come on, those adds google put on youtube about the gnex are definitely not targeted towards developers"
I thought: "Wow a phone with stock android, future updates ensured, and those high end specs!..... Bought"
The thing is that hardware wise this device sucks.
And I'm not talking about the CPU and the ram (that's the hardware that matters for the developers, and the nexus is fast, we know it).
But i'm talking about the important hardware! The one that matters on a smartphone for normal people like me.
..as I said: I'm not trying to troll. I just want to talk with people who have my same thoughts
BUILD QUALITY: feels too cheap and it definitely doesn't give you that "built to last" feeling in your hand that Nokia or Motorola phones give you. But hey: you get a curved glass and super thin body...
ANTENNAS (GPS, WIFI, CELLULAR): while on my gsm galaxy nexus the 2g and 3g antennas are quite decent ( still not comparable to Motorolas or Nokia though) The Wi-Fi and the GPS are super weak in comparison to even low end smartphones made by Nokia Moto or Htc.
DISPLAY: worst 720p screen on a smartphone ever. First being a pentile display, ON YOUR EYES it's not a true 720p. Take a look to an IPS 720p display, THAT is sharpness. Though on paper it is 720p, so its perfect for developers who need to test apps on 720p screen. White color tone usually looks perfectly white on every phone, until you compare it to another phone side by side that has better whites. On the galaxy nexus you find yourself constantly thinking that what you are looking at, is not pure while.
SPEAKER: probably a very cheap speaker, just like all the "hidden parts" on this phone and all the hidden parts on Samsung phones in general. Don't ever compare it to a Nokia side by side or you'll cry.
(Why is the volume so lower on notifications and on YouTube? LOL Google)
VIBRATION: if you are used to the amazing vibration feedback that Nokia and HTC devices give you, hearing and feeling the galaxy nexus vibrate will be a pain. It just looks like Samsung didn't spend a penny on the vibration system on this device.
[Small story: I had a GS2 some months ago, one day I came back home and threw it on the bed, it did even had a case on... From that day the vibration became much weaker, almost nonexisting]... just for the lols
That said let's come to the part where we all agree:
Stock android is awesome and developers are probably having a much easier time working with this device
Its also really cheap now. Let's not forget that.

my quick thoughts:
BUILD QUALITY: this category will always be subject to personal preference
ANTENNAS (GPS, WIFI, CELLULAR): I don't get the same strength as with the Razr HD on Verizon, but no drops and data is still more than plentiful in speed
DISPLAY: I find it pretty sharp vs the S3 and some others, the whites are a little yellowy vs others but the blacks are way darker. So you have to pick do you want whites or blacks
SPEAKER: who uses the external speaker with all the bluetooth speakers/docks out there now?
VIBRATION: I like the vibration cuz this way when ur in class/work you feel it but can't hear it, hearing a phone vibrate defeats the purpose of having it on vibrate

I strongly disagree that HTC outperforms Samsung in terms of connectivity / signal strength. According to my (and many other users' ) experiences HTC devices used to have constant issues with WiFi, data signal drops etc something I've never experienced on my samsung devices. I find WiFi signal slightly weaker on Gnex than on my previous S2 or my brother's Droid RAZR but it's not a big deal since I've never experienced random connectivity drops. I do find lack of gorilla glass more irritating.
Comparing "new" IPS displays to our "old" SAMOLED it's little like comparing exynos 5 to our tiomap in terms of speed. (Anyway white will always look better on LCD screens while black on AMOLEDs.)
Before I bought Gnex I read a lot about very low max volume level, but to be honest I've never found it so low that I couldn't hear incoming notification or a phone cal.

this screen is awesome if you tweak it a little.... Reviews still praise the display to this day.
I personally love this phone, Go watch drop tests of the nexus vs. other phones and then come back and talk about build quality.
This is easily the best phone Ive ever owned, bar none. (and I am in no way a dev)

Phone is over a year old. What did you expect compared to newer models? It still holds fine. The build quality is a Sammy trademark.
Sent from my A100 using xda app-developers app

OP, though I see where you're coming from. I personally wanted a Nexus solely for the massive dev community (and just to clarify, I'm not a dev, just a ROM flashing addict). Personally, I feel that getting a Nexus for other reasons (like hardware) is kind of missing the point...

Let's not forget the Gnex cost $350, and it's over a year old, and it's now out of production. Is a Porsche 911 comparable too and in the same class as a VW GTI? The Gnex at that price point was absolutely the best bang for your buck...shortcomings and all. What more could you ask for in a $350 phone? Well, time passes and the Nexus 4 arrived at the same price, so now we can come to expect more features and better hardware for the same price :victory:

Funny though your comparing to a company who are now struggling to be afloat , even going so much so as sleeping with there's once enemy Nokia's!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

wannagofast said:
Let's not forget the Gnex cost $350, and it's over a year old, and it's now out of production. Is a Porsche 911 comparable too and in the same class as a VW GTI? The Gnex at that price point was absolutely the best bang for your buck...shortcomings and all. What more could you ask for in a $350 phone? Well, time passes and the Nexus 4 arrived at the same price, so now we can come to expect more features and better hardware for the same price :victory:
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It cost $350 for the late adopters. I paid $560 and others paid even more.

I wouldn't recommend nexus for an average smartphone user. OEM flagships are imo definitely more suitable here, they offer more eye candy ui, and usually more customization and user friendly options (t9 dialer, regular toggles, more camera options etc). Nexus line with the most lightweight firmware is for those who know why they want it.

polonordo said:
I know I'm not the only one thinking this, but looks like I'm the only one who has the courage to admit this:
I thought that people who were calling this device a developer phone were exagerating.... Before buying it I was thinking: "Come on, those adds google put on youtube about the gnex are definitely not targeted towards developers"
I thought: "Wow a phone with stock android, future updates ensured, and those high end specs!..... Bought"
The thing is that hardware wise this device sucks.
And I'm not talking about the CPU and the ram (that's the hardware that matters for the developers, and the nexus is fast, we know it).
But i'm talking about the important hardware! The one that matters on a smartphone for normal people like me.
..as I said: I'm not trying to troll. I just want to talk with people who have my same thoughts
BUILD QUALITY: feels too cheap and it definitely doesn't give you that "built to last" feeling in your hand that Nokia or Motorola phones give you. But hey: you get a curved glass and super thin body...
ANTENNAS (GPS, WIFI, CELLULAR): while on my gsm galaxy nexus the 2g and 3g antennas are quite decent ( still not comparable to Motorolas or Nokia though) The Wi-Fi and the GPS are super weak in comparison to even low end smartphones made by Nokia Moto or Htc.
DISPLAY: worst 720p screen on a smartphone ever. First being a pentile display, ON YOUR EYES it's not a true 720p. Take a look to an IPS 720p display, THAT is sharpness. Though on paper it is 720p, so its perfect for developers who need to test apps on 720p screen. White color tone usually looks perfectly white on every phone, until you compare it to another phone side by side that has better whites. On the galaxy nexus you find yourself constantly thinking that what you are looking at, is not pure while.
SPEAKER: probably a very cheap speaker, just like all the "hidden parts" on this phone and all the hidden parts on Samsung phones in general. Don't ever compare it to a Nokia side by side or you'll cry.
(Why is the volume so lower on notifications and on YouTube? LOL Google)
VIBRATION: if you are used to the amazing vibration feedback that Nokia and HTC devices give you, hearing and feeling the galaxy nexus vibrate will be a pain. It just looks like Samsung didn't spend a penny on the vibration system on this device.
[Small story: I had a GS2 some months ago, one day I came back home and threw it on the bed, it did even had a case on... From that day the vibration became much weaker, almost nonexisting]... just for the lols
That said let's come to the part where we all agree:
Stock android is awesome and developers are probably having a much easier time working with this device
Its also really cheap now. Let's not forget that.
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Click to collapse
If you do not like the Gnex then go buy what is evident you really want, a Nokia or a Motorola. Everything you have just pointed out is opinion and nothing more. My mother doesn't know the first thing about anything tech, I build her computers for her and she loves her galaxy nexus, she has not a single complaint. I have many female friends that had iPhones that love how easy and smooth my phone runs as well. To say it's only for developers is ridiculous. What you should have done is called this thread "My rant about how Nokia, Motorola and HTC are better than Galaxy Nexus".
No offense but not one thing you have to say is based on fact. My phone has no issues with connectivity, whether it be data or wifi. My gps locks on instantly as long as I'm outside and within 10 seconds indoors. My screen is amazing, if you don't think this is 720p then you are blind (that's my opinion, not fact.). Vibration is no different than the last two HTC phones I owned, I have no problems with volume either. As someone already said, there is no reason to be using your device speakers for anything besides your ringtones and notifications in the age of Bluetooth.
Now onto build quality, you may personally want a oversized heavy lug of a phone but I love how lightweight and thin my Gnex is, I have not a single scratch on it nor a ding or dent and I do not use a screen protector or a case, this is coming from someone that keeps it in the same pocket as his car keys a lot of the time as well.
Now a lot of what I said is opinion as was what you said but out of the two of us, I at least point that out. You posted an entire comment speaking as though all these issues are fact and that this phone is only meant for developers, sorry man, I'm gonna have to go with "no" on both of those.

i dunno where to start man, are you trying to throw this thing against a brick wall? if they made it "tougher" people would complain that its too heavy. people (me included) like the thinness, it can go in my pocket without looking like a bannana or am i happy to see you joke. the build quality is fine, it feel like quality electronics but not tough enough to get run over by a bus. the speaker is fine, every music app has an eq, play musics eq works on the internal speaker and boosting the lower end clears up the tinny crappy tiny speaker sound pretty good. boohoo, pentile. the pentile argument is so overblown, my fascinate had a pentile screen and it looked amazing. i cant see any jagedness or pixels on my nexus, its plenty resolution. the radios are fine unless you live in the middle of nowhere (not bashing people who do) and if you do live in the sticks then why did you buy a phone knowing that it has a weak radio? you want a phone with loud vibration? get a rezound, jesus that things louder than the actual speaker in it. the point of vibrate is so you can feel it but dont hear it.
not trying to fight but man, it seems like you are posting to complain for the sake of complaining.

username8611 said:
i dunno where to start man, are you trying to throw this thing against a brick wall? if they made it "tougher" people would complain that its too heavy. people (me included) like the thinness, it can go in my pocket without looking like a bannana or am i happy to see you joke. the build quality is fine, it feel like quality electronics but not tough enough to get run over by a bus. the speaker is fine, every music app has an eq, play musics eq works on the internal speaker and boosting the lower end clears up the tinny crappy tiny speaker sound pretty good. boohoo, pentile. the pentile argument is so overblown, my fascinate had a pentile screen and it looked amazing. i cant see any jagedness or pixels on my nexus, its plenty resolution. the radios are fine unless you live in the middle of nowhere (not bashing people who do) and if you do live in the sticks then why did you buy a phone knowing that it has a weak radio? you want a phone with loud vibration? get a rezound, jesus that things louder than the actual speaker in it. the point of vibrate is so you can feel it but dont hear it.
not trying to fight but man, it seems like you are posting to complain for the sake of complaining.
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I agree with all of the above, I even stated most of the same things above you lol.
A lot of people forget that they can actually get apps that will increase vibration levels without even having to be rooted.

dankblaze said:
If you do not like the Gnex then go buy what is evident you really want, a Nokia or a Motorola. Everything you have just pointed out is opinion and nothing more. My mother doesn't know the first thing about anything tech, I build her computers for her and she loves her galaxy nexus, she has not a single complaint. I have many female friends that had iPhones that love how easy and smooth my phone runs as well. To say it's only for developers is ridiculous. What you should have done is called this thread "My rant about how Nokia, Motorola and HTC are better than Galaxy Nexus".
No offense but not one thing you have to say is based on fact. My phone has no issues with connectivity, whether it be data or wifi. My gps locks on instantly as long as I'm outside and within 10 seconds indoors. My screen is amazing, if you don't think this is 720p then you are blind (that's my opinion, not fact.). Vibration is no different than the last two HTC phones I owned, I have no problems with volume either. As someone already said, there is no reason to be using your device speakers for anything besides your ringtones and notifications in the age of Bluetooth.
Now onto build quality, you may personally want a oversized heavy lug of a phone but I love how lightweight and thin my Gnex is, I have not a single scratch on it nor a ding or dent and I do not use a screen protector or a case, this is coming from someone that keeps it in the same pocket as his car keys a lot of the time as well.
Now a lot of what I said is opinion as was what you said but out of the two of us, I at least point that out. You posted an entire comment speaking as though all these issues are fact and that this phone is only meant for developers, sorry man, I'm gonna have to go with "no" on both of those.
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We may have argued in the past but this is a quality post and I fully agree

Since this phone receives a lot of support from devs, you'll have plenty of custom roms and mods to toy with. Everyone can flash a custom rom or mod if they read the instructions carefully, you don't need to be a dev to do that.

That awkward moment when you realize this device is a year old.
It was great for its time.
People still use the Nexus One.
I completely disagree with this thread because I had a One S before and I know that this phone is better.
You know, specs aren't everything.
It's your personal preference.
Their could be a device with amazing specs, but looks like a pile of ****.
Or vice versa.
In my opinion, this device wins in both.
You still get decent specs, a nice screen, and a beautiful slim phone.

If you don't like it buy a new one, simple.
I'm happy with it, and I'm not a developer. I must be a frickin vampire or something.

Had my GNex for a year, switched to the Galaxy S3 for a month and came back to the GNex. Can't beat stock AOSP.

What version do you own?
I came from a CDMA Day 1 Toro. After a few months, I hated the phone with very much the same regard and issues you had. Then I got a GSM when I switched to T-Mobile.
I learned I had a dud in the Verizon version. The new GSM one is amazing, the screen is spectacular, the signal is strong and I cannot complain much about it. I prefer low vibration, I have my phone on silent or sound only.
Honestly the GSM Nexus is still one of the top performers of all time, it sits next to the iPhone 4 and Motorola Droid as the best/game changing smartphones of all time as well. The Galaxy Nexus became both a benchmark and a leaping off point for so many people, projects and development. True it has its issues, but when my Galaxy Nexus will out perform my Nexus 7 and a Galaxy S3 in normal day to day operation, it is a testimony to greatness.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

polonordo said:
If you are not an enthusiast, this phone is quite bad.
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Click to collapse
FTFY
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Related

Galaxy Nexus FTW

Dear Samsung, thank you for letting Google teach you how to make a phone. I love you Galaxy Nexus. You're fast, really fast. You boot as fast as my laptop with a Samsung 470 Series SSD. You don't lag. I tippity tap something on the screen, and something immediately happens. Your MTP is awesome. Lots of people don't like you for it, but they don't get it. That's fine, it's our secret love affair, and it's fast. ICS took me a little time to get used to, mainly because of the button layout. But after a little patience, I understand the intuitiveness and am growing fond of it.
Your battery life is awesome. I have 3 batteries and now I feel ripped off because I never get to use the other two. I try to kill you, and you last me 12+ hours every day even after streaming Tune In Radio and playing with your cool features like Stop Motion video recording in 1080p.
Your GPS is great. I remember the last time Samsung built a phone I bought. I had to take it apart, bend antenna connectors and hold my mouth just right in order to get a lock; but my Galaxy Nexus locks in mere seconds, doesn't wander, and tracks me perfectly.
People say you're light and feel cheap. Hogwash. They say, "pick up the iPhone, now that's a heavy piece". That's true, the iPhone 4S weighs 4.9 ounces, and according to my food scale, you weigh 5.0 ounces. By the time I add your extended battery and a gel skin, you weigh 6.0 ounces. If you were made out of cheap metal that cracks, sharpens and splinters with impact instead of robust, flexible and shock absorbing plastic, you'd drag my pants down lower than the average gang banger.
People say you have poor reception, but the reality is that you tell them the truth by exposing Verizon's coverage. The truth sometimes hurts.
I was unsure about your size. After all, so many people say that size doesn't count...those people own Xperia Mini's. Your screen is awesome. I can't tell that you're pentile, other than the fact that at your dimmest setting, you don't blind my eyes like the SAMOLED on my Galaxy S. While weird tint and strange banding issues due to jpeg resizing can be annoying, I know that it's not due to poor quality control or oversight but rather to limitation of the technology used.
Most of all, other than delicious ICS, what I think I love the most was how easily your bootloader was unlocked and root was obtained. I do not expect you to make me a sandwich, fix my car or give me professional swedish massages. All I ask is that you deliver ICS, Google Updates, and stellar 3rd party support immediately, and you do that. You're not what I expected...you're so much more.
Well said, well said young padawon.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I like this.. -pushes facebook "Like" button.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
It doesn't give massages? WTF
I'm a little disappointed this phone can't make me a sandwich... but well said.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Everything except the camera is just pure awesome.
Just waiting on the 4.03 update. Other than that, the phone has been stellar. I feel there is no need to root it.
I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Sandwiches and swedish massages are extremely important to me and I can't believe this phone doesn't have those features as the iphone does. I will be returning it shortly and would never have bought it if I knew it had no car washing application preloaded. I will be getting the iphone as I have heard from some people that it also makes erections last longer and makes smoking healthy. Samsung why can't you implement such features into your phones?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
This phone needs more good PR. I'm tired of seeing threads from people who don't understand their device, don't take time to troubleshoot or can't accept that their device may be defective so they try to make it an issue for everyone's device ("Galaxy Nexus screen sucks! I have a big X in the center!")
Good job. I'm gonna do an FAQ thread later.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
KWKSLVR said:
Dear Samsung, thank you for letting Google teach you how to make a phone. I love you Galaxy Nexus. You're fast, really fast. You boot as fast as my laptop with a Samsung 470 Series SSD. You don't lag. I tippity tap something on the screen, and something immediately happens. Your MTP is awesome. Lots of people don't like you for it, but they don't get it. That's fine, it's our secret love affair, and it's fast. ICS took me a little time to get used to, mainly because of the button layout. But after a little patience, I understand the intuitiveness and am growing fond of it.
Your battery life is awesome. I have 3 batteries and now I feel ripped off because I never get to use the other two. I try to kill you, and you last me 12+ hours every day even after streaming Tune In Radio and playing with your cool features like Stop Motion video recording in 1080p.
Your GPS is great. I remember the last time Samsung built a phone I bought. I had to take it apart, bend antenna connectors and hold my mouth just right in order to get a lock; but my Galaxy Nexus locks in mere seconds, doesn't wander, and tracks me perfectly.
People say you're light and feel cheap. Hogwash. They say, "pick up the iPhone, now that's a heavy piece". That's true, the iPhone 4S weighs 4.9 ounces, and according to my food scale, you weigh 5.0 ounces. By the time I add your extended battery and a gel skin, you weigh 6.0 ounces. If you were made out of cheap metal that cracks, sharpens and splinters with impact instead of robust, flexible and shock absorbing plastic, you'd drag my pants down lower than the average gang banger.
People say you have poor reception, but the reality is that you tell them the truth by exposing Verizon's coverage. The truth sometimes hurts.
I was unsure about your size. After all, so many people say that size doesn't count...those people own Xperia Mini's. Your screen is awesome. I can't tell that you're pentile, other than the fact that at your dimmest setting, you don't blind my eyes like the SAMOLED on my Galaxy S. While weird tint and strange banding issues due to jpeg resizing can be annoying, I know that it's not due to poor quality control or oversight but rather to limitation of the technology used.
I do not expect you to make me a sandwich, fix my car or give me professional swedish massages. All I ask is that you deliver ICS, Google Updates, and stellar 3rd party support immediately, and you do that. You're not what I expected...you're so much more.
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Click to collapse
Well said. A perfect love affair! I love mine as well.
---------- Post added at 08:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 AM ----------
jtambis6 said:
Just waiting on the 4.03 update. Other than that, the phone has been stellar. I feel there is no need to root it.
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Click to collapse
Anyone have an idea of what that update might address?
Thanks!
They can put a man on the moon and a dual-core beast of a computer in your hand, but they can't make a decent toaster
Has anyone seen John Connor?

Is this guys take on the Nexus correct?

http://www.thetechblock.com/articles/2012/an-androids-users-take-on-the-galaxy-nexus/
Today I jumped ship from Sprint and purchased 3 Nexus and 2 Thunderbolts from Verizon. I've been checking out reviews and I was just wondering how you guys feel about this phone. From what I've seen it looks amazing and most likely, I'll be extremely happy with the device (coming from an HTC Evo 3D). But wanted to see if he is correct on any of the negative points he made.
Appreciate any feedback in general about what you do, don't like about the device.
I got the Thunderbolts because those two are for older employees and they could barely get used to Honeycomb they use now. Also, They wouldn't allow me to get more than 3 Nexus' and the Thunderbolts were free.
My only question is why did you buy 2 Thunderbolts? Lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I was thinking the exact same thing lol, the thunderblunder whhyyyyy? Hope he can still return them.
---------- Post added at 12:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 PM ----------
Are you happy with your phones? I think that's all that matters. I could find a bunch of reviews praising the heck out of the nexus but would it change if you like it, idk. I'd say give it a week and see if you like it. Don't base it on some tech writer from a site that quite frankly I've never heard of and I frequent quite a few. The nice thing about the Gnex which I have and love is you can customize the heck out of it, if there's something you don't like there's probably a way to change it and you won't find better community support for any other phone period.
If you don't mind my saying, if your still within the return period I would be a lot more concerned about those thunderbolts.
Read the review and didn't really agree with a lot of the points.
First off the volume is fine, the problem is is that if your hand is covering the speaker it can dim very quickly so make sure to keep your hand away from the bottom while watching videos.
The phone to me feels solid. I owned a Thunderbolt before this and a Droid 2 before that so I have been with 3 of the 4 major manufacturers (LG being the last, if you can take them seriously) and to me this phone feels the best. It just works in my hand and feels good.
The screen size is a "tiny" issue to me, the only problem is trying to reach the notification bar which can be done moderately easy with one hand but most of the time I realize that I have two.
The camera on this phone is what you should expect from a camera on a phone. The fact that this guy is saying he is a photographer but uses phone camera's makes his take on the Nexus's camera seem unreliable. A phones camera is for quick shots when something comes up unexpected, if you are a photographer go buy a dedicated camera.
I am not saying that this phone is perfect but this guys review is a lot of garbage and sounds like he is just trying to find reasons to stick with his Incredible.
miketoasty said:
First off the volume is fine, the problem is is that if your hand is covering the speaker it can dim very quickly so make sure to keep your hand away from the bottom while watching videos.
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If you're coming from other Samsung devices, the Nexus One or Nexus S then the Volume is on par with those devices. If you are coming from one of Motorola's beastly loudspeaker devices (Droid 2 for example) then it's a significant difference.
martonikaj said:
My only question is why did you buy 2 Thunderbolts? Lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
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Ha! Those two are for older employees and they could barely get used to Honeycomb, so getting two more Nexus' would be a waste, not to mention, they wouldn't allow me to get more than 3 Nexus' haha.
Left Sprint 2 days ago and came to Verizon and picked up the GN. Was using an E4GT and before that an EVO 3D. The E4GT blew the EVO out of the water in my opinion so that phone is pretty irrelevant. The GN is most definitly better then the washed out screen, bad build, light leakage that the EVO 3D brings.
Now comparing it to the E4GT it is a closer battle but the GN has some cool things going for it that are not making me miss my E4GT to much.
Although battery life is looking pretty bad on this thing but I only have 1 day to judge that and will need some more time...
As others have said, return that thunderbolt ASAP!!! That is just a way failed version of the EVO 4G. You need to stay away from that device...
"most of the time I realize that I have two"
made me chuckle lol
InfiniD said:
"most of the time I realize that I have two"
made me chuckle lol
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Just makes me laugh at all these reviews saying you have to use two hands like it's some new concept. I know it isn't always the most convenient thing, but then again why would you buy a phone this big if you were worried about it in the first place? I personally first looked at this phone for it's large screen (ICS was a close second) and I knew that for the most part it was going to be a 2 hander.
InfiniD said:
I was thinking the exact same thing lol, the thunderblunder whhyyyyy? Hope he can still return them.
---------- Post added at 12:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 PM ----------
Are you happy with your phones? I think that's all that matters. I could find a bunch of reviews praising the heck out of the nexus but would it change if you like it, idk. I'd say give it a week and see if you like it. Don't base it on some tech writer from a site that quite frankly I've never heard of and I frequent quite a few. The nice thing about the Gnex which I have and love is you can customize the heck out of it, if there's something you don't like there's probably a way to change it and you won't find better community support for any other phone period.
If you don't mind my saying, if your still within the return period I would be a lot more concerned about those thunderbolts.
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Click to collapse
I haven't gotten the phones yet so haven't taken it for a spin. The sound part he mentioned bothered me. The Thunderbolts are for non power users, the Nexus' are for power users, they could care less what they have. They really want flip phones and I told them it's out of the question! haha
InfiniD said:
"most of the time I realize that I have two"
made me chuckle lol
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Haha, I don't think I'll have an issue with the size. I've got pretty big hands.
infinitemethod said:
I haven't gotten the phones yet so haven't taken it for a spin. The sound part he mentioned bothered me. The Thunderbolts are for non power users, the Nexus' are for power users, they could care less what they have. They really want flip phones and I told them it's out of the question! haha
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Sound is fine. You can install an eq app and it sounds great. Also, the earpiece for phone calls are crystal clear...
miketoasty said:
Just makes me laugh at all these reviews saying you have to use two hands like it's some new concept. I know it isn't always the most convenient thing, but then again why would you buy a phone this big if you were worried about it in the first place? I personally first looked at this phone for it's large screen (ICS was a close second) and I knew that for the most part it was going to be a 2 hander.
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Half of my friends have iphones and guess what...........they hold it in portrait mode with 2 hands and type with their thumbs lol. Not to mention they are probably complaining about the nexus screen size being too big as they are trying to mash their thumbs into the little keyboard........they crack me up, think ill take video next time i see them
on another note im actually surprised how much i use my Gnex in portrait with one hand, thought it would be a two hander for sure but it's big enough that portait is actually usable for me and i guess my hand is the perfect size for it
The "build quality" thing is so old and stupid to me at this point. There are dozens of drop tests that show plastic Samsung phones taking a beating like a champ while "metal" phones end up shattering, getting sharp edges, etc upon impact. Yet "metal" is "better" and plastic is "cheap". It makes no sense.
"Oh, the phone feels more solid with metal so it must be"
"Have you seen what happens when you drop a metal phone and what happens when you drop a plastic one? The plastic holds up better."
"Yeah, but metal feels more solid."
I've run out of hands to facepalm with.
Also, if I remember correctly, my GNex weighs over 6oz's with the extended battery. That's HEAVY. It's "solid" so again I don't get it. I also see people complain about "feel" and how their metal phone is clearly more solid just on "feel" alone and it's wrapped in a gel skin. Super Fail
That said, that "review" is merely his opinions, and he's entitled to them. I think the device is perfect for me, and if it's perfect for you then that's all that matters.
[email protected] said:
Sound is fine. You can install an eq app and it sounds great. Also, the earpiece for phone calls are crystal clear...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured that guy's opinion piece was full of ****. I appreciate the feedback and am pumped to try this phone out!
How dare he talk down on the best Android phone ever!
When I first got my Gnex the sound wasn't very loud. That was when it was stock, which lasted about 15 min. Now I'm unlocked, rooted, rommed, themed, the works, I think the volume issue went away with a custom rom, I'm using gummy which you can get here in the development threads. If you like to customize your phones it shouldn't be an issue at all, I use speakerphone daily. If you like stock just get volume+ from the market which works really well. The thing about the nexus is if theres a problem xda will solve it, check out the hook while the dj revolves it. (cheesy i know, couldn't help myself lol)
Eh. Build quality wasn't magically mind blowing but he said felt good in the hand.
He comments on sound being low (?) but then says he tested in a quiet room and couldn't comment on it. To me the GNex is loud. It's not Galaxy Tab loud, but pretty loud. I keep volume about 50% and it's too loud in some cases. I'm sure you won't hear it if your at a rock concert but thats any phone.
He *****es about the Zero Shutter lag and says he'd rather have [email protected] Having a child, the Zero Shutter lag is awesome. Picture taking is awesome. The only downfall is that I pound the button and take a ton of pics, then pick the best one... BUT if I get lazy I'll find a ton of duplicates saved.
I guess when you have Zero shutter lag it's about just getting the picture fast, where when you have shutter lag, you actually take time to make sure its a good shot the first time... since you don't want to sit there and wait 5 minutes.
Other then that he seems to be having a fun time... except he concludes with underwhelming and unimpressive?! Just kinda jumps to it and doesn't explain why. Out of all the Android Phones out there... I can't see how he came to this conclusion. He obviously loves ICS and "can't wait to get it on a future device" and the screen "which delivers incredibly sharp images and text"....
Obviously he's never owned a Nexus (he compares to a Nexus S but doesn't say he owned one). G1>Incredible>Xoom>Galaxy Nexus
I'm not saying the Gnex is super amazing and blows your mind, but it is a top performing device that works wonderfully and literally has no hardware flaws outside of opinions.
The only thing that I think could make the Galaxy Nexus better would be a Quad-Core and a super beefy GPU just for bragging rights, but the Nexus doesn't need all that to still work flawlessly through anything you throw at it. I do hope that one day we can return to the "Nexus One" days where the Nexus introduced the next wave of smartphones. The Nexus S should have been Dual-Core and the Galaxy Nexus should have been quad. Google needs to sync up with their manufactures and try to align their dates to get back in the groove with the latest tech trend.
Since Samsung took over, it feels like the Nexus is being released on hardware that is at the end of its life and outdated within months. This shouldn't be. The Nexus should be the benchmark that all other phones have to rise against.
Another negative I just discovered, the vibrate on the phone is extremely weak. You can barely feel it if you have it on your belt...
Anyone know if this can be fixed with software?
I think the guy's complaints boil down to 3 points.
1. The speaker sound is too low.
2. The camera is sub-par.
3. The build quality is cheap.
I think the first 2 points are fair enough. The speaker sound is a bit low but the problem is easily remedied by installing Volume +. The camera is not great compared to other current gen phones but it is still pretty decent, and like others have said a photographer worth his salt wouldn't be using a phone to take picture seriously anyway.
The last point is completely ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with plastic body phones if they are built properly, which the Nexus definitely is. I guess some people just like carrying around dead weight...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

(Q) Coming from iPhone, have a few questions...

So looking to come from an iphone to the nexus as I enjoy ICS... but wanted some direct feedback from the great XDA community on a few things:
- How's the battery life, I am a pretty heavy music user, so will still use Google Music for example, but streaming I assume kills battery on LTE? What about on just 3G?
- Anyone have feedback on the extended battery?
- After rooting, any luck on battery life or how is it with adjusted kernals?
Any feedback is welcome... as long as it's helpful
Battery is a not really bad but yes live music will make ur battery cry but u still will be able to hold it a day from morning to sleep time...extended batteries are good option and they can make impact upto 1.5x and may be more depending on brand and capacity..rooting can help u to save battery by removing bloatware and additional tweaks but dont expect magic here
We love android and freedom rocks!!
Feel free to ask more
Sent from my Incredible S using XDA App
Awesome, thanks for quick comments back!
Anything on the quality of the camera on the Galaxy Nexus? I've read it's terrible... I know it's no Rezound camera, but is it really that bad? Any comments there?
I never saw samples of galaxy nexus but rezound camera is very good....but i think u should wait for mobile world congress (27th feb). Quad core phones are coming ;-)
Sent from my Incredible S using XDA App
battery life should be ok but it will be worse than an iPhone if you use 4g.
as far as camera goes everyone has different opinions about it. I like the features of the camera but definitely not the quality of the rear camera.
its still an overall great device.
you might want to wait for mwc cause
phones with better specs with come out.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
what about camera- it depends: if it is bright part of the day or good or good lighting it makes great photos. If it is dark or at night- can't say forget about quality but it s not perfect.
Daytime love is car
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Dark cathedral in Vien
Sent from kanged Galaxy Nexus
I picked up a GSM GNX to try it out (I came from a 4S). Honestly the build quality is pretty poor compared to the 4S. Like they say, you get what you pay for. The screen is nice, however don't be fooled with the 4.65" screen..a decent amount of real estate is lost due to the onscreen buttons. I heard that the Rezound has a better screen. I'm not a fan of Google Music compared to the Music player on the 4S.The external speaker sucks on the Gnex. Even with the aid of volume+ it's still complete garbage compared to the 4S. The CPU is somewhat decent but the GPU is a bit outdated. Honestly, if it were not for ICS then the GNEX wouldn't be special at all. I think wish the Nexus was similar to the Rezound.
If you want an amazing phone hardware wise get the Rezound. If you want a pure open source experience then get a GNEX. But honestly, AOSP will be ported to the Rezound but not vise versa.
Summarize
Pros:
+Bigger Screen
+Native ICS support
+Large Dev community
+Minimal to no bloatware depending if you get LTE vs GSM
+LTE speeds (Verizon)
+720P Resolution
+Replaceable battery
+No lag (Taking picture)
+Easy to unlock and root. (This phone was meant for superuser access. It's a development phone)
Cons:
-CPU is not the best on Android Devices. You'd think that the flagship Android phone would have the best specs upon release
-Shared pixels.
-Cheap build quality (plastic)
-Battery life (Don't tell me because of LTE. Go look at the comparisons between this and the Rezound. It may be due to the poor signal reception on the Nexus)
-Samsung somewhat ripped people off by not making the extended battery stock
-LTE has poor signal (4.0.4 has been a hit or miss for some people). Therefore leads to decrease in battery life and slower LTE speeds.
-Limited to AOSP. You won't see roms that included Sense (May not matter to some)
-GPU is not the best. Really weak compare to the 4S. I don't have a link to the benchmark atm but i've seen it. You can google it
-Support will not be as good as Apple. (You can't walk into a store similar to the Apple store and get a quick and easy replacement. You're at the mercy of Verizon. Carriers tend to be less forgiving than manufacturers such as Apple)
eikast said:
I picked up a GSM GNX to try it out (I came from a 4S). Honestly the build quality is pretty poor compared to the 4S. Like they say, you get what you pay for. The screen is nice, however don't be fooled with the 4.65" screen..a decent amount of real estate is lost due to the onscreen buttons. I heard that the Rezound has a better screen. I'm not a fan of Google Music compared to the Music player on the 4S.The external speaker sucks on the Gnex. Even with the aid of volume+ it's still complete garbage compared to the 4S. The CPU is somewhat decent but the GPU is a bit outdated. Honestly, if it were not for ICS then the GNEX wouldn't be special at all. I think wish the Nexus was similar to the Rezound.
If you want an amazing phone hardware wise get the Rezound. If you want a pure open source experience then get a GNEX. But honestly, AOSP will be ported to the Rezound but not vise versa.
Summarize
Pros:
+Bigger Screen
+Native ICS support
+Large Dev community
+Minimal to no bloatware depending if you get LTE vs GSM
+LTE speeds (Verizon)
+720P Resolution
+Replaceable battery
+No lag (Taking picture)
+Easy to unlock and root. (This phone was meant for superuser access. It's a development phone)
Cons:
-CPU is not the best on Android Devices. You'd think that the flagship Android phone would have the best specs upon release
-Shared pixels.
-Cheap build quality (plastic)
-Battery life (Don't tell me because of LTE. Go look at the comparisons between this and the Rezound. It may be due to the poor signal reception on the Nexus)
-Samsung somewhat ripped people off by not making the extended battery stock
-LTE has poor signal (4.0.4 has been a hit or miss for some people). Therefore leads to decrease in battery life and slower LTE speeds.
-Limited to AOSP. You won't see roms that included Sense (May not matter to some)
-GPU is not the best. Really weak compare to the 4S. I don't have a link to the benchmark atm but i've seen it. You can google it
-Support will not be as good as Apple. (You can't walk into a store similar to the Apple store and get a quick and easy replacement. You're at the mercy of Verizon. Carriers tend to be less forgiving than manufacturers such as Apple)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm 90% sure you've never owned the phone and are just trolling, however I'll play.
The CPU is a Cortex A9 which is the newest mobile CPU on the market.
The GPU trails only the Mali in the Samsung Exynos and SGX540 ( I believe) in Apple's A5 chip sets, but there are no games on Android that will ever over work what this GPU is capable of.
The GSM Nexus gets some of the best battery life of any Android ever made, and my CDMA unit easily outclasses any other 3G android I've owned. LTE is a battery fiend, there's no denying. BTW you should probably go read the battery life horror stories in the Rezound forum, they have just as many complaints.
Guaranteed at 720p, you won't be able to see the shared pixels without a magnifying glass. IMO, the screen is head and shoulders better than the Rezounds but I value contrast and viewing angles.
Most people buy it BECAUSE of AOSP, not in spite of, sure seems like trolling to me.
Build quality is fine, you're being nitpicky. It's a solid handset.
zerocool79346 said:
I'm 90% sure you've never owned the phone and are just trolling, however I'll play.
The CPU is a Cortex A9 which is the newest mobile CPU on the market.
The GPU trails only the Mali in the Samsung Exynos and SGX540 ( I believe) in Apple's A5 chip sets, but there are no games on Android that will ever over work what this GPU is capable of.
The GSM Nexus gets some of the best battery life of any Android ever made, and my CDMA unit easily outclasses any other 3G android I've owned. LTE is a battery fiend, there's no denying. BTW you should probably go read the battery life horror stories in the Rezound forum, they have just as many complaints.
Guaranteed at 720p, you won't be able to see the shared pixels without a magnifying glass. IMO, the screen is head and shoulders better than the Rezounds but I value contrast and viewing angles.
Most people buy it BECAUSE of AOSP, not in spite of, sure seems like trolling to me.
Build quality is fine, you're being nitpicky. It's a solid handset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"The CPU is a Cortex A9 which is the newest mobile CPU on the market."
I don't get your point. This doesn't mean that it is the best. The Galaxy S2 has a better processor. That phone is not newer than the Nexus.
"The GPU trails only the Mali in the Samsung Exynos and SGX540 ( I believe) in Apple's A5 chip sets, but there are no games on Android that will ever over work what this GPU is capable of. "
Google "galaxy nexus GPU benchmark"
Open first link "AnandTech"
Galaxy S2 beats by more than 10 points.
iPhone 4S more than doubles it.
"Android that will ever over work what this GPU is capable of"
lamest excuse ever. You're trying to justify getting gipped with a poor GPU. lol
First of all, if you purchase a phone you are not buying it to use just for the moment. The plan is you aim to use it for 2 years. Hardware means everything when it comes to phone specs because software can be altered, changed and optimized to utilize hardware better...But hardware is permanent. Plus, remember that the phone runs at a much higher resolution than most phones...Higher resolution demands a better GPU.
"The GSM Nexus gets some of the best battery life of any Android ever made, and my CDMA unit easily outclasses any other 3G android I've owned. LTE is a battery fiend, there's no denying. BTW you should probably go read the battery life horror stories in the Rezound forum, they have just as many complaints. "
Where are you pulling this out of? If I could post links (not past 8), I would.
Google
"Samsung Galaxy Nexus battery life fully tested, results come out disappointing [TEST]"
P.S. that test was for the GSM version of the phone. The CDMA one is obviously worse. Also remember, the Nexus has a pretty large battery...So comparing it to older phones may be a bit unfair. (You stated "any other 3G android i've owned). No crap, if you run the LTE Nexus at 3G speeds, you'll get better battery performance than OLDer 3G Android phones.
The thing is that the Rezound has an official extended battery that offers more than just 10-15% (plus with no loss in functionality). Also note that the Rezound has a smaller battery than the GNexus. Plus on the benchmarks that I listed, it's a 4G Rezound vs a GSMA Nexus.
"Most people buy it BECAUSE of AOSP, not in spite of, sure seems like trolling to me."
First of all, ICS has been ported to the HTC Rezound through a leak and seems to be pretty stable (non AOSP). The AOSP roms still have some working out to due but they've had a limited time to work since the unlocking tool by HTC was only release in January (if I am not mistaken).
The Rezound has a higher PPI than the 4S (which has a higher PPI than the Nexus). I am not trolling, I was just giving the OP an honest review about the GSM Nexus while coming from the 4S (AT&T). You obviously are living in denial and have issues with people who do not share the same view as you. You failed in every way to refute what I said (also note that you didn't attempt to refute everything I said). Plus you have the ability to post links and failed to provide and evidence to back your argument.
P.S. As I mentioned earlier. I don't give a damn how long your battery lasts when the freaken screen is off. On the iPhone 4, jailbroken (iOS 4.3.3) with auto3G, I was able to have 2 days of battery life with a decent amount of 4-7 hours of usage.
Edit:
-Probably the worst thing about the Nexus is that it does not have the option for an external sdcard. If it had an Sdcard then the OP wouldn't have to worry about streaming their music.
-I also forgot to mention that the camera is complete garbage compared to other smartphones.
When I get my LTE version tomorrow i'll see how the LTE signal is in Ann Arbor. I'm going back to CA for spring break. I don't have a car out here for school, so in CA i'll go to a Verizon store and compare my phone to the Rezound. My primary focus will be:
1) Speed test
2) Screen display (I am going to see it first hand and compare)
3) How the phone feels
4) See the build quality first hand and compare it.
If the Rezound is better than the nexus in all of those tests, then i'll simply switch phones. I'll test the phone for a few days to make sure there are no issues with it. Then i'll unlock it and root it and flash it to a ICS rom (sense depending if I like it on stock, if not then a clean ICS rom).
Proof that I have the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Worst thing about nexus is no option for external SD card... bigs up the iphone. LOLWAT
In seriousness, I have yet to meet an optimised game on android market which this phone doesn't handle well. The phone is generally smooth as butter, far smoother than iOS on the iPhone 4. Not used a 4S so I cannot comment on that. The keyboard is more responsive, web browsing is a mile ahead. And the screen is in a different league.
After using a GN, going back to an iPhone seems like a huge downgrade. Something which I thought wouldn't be possible when I first got this phone. I could actually see all the pixels on the screen, blacks were grey, keyboard unresponsive, generally slow. Even for battery life I can get 2 days decent usage. Still not quite up to par with iPhone, but certainly 80% of the way there. Extended battery would surely see the GN outlast an iPhone.
Also get around 7Mbps internet speeds on my GSM nexus, combined with unlimited data plan and torrenting... ahahaha iPhones lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
eikast said:
Proof that I have the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't take this the wrong way, but you sound like you've been reading too many blogs that obsess over little details. I remember before I got my phone I was researching and reading up on phone comparisons, where commentators seemed to parrot numbers and buzzwords with no end. Now that I have my phone and I stick to forums where people discuss their actual experiences, everything just seems more... sane.
Just compare the first few posts in this thread, which are brief, personalized reports of experience, with yours, which are long, specsheet style diatribes.
A lot of what you're saying seems like you've been reading up on the Rezound and it's great that you're planning to do a comparison and maybe switch phones if it looks better suited to your needs, but this is a pretty mismatched arena to vent these opinions you're forming. The OP asked pretty specific questions and if you step back and look at what you've written here I think you'll see it as a huge tangent.
eikast said:
Proof that I have the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, regarding build quality:
What the hell is wrong with a little plastic? Its light, durable, scratch resistant and easily formable allowing for better shaping.
While the GN is a large phone, it fits comfortably and securely in the hand. I have yet to drop the phone, with the bottom of the phone pronounced to help grip it. The curvatures of the screen and sides make it pleasing to grasp.
Conversely the iPhone feels like holding a 20 deck of smokes. A small brick in your hand. Despite its size it is less comfortable to hold. Sure it feels well made, like said brick, but that is all.
The iPhone 5 will no doubt shy away from the dated brick look. And I would bet on it having a larger screen, thinner with more ergonomic shaping. Ya' know, like the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
aspudgun said:
Worst thing about nexus is no option for external SD card... bigs up the iphone. LOLWAT
In seriousness, I have yet to meet an optimised game on android market which this phone doesn't handle well. The phone is generally smooth as butter, far smoother than iOS on the iPhone 4. Not used a 4S so I cannot comment on that. The keyboard is more responsive, web browsing is a mile ahead. And the screen is in a different league.
After using a GN, going back to an iPhone seems like a huge downgrade. Something which I thought wouldn't be possible when I first got this phone. I could actually see all the pixels on the screen, blacks were grey, keyboard unresponsive, generally slow. Even for battery life I can get 2 days decent usage. Still not quite up to par with iPhone, but certainly 80% of the way there. Extended battery would surely see the GN outlast an iPhone.
Also get around 7Mbps internet speeds on my GSM nexus, combined with unlimited data plan and torrenting... ahahaha iPhones lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My comment regarding the sdcard is respect to other Android phones. Yes it's true the iPhone 4S does not have an external sdcard but at least they have a 64GB option.
You're comparing the Gnexus to an iPhone 4 that was released in June 2010. My comparison was to the latest 4S.
7Mbs on the GSM Nexus is nothing to show. I was actually getting better GSM speeds on my 4S on at&t than this phone. I got my data plan switched but it's still slow. It really doesn't matter though since i'm switching to Verizon for LTE speeds.
---------- Post added at 03:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 AM ----------
JoeSyr said:
Don't take this the wrong way, but you sound like you've been reading too many blogs that obsess over little details. I remember before I got my phone I was researching and reading up on phone comparisons, where commentators seemed to parrot numbers and buzzwords with no end. Now that I have my phone and I stick to forums where people discuss their actual experiences, everything just seems more... sane.
Just compare the first few posts in this thread, which are brief, personalized reports of experience, with yours, which are long, specsheet style diatribes.
A lot of what you're saying seems like you've been reading up on the Rezound and it's great that you're planning to do a comparison and maybe switch phones if it looks better suited to your needs, but this is a pretty mismatched arena to vent these opinions you're forming. The OP asked pretty specific questions and if you step back and look at what you've written here I think you'll see it as a huge tangent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I focused on a iPhone 4S vs GNEX comparison and I compared the GNEX to another Android phone. The main topic in all of my posts were regarding the GNEX and how it performs to other phones.
aspudgun said:
What the hell is wrong with a little plastic? Its light, durable, scratch resistant and easily formable allowing for better shaping.
While the GN is a large phone, it fits comfortably and securely in the hand. I have yet to drop the phone, with the bottom of the phone pronounced to help grip it. The curvatures of the screen and sides make it pleasing to grasp.
Conversely the iPhone feels like holding a 20 deck of smokes. A small brick in your hand. Despite its size it is less comfortable to hold. Sure it feels well made, like said brick, but that is all.
The iPhone 5 will no doubt shy away from the dated brick look. And I would bet on it having a larger screen, thinner with more ergonomic shaping. Ya' know, like the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've nailed it!
I always wonder why would people complain about Samsung using plastic. Plastic is light and durable and it's PERFECT for casing on a phone.
iPhone 4/4s is a great phone but it's SO fragile. My mom cracked her screen when the phone fell out of her bed in the middle of the night but my old Vibrant has survived me dropping it so many times walking/getting out of car without a scratch.
It's a mobile device at the end of the day. Unlike electronics devices like TV, stereo, desktop, you are carrying it around so it's an accident waiting to happen.
Therefore, the more durable and lighter, the better.
MilkPudding said:
You've nailed it!
I always wonder why would people complain about Samsung using plastic. Plastic is light and durable and it's PERFECT for casing on a phone.
iPhone 4/4s is a great phone but it's SO fragile. My mom cracked her screen when the phone fell out of her bed in the middle of the night but my old Vibrant has survived me dropping it so many times walking/getting out of car without a scratch.
It's a mobile device at the end of the day. Unlike electronics devices like TV, stereo, desktop, you are carrying it around so it's an accident waiting to happen.
Therefore, the more durable and lighter, the better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well sorry, but I don't want to have a plastic phone just because some people are clumsy. I would never risk breaking $650 + device by being careless. Maybe I'm just more careful than the average person because I build enthusiast computers.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
eikast said:
Well sorry, but I don't want to have a plastic phone just because some people are clumsy. I would never risk breaking $650 + device by being careless. Maybe I'm just more careful than the average person because I build enthusiast computers.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You want to carry a piece of heavy glass with you that's your personal preference, but it doesn't invalidate the fact that mobile devices are better with lighter and more durable materials.
That's why you see plane's made of aluminium, not glass.
eikast said:
I focused on a iPhone 4S vs GNEX comparison and I compared the GNEX to another Android phone. The main topic in all of my posts were regarding the GNEX and how it performs to other phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but this wasn't posed as a general phone vs phone comparison. Just look at the language in the OP. "Wanted some direct feedback on...", "any luck on battery life...". The meat of pretty much everything the OP asked was regarding battery life, and they had pretty specific questions.
Your response hit on a few of the original points tangentially. But where the closest matching question was "does streaming music drain the battery", you answered with opinions on volume levels, the music app itself and then... right into CPU and GPU factoids. Your summary is longer than your original opinions, and has little to nothing to do with this topic.
I don't want to put words into anyone's mouth about what is and isn't helpful, but the fact that you found it necessary to prove that you actually own the phone isn't the best indicator that this was a healthy discussion, looking at where it started.
aspudgun said:
Also, regarding build quality:
What the hell is wrong with a little plastic? Its light, durable, scratch resistant and easily formable allowing for better shaping.
While the GN is a large phone, it fits comfortably and securely in the hand. I have yet to drop the phone, with the bottom of the phone pronounced to help grip it. The curvatures of the screen and sides make it pleasing to grasp.
Conversely the iPhone feels like holding a 20 deck of smokes. A small brick in your hand. Despite its size it is less comfortable to hold. Sure it feels well made, like said brick, but that is all.
The iPhone 5 will no doubt shy away from the dated brick look. And I would bet on it having a larger screen, thinner with more ergonomic shaping. Ya' know, like the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MilkPudding said:
You want to carry a piece of heavy glass with you that's your personal preference, but it doesn't invalidate the fact that mobile devices are better with lighter and more durable materials.
That's why you see plane's made of aluminium, not glass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol. The majority of aircraft are designed with an aluminum structure because aluminum has a high strength to weight ratio plus it is highly ductile (important for wing deflection).
You are comparing material properties (that are no debatable, unless the option for composites) for an aircraft (ranges from hundreds of thousands to 1 billion+ dollars [see b-2 bomber]), material that is no debatable, to the design (material of exterior) of a phone is mostly due to aesthetics.
A phone doesn't have to be made out of glass...
But come on now...Are you seriously going to tell me that the Nexus doesn't feel cheap? Compare it to the S2, a device that was designed by Samsung. Don't you feel a little ripped off?
JoeSyr said:
Yeah, but this wasn't posed as a general phone vs phone comparison. Just look at the language in the OP. "Wanted some direct feedback on...", "any luck on battery life...". The meat of pretty much everything the OP asked was regarding battery life, and they had pretty specific questions.
Your response hit on a few of the original points tangentially. But where the closest matching question was "does streaming music drain the battery", you answered with opinions on volume levels, the music app itself and then... right into CPU and GPU factoids. Your summary is longer than your original opinions, and has little to nothing to do with this topic.
I don't want to put words into anyone's mouth about what is and isn't helpful, but the fact that you found it necessary to prove that you actually own the phone isn't the best indicator that this was a healthy discussion, looking at where it started.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You, sir, have a tremendous amount of patience towards belligerent barbarians. I salute you for being the calm voice of reason and civility.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

1st impression on gnex coming from an ip4

Hello XDA.
The gnex is my 1st android phone and I'm pretty excited to start tweaking it out.
I am coming from a previous generation ip4.
I am mainly switching because I am grandfathered in to Tmo Tzones and iphones don't support Tmo 3g bands, only edge.
My micro-sim adapter will arrive later today so I haven't put my sim in yet, but I've been just playing w/ ICS and inspecting the the unit itself.
Just some thoughts below.
The overall weight is pretty light, but not so light that it feels too cheap. Its ok. Materials are whatever, I guess I've been spoiled with the ip4 metal and glass.
The battery door feels cheap, but when its on you can't really tell so its not a big deal, and also I rather have a removable battery than not.
In terms of size I really like it, ip4 was just too small to browse or watch videos on. Gnex is a bit bigger but I am still able to easily handle it and use with only one hand. Still fits in the front pocket of fitted pants easily as well since its slim.
The slight curve is pretty nice, but I don't like how the whole phone is not symmetrical in thickness.
So yea, fit and finish is mediocre. Ip4 is a cut above the rest in terms of design and materials, but the gnex is a good size and still feels of decent quality in the hand overall so I'm ok with it.
ICS is nice. Pretty intuitive and easy to pick up.
No previous android experience to compare, and I'm still on the dated ios4, but it takes a few apps from cydia for the ip4 to be about where ICS is in terms of options and control out of the box. I can only imagine my options after rooting.
The os feels pretty quick and snappy, but its not as smooth as ios. Ios feels very liquid, while android feels choppy.
Things load quick, but the overall system just doesn't feel as polished.
I didn't fiddle with much, skimmed the apps and browsed settings. I did play with the camera a little. Quality is good enough for a phone camera and I really like how it snaps shots very quickly.
Overall stock system is ok, but I like android. I'm glad for the potential to tweak the phone more and can't wait to mess with it. I hope custom roms run smoother than the stock ics.
Now for my main gripe with this phone.
The screen. I am very underwhelmed.
Right when I opened the phone settings I could see a lot of funky banding on the grey background on all brightness settings.
Viewing angles are also pretty bad. Bluish green tint shows only after a bit less than 30 degrees off center from any angle.
Then I opened up the browser. The whites have issues. Brightness on max is acceptable, but anything else and it gets grainy and ugly. No uniformity.
I don't notice obvious pixelation, but browsing text and everything just looks softer and not as crisp. I felt like I was reading a newspaper haha.
Looked at some photos I snapped. Color representation is very off with this screen. Pics do pop more from the contrast when the brightness is up high though. Luckily the screen falls on the warmer side of things so its easy on my eyes.
What I do like a lot is the blacks are black even on max brightness, compared to the ip4 which has washed out blacks on high brightness.
I also like the slightly higher resolution and bigger screen size of course.
I'm a bit dated on my display tech so I did not know what to expect with the pentile amoled.
It definitely can not live up to apple's "retina" standard. Apples screen looks crystal even if you put your nose up to it.
The 1/3 less sub pixels using pentile really ruins things. Ppi really is probably effectively 200ish and not 300+ as the gnex claims on paper.
Pentile amoled seems very low quality to me. Maybe amoled in general. It has all the issues of a cheap TN lcd panel. Inaccurate colors, bad viewing angle, no screen uniformity. The pluses being extremely deep blacks and good contrast.
If you run your monitors on high brightness the screen might be acceptable, but if not its pretty bad. Unfortunately I run all my screens on very low brightness.
Mind you my monitors and tvs are calibrated and color accuracy matters to me. The ip4s ips screen does very well in this regard. Colors are very natural and also viewing angles are great, typical of ips screens. Its also brighter at max than the gnex and dimmer at min. I have to say the ip4s display is leaps above the gnex in terms of quality. Only down fall is the washed out blacks.
If you are coming from ip4 or spend most of your time on ips/pva displays etc the gnex screen will most likely be a let down.
If you haven't owned an ip4 and don't know what tech your monitor is or dont care then you will most likely be very happy with the gnex screen, just don't put it side by side an iphone 4 or you will notice issues you won't be able to remove from your brain.
For $400 + tax I can't really complain. I'm getting a lot from the phone, but its definitely not a steal of a deal. Samsung cut quite a few corners, the pentile amoled display being the most regrettable for me.
I currently have a docomo version from amazon, but will return it soon after my warrantied google one arrives. I will compare the two. I hope the next one's screen is better.
I'll stick with the gnex despite my gripes since I want to play with android, its got great dev support and its one of the best tzones compatible phone currently, but I am not as thrilled since receiving the phone.
Probably will move on to the sg3 asap if it works on my plan. They better get it right on that phone.
See this is what I have been wondering... have you had any issues so far? I am an iPhone convert as well but I went for the DROID RAZR on verizon and I love it... I was considering trying to get a GN but Im hesitant
There are a lot of threads and posts on defective units with screen issues to what you describe. There is a very likely chance you simply had a defective unit.
When you get the new one and compare, post again. I'm curious. Mine should be in today and I'm worried I'd get one with the screen issues as well.
Sent from my Nexus One using xda premium
vv13 said:
If you are coming from ip4 or spend most of your time on ips/pva displays etc the gnex screen will most likely be a let down.
If you haven't owned an ip4 and don't know what tech your monitor is or dont care then you will most likely be very happy with the gnex screen, just don't put it side by side an iphone 4 or you will notice issues you won't be able to remove from your brain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your frustrations. However, there are quite a few users on here coming from an iphone 4s who feel the GNex was a step-up in what Android can offer vs iOS. The Nexus series is aimed at development as well, so take that in to regard while Apple's Iphone is aimed at every consumer in the world wanting a general smartphone.
Android blows iOS out of the water in terms of customization and powerfulness because of it's open-source nature - the sky is the limit here.
To tell people that the GNex will be a let-down coming from an iphone 4 is just your opinion and that's all it is. You failed to mention some of the intuitiveness of both platforms. Where's the back button on iOS? On android it's the SAME spot for EVERY app. How easy is it to share content on iOS? On android, you can literally share ANYTHING easily. I think the issue with your mini-review here is that you've been way too accustomed to iOS, so everything now seems inferior to you. I myself have used an iPhone to begin with and then switched to Android later on and will never go back.
Does the iphone support USB on the go? HDMI out? Wifi Direct? NFC? Launcher widgets w/ live data? NOPE!
I'd really like to try one out but this RAZR is good too...
Sent from my DROID RAZR
I have had 3 Galaxy nexus units and two of them had horrible screens with banding and other scratchy textures on the screen (almost like a creased newspaper at low brightness). Luckily, the one I kept has a perfect screen. It has zero banding and perfect uniformity even at 0% brightness. It also doesn't have any tint/hue issues. The other two units had bluish/purpleish whites as the brightness decreased, this one stays pure white.
Basically, they are not all as bad as you describe. But in my personal experience (2 out of 3), most units have pretty crappy screens. This can be attributed to Samsung's quality control, or lack thereof. I don't think the flagship Google phone should go out with any of display the issues you describe, but apparently they do. Personally, I wouldn't settle for it (and didn't). Exchange your phone if you can because there are units out there with perfect screens.
matesims23 said:
See this is what I have been wondering... have you had any issues so far? I am an iPhone convert as well but I went for the DROID RAZR on verizon and I love it... I was considering trying to get a GN but Im hesitant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only had the phone very briefly, but so far no other issues other than what was stated about the screen.
No major os lag, random shut offs, screen retention, pop noises or anything like that.
The phone does heat up though a bit more than the ip4, and it can be easily felt through the cheap cover. Nothing else really.
Overall the gnex is fine, just my expectations of the screen were set pretty high considering so many touted the display of the phone as one of its strongpoints.
It does not help that i came from the ip4.
Still a fully loaded phone with all specs premium. Just not bleeding edge tech or fancy materials. All for $400 no contract is fair.
Unless you're the cultish type that wants a pure android experience need ics or a google phone whatever, there really is no reason I see to leave the razr.
uoY_redruM said:
There are a lot of threads and posts on defective units with screen issues to what you describe. There is a very likely chance you simply had a defective unit.
When you get the new one and compare, post again. I'm curious. Mine should be in today and I'm worried I'd get one with the screen issues as well.
Sent from my Nexus One using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I definitely will, but after reading up on pentile amoled tech, a lot of these issues mentioned are traits of the technology. I hope on the next phone they are not as severe though.
akira02rex said:
I understand your frustrations. However, there are quite a few users on here coming from an iphone 4s who feel the GNex was a step-up in what Android can offer vs iOS. The Nexus series is aimed at development as well, so take that in to regard while Apple's Iphone is aimed at every consumer in the world wanting a general smartphone.
Android blows iOS out of the water in terms of customization and powerfulness because of it's open-source nature - the sky is the limit here.
To tell people that the GNex will be a let-down coming from an iphone 4 is just your opinion and that's all it is. You failed to mention some of the intuitiveness of both platforms. Where's the back button on iOS? On android it's the SAME spot for EVERY app. How easy is it to share content on iOS? On android, you can literally share ANYTHING easily. I think the issue with your mini-review here is that you've been way too accustomed to iOS, so everything now seems inferior to you. I myself have used an iPhone to begin with and then switched to Android later on and will never go back.
Does the iphone support USB on the go? HDMI out? Wifi Direct? NFC? Launcher widgets w/ live data? NOPE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you have misinterpreted my let down comment as its only in reference to the screens and not the gnex vs ip4 as a whole.
And have become a bit overly defensive for reasons I'm not sure why.
Regardless, you are right about everything only being a person's opinion.
Other than that we are on the same plane.
I am not for apple's dumbed down os. I am also against them making everything proprietary and putting things on lockdown.
The ip4 is actually my only apple owned product since I just loved the design too much.
As you can see, my initial post says I am thrilled to root and and can't wait to play with what android has to offer.
akira02rex said:
I understand your frustrations. However, there are quite a few users on here coming from an iphone 4s who feel the GNex was a step-up in what Android can offer vs iOS. The Nexus series is aimed at development as well, so take that in to regard while Apple's Iphone is aimed at every consumer in the world wanting a general smartphone.
Android blows iOS out of the water in terms of customization and powerfulness because of it's open-source nature - the sky is the limit here.
To tell people that the GNex will be a let-down coming from an iphone 4 is just your opinion and that's all it is. You failed to mention some of the intuitiveness of both platforms. Where's the back button on iOS? On android it's the SAME spot for EVERY app. How easy is it to share content on iOS? On android, you can literally share ANYTHING easily. I think the issue with your mini-review here is that you've been way too accustomed to iOS, so everything now seems inferior to you. I myself have used an iPhone to begin with and then switched to Android later on and will never go back.
Does the iphone support USB on the go? HDMI out? Wifi Direct? NFC? Launcher widgets w/ live data? NOPE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This person said it correct. If your comming from ios, you should get another phone thats aimed at every day consumers, this phone was made for ppl who want to take control and like he said the sky is the limit with android.
ra990 said:
I have had 3 Galaxy nexus units and two of them had horrible screens with banding and other scratchy textures on the screen (almost like a creased newspaper at low brightness). Luckily, the one I kept has a perfect screen. It has zero banding and perfect uniformity even at 0% brightness. It also doesn't have any tint/hue issues. The other two units had bluish/purpleish whites as the brightness decreased, this one stays pure white.
Basically, they are not all as bad as you describe. But in my personal experience (2 out of 3), most units have pretty crappy screens. This can be attributed to Samsung's quality control, or lack thereof. I don't think the flagship Google phone should go out with any of display the issues you describe, but apparently they do. Personally, I wouldn't settle for it (and didn't). Exchange your phone if you can because there are units out there with perfect screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats good news.
Would you mind sharing the specifics of your phones build and origin etc..
cheddaface said:
This person said it correct. If your comming from ios, you should get another phone thats aimed at every day consumers, this phone was made for ppl who want to take control and like he said the sky is the limit with android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right if the person was content with ios as a whole.
vv13 said:
No previous android experience to compare, and I'm still on the dated ios4, but it takes a few apps from cydia for the ip4 to be about where ICS is in terms of options and control out of the box. I can only imagine my options after rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vv13 said:
Overall stock system is ok, but I like android. I'm glad for the potential to tweak the phone more and can't wait to mess with it. I hope custom roms run smoother than the stock ics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vv13 said:
I'll stick with the gnex despite my gripes since I want to play with android, its got great dev support and its one of the best tzones compatible phone currently, but I am not as thrilled since receiving the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That from my first post should hint to you what I am aiming for.
Remember I've only had this phone a few days and have not yet had the chance to break the surface, hence this thread being only a 1st impression, Not a full fledged review
Return your unit. I already played with 4 GNexus including mine and none have this issues, and the viewing angles are great. The screen is awesome. My friend changed the iPhone 4 for a GNexus and love the screen.
vv13 said:
Thats good news.
Would you mind sharing the specifics of your phones build and origin etc..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, it is a Jan 2012 build, does not say Made in xxx anywhere on it, just says made by Samsung (someone said that means Korea, but I'm not sure). The other ones I had both said Made in China. I got mine new from Amazon.com (came from a seller named abe-123, order fulfilled by Amazon). It had 4.0.2 build on it (not sure if YAKJU or not, I flashed latest image as soon as I got it). Let me know if you want to know anything else.
I applaud the OP for his opinion from a neutral standpoint. Welcome to the family. I've had my Nexus since late December and was one of the 'lucky' ones that got a near perfect screen on the first go. Like others have said, there is a very broad spectrum ranging from near perfect to absolutely terrible.
I recommend going over this thread if you haven't already when your new unit arrives:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1394358
akira02rex said:
I understand your frustrations. However, there are quite a few users on here coming from an iphone 4s who feel the GNex was a step-up in what Android can offer vs iOS. The Nexus series is aimed at development as well, so take that in to regard while Apple's Iphone is aimed at every consumer in the world wanting a general smartphone.
Android blows iOS out of the water in terms of customization and powerfulness because of it's open-source nature - the sky is the limit here.
To tell people that the GNex will be a let-down coming from an iphone 4 is just your opinion and that's all it is. You failed to mention some of the intuitiveness of both platforms. Where's the back button on iOS? On android it's the SAME spot for EVERY app. How easy is it to share content on iOS? On android, you can literally share ANYTHING easily. I think the issue with your mini-review here is that you've been way too accustomed to iOS, so everything now seems inferior to you. I myself have used an iPhone to begin with and then switched to Android later on and will never go back.
Does the iphone support USB on the go? HDMI out? Wifi Direct? NFC? Launcher widgets w/ live data? NOPE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jesus. No need to be so defensive. Android is not your girlfriend. Everything he said is true and they are issues Google needs to work out if they want Android to grow as a platform. While smoothness has increased since gingerbread, the fact of the matter is it is still a step behind when it comes to smoothness.
And lets get dispelled that notion that gnex flaws can be disregarded because it is a development phone. Yes, the gnex is intended to be the test bed for Android software. But that doesn't mean that Google doesn't intend to sell every last phone they have to the end user or that they didn't design it with the intent for the majority of users to use the phone like the average consumer.
Sent via Galaxy Nexus
Lmao you guys get so fighting about it. I have an iphone 4s and a Gnex so far rocking the galaxy one because I like the OS but is hard to let go the iphone 4S I could probably get 450$ easy for my iphone but I'm no gonna sell it till I'm 100% sure at this moment is a 50% 50% . Specially when it comes to music. I go to the gym 3-5 times at week and the galaxy nexus with beats audio don't sound right . Any recommendations ? And maybe an app that can make the controller on the beats audiowork
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I think I might try it out
Sent from my DROID RAZR
jgalan14 said:
Lmao you guys get so fighting about it. I have an iphone 4s and a Gnex so far rocking the galaxy one because I like the OS but is hard to let go the iphone 4S I could probably get 450$ easy for my iphone but I'm no gonna sell it till I'm 100% sure at this moment is a 50% 50% . Specially when it comes to music. I go to the gym 3-5 times at week and the galaxy nexus with beats audio don't sound right . Any recommendations ? And maybe an app that can make the controller on the beats audiowork
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just came from evo3d with beats audio and i also hit the gym about 4-5 days a week and it worked great on my 3d but i would love it on my nexus but it dosent work??
Well, I hope the one I ordered today doesn't have any issues with the screen!

[Sprint] - Time for upgrade. GSIII a worthy upgrade? Or hold off...

I am due for an upgrade, now. I am coming from an OG EVO. I have not been keeping up with phones lately. Obviously this is a GSIII sub forum, so I am expecting biased answers. I asked a few other places as well.
Check out a couple of in depth reviews.
If your going Android. (which i presume is why you asked) you will not find a better device. The only one that comes close would be the HTC ONE X, But no expandable memory, removeable battery, etc.
http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-review/
jhoffy22 said:
I am due for an upgrade, now. I am coming from an OG EVO. I have not been keeping up with phones lately. Obviously this is a GSIII sub forum, so I am expecting biased answers. I asked a few other places as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on your preferences... the two obvious choices would be the GSIII or Evo 4g Lte...
I used the Evo for a few days before getting the GSIII and the deciding factor was pretty much the poor multi tasking and the lack of a removable battery on the Evo. It does boast a superior display imo and a slightly better camera. I find I'm getting the same battery life on my GSIII probably a little more. I would suggest going to a store and use both for a few minutes, you should be somewhat familiar with HTC sense but Touchwiz isn't that horrible.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Iphony89 said:
Depends on your preferences... the two obvious choices would be the GSIII or Evo 4g Lte...
I used the Evo for a few days before getting the GSIII and the deciding factor was pretty much the poor multi tasking and the lack of a removable battery on the Evo. It does boast a superior display imo and a slightly better camera. I find I'm getting the same battery life on my GSIII probably a little more. I would suggest going to a store and use both for a few minutes, you should be somewhat familiar with HTC sense but Touchwiz isn't that horrible.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the Galaxy line was notorious for having AWESOME screens. You're telling me that the EVO LTE's LCD2 is actually slightly better?
How do these screens compare to the Iphone 4s?
I don't own a GSIII..I'm really just here to see how LTE is looking for GSIII users in Dallas. I own a EVO LTE and here's what I got for ya
iphony is right . Multitasking is a little off...meaning, you go from the browser to the music app and the music app reloads. Go back to the browser and the browser reloads. Kinda annoying. The update for the phone kinda fixed it but not really.
Dev scene isn't as great so you're really gonna have to be satisfied for how the phone is right off the ****. The devs have managed to fix the multitasking issue but I don't know to what extent. I'm still on stock and I'm happy with it.
The screen is pretty damn sweet. I came from an iPhone 4S and I haven't really noticed a difference. Still seems like a retina display to me, just a bigger screen.
The big plus for me is the beats audio EQ...because that EQ plus switching the beats audio mode to urBeats puts the audio quality on par with the iPhone. Audio sounds real good.
Other than those things...you'll probably get the same experience. It all comes down to the little things the phones do that you like- so you're really just gonna have to play with both them.
---------- Post added at 01:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 PM ----------
jhoffy22 said:
I thought the Galaxy line was notorious for having AWESOME screens. You're telling me that the EVO LTE's LCD2 is actually slightly better?
How do these screens compare to the Iphone 4s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw you posted this a minute or so before mine so I'll just repeat what I wrote..
going from the 4s to the EVO...it felt exactly the same. It seems just like the retina display..the only difference I can see with my eye is screen size. So it's pretty much a bigger iPhone 4s screen. It's gorgeous. Unfortunately I have my phone in an otterbox so the quality is degraded
And another thing about the screens...
The 4s, idk what it uses for its screen, but you don't need a screen protector. There is 0 smudging...it's like it cleans itself or something. The EVO 4G LTE is not like that. idk about the GSIII...I've yet to get my hands on one.
jhoffy22 said:
I thought the Galaxy line was notorious for having AWESOME screens. You're telling me that the EVO LTE's LCD2 is actually slightly better?
How do these screens compare to the Iphone 4s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screens are both great, the screen on the evo just stands out more to me, while the GSIII has a more natural looking colors. That being said I went with the GSIII because it's a better overall phone and I tend to prefer Samsung phones, but a few things on the Evo did make it a hard decision.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
jhoffy22 said:
I thought the Galaxy line was notorious for having AWESOME screens. You're telling me that the EVO LTE's LCD2 is actually slightly better?
How do these screens compare to the Iphone 4s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S III uses a pentile display, meaning images aren't as sharp as the Evo's and you'll see some pixelation or the "pentile effect" if you have good eyes. The E4GLE's display has warmer and more "realistic" colors than the S III's "saturated" and cooler colors. It's also a little sharper and you can't see the pixels, or at least I couldn't. I also found that the S III's screen was a lot dimmer in sunlight than the Evo's.
That said, I still stuck with my S III because of the massive development that will happen in the coming months.
As for the iPhone comparison you would have to get that from someone else, not my cup of tea.:beer:
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
The EVO LTE screen is sharper but the GS3 has all the benefits of amoled displays (darker blacks, beautiful colors). The EVO LTE is also going to be hard to put custom software (roms) on because it's bootloader is locked and any exploits are patched.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
jhoffy22 said:
I thought the Galaxy line was notorious for having AWESOME screens. You're telling me that the EVO LTE's LCD2 is actually slightly better?
How do these screens compare to the Iphone 4s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love my gs3...but screens...lmao...
LCD kicks any version of amoleds ass all day long.
You can make the "oooh but the blacks are so much better ...." well that's great but everything else is garbage.
Don't get me wrong performance wise the gs3 is full of win, and fanboys will start whining how they like the galaxy screens, but there's not even a fair comparison as the lcd2 is far superior to any Samsung screen.
The fact of the matter is the htc rezound STILL has the best screen of any of any phone on the market. Slcd2 screen of the 1x comes close.
Sammy is so far behind in screen technology its ... strange.
BUT I will say the gs3 is a different and refined version of the samoled screens and its tolerable.
People who say the gs3 screen is better don't have a clue, and obviously its merely a personal preference, and not based on facts.
S-amoled(yes even pluss) is VERY saturated, whites are just omg horrible.
Also this gives the false pretense of how your images are from the camera.( which btw is neck and neck with one x)
BUT the pros out weigh the cons and the gs3 IMO is the best phone on the market.
If htc ups the aentie , which it appears they might I will probably go back.
But .... its iffy.
No removable battery
No removable storage...
Deal breaker for me
I really like having tons of development, and everyone here is pretty cool. Although I'm sure ill be called a troll for my truth about the screen FACTS. RRAAWWWRRRR!!!!
:cyclops:
Get the gs3!
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
Much to the dismay of the salesperson I spent literally two hours playing with the Evo 4G and the SGS3 side-by-side at the local Sprint store a week or so ago, and this after reading every review and comparison I could find. Choosing between the two was VERY tough IMO. I ultimately went with the SGS3 and couldn't be happier.
Re; the screen being better on one versus the other... I think it largely comes down to your eyes. I've personally always loved the AMOLED screens, exaggerated colors and all, but my eyes aren't what they used to be so for me that brightness and saturation is actually a big plus. When I compared the two phones side-by-side I frankly couldn't tell the difference for the most part. It seemed like in some apps one would be a little better, and in some it was the other way around. Also, the whole pentile thing with the SGS3- again, my eyes being what they are, I can't resolve the pixels at all anymore no matter how much I squint, so for me that's a complete non-factor.
In terms of performance, all I know for sure is that the SGS3 is without question the smoothest experience I've ever had on any Android phone. The HTC seemed perfectly comparable though. I've seen various benchmarks that put one on top of the other (and then other benchmarks that reverse things) so, to me, you're probably talking about a relative wash here.
Build quality and feel.. .this one is weird because I've seen a few people saying the SGS3 feels cheap and not made well and that doesn't match my opinion at all. Yes, the chassis is plastic, but it feels like quality to me. There's definitely no bowing or creaking or any of that stuff. It feels solid and well-made to me for sure. Oh, and FYI, mine has been dropped from roughly 4 feet on a kitchen floor already with no ill effect, and no case or anything, so at least to a fist approximation it's sturdy (hopefully I don't test it any more than that! LOL) The HTC also feels like a quality device. Again, to my sense I'd call it a wash. The SGS3 I believe is a little thinner and lighter, which I sometimes find myself wishing it weren't, but most of the time not. The HTC does have that little kickstand, which is a nice plus, but come on, I don't know too many people that would consider that a deciding factor either way.
I like having the replaceable batter for sure, that's always a nice thing. Historically I've used extended batteries in my phone so a replaceable battery is required, but I'll tell you, my SGS3 has so far given me stellar battery life and it doesn't seem necessary. Still, nice to have the option. Similarly, being able to swap in a bigger SD card is nice too (although I have everything I can imagine ever wanting on my phone and it's only half-filling my 32Gb card so I'm probably done there... if the 32Gb model had been available at the time I would have gotten that and just not used a card frankly).
Samsung has also, in my opinion, done a good job augmenting Android without wrecking it. TouchWiz isn't terrible, but I don't run it myself... but aside from the launcher, some of the added features they've given us are nice. Sure, some are a bit gimmicky, and some aren't winners, but there's more good than bad, and they've done it without diverging immensely from stock Android. I say kudos for Samsung this time around, I think they nailed it and haven't gone too far either way. Some will still prefer a stock ICS experience of course, and I hear ya on that, I was running Cyanogen on my Epic before I got my SGS3, but in this case I don't at all mind and in fact LIKE the changes.
One other consideration is that historically Samsung has been pretty slow getting Android updates out to us (partly them, partly carriers fault). We don't know if that will be the case this time around, although I think it's worth noting that we've had already two OTA updates on Sprint so far I believe. Yes, minor updates, but still, that's in only a few weeks' time. I think this bodes well that Samsung may be set to do a much better job getting us our updates faster than in the past. Remember, they managed a nearly simultaneous multi-carrier release for the first time and have a top seller on their hands, I suspect they may not want to ruin that momentum getting us Jelly Bean at a minimum sooner than later. HTC, on the other hand, has historically been good with updates, better than Samsung certainly, so that's something to consider.
I think the bottom line, what I concluded in the store that day anyway, was that I was probably going to be very happy no matter which I chose. They're both great devices. Is the SGS3 worthy? Abso-fraggin'-lutely! Is there a better choice? Possibly, but it's a tough, tough call IMO.
fzammetti said:
Much to the dismay of the salesperson I spent literally two hours playing with the Evo 4G and the SGS3 side-by-side at the local Sprint store a week or so ago, and this after reading every review and comparison I could find. Choosing between the two was VERY tough IMO. I ultimately went with the SGS3 and couldn't be happier.
Re; the screen being better on one versus the other... I think it largely comes down to your eyes. I've personally always loved the AMOLED screens, exaggerated colors and all, but my eyes aren't what they used to be so for me that brightness and saturation is actually a big plus. When I compared the two phones side-by-side I frankly couldn't tell the difference for the most part. It seemed like in some apps one would be a little better, and in some it was the other way around. Also, the whole pentile thing with the SGS3- again, my eyes being what they are, I can't resolve the pixels at all anymore no matter how much I squint, so for me that's a complete non-factor.
In terms of performance, all I know for sure is that the SGS3 is without question the smoothest experience I've ever had on any Android phone. The HTC seemed perfectly comparable though. I've seen various benchmarks that put one on top of the other (and then other benchmarks that reverse things) so, to me, you're probably talking about a relative wash here.
Build quality and feel.. .this one is weird because I've seen a few people saying the SGS3 feels cheap and not made well and that doesn't match my opinion at all. Yes, the chassis is plastic, but it feels like quality to me. There's definitely no bowing or creaking or any of that stuff. It feels solid and well-made to me for sure. Oh, and FYI, mine has been dropped from roughly 4 feet on a kitchen floor already with no ill effect, and no case or anything, so at least to a fist approximation it's sturdy (hopefully I don't test it any more than that! LOL) The HTC also feels like a quality device. Again, to my sense I'd call it a wash. The SGS3 I believe is a little thinner and lighter, which I sometimes find myself wishing it weren't, but most of the time not. The HTC does have that little kickstand, which is a nice plus, but come on, I don't know too many people that would consider that a deciding factor either way.
I like having the replaceable batter for sure, that's always a nice thing. Historically I've used extended batteries in my phone so a replaceable battery is required, but I'll tell you, my SGS3 has so far given me stellar battery life and it doesn't seem necessary. Still, nice to have the option. Similarly, being able to swap in a bigger SD card is nice too (although I have everything I can imagine ever wanting on my phone and it's only half-filling my 32Gb card so I'm probably done there... if the 32Gb model had been available at the time I would have gotten that and just not used a card frankly).
Samsung has also, in my opinion, done a good job augmenting Android without wrecking it. TouchWiz isn't terrible, but I don't run it myself... but aside from the launcher, some of the added features they've given us are nice. Sure, some are a bit gimmicky, and some aren't winners, but there's more good than bad, and they've done it without diverging immensely from stock Android. I say kudos for Samsung this time around, I think they nailed it and haven't gone too far either way. Some will still prefer a stock ICS experience of course, and I hear ya on that, I was running Cyanogen on my Epic before I got my SGS3, but in this case I don't at all mind and in fact LIKE the changes.
One other consideration is that historically Samsung has been pretty slow getting Android updates out to us (partly them, partly carriers fault). We don't know if that will be the case this time around, although I think it's worth noting that we've had already two OTA updates on Sprint so far I believe. Yes, minor updates, but still, that's in only a few weeks' time. I think this bodes well that Samsung may be set to do a much better job getting us our updates faster than in the past. Remember, they managed a nearly simultaneous multi-carrier release for the first time and have a top seller on their hands, I suspect they may not want to ruin that momentum getting us Jelly Bean at a minimum sooner than later. HTC, on the other hand, has historically been good with updates, better than Samsung certainly, so that's something to consider.
I think the bottom line, what I concluded in the store that day anyway, was that I was probably going to be very happy no matter which I chose. They're both great devices. Is the SGS3 worthy? Abso-fraggin'-lutely! Is there a better choice? Possibly, but it's a tough, tough call IMO.
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Click to collapse
Samsung will still be slow with updates. They always be. This isn't their first flagship. There is a pattern. Their is history.
Sent from my SGS3!
I've had this phone for about a week now and I absolutely LOVE it. It's been an awesome device so far.
ubigred said:
Samsung will still be slow with updates. They always be. This isn't their first flagship. There is a pattern. Their is history.
Sent from my SGS3!
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Click to collapse
But this is their first flagship that has the same hardware and build across all US carriers. And they also threw in 2GB to "future proof" it for Jelly Bean, so Samsung is definitely getting serious.
El Nivek said:
But this is their first flagship that has the same hardware and build across all US carriers. And they also threw in 2GB to "future proof" it for Jelly Bean, so Samsung is definitely getting serious.
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Click to collapse
Well said.
This is the best android device available currently. No question.
jhoffy22 said:
I thought the Galaxy line was notorious for having AWESOME screens. You're telling me that the EVO LTE's LCD2 is actually slightly better?
How do these screens compare to the Iphone 4s?
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The Amoled of this phone is a step back from the Super Amoled Plus which I believe was a choice by Samsung made for ease of manufacture. I read something along those lines. Plus, on the home screen espescially, the screen if dimmer than what Galaxy line users are used to. The European version already got an update to address this issue, who knows when it will arrive over here. The dimness issue is fine for browsers and other applications that you are able to set individually. Of course I can't find it now, but there is a tips and tricks thread that lists it. I love this phone but I won't lie, it is fragile. Already dropped mine just 2 1/2 feet and the screen shattered to hell. I was on my way to buy a cover when it happened. Plastic bezel recessed below screen level offering no protection at all unlike my old Vibrant. That phone could take a tumble. Definitely worth to buy, but select you cover in advance!!!
I like my GS3 so far its a smooth phone! But My reception just flat out sux and I live right in the middle of dallas! There is a few bugs like the brightness sliding thing with the pull down and worst of all when im on google and I go to type in a search and the predictive searches show up below, it will let me touch it but it wont load! I HATE THAT!!! It was either this phone now or wait another 6 months! Soooo...
I just wanna know when we step into the present and recieve LTE like we are paying for!
freakboy13 said:
LCD kicks any version of amoleds ass all day long.
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You know what they say about opinions....
ydoucare said:
You know what they say about opinions....
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Click to collapse
I shall attempt to be polite.. but it's not an opinion, regarding brightness. It is objective. Yes you may prefer an AMOLED Screen. But the fact is, it's much, much dimmer. Compare EVO or HOX by S III Screen. S III is half as bright. Then of course PenTile on S III is blurry. And Black crush was visible to me in 5 seconds...all details of gray are lost. THen there are the tints, ink marks, etc. But again the worst thing is how DIM it is. S III is half as bright as a droid. Pathetic!
I am going to use my S III for 14 days. I don't think I will be keeping it though. For me anyway, AMOLED is just crap. And the bright colors? I'm sure they could do that with a filter on LCD too. It's a gimmick. Oh gee, Sammy cranked saturation. They mucked with the color table. Gee how clever Samsung. Anyone could do that. It causes Black Crush and colors are simply not accurate.
Not impressed. At all. S III Screen:: SUCKS.
So return it then, nobody is gonna line up behind you and do the same.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

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