Pros and Cons - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Hello everyone, I recently started a new job and I get a discount with Verizon so thinking about jumping ship from Sprint and the HTC Evo 3d. I was just wondering if anyone could please post a few pros and cons about their experience with the Galaxy Nexus. I am having a very hard time deciding between the RAZR and Nexus galaxy.
Thank you all for your help.

Hello.
Hey, I've bought the device, and I'm still considering taking it back, but i feel that I should give it at least a week of use to decide.
Pro's: Obviously Android 4.0, front facing camera to be used for G+ or skype, 32gb memory, slick design, Google Wallet is really cool, face unlock is great at first, but i've grown tired of it for the most part. Camera Shutter speed is amazing. The charger cable that comes with the phone is long enough to use instead of the 2 foot long junker you've gotten with every other droid out there. The battery life on mine despite what others are saying is great. Today I had over 23 hours of use before it died. I live in only 3g area though.
Con's: These are IMO, The phone is very slick to hold. I hate cases, but honestly without one, your going to drop it, The camera quality on the phone is trash.. It can be acceptable, but for the most part it sucks and is the main reason I'm considering taking it back. The signal strength seems to be off on my phone, but i haven't noticed a difference in call quality, so i'm not sure what the deal is there. I did notice that my phone gets very hot at times. Very annoying when you are talking on the phone. The speaker on the phone is fairly quiet. If you have used an OG droid, this phone will be a major let down in that department.
I hope some of this stuff helps. bottom line is that the phone is great, like all great things, there will be bugs to be worked out.

thank you. I'm leaning toward this because I'm afraid there won't be enough development for the razr. Do you have an opinion on this? Also what phone are you considering in its place?
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D using xda premium

nastystang05 said:
thank you. I'm leaning toward this because I'm afraid there won't be enough development for the razr. Do you have an opinion on this? Also what phone are you considering in its place?
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D using xda premium
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I don't know much about the Razr but a few things about it turn me off right away. First off, I've heard the display is very similar to the Atrix. The Atrix was my second favourite phone (next to the Galaxy Nexus) and I probably would still have it if not for that awful screen. I was VERY hesitant to invest in the Nexus because of its pentile display. Turns out it's the most beautiful display I've ever used, and I've had a fair number of Android phones (Legend, Galaxy S, Atrix, Sensation, Optimus 3D, Evo 3D, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket... I need a better hobby...). The other thing I hate about the Razr is the non removable battery. I like having a spare battery kicking around in case I burn through a charge before I have a chance to top up. I have been looking at portable battery chargers and may still buy one. The last thing I don't like about the Razr is the lack of development. The Atrix took awhile to get a good development crowd going but it still pales in comparison to the amount of development the Nexus will have. If you're someone who likes dicking around with their phone (like me) then the Nexus is the obvious choice.
I don't really have any major gripes with the Nexus. The two biggest ones are the picture quality, which I'm sure will be addressed in future updates/mods from the XDA community, and the lack of a micro sd card slot. I can't believe Google didn't tell Samsung to get their sh*t together and include an expandable memory slot, but I guess Samsung will put that in their next flagship device and call it an "added" feature.
Having never owned the Razr it's easy for me to say get a Nexus. I'm sure the Razr is a great phone, but the few obvious shortcomings (in my eyes anyways) would steer me right clear of it. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing!

thegregulator said:
The other thing I hate about the Razr is the non removable battery.
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Yes, me too. Batteries wear out/get weak over time and need to be replaced. How do you replace the battery in the Razr? Almost makes me thing the Bionic is a better phone if you want to stick with Motorola.

Come on now the camera isn't even bad. It's just not up to par with phones like the Rezound. You can't just whip out the camera and immediately snap a pic and hope it has amazing quality.. no camera works like that. That being said, the hump on the bottom of the phone CAN be a little annoying but that can be remedied if you have the extended battery. It makes the phone flush with the hump. Battery life can always be improved after rooting and messing with kernels and undervolting. The speaker which is low (comparable to Droid X's) can also be tweaked louder with the app Volume+ . Everything people dislike about the phone can basically be tweaked or fixed, and that's one of the reasons I love it so much.

Related

Need Help Setting the EVO 3D Folks Straight!

So as a prior EVO 3D owner as well as owning only HTC smartphones since the PPC-6600 I was convinced that HTC made the best devices around. One thing that convinced me this was all the HTC fanboys I guess. They were always the first to say Samsung phones suck, they are cheap, they break, you never want to own a Samsung.
Well after about 7 or 8 years I decided to try a Samsung device, the E4GT and by far this device has better build quality then any HTC phone I have ever owned. The best thing I ever did was give this phone a shot and it has turned me into an Samsung fan and made me realize that it is HTC devices that have the terrible build quality.
So as a former EVO 3D owner I like to visit that section of XDA and see what people say, it is also a great section to find out what new things are coming out, lol. So once again there is a thread comparing the E4GT to the EVO 3D and of course the HTC fanboys are always trash talking our device and how it is cheap and Samsung sucks, blah blah blah...
The reason why this bothers me is because people who are on the fence or thinking about switching to a Samsung device might not because of all the lies that HTC fanboys spread and unfortunelty a lot of people will follow what others say in those threads. So maybe some of us who know the truth can spill it over there and help some of those people branch out.
The best thing I ever did was purchase the E4GT because now I realize how a phone should be made and perform.
The thread is below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1472380
Let's get some truth in it!
I sold my EVO 3D that I bought on launch date and switch to the E4GT and I could not be happier. My reason for switching was that the camera on EVO 3D sucked big time and I was also getting tired of the brick weight feel in my pocket. Also no matter what rom or kernel I put on it always felt somewhat laggy compared to a stock E4GT.
The only thing I miss a little is the massive community support that the EVO series phones have and seeing new roms posted like everyday.
Other than that, I'm extremely happy with my E4GT and in my my honest opinion its simply a better phone!
If someone is only looking in that particular thread, then they probably was leaning more toward an HTC device than any other anyways. It's just opinions really. I'm sure if that same thread was here but HTC vs Samsung, then people here would be biased against HTC phones.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22000316&postcount=19
AngelMayLaugh said:
If someone is only looking in that particular thread, then they probably was leaning more toward an HTC device than any other anyways. It's just opinions really. I'm sure if that same thread was here but HTC vs Samsung, then people here would be biased against HTC phones.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22000316&postcount=19
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To tell you the truth, until I owned the E4GT I never looked in a Samsung thread. Why would I? It was confirmed from all the HTC owners that they are made out of cheap plastic, don't ever upgrade their software, break all the time and have terrible radios and gps.
I own both phones. They are both great in my opinion. I think this Samsung is a little nicer than my 3d though.
I like the larger screen.
My 3d now feels small
I don't like the 3d camera or the quiet external speaker.
I thought development for the Samsung was through the roof, then i realized that there are many variations of the sgs2 and our development is behind the Evo3D, which is still behind my original Evo4G.
Rob the plumber said:
I own both phones. They are both great in my opinion. I think this Samsung is a little nicer than my 3d though.
I like the larger screen.
My 3d now feels small
I don't like the 3d camera or the quiet external speaker.
I thought development for the Samsung was through the roof, then i realized that there are many variations of the sgs2 and our development is behind the Evo3D, which is still behind my original Evo4G.
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I'm in your boat, I have both devices now, and I end up loving my Samsung because it just works well. The camera is beautiful, the phone itself flies, and the screen is awesome.
I do miss the dev community from HTC, but this is the first device where I've just kept a stock rooted rom, and enjoyed it.
Oh, and the 3Vo can't take pictures like this: http://i.imgur.com/yL2lN.jpg
I own both.
Gotta say:
The build quality of the EVO 3D FAR surpasses the build of the ET4G.
(Sorry, but that's just true right there.)
I LOVE my ET4G, and I use it 90% of the time, but it's not even in the same ballpark as far as an equally "quality" device as the 3d...(or the OG Evo4G for that matter...).
Example of what I mean:
If you turned both phones off, and had no idea about the processors inside, etc., and were judging the two devices on "inherent worth", ie: "I wonder how much THIS smartphone retails for?", I'd think that 100 people out of 100 would assume that the Evo3d costs a LOT more....
It's built like a beautiful little brick.
(Not in a bad way.)
(Not talking performance-wise, and discarding the fact that it was overly hyped: all that stuff aside, the EVO3D IS one beautiful piece of technology, IMHO.)
["hip", "hip"]
Op there is no point in hitting fanboys with facts. Don't get me wrong I used to be a big HTC fanboy that was pissed at Samsung over previous phones including the moment and OGEpic. Now after the ETGS2 I just don't think the same arguments can be made about this phone. We are getting updates regularly. LOS was allready nipped in the butt. Our screen has received more positive reviews when compared to the EVO3d. Matter of fact our phone as a whole has recieved way more positive reviews compared to the EVO3d. But the HTC fanboys will never acknowledge this because of their hate for Samsung.
I been to the thread and I think its hopeless trying to compare facts against pure heresay.
Edit:
I forgot to mention how the ET4g has also received critic rave reviews when it comes to camera.
Coming from all the the evo devices, the epic series is much better.
Sense is one bloated, slow, inefficient, fugly monster.
IMO the OG EVO was a revolutionary phone. It was steps beyond the competition when it came out. This is when HTC got lots of its fans. I've been using HTC back since the PPC-6600 days. They used to be higher quality, then in the touch pro days they became iffy, then TP2 was ok again. Evo was great, but being a powerful phone back then, you needed to tweak it a lot to get decent battery.
After EVO, for some reason HTC took a turn for the worse. They started putting out phones with more questionable signal reception. Evo Shift and Evo 3D have worse reception than EVO. They started being more strict about locked bootloaders. Yes you can work around it, but they just made it more of a hassle.
Early Samsung Android phones just sucked. Transform was horrible. OG Epic was constantly last to get software. Few developers wanted to touch it because of the keyboard and WiMax made ports too annoying. HTC does have tons of developers, but IMO they are slowly migrating away due to HTC policies.
Samsung E4GT is just a really nice phone out of the box. It works pretty fast, very little lag, and has decent battery life even if you don't do anything to it. That is why it is more appealing to the masses. They just want a phone that works w/o needing to be a custom rom genius. That is why Apple sells so many iPhones.
If you are a resolution freak, then Evo 3d has a sharper screen, but if you enjoy richness of the picture then E4GT has a much nicer screen. Your blacks are actually black instead of muddy black. The color contrast is excellent. It is like the plasma vs LCD debate. You look at plasmas in the bright showroom and they don't impress against super bright LCDs. You bring it home to normal lighting and you notice it just looks so much better in the dark scenes.
The nice thing about HTC is they usually use the latest chipsets so you get Qualcomm's latest innovations.
That just my opinion.
mazook98 said:
I own both.
Gotta say:
The build quality of the EVO 3D FAR surpasses the build of the ET4G.
(Sorry, but that's just true right there.)
I LOVE my ET4G, and I use it 90% of the time, but it's not even in the same ballpark as far as an equally "quality" device as the 3d...(or the OG Evo4G for that matter...).
Example of what I mean:
If you turned both phones off, and had no idea about the processors inside, etc., and were judging the two devices on "inherent worth", ie: "I wonder how much THIS smartphone retails for?", I'd think that 100 people out of 100 would assume that the Evo3d costs a LOT more....
It's built like a beautiful little brick.
(Not in a bad way.)
(Not talking performance-wise, and discarding the fact that it was overly hyped: all that stuff aside, the EVO3D IS one beautiful piece of technology, IMHO.)
["hip", "hip"]
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Zook, that is the worst scenario to judge a phone for build quality. Tilted screens, light leakage, dead pixels, terrible camera button, and the list goes on and on.....Just picking up a phone is not a way to judge. Why would I want my SGS2 to weigh as much as a brick. Why would I want it to be as thick as a brick? If that qualifies a better build quality then I hope Samsung continues to build cheap phones like the SGS2!
I expected better from you.....
I have long been an HTC fanboy. I had the G1 and then the Eris. I had a brief run-in with a Blackberry Storm, but quickly went back to the Eris. I then switched back to T-Mobile and the HD7. This was a beautiful running and looking phone IMHO. The only thing lacking that I desperately needed was an SD card slot so I could run my go-pro recordings on it from the street for "bicycle safety" purposes in case I needed to show evidence to police. I ride a bicycle a lot! So I decided to upgrade to a Sensation and loved it. Worked well until it broke and they wanted another 100+ to fix it:-( I decided that instead of paying that I would go to Sprint and try the 3d knowing it would be similar to the Sensation. I ordered it and went to the store to check out the cases. It was then I realized my mistake. The Epic Touch was beautiful! Again, this was my opinion When the 3d came in, I decided I would give it a try anyway...I didn't know what I was thinking. As soon as I turned it on, I was tired of it all... The screen not being completely white, the Sense that I had loved forever, the 3d(gave me a headache)...none of it I liked anymore. I took it back and replaced it for the Epic Touch and haven't looked back since. Thinking about it now, I used to argue that HTC made tough phones, but I broke half of them. That Eris was a tough phone and still resides in the hands of a teenager without a case on it My favorite feature on the E4gT is the AllShare. I recently put a movie on my phone, went to a friends house, and watched it on his Samsung Blue-Ray player. Very cool!!
This would be perfect:
An Epictouch4g built by HTC, but usinng screensize, camera, and the processors from Samsung's spec sheet. I'd pay full retail for that right now ...
["hip", "hip"]
I had tried different HTC phones in the past but they always felt cheaply built to me. Mind you my favorite phone ever was the Palm Treo 755p, a very sturdy phone.
Then I went with the Pre, and then the Pixi before trying the Nexus S, which I didn't like so I got the OG EVO 4G and loved it, truly, but I'm a gadget freak and so when the EVO 3D came out I got it, yeah I bought the hype. It was faster than the OG EVO but that's where the joy ended.
I was instantly sorry I had traded off my OG EVO, the 3D just felt all wrong. It was slightly taller and slightly more narrow (you wouldn't think it noticeable) so it should've been better for small hands, but I hated the feel of it. As for the 3D, I never caught on to why it was so awesome, I mean you can only share your cool photos/videos with others who have 3D so what's the point?
Needless to say when the E4GT came out I couldn't get rid of my 3D fast enough. The feel of this phone is just so much nicer, performance has been smoother and while I do miss some parts of sense (loved the live current weather thingie) I'm happy with my E4GT, I have it stock-rooted but no custom ROMs yet. I look forward to ICS but I'd never trade off my E4GT for a Nexus just to get ICS sooner.
mazook98 said:
This would be perfect:
An Epictouch4g built by HTC, but usinng screensize, camera, and the processors from Samsung's spec sheet. I'd pay full retail for that right now ...
["hip", "hip"]
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So another words you would trade a perfectly built phone for a phone with build quality problems? Doesn't make sense...You still haven't listed a build quality issue on the E4GT so not sure what it is you feel the need to change.
You can always strap your phone onto a brick if that you make your feel better...
@estoeric ^^this, the Evo3d was disappointing, that was a messed up POS. Ive had horrible experience with Samsung smartphones in the past. I was kind of iffy about the sgs2. But since all the bugs were fixed with prompt updates, I have no complaints.
[email protected] said:
Zook, that is the worst scenario to judge a phone for build quality. Tilted screens, light leakage, dead pixels, terrible camera button, and the list goes on and on.....Just picking up a phone is not a way to judge. Why would I want my SGS2 to weigh as much as a brick. Why would I want it to be as thick as a brick? If that qualifies a better build quality then I hope Samsung continues to build cheap phones like the SGS2!
I expected better from you.....
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Haha:
I never had any of those issues with my 3d..(though I know some people did.)
Also: I LIKE a heavy phone:
To me, it just "feels better" in my hands, and the weight helps me keep a firm grip on it: ensuring that the buttons are always where I think they are...
I STILL have a problem hitting the dang volume rocker buttons on my ET4G because its lightweightedness makes it a little squirrelly in my hands from time to time.
Of course, that's just me, and I've noticed that even the newest HTC phones are getting lighter and lighter....sigh.
EDIT: AND I would take that camera button in a heartbeat.
TL;DR:
"My name is mazook98 I like HTC's heavy-assed phones. This is my first meeting."
["hip", "hip"]
[email protected] said:
So another words you would trade a perfectly built phone for a phone with build quality problems? Doesn't make sense...You still haven't listed a build quality issue on the E4GT so not sure what it is you feel the need to change.
You can always strap your phone onto a brick if that you make your feel better...
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My ONLY issues are that it's too light, and it needed some more metal. That's it:
*Like I said, I LOVE the phone, and I use it 90% of the time.
["hip", "hip"]
The quality really isn't better either way. I read about cheap Samsung plastic but this phone doesn't feel cheap at all and can withstand drops and bumps just as well as the 3d.
The only difference with a metal chassis is weight. Dropping a phone has little impact on the chassis it affects the case, and both use plastic cases
Otherwise this phones screen, processor, battery, cameras, and just about everything else are better.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
I also would love a dedicated camera button.

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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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...
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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

[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.
Click to expand...
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!
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know what they say about opinions....
ydoucare said:
You know what they say about opinions....
Click to expand...
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

Razr M vs S3

I'm due for an upgrade in a month, is the Razr M still a good choice? Or should I spend the extra cash for the S3.
I'm very happy with the RAZR M and this is my fourth Motorola Droid. I like the smaller size phone, build quality is very good. I've read some complaints about the 4G signal not being as good as with other phones. In my experience I do notice it on 3G often but really don't pay much attention unless I'm using it as a hotspot. This is one of the best Android phones I've had.
I haven't tried the S3. My last experience with a Samsung phone wasn't good, it was a while ago so I really can't comment on the S3.
What's important to you? What are you using your phone to do? I don't watch movies, sometimes listen to music. Don't really play games on it either. I mostly use it for work calls, text, email, todo list and keeping track of where I'm spending my work time. Some browsing and navigation too.
It comes down to what you want. The S3 is large. The RAZR M is compact. Both have root exploits and all that, but the S3 does have more development so far. I love my M. I was on an S3 kick not too long ago but steered away when I saw some battery usage. I like going a full day with plenty juice to laugh. I'm sure it's achievable with an S3, but with my usage, it wasn't at that time. Both are great devices, and it's nice to have such a dilemma.
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app
Apples and oranges. S3 is a big ole phone (too big IMO) with a zillion added layers and features. For me there is no comparison. The S3 is big and gaudy in form and function, the M is sleek and simple in form and function. You may like the added features and if top notch camera performance is top priority you might prefer the S3 but the M has no significant flaws that stand out or would give me phone envy to anything out now. The M is built like a tank compared to the S3 as well.
Thanks for your input everyone. I plan to soon join you all in the RAZR M community
Sent from my R800x using xda premium
This thread hasn't been active lately but just wanted to put it out there that I recently switched from the S3 to the Razr M and haven't looked back!
Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
If your are looking for something with more functionality and support , get the S3 . If small and compact with nothing special , get the RAZR M . Note that the RAZR M is a lot heavier than the S3 .
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
I had an S3 and a Razr M at the same time....and I had to go with the Razr M, just for size purposes. I just could not get used to a larger phone like the S3 (after using it for about a week). Don't get me wrong, it was nice in practically all other aspects....but damn that is a large phone.
ChuckLezz said:
I had an S3 and a Razr M at the same time....and I had to go with the Razr M, just for size purposes. I just could not get used to a larger phone like the S3 (after using it for about a week). Don't get me wrong, it was nice in practically all other aspects....but damn that is a large phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread is very helpful. I'm trying to decide between an S3 and the M. In some ways very much the same and in others they are very different.
Both have huge processing power and are fast. Same processors I thought but S3 has 1GB more ram. My guess would be that S3 will get more overall support from manufacturer and the ROM community since its a flagship phone.
The M being close to vanilla android though without hacking is nice. They did seam to give it Jelly Bean pretty quick. Quicker than most other phones...so maybe it will have a longer shelf life with Motorola.
The size is where we go in 2 different directions. I think after following the trend of going after bigger screens which is great for viewing purposes...I think I'm tired of my pocket being stuffed with a big phone. So the size might be whats influencing me to get an M.
My brother kept asking me what phone to get on an upgrade. He was a Blackberry user and given his history for having a phone work and last him for days, I told him to go to Razr Max. No other device I know has the battery life of this device.
I got to use and see the device in action. Very basic, despite it's carrier loaded apps. But what impressed me was the battery life. I'm still on GS2 gets the job done more development, but the battery of Razr Max can't be matched. I was impressed.
I've been loving mine. I went from a Galaxy Nexus, which I found to have pretty terrible battery life to this.
I found myself going into a VZW store one day and noticing the phone. I didn't like the narrowing edges of the previous RAZRs, but this one was different. Even after trying out the iPhone 5, the Rezound, and a few others, I found myself back in the next couple of days to check it out again. Within a week later, I bought the phone.
I'm having that phone itch again now, but I keep finding myself trying to find a device with great battery life. I've settled on a Note 2 for my phone-itch, but the $700 price tag on VZW is holding me back.
pez910 said:
I've been loving mine. I went from a Galaxy Nexus, which I found to have pretty terrible battery life to this.
I found myself going into a VZW store one day and noticing the phone. I didn't like the narrowing edges of the previous RAZRs, but this one was different. Even after trying out the iPhone 5, the Rezound, and a few others, I found myself back in the next couple of days to check it out again. Within a week later, I bought the phone.
I'm having that phone itch again now, but I keep finding myself trying to find a device with great battery life. I've settled on a Note 2 for my phone-itch, but the $700 price tag on VZW is holding me back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The RAZR M really stood out for me (Note 2 is a little too big).
More than anything, I was surprised to how well the on screen buttons blend into the bezels. The deep blacks are astounding.
Although, kevlar is a nice addition
Sent from my Nexus 7
Leraeniesh said:
The RAZR M really stood out for me (Note 2 is a little too big).
More than anything, I was surprised to how well the on screen buttons blend into the bezels. The deep blacks are astounding.
Although, kevlar is a nice addition
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my thoughts. I secretly despise Samsung for their button placement and functions (the front three) .
I switched from a SGS3 to a Razr M recently. I think the Razr M is better.
Build quality - The SGS3 is entirely plastic and feels very cheap. Pulling off the back to get to the battery / sd card / sim literally makes my cringe every time, the back is a cheap piece of plastic. The physical buttons vary in quality between phones (I had THREE SGS3's due to manufacturing / software defects) but feel very cheap all around. Surprisingly the M is heavier despite being smaller than the SGS3, probably due to it's superior build quality. The frame of the M appears to be metal, and they power/volume buttons on the side feel very nice.
Form Factory - Although the screen of the M is only .5" smaller, the feel of the size of theses phones is like night and day. The S3 feels HUGE (to me) and the M feels iPhone 4 sized (which to me, is a huge plus).
Signal/Voice - My SGS3 would frequently drop 4g, even after two replacements. Much better reception / call quality on the M.
Camera / Mics - The microphone on the M is better, hands down. Pretty close to the mic quality of the iPhone 4, which was amazing. The SGS3 has a slightly better camera (12 MP vs 8MP iirc) and it does show. But for facebook / instagram pictures the M camera is just fine, and the stock camera software on the M is superior in my opinion.
OS Feel - Touchwiz on the SGS3 is bad and you know it. The stock rom on the M just feels faster then the stock on the SGS3.
Screen - The SGS3 (obviously) has a bigger and better screen. The M screen definitely seems lower density but unless you're reading small, small print, you won't notice. I've heard reports that the M screen is brighter, but I think they're about equal.
Modding - Any SGS3, even on verizon, can get a bootloader unlock. I don't think the American non-dev M's can. There is also a HUGE homebrew rom community for the SGS3 compared to the M. However, that being said - the stock rom on the M is not bad at all. I'm personally a stickler for using unmolested android roms, but the M's stock rom fits me nicely. The M does have a root exploit, so you can strip out crap you don't want (which for me, was 4 or 5 apps).
Battery Life - I can't comment on the battery life of the M since I haven't had it long. The SGS3 certainly does not live up to it's alleged battery life in my opinion. I unplug every day at 7 AM for work, and by the time I am home at 5PM, and some days I don't even use the phone the entire workday. The phone has around 50% battery left if I don't even use it during that time.
Overall, if you want a larger screen and a bigger modding community, go with the SGS3 if you can deal with the cheap plastic build. If a smaller screen device is what you want and only a minor mod community is ok, then the M is definitely a better choice because of it's quality.
That's my two cents.
Trying to compare these two phones is like compairing a Lexus with a Chevy Cobalt . Of course the S3 would be the Lexus . We have several of both phones on family plan . If you take a lot of photos or videos , you would want the S3 . You will get a hour or so more from the battery on the M , however , its a small phone . My wife has the smallest hands I've ever seen and she actually prefers the S3 . Its lighter and thinner which offsets the overall feel of the S3.
My signal is better on the S3 in terms of call quality and signal strength . And for some reason lte appears faster as well .
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
huedawg said:
Trying to compare these two phones is like compairing a Lexus with a Chevy Cobalt . Of course the S3 would be the Lexus
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Click to collapse
Not really seeing that analogy given the Ms superior build quality, like processing power and performance. I see it as more of a minimally optioned BMW 135 vs a loaded BMW 535. Sure the 535 is larger, with more gadgets, roomy and luxurious but the 135 has the same engine under the hood, is small and nimble and the driving purist would take more pleasure in owning the 135. Oh for some reason this particular 535 is built quite flimsy compared to thee 135 for some reason :silly: The M is certainly not inferior to an S3 as a cobalt compared to a lexus would suggest, its just minimalistic..
stanlalee said:
Not really seeing that analogy given the Ms superior build quality, like processing power and performance. I see it as more of a minimally optioned BMW 135 vs a loaded BMW 535. Sure the 535 is larger, with more gadgets, roomy and luxurious but the 135 has the same engine under the hood, is small and nimble and the driving purist would take more pleasure in owning the 135. Oh for some reason this particular 535 is built quite flimsy compared to thee 135 for some reason :silly: The M is certainly not inferior to an S3 as a cobalt compared to a lexus would suggest, its just minimalistic..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree to a small extent , I mean , it is a decent little budget phone that is far from high end . To each their own .
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Nice phone
Leraeniesh said:
The RAZR M really stood out for me (Note 2 is a little too big).
More than anything, I was surprised to how well the on screen buttons blend into the bezels. The deep blacks are astounding.
Although, kevlar is a nice addition
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Click to collapse
I agree about the buttons. It took a few seconds of looking at it in the store for me to realize those button were on the screen.
The high screen size/phone size ratio is one of the things that sold me.
This is my very first smartphone, and while I like the idea of being able to to watch videos, the idea of carrying around something "phablet" sized was unappealing. I'm used to a very small phone.
I've only had it since the weekend, and so far, no buyers remorse.
I switched over to the M in December, after I got fed up with my T-Mobile Galaxy S II for the last time! To be honest, I was so pissed at my TMobile/Samsung, that I just marched into the Verizon store without doing much research on phones, and the RAZR M just caught my eye. Before that, I had my GS2 and GS4G, so I was very used to Samsung and their Touchwiz, which was basically the only form of Android I really knew.
I must say that I'm still very impressed with the RAZR M. Took me a while to get used to the smaller screen and size, but now I really prefer it to the other gigantic phones out there. And the speed and power seem to be on par with any other phone I've tried. I loooove Moto's version of Android, seems to be as close to vanilla android as you can get. I dont miss anything about Touchwiz at all!
And the battery lasts all day an then some. I usually have about 50-60% left when I go to bed at night. Very impressed!
jonnythrice said:
I switched over to the M in December, after I got fed up with my T-Mobile Galaxy S II for the last time! To be honest, I was so pissed at my TMobile/Samsung, that I just marched into the Verizon store without doing much research on phones, and the RAZR M just caught my eye. Before that, I had my GS2 and GS4G, so I was very used to Samsung and their Touchwiz, which was basically the only form of Android I really knew.
I must say that I'm still very impressed with the RAZR M. Took me a while to get used to the smaller screen and size, but now I really prefer it to the other gigantic phones out there. And the speed and power seem to be on par with any other phone I've tried. I loooove Moto's version of Android, seems to be as close to vanilla android as you can get. I dont miss anything about Touchwiz at all!
And the battery lasts all day an then some. I usually have about 50-60% left when I go to bed at night. Very impressed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i never used any samsung phone for ugly design and plastic material and feels very cheap .
but i see samsung tuchwize is realy absurd .
i hope buy faster new razr m - i - hd or atrix hd

If you are not a developer, this phone is quite bad

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:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FTFY
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

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