What say you all? I've been on a Samsung kick lately and just wondering if I would be happy with the switch from the Bionic to the Nexus?
Have an Otterbox Defender and Motorola OEM extended battery for the Bionic...so extended battery and a stout case are a must for me.
Nexus for sure.
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.
I know some people don't like typing out long winded replies but why the Nexus for sure?
Here after a while I think every electronic gadget I own will be Samsung lol.
51" plasma, 46" LED, Blu-Ray player, so on and so forth. Man to me Samsung is what Sony used to be in the late 80's through mid 90's.
Anyways, I really want a Nexus, but just not sure if I'd prefer it over the Bionic. The damned locked bootloader really has it going against it for the Bionic. Secondly I have never owned a Samsung phone.
i switched from the bionic and couldn't be happier: my gnex is stable, it doesn't BSOD like my bionic frequently does (including both 5.5.893 or 5.7.893), and it holds a 4g connection in places where my bionic cannot. i haven't tried it yet, but i am also very excited about the ability to try new ROMs (without having to worry about whether or not i can return to stock on the bionic) and standard apps that are designed for AOSP (but don't play well with blur). very happy camper.
if moto ever makes another AOSP phone, i'll be the first one to buy it...but i will not purchase another blur model.
Okay thanks for that insight.
Glad to see Otterbox has a Defender case for it.
A bit worried about LTE radio signals though. Seems to be pretty widespread among the Gnex owners.
I have never owned a samsung phone either before the Galaxy Nexus. Every smartphone I have owned were HTC. (Shadow, G1, Nexus One, Sensation)
I have no issues at all with the build quality. The screen is beautiful and I think it feels fantastic in the hand.
After using the G1 and N1 and moving on the the sensation I vowed never to buy another phone that wasn't a nexus device.
As far as battery concerns go I have the GSM version and my battery life is fantastic. Best from any phone I have ever owned. My fiance has the Verizon version and she has no complaints with battery life as well. She got the extra battery charging kit with stand just in-case, but hasn't needed to battery swap yet. Plus it makes a nice desktop stand.
If you want the latest and greatest android with the ease of loading custom roms and kernels without jumping through hoops; I would definitely recommend the Galaxy Nexus.
Okay thanks! I'm thinking about picking up a Nexus NIB off ebay for about $500 to $550 when tax returns come in. Hopefully I can get $300 or so for the Bionic and all accessories. Then I'll just grab an extra battery for backup and the Defender case.
Eff me, I'm really turning into a Sammy fanboi.
There is no reason over another except this phone has some serious development under it's belt. Patience and some reasonable expectations and you will have quite possibly the perfect phone. It has some flaws, don't get me wrong, but to me it already is the perfect and will get better as it ripens.
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.
the only plus' with the Bionic is the extended battery is much bigger & cheaper and it has better signal strength(reception) then the Nexus. everything else though the Nexus blows it away.
Well my Bionic should be arriving on Monday. We'll see how the LTE speeds and how much changing it does from 4G to 3G once I activate it.
On my Rezound the only time I lost 4G was when I went to non 4G coverage areas in the boonies. But in the city of Chicago where I live and work, the Rezound held a darn strong 4G signal.
My Droid X is always -60dbm 0asu and almost always has full 3G anywhere in Chicago and almost anywhere in Illinois.
These issues with the Gnex signal really worry me, but I think I'm in such a good spot for LTE coverage that I probably wouldn't be affected. I work in a prison, so I can't take my phone into work and therefore don't have to worry about signal strength while in highrises downtown. Thank you all for your input. Like I said, I'll probably keep the Bionic til tax return time and have some fun with it, then hopefully the Gnex's will come down in price or I can pick up a used one cheaper than new, or they will resolve the radio issues by then.
Either way I will probably be getting one.
LTE reception should be good wherever there is coverage. CDMA and hspa will vary by location, geography and radios.
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.
I switched from a Bionic to a Galaxy Nexus. The GN is the first Android phone I've had (among Droid Inc, Thunderbolt, and Bionic) that makes me not miss iOS' look and feel.
It comes down to a few points: 1) ICS, 2) no hardware buttons, 3) high resolution screen, and 4) LTE network. Bionic has #4, but not 1-3. If purchasing new and cost isn't a deciding factor, I really think GN is the only LTE phone to get.
Related
Ok So now that both phones are essentially out. Granted the US version of the nexus isn't but close enough. I am kind of torn one what phone to buy. The biggest thing to me was ICS and since the Razr will be getting it at some point that is a lot less of a factor.
What other Reasons would you guys have for getting one or the other? Yes i have read all the reviews on both and understand the differences between the two. Anything game changing for you guys?
Nexus, the Razr doesn't seem to be all that good and Motorola aren't exactly reliable when it comes to updates.
Keep in mind that even if Razr will get ICS eventually, you'll still have to wait for future increment updates, and then there's jellybean.
I am eagerly waiting for the Nexus for several reasons in addition to being pure Android, better developer support, and future updates. The Nexus, IMO, looks better. The Razr is quite large even though it has a smaller screen. I heard that Razr has better call quality but that's not the most important thing to me because I only use maybe 20% of my phone to make calls. GN has a slightly newer and better SoC. The screen of the Nexus clearly wins hands down. Oh and no locked bootloader.
Having had both a motorola and a samsung previously (Milestone with motorola - non US version of the original Droid and the Galaxy S with samsung) I too faced the same question.
I went with the Nexus in the end as although the milestone was nice hard-ware wise, motoblur let it down and shackled it, motorola blatantly lied about updates and then failed to deliver them, and the updates that did come came with even more bugs than they were supposed to fix. Motorola are only interested in your $$$ their after sales customer service is appaling!
Having had the nexus for a week now I've not regretted the upgrade and would thoroughly recommend. I think as well being a nexus you're pretty much guranteed speedy updates over the razr and I think it looks better too.
I had both on my hand. And definitely goes for Galaxy Nexus, the galaxy nexus screen advantage almost override all other advantages from razr~!
The RAZR will always be crushed by motorola's updates and skins. And comparing the screens, the RAZR isn't even close to the GN.
You came to the Galaxy Nexus forum,which do you expect people to pick? The Razr?
rashad1 said:
You came to the Galaxy Nexus forum,which do you expect people to pick? The Razr?
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I will be honest, i came here because this is what phone i had decided to wait for. But it seems that its not getting the greatest reviews, and the single biggest reason i picked it (ICS) i am a little nervous about. I mean lets be honest its never great to be the 1 to test something out.(New fighter plane or fire retardant suit comes to mind) I actually have a Razr, bought it for my wife and i like it a lot. I guess i am losing steam for holding out for the GN. And i thought this would be a great place for a discussion on what i should do.
Get the int'l razor. Supposedly bootloader can be unlocked but i havent followed up on that to see if its true. Reviews have been kind of meh to me.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.
Well if there was a GSM variant of the RAZR, I would actually have to think about my choice.
The RAZR's hardware is incredible, but in the end the non-bloatware Nexus and ridiculous screen quality would trump even the water-resistant and Gorilla Glass 2 feature of the RAZR.
Edit: Ack, there is a GSM RAZR. Good thing I already own the GNEX...
ericshmerick said:
Well if there was a GSM variant of the RAZR, I would actually have to think about my choice.
The RAZR's hardware is incredible, but in the end the non-bloatware Nexus and ridiculous screen quality would trump even the water-resistant and Gorilla Glass 2 feature of the RAZR.
Edit: Ack, there is a GSM RAZR. Good thing I already own the GNEX...
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Gnex CPU is also slightly better.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I'd go with the N but not because you can sit back and let Google give you timely updates and fix bugs. My Nexus S shipped with the search bug making it unusable. Best and only response from G was "first we heard about that problem". The hundreds of other users got the same. No update in sight and I never saw one. I lasted a week before rooting and flashing like we always do. Now it is a great device but no thanks to google. Moto would be a lot worse. I assume that I'll treat any phone no matter how it's sold as a dev device that I'll have to flash myself. I have full confidence in my lack of confidence with the new Nexus.
Get the GN,
I just came from a Motorola Atrix! Motorola suck at software updates & love locking bootloaders (although they are slowly changing)
GN FTW!
GN.
10char
Am about to buy the monster here in Germany, will wait for the first batch to be washed out into the market to avoid the baby teething issues (volume, search, whatever else).
Atrix has been good though, once the bootloader got unlocked & the roms started pouring in it became a beauty of a phone!
+1 on the wait and see attitude. let the first batch fly out and the next (fixed) batch to arrive. Whether the inevitable issues are google or samsung isn't important, there is a history of problems with each one so far and the new one is already showing problems. Hearing that the core issue (volume) is hardware related that will be "fixed" in software makes me think I'll not buy one at all now. I'll not go with the Moto for other reasons. The Galaxy S had hardware shortcomings also semi fixed in software and that wasn't good enough. After my third warranty repair I demanded a proper pb which they did and the problem went away. The Nexus S had OS issues that took much too long to fix. The new one no doubt will have issues. I'm not excited to be the fist on the block with another turkey.
JustusIV said:
But it seems that its not getting the greatest reviews.
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Official reviews looked pretty good to me, maybe I read them wrong.
Btw...I thanked you on accident, consider it an early xmas gift.
I am fond of Motorola devices, they have good voice quality, good durability, good grip (despite being squarish). But none of their devices seem to support TMobile 3G band, so I can't get it. (As for firmware updates, what updates?)
I'd go with the GN. Bug fixes pretty quick and easy bootloader unlocking make an excellent combination.
However, with Google's acquisition of Moto, maybe they will be the way forward next year?
Thought about the same choice of phones and I think I'll be going with the GN mainly because of removeable battery.
The good thing about thin phones is that you can add to them bigger capacity batteries while still keeping a normal width. I currently have a 2700 Mah battery on my Samsung Galaxy S with the corresponding width (but not weight!) of my ex-Iphone 3GS.
Just yesterday, while abroad on work, I didn't use my phone at all (ok, probably not a very valid test) with wifi, 3G on and this morning, after 1d battery usage was down 12%.
I know that the important thing is lasting a 8h day but I'm the kind of guy that hates thinking about recharging my devices (Ipad 2 is perfect in this aspect) than actually doing it.
So I'm keeping my eye on GN extended batteries, specially from Momax....
I love this device. Completely open, supported by AOSP. Fast, smooth, and gorgeous.
Some people just nitpick themselves into misery. There are always lemons (amoled screens, esp) in mass produced phones, but I feel like the Nexus is getting a rep that they are ALL like that. Its simply not true. There are issues, sure, but they can pretty much be remedied by software.
I've had this phone since the Verizon release and love everything about it except the radios (GPS and cell). It really showed up this weekend as I was in Northern Minnesota snowmobiling in some really bad reception areas. I normally use My Tracks to map our route and the GPS was constantly loosing it's lock and the map looked like a dotted route instead of a nice solid route. Also, my time without signal was around 58% when my brother and my old Droid X2 was only about 12%. Being that I love doing outdoor things in sketchy signal areas, I'm really hoping they fix the radio in the next build.
I have no issues with battery life, screen quality, overall size though. I love this phone and just wish that Samsung would buy Moto for their radio chips (although they aren't perfect either, but better than HTC and Samsung in my experience).
I also don't think I could go back to a phone without on screen buttons.
Yea this phone has it faults just like all phones do but its still a great phone
I loved your work on the Thunderbolt. I know you got a ROM out but its been pretty quiet. You guys got anything big coming?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Yeah. We have a pretty huge project we have been working on for the last month. Out soon, I hope.
adrynalyne said:
I love this device. Completely open, supported by AOSP. Fast, smooth, and gorgeous.
Some people just nitpick themselves into misery. There are always lemons (amoled screens, esp) in mass produced phones, but I feel like the Nexus is getting a rep that they are ALL like that. Its simply not true. There are issues, sure, but they can pretty much be remedied by software.
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I completely agree!! There is absolutely no phone for which I'd trade this one!!
Gotta get the Galaxy Nexus Plus.
I agree, Despite any of the flaws, i have gone threw roughly a dozen Android Handsets, from the G1, to G2x, Droid Razr, Sensation just to name a few. I even had the Galaxy S, which i HATED! But everything about this phone is amazing. Like any other device, it has its flaws (Battery compromised because of the HD screen) but overall, its completly open source, you can customize it to your exact liking, and runs like a beast.
Bravo Samsung
Jamin13 said:
Gotta get the Galaxy Nexus Plus.
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I'd rather have a lesser phone on the Verizon network than go to Sprint.
they will just be getting more of the same anyway.
miketoasty said:
I'd rather have a lesser phone on the Verizon network than go to Sprint.
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After having Sprint for 4 years and now on Verizon for about 2 months, I can 100% agree with this statement.
miketoasty said:
I'd rather have a lesser phone on the Verizon network than go to Sprint.
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I'd rather have a lesser phone on ANY gsm network than go to verizon...
I rather be able to make a call vs. any "other" gsm network.
/me looks at the no service patches for Tmo in town.
I love my Nexus. People who nitpick haven’t been around the block as much as I have. After you’ve owned a myriad of other phones you truly appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the Nexus. Here's what I’ve been through over the past 2 years:
1) Samsung Capitivate – Terrible GPS and slooowww updates. Did I mention really bad GPS, like 200 yards off bad GPS..
2) HTC Inspire 4G – Good phone, terrible screen in the daylight, AT&T’s network.
3) HTC Thunderbolt – Sigh, extended battery was a brick, botched GB/voicemail update (what?, you left me a voicemail, when???). Spotty GPS and 4G issues.
4) Droid Bionic – Locked bootloader with no unlock in sight (I think). Screen and Moto blur started to annoy me.
I’ve only had my Nexus for a few days but I’m NOT going back to the above. Maybe I would feel differently if this was my first Android phone but it wasn’t. Other than battery life I have no complaints worth talking about. This phone stays until the next Nexus is released, period!
Ive had sprint for years, and recently got out of my ETF because of their new discount policy. I switched to att just to get the Galaxy Nexus unlocked on their hspa+ network and it has been amazing so far. Sprint has such a long way to go to even begin their LTE launch. So sad to see the leader of 4g technology take a big dump on the wireless industry
Had sprint for years until their 3g and lol 4g got over sold. Left for AT&T and couldn't be happier. Have 5 lines with AT&T and moved my last odd line from sprint to Verizon for the nexus and again, night and day service difference.
Funny thing is my Verizon costs are the same as sprint. Texting through google voice and I use grooveip for calls when my minutes get low. 4gb of data is plenty for me especially when it actually works. Most of my sprint speed tests were measured in fractions of a mbit. Usually sub 150 kbs. Pathetic. They can keep their premium data add on
Aridon i did exactly what you did! Left for ATT got an unlocked Nexus though. never been happier
Completely agree with OP, this is probably the best phone I have ever had, hands down. I have no issues with it what so ever.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I'll add that you should push verizon for a new phone if you are having a lot of data and/or voice drops.
I got a new phone and the difference is night and day... No drops now
+1 on this. Coming from HTC I was very skeptical about Samsung and their plastic and the 'less good' GPU. But everything else is so got damn great about this phone that the plastic and GPU doesn't bug me anymore . I'm sure I'll keep this phone until the next nexus is out .
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Ya, I'm pretty stoked about it...
It just makes me more excited for the 2013/2014 nexus!!!
I can't wait to hear the complaints then! ...We'll be complaining about having a 8-core nexus with 4GB ram when 16-core phones with 8GB ram are just around the corner!
I'm currently limping along on my LG G2X (worst... phone... ever,) that has been rooted and loaded with various custom ROMS (both GB and ICS.) However, the bugginess, inconsistency and missing functionality are quickly making it unusable as my daily driver.
My question is, any other TMobile G2X users made the switch to the GNex? How has it been for you? Stability? 4G Speeds? Functionality?
I'm seriously considering taking the plunge, but would like to be REALLY SURE before I "convince" my wife that it is "only" option
Thanks in advance, I know these types of questions are a dime a dozen (though strangely I didn't see any pop up for G2X to GNex in my search... though that could be because the G2X SUCKS SO FREAKING BAD THAT PEOPLE REFUSED TO BUY IT OR SIMPLY CONVERTED THEIR OLD ONES TO BROAD-BASED GOLF TEES OR POORLY DESIGNED THROWING STARS... sigh.)
- Jeff
I have both an LG Optimus 2x P999 (G2X) and the Galaxy Nexus. I actually like the LG, theres custom roms for it and a whole section on it here (if you look). The LG has the Tegra 2, a good screen, and everything seems to work fine on mine. Its one of the better phones that works on Wind (canada). For a budget android, its great.
That being said it's no Galaxy Nexus. The galaxy nexus is a whole generation ahead of the 2X. I don't need to sell the specs and features on you. You have to justify your own purchase. You can sell the G2 for a decent buck and put it towards the new Gnex I guess.
This is the exact move I made.
Only I did it alot sooner, meaning I paid 700 for the Gnex in November... eased the pain a bit by seling the G2x for 300 to some poor sap
Now that the Gnex is 400 off contract direct from google, I would jump on it.
I enjoyed my G2x despite all its nonsense, but the Gnex is 100x a better experience.
I switched from the G2x to the Galaxy Nexus. It was one of the best moves I have done. The 4g speeds are about the same as I was getting on the G2x in my area. I have not traveled since I switched so I do not know about other areas. I am getting 5-6 on downloads and about 1-2 on uploads. The voice quality is great and both the voice and data connections are stable unlike the G2x.
I am running CM9 on my Nexus. It is extremely stable compared to G2x. Everything just works unlike the G2x. I have no problem getting a full day with moderately heavy use.
Well worth the investment. It is also contract free, depending on your plan and needs you can reduce how much you pay t-mobile monthly. I am on the value plan so I do not get the discounts on phones from T-Mobile. $400 is cheep for a unlocked phone contract free.
I switched from G2x and never had any problems with that phone (dual-core, fast, great battery, IPS panel). I like Nexus, but "newspaper" white is just killing it. G2x had very good colors.
I switched from G2x to One S and then Nexus because it was free for me. actually i gained like 20-30 bucks in process....
Unless you hate Sense or wanna flash CM9 or AOKP right away, I would get One S instead. Its better then Nexus in every way but development.
I switched from the G2x back in november!! Paid ~$700 for the european Nexus and had to sell the G2x for a pathetic $200. There is no market for the G2x here in Chicago, even Samsung Vibrants were selling for ~$300 at the time! Lol the G2x just never caught on and was left on the back burner, most unpopular android phone EVAR!
Anyways, to answer your question, GET IT!!!! It's the best phone I have ever had. Period. And I've gone through my share of android phones starting with the Nexus One, then the Vibrant, G2, G2x, and finally the GNex. The GNex has everything I could have ever wanted from a phone
I gave my G2x to my bro-in-law after "Sensation scam" happened on him.
GNex is better than G2x in every aspect EXCEPT:
1. memory card support
2. mass storage (MTP is painfully slow and wifi explorer can't transfer folders)
When I went to leave early from to Verizon from sprint in early december (long story not my choice) I was coming from a nexus s. So in my mind it was like no brainer, Galaxy nexus. Went into Best Buy mobile told them I wanted a Galaxy Nexus, they gave me ****. "It's not reliable, we always have returns, it's overrated, not worth the money, we'd have to backorder it, look at something else." These are people I know on a first name basis who I'm comfortable with so they wouldn't shaft me. I told them I wanted it because custom software and freedom excites me. Long story short I ended up with a RAZR M. Great phone I love it amazing build and formfactor. But it's like dating a girl who's slightly younger the more I'm with it the more little flaws I see. Virtually no dev support, no google wallet even sideloading, small internal memory ( 8 gigs). So it always leaves me wondering; I know the verizon GNEX is botched, but is it bad enough to pass on and look elsewhere? Share your opinion.
I love my nexus I've never had issues with it since i bought it last February. Just recently i had issues with the screen. Took it to best buy mobile they ordered me a new one and i got a good phone again. No issues at all. I don't know what people keep saying its a bad phone cuz its not.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Agreed, it is a good phone and I too don't understand what everyone keeps whining about. If people really hate the phone that much then just shutup and get something else. But personally the only thing I've noticed is that it doesn't get as good of a signal as my friends do who have Motorola phones. Other than that I really have no complaints.
I love mine too. Last August had to get a new a few days later due a signal issue, but after that its the best android I've had. What bugs me is the lack of info from Verizon and Samsung about software. Both are quit like clams
WyldOne91 said:
Agreed, it is a good phone and I too don't understand what everyone keeps whining about. If people really hate the phone that much then just shutup and get something else. But personally the only thing I've noticed is that it doesn't get as good of a signal as my friends do who have Motorola phones. Other than that I really have no complaints.
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Couldn't help but notice you have a trinogram as your picture, another Oh, Sleeper fan in xda world - other than me?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
Overall my experience with my GNex has been pleasant. I replaced the earpiece speaker.... But everything else has been OK.
Now, Verizon is always gonna be a Verizon. They are gonna do the same stuff no matter what phone you have ( slow updates, tiered plans, no customer loyalty, uninhibited greed....the usual stuff)
But this is a solid phone. The dev community is strong. No complaints here!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
Like everyone says, it's an awesome phone. You'll fall in love customizing it. Only thing about the CDMA version is that the battery life is terrible. 1-1.5 screen time and roughly 10-12 hours of life. I'm a moderate user.
Idk i have never had a problem with my nexus and its one of the better phones i owned.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I love the phone too. I got rid of my ****ty DROID Charge due to lack of dev support and the outdated internals. But overall, it's been a good phone to own. Antennas suck, being a Samsung. Battery life for LTE isn't very good. And camera isn't that great. But it's got plenty of Roms to keep interesting.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I've had the galaxy nexus for about 3 months now. My previous phones were the HTC G1, the thunderbolt and the rezound. As far as the android experience goes this is the best phone I've had. As far as a "phone" goes this is the worst phone I had. Sometimes I lose signal but the phones shows full bars and reports a good signal. I can't make or receive calls or get internet. I thought the solution was to have it on 3g only but even though its more reliable as a phone it still loses signal without any warning. And that is a bit dangerous. From researching I am not the only one, and some people say they have to go thru 6 to get 1 good one. I bought mine on eBay so that's not an option for me. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it or get a different phone.
BTW I have flashed multiple combination of radios, kernels, and ROMs. No dice.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I've been very happy with my VZW Gnex. In fact, I have now owned it longer than any other phone before, and that includes my OG droid.
I am unhappy with Verizon themselves tho, and will be leaving when my contract expires in a few weeks.
I made the move from Sprint to VZW in August 2012, and this is the first and only phone I've had since being on the network. Additionally, this is the first phone I've had since the old WinMo days that I haven't had an incessant itch to switch to something new. I even got my flashing addiction down to 1x/month on average!
Good phone, good network, good experience thus far.
I get lots of reception issues with this phone. It isn't about bars or anything. It often disappoints even running Speedtest,net app. My XOOM has LTE also but gets significantly faster download and upload speeds. The 4.1.2 update makes it smoother, but it's performance as a phone is pretty weak. My Droid 1 is the best experience I've had with a smartphone. The Droid 2 was OK but had too much crap on it. This is a significant interface and capability improvement over those phones but it's performance is so lackluster, I might have been better off with another LTE model.
The clean stock experience is nice but I'd rather have it perform better as a phone. My husband's Galaxy Nexus acts the same way. It's not a bad phone if you can get it cheap.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
Personally, I love it. I wouldn't be on Verizon if they didn't have a Nexus. Battery life on any LTE devices sucks. I took care of it with this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007C8XRJY/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
Just chiming in here.... I'm kinda new to the GNexus on Verizon... As you see my daily driver is still the razr maxx... And I'm comparing the two... Motorola bugs me so much. If it wasn't for the 24hr battery life is would easily jump ship. I just rooted the nexus, put Google wallet on it and can't wait to go to McDonalds to buy a cup of coffee lol.. But I had the incD before and loved roming.. I still do but I hate locked boot loader and low dev. Community.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda app-developers app
Its not a bad phone at all. Most people's biggest gripe is that its not a "true nexus device" because updates have to go through Verizon first and don't come directly from Google.
I've had the toro / VzW Galaxy Nexus since it was first released by Verizon -- must be about 13 or 14 months now. A bit flakey on initial release, but updates came quickly, and since I unlocked and rooted I've tried several ROMs. Overall - it's been the best phone I've used since buying my first cell phone about 21 years ago. Sure, there are a few points I'd like to see improved, but that doesn't stop this being a spectacular device overall. Since using ROMs like XenonHD, Codename Android and Nexus Evolution, the phone has been generally spectacular, with my only annoyance being battery life. For the past year I sported a 2000 mah OEM "extended" battery, but as GNex owners know, these don't go that far. I finally opted for a 3800 mah battery from Hyperion a couple of days ago, along with a couple of matching cases that I can switch between -- a one piece TPU case, and a Seidio convert combo. With a full charge, battery life is excellent now -- I've been on battery for about 10 hours today with 2 hours screen time so far, and still have 70% left -- and this should improve after I've fully cycled the battery a few times. At this point - the phone is immaculate, looks like new, works beautifully and is just about 100% customizable with a big selection of ROMs, mods and themes. All in all, this is a fantastic phone.
The phone itself is great as long as you get one without any of the hardware flaws. The battery life is sub-par, especially compared to the GSM version, but if you can keep a charger nearby it lasts well enough you don't really have too much to worry about.
Verizon is really the only problem I have with it. They really treat their customers like trash. Their prices are astronomical and they want to figure out how to charge more. Flagrant anti-consumerism with the blocking Google Wallet because it competes with ISIS. The big kicker is that their coverage isn't really much better than others these days. Blahblah I could ramble on all day about why I'm leaving VZW when my contract is up, I'll shut up now.
Sounds like a mixed bag so far. But the positives outway the negatives. I like my Razr M alot, but I do miss nexus customization a lot. I feel like if Verizon weren't so ridiculous with their policies I wouldn't be as bothered by my choice. Hardware wise I'm liking the RAZR m a bit more but the software freedom is a bit of a letdown. Having Stock is a plus though. I was set if it wasn't a nexus it would be flashable or stock.O yea, and as far as I'm concerned LTE is nullified and a big marketing ploy as long as caps are around.
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app
If the salemen you spoke to aren't related to you by blood, then they lied to you. Aren't you curious why you ended up with a Razr as opposed to the well supported GNex? It's not a coincidence that every corporate Verizon store has a dedicated Razr section. They are pushing for sales of Razrs, because they have better control over their software. You won't find any Verizon bloatware on a Gnex (b/c Google won't allow it), thus they lose on advertising and endorsement dollars.
Personally, I've had a pleasant experience with my Verizon GNex. Sure, I don't get phenomenal battery life, but I still have access to a charger throughout most of my day (as most people would). Reception could be improved, but I don't have high expectations when it comes to Samsung's radio hardware. The camera though... isn't something I would show off. And you can't beat the dev scene; this phone will be up to date even when the next Nexus comes out.
My HTC DNA fell and the screen cracked. I have already used my replacements through the insurance. Doesn't take much for the screen to break.
I am selling it and looks like I will get about $200 for it.
Looking on swappa.com I can get a fairly good conditioned GNex for that price.
I know it is not comparable spec wise, but I love the pure Google experience and it wouldn't cost me any $.
What do you guys think, is it worth getting or should I hunt for something else?
Currently I am running CM 10.1 on my DNA and am loving it. The DNA is my first Android phone.
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I have no experience with the DNA, but I am pretty happy with my vzw gnex
Battery life isn't that great, but besides that I have no major issues.
i love the gnex but i was able to purchase an upgrade to a s4 at work... gotta keep my unlimited! the only issue i have is poor reception, which seems to be common to this phone. my droid charge hold signals better and locks onto 4g better. but this is when im in marginal areas. if you have a good signal the gnex is pretty sweet. you can find them on amazon for under 200 sometime.i may be selling mine soon if i decide to keep the s4 but i dont think my decision will be in the time frame you'd need.
Thanks for the replies. I am not to worried about battery life as I get zero service at work and it sits in airplane mode until 430.
I did see that reception can be an issue. I get pretty good reception here in MD.
Still leaning towards it. I will check out Amazon... Thanks!
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
I do love my phone, but it's not without some quirks, mostly from the Verizon end.
1) No native tethering
2) No Google Wallet (btw, where is Verizon's NFC payment thing they were touting instead?)
3) The back plate of the phone can get warped and the back can come off extremely easy which can cause the battery to pop out easily.
4) Battery life can be balls. I now have 5 extra batteries that I take with me to shows, and on trips just so I can swap them out when they die.
Amazon has a HUGE battery, see this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2183513
I'm currently on my 3rd Galaxy Nexus I think.....but that's my own fault, I drop it ALOT. Thankfully my screen has never cracked, just weird issues like broken camera and whatnot.
Get the insurance plan! =)
gational anytryn
Go for Gnex, it has the best development support
Also going to mention okay radio performance, and terrible stock battery life. Don't buy the official "extended battery" as it's only like 250mAh larger than our stock one. There's the giant one on Amazon that was linked earlier in the thread. I have the Hyperion 3800mAh that I bought before I knew about the other one. I get about two days on average out of it unless I play lots of games.
For just a little more, you could get a GS3. I saw a few GS3s in great shape on swappa for under $300. And it's easy to root, and run an AOSP rom. While the GN isn't a bad phone, and I've been happy with it overall, I would not see myself buying one at this time (especially since you are coming from a DNA).