[Q] Galaxy Nexus vs LG Spectrum - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Hi guys, it happened that I can still bring back my GN and get another phone. The LG Spectrum will be available on Jan 19. By looking the specs here is what I see:
Processor GN - 1.2, LG 1.5
Camera GN - 5 mp, LG 8 mp
Screen - same resolution, LG has better colors (at least what they're saying).
Storage: GN - 32 gig, LG - 4+.
OS - here is the huge disadvantage: LG has Gingerbread versus ICS on GN. However they claim update will be available early this year.
Also, Verizon will be making LG global and it priced $100 chipper.
Guys, am I missing something? Are there any other reasons to keep GN?
I appreciate your input.

Hm, certainly you are missing couple of things.
According to quick search on Google: "(LG Spectrum) won’t get Ice Cream Sandwich until the second half of 2012". This alone kills the phone for me.
Otherwise, it lacks notification LED - one of the main features of SGN for me.
It also has buttons on the front, not soft buttons on the screen like SGN.
If I was in the market for other than SGN android phone, I would either wait for SGS3, or the new Sony Xperia S, or maybe I would just go for the Galaxy Note (ICS update expected in 1-2 months).

Stock Android Experience (esp. on Ice Cream Sandwich) > any manufacturered skin of Android.
Not to mention Nexus devices tend to get a lot of good developer support simply because its a Nexus device.

LG is possibly theeeeee absolute worse at making stable Android software, not to mention their support is lacking, and their skin is horrible. To each his own though.

LG is without a doubt the worst phone manufacturer when it comes to system updates. G2x shipped with 2.2, was promised 2.3 within weeks, and didn't receive it officially until 6 months later. Tons of people had quality control issues with 3,4,5 replacements being common. Stay far, far away from LG. G2x was fantastic to hold and was great when it works correctly, but left such a bad taste in my mouth I wont be purchasing LG products again.

GNowner said:
Hi guys, it happened that I can still bring back my GN and get another phone. The LG Spectrum will be available on Jan 19. By looking the specs here is what I see:
Processor GN - 1.2, LG 1.5
Camera GN - 5 mp, LG 8 mp
Screen - same resolution, LG has better colors (at least what they're saying).
Storage: GN - 32 gig, LG - 4+.
OS - here is the huge disadvantage: LG has Gingerbread versus ICS on GN. However they claim update will be available early this year.
Also, Verizon will be making LG global and it priced $100 chipper.
Guys, am I missing something? Are there any other reasons to keep GN?
I appreciate your input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When talking about processors, there's more to consider than just clock speed. To make a long story short, I'd quickly take the 1.2 OMAP 4460 over a 1.5 snapdragon S3 any day of the week. I refuse to accept a phone using a snapdragon S3.
Camera - Megapixels alone do not make a camera better. That just means it takes larger photos.
Screen - Not sure where you heard it had better colors, but with it having an IPS display that means two things will inherently be true. It will not have anywhere near the same contrast as the Galaxy Nexus and it's color will not be as vibrant. For your reference, some IPS displays are only 800:1 whereas the GNex has a contrast ratio of 100000:1. Needless to say, that's quite a sizeable difference, and visibly the difference is quite ostensible.
OS - LG's reputation with updates is worse than any other manufacturer out there. On the G2x they promised an update to gingerbread in "a few weeks", and that "few weeks" turned into several months. When they do actually update the spectrum to ICS the Galaxy Nexus will be close to getting Jellybean and will already have had multiple incremental updates already. Not to mention that the ICS update will likely be the first and last update the Spectrum will see.
As for things that you might be missing, one the that jumps out at me is the lack of NFC. I refuse to purchase a phone that does not have nfc. NFC is due to really pick up this year, and I'm not the least bit interested in any device that will lack this.
Overall the main reason I wouldn't give this phone a second thought is...IT'S AN LG PHONE. That alone is enough reason to give me pause. LG's reputation in the cell phone world is worse than horrid. They make buggy devices and then don't support them. Heck when they finally did update the g2x to gingerbread, they still left it with a froyo kernel! WTF! The fact that this phone is made by LG is enough to make it an object of derision. I would advise you to forego that phone. Friends don't let friends use LG phones.

Spectrum has the same specs as the LG Nitro for ATT. Horrendous battery life. That's why I returned the Nitro and got the Galaxy Nexus.

The Spectrum is thoroughly unimpressive after using it for a few days. Compared to the Nexus it just feels wrong in my hand. I'm afraid to see how diluted ICS is going to be once the manufacturers add their skins on top of them; it will NOT be the same experience that you get on the Nexus.
That being said the great thing about having multiple devices available is there is something to fit the needs of just about anyone. So if that's a better fit for you then go for it...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

mysterioustko said:
Friends don't let friends use LG phones.
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Click to collapse
Ha! Well put. I carried the Revolution as my company phone for a while before upgrading to the Rezound and I'll agree, LG Android phones are crap. Also, add stated NFC is something that I wouldn't buy a phone without and there are a lot of things to consider when comparing processors and cameras; clock speed and megapixels are not the only factors.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Thanks to all. I'll stay with GN. I do like my phone. But as always when you see something better at least on paper you start thinking. Several years back I used to have an LG phone (not android). It wasn't that bad.
Anyway, I'm not changing my login to LGowner. GNowner - that is.

well i love ur username but if u decide to change phones its going to sound kinda wierd like "i have the htc diamond touch 4g nexus tron 2" but my name is gnowner

GNowner said:
Thanks to all. I'll stay with GN. I do like my phone. But as always when you see something better at least on paper you start thinking. Several years back I used to have an LG phone (not android). It wasn't that bad.
Anyway, I'm not changing my login to LGowner. GNowner - that is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the sake of argument (lol) I'll just throw out there that the Spectrum is not better on paper. An inferior processor, ips screen (IMO is not on par with amoled displays), and no nfc. It is not better on paper.

mysterioustko said:
For the sake of argument (lol) I'll just throw out there that the Spectrum is not better on paper. An inferior processor, ips screen (IMO is not on par with amoled displays), and no nfc. It is not better on paper.
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Click to collapse
I'm far from being an expert. For average user 1.5 > 1.2. In terms of screen quality I watched the presentation from CES and the guy sounded very much convincing.

People who say Samsung is bad at updating have never had the displeasure of using a LG. LG is the company who releases phones Q3 2011 with 2.2 and it seems like LG has forgotten that phone already.
Google should not give licenses(market access) to companies requesting it to release a phone running a Version that was replaced more then 6 month in the past. So LGs issue is partially googles for being so lax on giving the license out.

mysterioustko said:
For the sake of argument (lol) I'll just throw out there that the Spectrum is not better on paper. An inferior processor, ips screen (IMO is not on par with amoled displays), and no nfc. It is not better on paper.
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Click to collapse
I give credit where credit is due. The ips screen is absolutely beautiful. Much better than the gnex. The lag on the UI and horrendous battery life is what kills it.

For what it's worth, I love my Gnex. But if I needed to be away from a charger for more than 8 hours (where I would be using my phone, not just idle stand by time) I would carry my LG Revolution. It's rock solid stable overclocked to 1.9 ghz, and with the 3000 mah extended battery, I get all day and all night use out of my phone. You pay a premium for a 4.65 screen, and that premium is battery drain. The Gnex is superior to my revo in every way except battery life, but sometimes battery life is the most important thing in a phone. (good thing I have two lines, I can choose which phone to take with me depending on how long I need the battery to last!) all that being said, I'm not usually away from a charger, so the battery life of the Gnex is not a deal breaker for me, It hasn't let me down yet, it did get down to 2 per cent once, because I forgot to put it on the charger in a low signal area for 8 hours, but that was my fault, not the phone's fault!

ozymandiaz said:
For what it's worth, I love my Gnex. But if I needed to be away from a charger for more than 8 hours (where I would be using my phone, not just idle stand by time) I would carry my LG Revolution. It's rock solid stable overclocked to 1.9 ghz, and with the 3000 mah extended battery, I get all day and all night use out of my phone. You pay a premium for a 4.65 screen, and that premium is battery drain. The Gnex is superior to my revo in every way except battery life, but sometimes battery life is the most important thing in a phone. (good thing I have two lines, I can choose which phone to take with me depending on how long I need the battery to last!) all that being said, I'm not usually away from a charger, so the battery life of the Gnex is not a deal breaker for me, It hasn't let me down yet, it did get down to 2 per cent once, because I forgot to put it on the charger in a low signal area for 8 hours, but that was my fault, not the phone's fault!
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Well any phone with a 3000mAh battery is going to be solid on battery life and give you a day's use... You're comparing the revolution with a 3000mAh battery to a GN with a 1750mAh.

The Gnex, even if there were a 3000 mah battery available for it (which there isn't) would not get near the life that the revolution does. That's not knocking the Gnex, but pumping out the better resolution on a much larger screen, using more cores, is going to use much more battery. It's just a fact of life. The Revolution, even on the stock 1500 (or so, I think it's actually 1450 or something) battery is going to last longer than the Gnex, due to the smaller resolution and screen size. My point was only that the more the phone can do, the shorter time the battery lasts.

I've read somewhere that Galaxy Nexus' screen, being Amoled, will eventually have screen burn in. LG Spectrum's IPS display will not have any piece of that.

Went to the verizon store today to see which phone I liked better. In my opinion the Spectrum's screen is superior to the Nexus's screen. I compared them at min, mid, and max brightness while web surfing and watching HD videos. I also like the glass on the spectrum more than the nexus, it was much smoother on the spectrum. If there turns out to be a good community on XDA for the spectrum, I would get it over the nexus. However, given that I don't know if that will be the case, my choice is much harder. I think the UI is a little buggy on the spectrum and LG has had some issues with timely updates. The nexus already has a huge community here with custom tweaks and roms, and ICS is obviously better than gingerbread.
I am hoping some in depth reviews pop-up over the weekend for the spectrum.
EDIT: Also did some speed tests, Spectrum had an upload speed of around 11 Mbps whereas the Nexus barley got 6 Mbps. Download was inconsistent, Nexus got around 11 Mbps to 13 Mbps, Spectrum got 12 Mpbs to 17 Mbps. Online results are better for the Nexus, wonder if it is just the area I am in

Related

Would you recommend me upgrading?

Hello everyone! I'm currently using an iPhone 4 on AT&T and I recently played with a Galaxy Nexus at Verizon after watching a lot of videos on it (I just had to play with one). I must say, I loved the screen from the short amount of time I used the phone and loved the interface of Android 4.0. I've been using iOS for awhile now and its not because I'm a 'lemming' or some other ridiculous term (please lets keep the fanboyism out of this) and have always jailbroken my phones. The Galaxy Nexus just seemed very nice (although I dislike the backing of the device) and I'm not sure if it's just the allure of something different since I'm so used to iOS (which I'm finding to be stagnant) or if its because its that much better.
I guess I would like to hear anyone's experience with the device, especially if they upgraded from an iPhone 4 as well. The biggest complaints I've heard about the phone are the sub par camera, the build quality, wifi issues, multitouch problems, and battery issues (this one worries me). Upgrading to the SGN would cost me quite a bit, probably around $650 dollars. I'm thinking I could sell my phone off for about $250-$300 making the price slightly more bearable.
Few of the things I liked while playing with it:
* Increased screen size with high pixel density
* Ice Cream Sandwich has a very futuristic feeling to it and I absolutely love the look of it
* Seemed very fast
* Camera took very fast photos
* Full screen browser was amazing (so much more content)
* Face unlock
* Live wallpapers (is this a big battery drain?)
So from a purely objective opinion (not a biased one, although I suppose that is impossible to avoid) do you think its worth the price for me to upgrade to a Galaxy Nexus from the iPhone 4?
Thank for you for time in answering my question(s), I really appreciate it!
I also had an iPhone 4 and chose to upgrade to this phone. Best choice I ever made when it comes to phones! The killer for me was the screen, I absolutely could not go back to a 3.5" screen now. And ICS is just fab! Go for it.
What you're experiencing right now is Night. If you were to upgrade the the Nexus then you would see Day. The only disadvantage the Nexus has over the iPhone is battery life. If you can deal with that then do it.
Had a Fascinate > Charge > iPhone4 > Nexus. I just can't stand that damn 3.5" screen.
Honestly, when i had an iPhone 4, the battery life was horrid. 8 hours at most.
sent from my 3v0
You pretty much nailed why this phone is better, but I think it comes down to apps. You'll miss some apps on Android at the beginning but you'll also find out that most of those apps you'll miss are irrelevant in an Android environment. You'll miss the battery life on your iPhone that's for sure unless you get a GSM version which I have, I have 10hrs on it and still 84% left of battery, didn't even try to conserve power.
masamichi7 said:
Honestly, when i had an iPhone 4, the battery life was horrid. 8 hours at most.
sent from my 3v0
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Click to collapse
Yea I don't understand the myth of iPhone 4 having great battery life.
The nexus will last 8-10 hours on 3G just like the iPhone 4/4s and it has more power hungry specs.
Although face unlock works well, I can't help but tell you it is a gimmick. Once you press the power button, it takes a while for the camera to initialize so there is some delay when unlocking (as opposed to the quick slide to unlock) but on the other hand is amazing to show-off to friends
Also, many users have reported that live wallpapers cause lag although I cannot confirm that myself. (But, when I did turn live wallpapers on, I did notice some slugishness/lag but it might be because I was running a lot of processes in the background)
The battery drain is also noticeable, for me on Android Revolution HD with Francisco Franco's kernel (dec 13 test non overclock) I get about 10 hours of usage but I still am yet to confirm the battery of the device. You should check out the galaxy nexus LTE review at www.theverge.com for more info. But I'm fairly certain that it does state the battery drain is heavily noticeable on the LTE variant.
Finally, I absolutely love the screen on the Galaxy Nexus as well. I would never go back to a ~4.5 inch screen ever again
I personally get tired of mobile OSes every couple years. I started with the original iPhone, upgraded to 3G, then jumped ship after 3GS release. Not only did I want to dump AT&T, but I also wanted to try out Android.
I was getting sick of Gingerbread so I upgraded early from my Droid Charge. I love the change so far, and I think I'll be sticking with Android for a bit longer. But coming from an Apple product you have to realize that Android will never be as polished or smooth. Google just doesn't have the closed ecosystem like Apple.
The gaming department is really disappointing for me over the iPhone, and is one of the primary reasons I want an Apple device again. But that 3.5" screen makes it hard to enjoy too lol. I think I'll just settle for an iPad 3. If you really like customizing and personalizing your devices, Android is perfect for you.
4G LTE is simply awesome. If you are around a lot of power sockets during your normal daytime gig, battery life is no big deal. Screen size is awesome. No dropped calls is awesome. And I know with Verizon, iPhone 4's fetch like $350-400 still, even after the release of the 4S.
Either way, I hope some of this info helped you lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Upgrade!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
As long as you can deal with the reinvestment into a new ecosystem and possibly buying the Android version of any paid apps you want to continue to use I'd say go for it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
My first android phone was a HTC Desire, then I sold it for iPhone 4S, which I was using whilst waiting for the Galaxy Nexus to be released. I've used an iPhone 2G before and to be honest 2G -> 4S has basically no difference. Using the dialer is poor, no smart dial, small screen which is pretty poor if you want to read web journals on your phone.
So many other basic features are missing from the iPhone such as you have to enter facebook to upload a picture. On Android you just take the photo, and share VIA Whatsapp/Facebook whatever. As easy as that.
Get the Nexus, you definitely won't regret it. Also if you get like a Note or SG2, it'll have the problem of when it gets ICS 4.0 it will still use the Touch Wiz which is frankly crap. So unless you're good at setting up Alternative Launchers or using Custom ROMS your best bet is just using the Nexus. Good luck.
Don't know much about the networks over there in America, but it seems that verizon is very much like Telstra here in Aus. Best coverage but biggest dicks.
That aside, I can say that the Galaxy nexus is awesome. While iOS has always been smooth, ICS has a nicer look about it. The GNEX screen is just amazing - similar to retina but more real estate, which is a winner in my books!
PS. Getting 11 mbps speeds here in aus with HSPA+ too
ive never owned an iphone 4 but i have worked with them a lot.
would i upgrade to a GN? without question.
if you want 'safe' phone then stick to the iphone
if you want a phone you can actually enjoy and play with then go android and the GN is one of the best options out there.
I havent had much trouble with the battery to be honest yes under heavy use it can go down quite quickly (although not as quickly as some devices)...for example i used about 45% when streaming a Newcastle game for 2 hours on full brightness which isnt to bad in my experience.
In 'normal' daily use the battery performs as well as most phones so far.
A lot of iphone users throw the battery issues with android phones out there, but believe me we have had plenty of situations when iphones have drained just as quick.
Just remember that heavy data usage, poor coverage and heavy screen use are the usual culprits for batteries dying.
The GN hasnt got a problem with the battery - at least not for me
Thank you for your replies! I'm still debating about it. One part of me says that a better phone will be coming out soon, while another part of me says that there will always be a better phone coming. Regardless, I do have one question for those of you with a Galaxy Nexus:
If I were to download an app from the Android Market will it scale to the Galaxy Nexus's screen properly? I imagine the graphics would have to be updated in the app to support the higher resolution, but I was curious if Google had worked anything out for generic images to scale correctly. Also do things like buttons (generic images used throughout the UI basically) change to their Android 4.0 counterparts?
Thanks again
ErikWithNoC said:
Thank you for your replies! I'm still debating about it. One part of me says that a better phone will be coming out soon, while another part of me says that there will always be a better phone coming. Regardless, I do have one question for those of you with a Galaxy Nexus:
If I were to download an app from the Android Market will it scale to the Galaxy Nexus's screen properly? I imagine the graphics would have to be updated in the app to support the higher resolution, but I was curious if Google had worked anything out for generic images to scale correctly. Also do things like buttons (generic images used throughout the UI basically) change to their Android 4.0 counterparts?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some apps scale, some don't, some will say not compatible. A lot of games don't work
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk
nrfitchett4 said:
Some apps scale, some don't, some will say not compatible. A lot of games don't work
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
That is disappointing. From your experience would you say enough work? Also, do you (or anyone else in this thread) think developers will update their graphics for the SGN's resolution (is it a standard resolution for ICS)?
Nah its just a few lines of code. Most everything will scale properly. ICS is still new and we only just recently got the Nexus. Its not even really updating graphics. Its not like Apple where things get stretched and look hideous. Completely different methods. I hated Apples method to make iPhone apps work on iPads. Most Android apps look 100% normal when scaled. Google doesn't want Tablet and Phone apps... they want 1 app that conforms to all... and most do. A few don't.
I typically take my phone off the charge at 8am. Its 8pm now with 30% left after going all day with corporate email, Gmail, Facebook, xda a few hours, and scrabble a few times. Pretty normal usage but its new so I keep tinkering with it.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer
player911 said:
Nah its just a few lines of code. Most everything will scale properly. ICS is still new and we only just recently got the Nexus. Its not even really updating graphics. Its not like Apple where things get stretched and look hideous. Completely different methods. I hated Apples method to make iPhone apps work on iPads. Most Android apps look 100% normal when scaled. Google doesn't want Tablet and Phone apps... they want 1 app that conforms to all... and most do. A few don't.
I typically take my phone off the charge at 8am. Its 8pm now with 30% left after going all day with corporate email, Gmail, Facebook, xda a few hours, and scrabble a few times. Pretty normal usage but its new so I keep tinkering with it.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is it that the graphics don't need to be changed? I'm sure games would need different sized graphics to take advantage of the higher resolution screen. As for the whole iPhone app iPad app thing. I would rather developers create a dedicated tablet app versus's a scaled up phone app any day, so either way isn't that great in my opinion. Great news on the battery! I'm assuming your using the GSM version of the Nexus since your on T-Mobile?
Sorry I couldn't help it
I'm in a weird mood today...
Gsm sexier ....thinner and more pronounce curve lte version battery drains fast. Hate it .. I returning the lte and staying with gsm version
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[Q] Should I get a Rezound or Spectrum?

I'm in the market for a new device as my contract is up and I my Dinc isn't doing it for me anymore, even with ICS installed. I want to know what some of you guys with experience with both of the phones think I should do. The main improvements that I want out of my next smartphone are in order:
1 - Display - mainly size
2 - Microhphone - I'm a songwriter and record song ideas to my phone all the time. the Dinc's mic is awful and distorted at anything louder than a speaking voice.
3 - Battery - I realize that with batteries not getting much bigger and LTE coming on board that this may be a pipe dream ... but I'd like to get an 8AM to midnight day out of my next phone.
4 - On board speaker - I miss calls regularly on my Dinc because it isn't loud enough and I've had to replace the speaker once already.
Here are my winners of the two after handling them in the store:
1 - Display - LG
2 - Microphone - LG by long shot (noise cancellation) - Rezound's is just as bad as my Dinc's
3 - Battery - have no clue. anyone have any insight for me? I am crazy to think getting a full day out of either of these phones is possible? I don't know if the screen/mic/data speed upgrade would even be worth it if I'm going to be tethered to the wall every 6 hours.
4 - Speaker Volume - LG
Here are a couple things I'm unsure about that I've loved about my Dinc. Any insight would be appreciated.
DEV Support - Rezound wins this by long shot, but the Spectrum is brand new, so there's no real telling what the Dev community will look like. What are the chances the Spectrum gets CM9?
WIFI Tether - I assume LG is rootable, since most LGs have unlocked bootloader & NitroHD has been rooted. Am I wrong to assume it will be rooted or does anyone know if it's happened yet?
Extra Points:
LG also had random issue of GPS not connecting while in verizon store. That could be seriously annoying.
Rezound's camera also kills LG's but I never take pictures, so it doesn't matter to me. The Mic superiority would make it easy for me to make this trade-off.
Here's a video review by wirefly that confirms most of my observations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMVfhLIc48
I too have an AMOLED DInc and am considering using my upgrade. I was looking at Verizon's latest crop of HD LTE phones, including the Galaxy Nexus, RAZR (qHD is not True HD), Rezound, and Spectrum. Out of all of them I personally prefer the Spectrum; I prefer its display (IPS RGB LCD beats PenTile SAMOLED or SLCD IMO), and there's something about the phone I just like despite being able to put my finger on it.
That being said, will I use my upgrade for it? NO.
Why? Phones using Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 SoC will be coming out soon, like 2Q. The chipset is 28nm, which will offer better performance while using less power, and includes one radio chip that covers all standards and thus will will use less power itself.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4940/qualcomm-new-snapdragon-s4-msm8960-krait-architecture/1
I really want the Spectrum and keep finding myself drawn to it for the reasons you outlined. And the Spectrum will be able to do the few things that my DInc can't, like HDMI out via MHL over microUSB.
If I can hold out until May or June, I should be able to get an even better phone. And I won't mind paying $300 for a phone that I will keep for almost two years, versus a $200 phone I will want to replace before the end of the year. Yeah, I know waiting always will get me better hardware. But why use my upgrade so few months before a new generation of chips come out?
Look at it this way: would someone who bought a DROID Bionic have pulled the trigger knowing that the RAZR was right around the corner? What about those people who recently got a DROID 3 only to find out the DROID 4 is coming soon?
I'm pretty sure a new phone in June will be able to go at least a year before an incremental increase in performance hits the market, and even then it won't be a big enough increase to justify replacing your phone. While the jump from Snapdragon S1 to S3 is huge, a few months later the jump from S1 to S4 will be even bigger and will come with less of a battery-usage penalty.
I think if you're definitely going to get a new phone, get the Spectrum. Root it, debloat it, and run a different launcher (I tried LauncherPro on it in the store and it worked fine). But if you can wait, just hold on a bit longer...
p.s. I wouldn't worry too much about GPS connectivity INSIDE OF A BUILDING. ;-)
Thanks for talking me off the ledge. It seems like neither phone is worth it with the battery gains that are on the horizon. I tried to do the same for a friend who got the bionic and he regrets not listening.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
vantagejuan said:
I'm in the market for a new device as my contract is up and I my Dinc isn't doing it for me anymore, even with ICS installed. I want to know what some of you guys with experience with both of the phones think I should do. The main improvements that I want out of my next smartphone are in order:
1 - Display - mainly size
2 - Microhphone - I'm a songwriter and record song ideas to my phone all the time. the Dinc's mic is awful and distorted at anything louder than a speaking voice.
3 - Battery - I realize that with batteries not getting much bigger and LTE coming on board that this may be a pipe dream ... but I'd like to get an 8AM to midnight day out of my next phone.
4 - On board speaker - I miss calls regularly on my Dinc because it isn't loud enough and I've had to replace the speaker once already.
Here are my winners of the two after handling them in the store:
1 - Display - LG
2 - Microphone - LG by long shot (noise cancellation) - Rezound's is just as bad as my Dinc's
3 - Battery - have no clue. anyone have any insight for me? I am crazy to think getting a full day out of either of these phones is possible? I don't know if the screen/mic/data speed upgrade would even be worth it if I'm going to be tethered to the wall every 6 hours.
4 - Speaker Volume - LG
Here are a couple things I'm unsure about that I've loved about my Dinc. Any insight would be appreciated.
DEV Support - Rezound wins this by long shot, but the Spectrum is brand new, so there's no real telling what the Dev community will look like. What are the chances the Spectrum gets CM9?
WIFI Tether - I assume LG is rootable, since most LGs have unlocked bootloader & NitroHD has been rooted. Am I wrong to assume it will be rooted or does anyone know if it's happened yet?
Extra Points:
LG also had random issue of GPS not connecting while in verizon store. That could be seriously annoying.
Rezound's camera also kills LG's but I never take pictures, so it doesn't matter to me. The Mic superiority would make it easy for me to make this trade-off.
Here's a video review by wirefly that confirms most of my observations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMVfhLIc48
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 15 hours or so on average with medium usage. The battery life for the LG is good, but it really depends what you're doing.
As for the GPS, this is the best GPS I've used in a smartphone BY FAR.
Is the Rezound camera that much better? The LG camera is pretty good too, especially the 1080p recording.
And yes, I tested the noise cancellation and recording quality myself. I'd have to say that it's nothing short of fantastic.
vantagejuan said:
Thanks for talking me off the ledge. It seems like neither phone is worth it with the battery gains that are on the horizon. I tried to do the same for a friend who got the bionic and he regrets not listening.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI, could you elaborate on these battery gains on the horizon you mention?
It's my understanding the upcoming quadcore phones can't manage batteries any better and as far as my research goes, the only new battery tech on the horizon is lithium-air technology.
OP: I'm talking myself off the ledge too.
I REALLY want the LG Spectrum, and I need to keep reminding myself why I should wait. I think I'll read that link quite a few times before I upgrade to an S4 Krait processor.
Sent from my AMOLED DInc using XDA App
scott0 said:
HI, could you elaborate on these battery gains on the horizon you mention?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ICS + s4 + trending towards bigger batteries (razr maxx)= my feeling that we'll have a device that can surf 4g all day before too long
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
liteon163 said:
OP: I'm talking myself off the ledge too.
I REALLY want the LG Spectrum, and I need to keep reminding myself why I should wait. I think I'll read that link quite a few times before I upgrade to an S4 Krait processor.
Sent from my AMOLED DInc using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If either of us gets the spectrum, the one that does owes the other an extended battery. Deal?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
DEAL! :-D
Sent from my AMOLED DInc using XDA App
vantagejuan said:
ICS + s4 + trending towards bigger batteries (razr maxx)= my feeling that we'll have a device that can surf 4g all day before too long
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be the one to break it to you- This is not a forward movement in tech, fact is, there's no real data to back this up.
putting a bigger gas tank on a sports car is not a tech advancement. any device can connect with brick of a battery. that's not anything new. quad core will use the same battery technology that we all have access to.
scott0 said:
I will be the one to break it to you- This is not a forward movement in tech, fact is, there's no real data to back this up.
putting a bigger gas tank on a sports car is not a tech advancement. any device can connect with brick of a battery. that's not anything new. quad core will use the same battery technology that we all have access to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mentioned nothing about quad core. Qualcomm's s4 chips will have 28nm size and a tightly integrated radio that will use battery power much more efficiently.
I will be avoiding the exact scenario that you're describing with the new quad core phones that will be gobbled up by the masses just because they have quad in their name. Google it or click the link provided by liteon163 above.
vantagejuan said:
I mentioned nothing about quad core. Qualcomm's s4 chips will have 28nm size and a tightly integrated radio that will use battery power much more efficiently.
I will be avoiding the exact scenario that you're describing with the new quad core phones that will be gobbled up by the masses just because they have quad in their name. Google it or click the link provided by liteon163 above.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for expanding, sorry I lumped quad core into your comment/view.
scott0 said:
Thank you for expanding, sorry I lumped quad core into your comment/view.
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Click to collapse
You're welcome. No problem. I can understand the confusion between s4 and quad core.
vantagejuan said:
You're welcome. No problem. I can understand the confusion between s4 and quad core.
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Click to collapse
also I think I am just frustrated at the lack of battery development overall & it especially hits a nerve with these devices.

Motorola xt886 vs galaxy nexus.

I am going to be getting a phone with a company called iwireless which is a tmobile affiliate. They only really have two decent phones to choose from. They are a Motorola xt886 and a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I am tyring to decide which one is going to be better for me in the long run. I will be rooting it and trying out different roms.
Here are some pros of the Nexus
-Galaxy nexus has a much bigger community behind it as compared to the xt886. looking at the forums it kind of seems that way.
-Galaxy will be likely have people developing for it for a couple years (I hope)
-HD Super AMOLED™
-1.2GHz Dual-core, OMAP, TI
Some pros about the xt886
-ColourBoost™ qHD (960 x 540 pixels) TFT LCD
-1.2 GHz dual core
-8MP camera
-(from Motorola site) This smartphone has a splash-guard coating too, a high-tech, invisible nanocoating that shields against the unexpected splash—not only on the outside, but on the electrical circuit board inside the housing as well.
They are both the same price. Also iwireless will be getting the S3 at some point. It was suppose to happen before Christmas but they have been having some slight issues apparently.
Should I hold out and wait for the S3 (which could be months, no idea really) or go with either one of these phones? Thanks for the help!!
-haryy
go for the nexus.. that qhd screen sucks compared to the screen of the nexus and the cameras that motorola uses are really bad, even if it is 8 mpx , the pics will probably look worst than the pics taken with the nexus. and being the xt886 a little brother of the original razr you can forget about getting any update.
Don't buy Motorola.
They promise an update, but when the time comes, they just move it to the next quarter. When the time comes again, they say "Sorry, but your device will stay on GB 2.3. You can get a 100$ refund towards the new motorola device", which will be updated for sure, as they promise.
Pretty much everyone here is a nexus user and will recommend such. With that said play with both, see which you like better, walk out with nexus.
Honestly I considered renewing my contact and getting an S3, but after playing around with a friends I'm happy with my gnex, its noticeably smoother in everyday use and it gets updates. So after seeing the difference in performance a nexus provides, even with weaker hardware, I've determined any android device I purchase must be a nexus.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Upgrade Suggestions

Although my nexus is only about 2 years old, in this day and age, it feels like it's getting outdated and old. I'm starting to get an itch to upgrade my GNex phone and wouldn't mind a few suggestions. My GNex is the first smartphone that I really started to use it as a information consumption device to browse the web, read articles and play games on. As such I've found I do spend a lot of time on it. The things that bother me most are as follows:
1. Poor battery life - even with the 2000mah samsung battery, this hardly gets me through a day without plugging it in somewhere (I don't like carrying extra batteries or a portable battery)
2. Speakers - hardly audible loudspeaker to watch any videos or youtube
3. Screen brightness - I'd say this is acceptable but not as good as it could be
4. Touchscreen responsiveness - not really jittery or lag as that was fixed with jelly bean, but the touchscreen does lag compared to an iphone. I'm not sure if that's just and android or a hardware issue
Things I do like about my Nexus
1. Stock android - for quick updates and no bloatware
2. Formfactor - I think the size is about right, I can do with a bit larger screen like the S4 but not as big as a samsung galaxy note. I want to still be able to put the phone in my back pocket.
Things that I don't really care for
1. Removable battery - I don't see myself ever taking another battery with me
2. Removable microSD card - My 16gb is fine, I never store large videos or files in my phone
3. Camera - Decent pictures are fine, I don't use the camera for anything other than posting or record photos...
4. Super high end build quality - Metal back, glass, anodized aluminum... it's nice but not necessary and doesn't really sway in my decisions
So for those of you who have used other phones, are you able to give some advice in comparison relative to the GNex. I was thinking of the samsung galaxy s4, but wasn't so sure how the battery life compares given it has a faster processor and bigger screen as well as how different the touchwiz is. The LG G2 looks promising too with the 3000mah battery, but I'm hearing mixed reviews with the software and weird button layout.
Any other suggestions on phones... I haven't looked at any of the sony line up or the HTC. If anyone has any first hand experience it would be great, especially from a GNex user.
I would hold out for the N5. I'm unfortunately on Verizon, and as of 2 weeks ago, not a single phone looks appealing to me. I wish my contract was up soon so I could get an N4 on T-MO for the time being. The HTC One is a very good phone also from what I've seen.
I might get chewed up with this comment but....
I too have been itching for an upgrade and I share similar grievances , however I've more or less made up my mind.
Likely candidate: iPhone 5S
I'm ready to jump onto the bandwagon. I've had android phones for as long as I can remember so it's definitely not bias. My reasons for choosing an iPhone over another android device are simple. I absolutely hate the build quality on most of the newer flagship android headsets...traditional plastic. Ever since the iPhone 4, apple has been paying a little more attention to build quality. Since I'm paying ~$700 on a headset anyways, I'll go for an arguably better build quality.
I don't care much for the fingerprint sensor but the new camera features are pretty nice such as 120fps @ 720p stopped down to 24 in post makes for a nice slow motion effect. I used to own a Canon 5D Mark III but had to depart from it for financial reasons and I really enjoyed photography while I owned it. I'd love to pursue that hobby again with the iPhones larger aperture and stabilization. Granted the image quality will be much more inferior to a professional DSLR, I'm sure I can get a good kick out of the improved camera.
Then, I own an iPad and I gotta say I fell in love with iOS 7's new UI design. Many critics call it confusing and childish but I think it's a right step away from leather and brushed steel textures as well as bubbly icons. As I've owned android headsets for a long time, iOS just seems like a welcomed change.
Lastly, I built my own Hackintosh last year after selling my MBP in pursuit of more processing power without the sacrifice of a limb for an apple workstation. As I run OSX on this PC, and having an iPad, my phone stands out as the odd one out. I'd like to reduce fragmentation amongst my devices.
I could care less for a 5" screen that android devices are pumping out, I don't care for the future hexa and octa core phones, and in all honestly...I'm done dealing with roots, custom ROMs and radios. No body forced me to do it sure, that's a valid point but being a college student, flashing is an addiction I can no longer fulfill. I just need something that works.
If you want to be shackled to the itunes then go for an iPhone 5S otherwise get the cheapest, value for money device the N5, which has an equivalent performance of the A7 plus the Nexus gives you a straight 2 updates insurance/ or whatever you may call, with the best dev community !
I'd be getting myself an N5, skipped the N4 for it !
iPhone 5s or N5, all the rest are inferior now, the N5 will have similar benchmarks to iPhone 5s , quad core, octocore means nothing if its not optimized an android chews the CPU an ram way more than iOS that's why apple doesn't need it, like you said roms an all that are pointless unless you have older device that Google has dropped from official updates, nothing beats latest official stock updates.
I still choose the N5 over the iPhone 5s though with its 13mp camera ect.
Ashtrix said:
If you want to be shackled to the itunes then go for an iPhone 5S otherwise get the cheapest, value for money device the N5, which has an equivalent performance of the A7 plus the Nexus gives you a straight 2 updates insurance/ or whatever you may call, with the best dev community !
I'd be getting myself an N5, skipped the N4 for it !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being "shackled" to iTunes is not exactly a life sentence. I don't see many drawbacks/differences than with android. Then, perhaps because I've been spoiled by the Nexus, but the 2 "guaranteed" updates me a nothing to me now...I don't get on-board with the hype trains that haunt said updates.
---------- Post added at 08:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 AM ----------
fux0r99 said:
iPhone 5s or N5, all the rest are inferior now, the N5 will have similar benchmarks to iPhone 5s , quad core, octocore means nothing if its not optimized an android chews the CPU an ram way more than iOS that's why apple doesn't need it, like you said roms an all that are pointless unless you have older device that Google has dropped from official updates, nothing beats latest official stock updates.
I still choose the N5 over the iPhone 5s though with its 13mp camera ect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed with pretty much everything except the camera. Having more megapixels can be nice for cropping but the quality does not increase. Chances are you won't be sharing 13MP photos either. What matters most is the the sensor size, and at this time and age pretty much all mobile sensors are identical specially in low light sensitivity. Aperture is another important aspect when it comes to photography, and there really isn't much you can do with a mobile lens to actually call it a "revolutionary" improvement.
I'm waiting for the N5. It shouldn't be much longer. 2 months MAX.
I'd love to get the Note 3 but the N5 price will be hard to beat since I am on a prepaid plan.
N5 Man
I have to agree with most people so far and say to wait until the N5 will be released. There will be a ton of original dev on that device for sure.
Go with your heart.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
If I were on Verizon right now I would go with the LG G2 or the Droid Maxx. But I would wait for the Nexus 5 and see what that brings.

Confessions from a Nexus 5/former Galaxy Nexus User

When I got my Galaxy Nexus (GN) it was sheer happiness. I was using a legacy Nokia Symbian candy bar and this was my first foray into unmolested Android. While all was not perfect with the GN, I was still mostly pleased. Then the fateful day occurred when I dropped the GN a little too hard and the screen shattered even though the phone was protected by a Diztronic TPU case. I now needed a new phone, but I knew the Nexus 5 (N5) would be out soon, so I kept using my shattered GN until the N5 was available and when it arrived, I realized cracking my screen was a blessing in disguise.
Without further ado, my quick major comparisons to the GN:
The N5 is FAST. REALLY FAST. It makes my GN feel like an unfinished prototype/research model that should have never been brought to market.
The N5’s GPS locks on quickly. REALLY quickly. My GN could take a minute or more at times to get a lock and, by then, my wife, annoyed, would whip out her iPhone and tell me my phone sucks.
The N5 has “awesome battery life.” While its battery life is average in general, compared to the GN it is legendary. The GN’s screen and data connection would kill the battery and it would rarely last till the afternoon if I frequently used both. With the N5 I can make heavy use of my screen and data connection and my battery will likely last the day.
Qi support. This makes number 3 above even better and there’s no jamming of Micro-USB ports into the phone and hoping I didn’t have the port upside-down (particularly when it’s dark/at night). When I’m at my desk, my phone is always charging. When a call comes in, I simply pick up the phone and then put it back down to charge when I’m done—nothing to plug in/I’m untethered. When I leave my desk for an hour or three, I have no fear of using or pushing the phone as hard as I’d like as I know I’m probably fully charged, because the phone was sitting on the charger, and I’ll have more than enough battery life for whatever I might encounter. Qi is simply elegant and something the iPhone can’t do.
LTE. While I got decent “4G” speeds on the GN—around 8Mbps down—the 20+/30+Mbps I get now alongside far better PING times is a great improvement.
The N5 has almost zero lag. It’s really that fast. My GN was almost all lag. Project Butter improved things, but the GN still has lag all over the place. I’m sure the N5 will start to slow down as newer software makes greater demands of the hardware, but, for now, this thing flies.
If you’re still using a GN, stop. It sucks, particularly when compared to a modem smart phone. Get the N5 and stop having your wife/girlfriend tell you your phone sucks, because it does.
Cheers.
GN sucks? Off course if you are comparing it to a 2 year newer phone with much better specs... Compare the Galaxy Nexus with Galaxy S2 (similar hardware) or even with newer phones but without those overwhelming specs and GN still rocks.
Maybe not everyone is rich and can affort paying up to 300$ per 2 years for a new phone... We all know that Nexus 5 is better than Galaxy Nexus in everything, I would like to say "Thank you mr obvious".
The point is, I'm happy with my GN, it has poor batery, awful speaker sound and s*tty Wi-Fi antenna but aside that it is a great phone which doesn't lag at all if you equip it with a good kernel and a stable rom. Well, it lags in heavy games or apps but I'm sure a bad optimized app will also lag in the Nexus 5.
I agree with Rayaxe. Of course the Nexus 5 is a much better phone in every aspect, but why does that suddenly mean the Galaxy Nexus sucks?
And I can say, aside from games (I don't really play very demanding games, so I wouldn't know), my phone with KitKat and Mpokang flies. It hasn't lagged at all, not once, and I can multitask without problems (in 4.3 it was painful, compared to 4.4). So I also agree that with a good ROM and kernel that's not an issue.
I still want to get a Nexus 5 (which at the moment is a bit difficult for me, because of my country's massive currency devaluation), but certainly not because I got tired of my GN or feel that it's old/sucks, etc.
AnnS said:
I agree with Rayaxe. Of course the Nexus 5 is a much better phone in every aspect, but why does that suddenly mean the Galaxy Nexus sucks?
And I can say, aside from games (I don't really play very demanding games, so I wouldn't know), my phone with KitKat and Mpokang flies. It hasn't lagged at all, not once, and I can multitask without problems (in 4.3 it was painful, compared to 4.4). So I also agree that with a good ROM and kernel that's not an issue.
I still want to get a Nexus 5 (which at the moment is a bit difficult for me, because of my country's massive currency devaluation), but certainly not because I got tired of my GN or feel that it's old/sucks, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but the Galaxy Nexus does suck.
I'm agree with your comparison. Nexus 5 is much much better than GNex.
But I think it's rude to say GNex sucks.
When GNex just launched, it's also great, isn't it?
Nexus 5 will be in a same position I believe, when the newest Nexus will get launched in the year 2015!
I still love my GNex. Gonna use it for 1 more year.
My wife is still under GN contract and the GN is still nice and getting it done.
This is like the most stupid sentence you could write.
It's like, I remember, when the Game Boy Advance came out and in the shop where I went to buy it a guy told me for 10 minutes how it was the best console ever, how awsome it was etc.
Two years after the Game Boy SP came out and the same guy told me that this was the best console ever and blablabla.
I mean, it's obvious, the upgrade of a phone has to be better than the old version (if it wasn't what kind of upgrade would it be?!), but this doesn't mean that the previous version then sucks.
And maybe you were saying the same about the N1 when the GN came out...
Thank you all for the support of GNex in this forum. I have also switched to N5.
Are you serious? I have a newsflash for you: the Xbox one is better than the Xbox 360. This is just dumb to say dude, no offence. I still love my gnex, it rocks. Its flying and of course it wont play asphalt 8 on max. But its a 2 year old phone.. This is a stupid comparison and a bad conclusion. Sorry to say that.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
I think you should buy an I-Phone 5S
mrgnex said:
Are you serious? I have a newsflash for you: the Xbox one is better than the Xbox 360. This is just dumb to say dude, no offence. I still love my gnex, it rocks. Its flying and of course it wont play asphalt 8 on max. But its a 2 year old phone.. This is a stupid comparison and a bad conclusion. Sorry to say that.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
, I can play Asphalt 8 with graphics on Low without any lag (in medium it laggs a little bit) and I don't notice any difference in graphics (maybe some lights but irrelevant), the gameplay isn't affected even a bit so why should I care? I am not playing in a TV to tell the difference, in a small screen with a large resolution for its size (like GN) the graphics will always be good for the eye (at least for me and I'm not blind).
Asphalt 8 with Low Graphics > PSP Graphics... so, our Galaxy Nexus can preform really well in gaming, it's not that crap.
I think it's hypocritical to be a fan of the Nexus philosophy and upgrade every year cause of the specs. The original intent of the Nexus line was to show that it isn't about the hardware but the software ultimately delivers. That's why every Nexus phone up to the Gnex had subpar specs, and why people chose to buy Nexus devices cause of the philosophy. The only way I'm changing phones is when this one croaks and I haven't felt limited enough to ditch this phone for my uses. Especially over specs when realtime usage besides gaming is only milliseconds apart from $150 phone vs a $350-$700 phone. Anything, KitKat shows there's still potential to tap. Our brothers with the Nexus S, the HD2s would agree as much.
This thread is stupid. Gnex<3
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
lonestrider said:
I'm agree with your comparison. Nexus 5 is much much better than GNex.
But I think it's rude to say GNex sucks.
When GNex just launched, it's also great, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought this phone due to it's hype. And frankly the S2 I feel is a better phone till today. And from launch this phone had lag issues on ICS and also grainy displays.
Battery life was also rubbish from day 1. I didn't feel it back then because I had no data plan. Speaker is also another lousy aspect of this phone. I've also had stock 4.0.1 totally made me go into a bootloop.
I went through 2 screen replacements, a battery and motherboard replacement. And today my phone reboots after using 3-5 GB of space. Does it suck? I'm afraid it sucks hard.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I came from an iPhone 4 to a gnex when it first launched, I have to say I loved the large screen of the gnex at first because iPhones always feel tiny an narrow in comparison an still do to this day but everything else sucked about gnex.
Wow. I didn’t expect all the negativity and blind support for the GN, but I’m glad to see many here also agree with my assessment of the GN’s performance. My intention wasn’t to create a “GN sucks” thread, but, rather, to share my experience as a GN owner and enlighten my fellow GN owners as to how taken aback I was and how much better the smartphone experience is with the N5. I didn’t realize how good Android could be/how poor of a performer the GN is until I received the N5. Yes, one should expect the latest and greatest to perform better than an older model, but I chose to share my experience with the community because I am a part of the community and I wanted my fellow GN owners to know how significant this was for me, a GN owner.
As for the GN zealots, I apologize if I insulted you—feel free to keep your legacy device/I won’t make further commentary on this—but, again, the smartphone experience of a GN, compared to the N5, well, sucks, and after using the N5 I feel I was fortunate to have the display of my GN crack. Maybe you’ll get lucky as well .
you're comparing the n5 to a 2-year old phone. of course it will suck in comparison to the n5. the n5 will probably suck in comparison to whatever device is released this time in 2015.
on a tangent, though, i really wish these phones wouldn't get so big. i'd actually like a high-end phone that's not 5" or some craziness like that. i really wouldn't want to have to get an iphone just to get a high-end phone that is around the size i prefer.
naturalblue said:
on a tangent, though, i really wish these phones wouldn't get so big. i'd actually like a high-end phone that's not 5" or some craziness like that. i really wouldn't want to have to get an iphone just to get a high-end phone that is around the size i prefer.
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Click to collapse
If I didn’t get the N5 I would have gotten the Moto X, which it probably as close as you’ll get to a modern Nexus with a smaller screen.

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