Thinking of changing to GN - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Ok peeps,
I know if I ask either forum i'll get a bias view but i'm hoping someone here can answer this for me.
I've got a SGS2 (got it on release, with the perfect screen and perfect camera)
Now when the GN came out i loved the design and i've been playing around with ICS on the SGS2 in it's Alpha guise.
So i'm becoming sorely tempted to convert to the 'Google Experience' and get a GN
However as we all know the difference between the two isn't huge.
First has anyone changed to a GN from a SGS2 and can give me a no BS assessment of just what the GN is like compared to the SGS2 in real world terms, and for a period longer than visiting a mobile phone shop.
My main likes is the near instant camera, the larger high DPI screen and ICS of course. I'm also really liking the shape instead of this large square i own.
However in the UK it's £530 and thats in cold blood, i'm uneasy paying that based on a fancy, as i'll be lucky to get £230 back for the SGS2 still making it £300. So you get the basis of what i'm getting at.
Is the GN a worthy change from the SGS2, and if you have a GN and never owned a SGS2 what do you like
and if you HAD a SGS2 and swapped to a GN why and what made it better for you.
Thanks to everyone who responds
Luke.

I had the same thinking you did when I switched from Galaxy S1 to Nexus S. I know you said Galaxy Nexus. But even still, touchwiz cannot match stock Android. Especially to ice cream sandwich. Have you seen 4.0 on touchwiz? It practically made it look horrendous.
I believed I saw some threads in the past in regards to switching from S2 to the GN. If you search for it, I'm sure you'll find something.
Stock android + Developers phone. Can't get any better than that.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

cant help with the questions as i've never used a SGS2, but the nexus is £515 from three (£500 + £15 PAYG sim).
i've not used the three sim i got with mine on release, but they wont sell it without you buying the PAYG sim as well.

There have been a handful of threads exactly like this with people switching from SGSII to SGN, you should take a look and see what the OP's came to in those.

No touchwiz makes it well worth it. HD screen is a huge plus. ICS (without touchwiz).
However....both are awesome phones.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

hmm didn't see anything i'll extend my searching. thanks for the replies gentlemen

I came from S2 (Epic 4G touch) on Sprint to GN on Verizon. I did enjoy the S2 but disliked the fact that I had to run custom ROMs to get decent battery life out of it. I enjoyed the screen and camera on the phone and I did not mind touchwiz. I ran UnNamed as my daily once it was released for the CDMA version of the S2. I liked it but the speeds in my area on Sprint were on average less than .25 Mbps which I consider horrible and unacceptable. I'd been with Sprint for 12 years and had basically had enough. I had the S2 since 09/2011 and sold it since it paid for my entire ETF with Sprint.
I'd been eying the GN for quite some time but I'd have to make the switch to Verizon. ICS has taken a bit to get used to as it's obviously a huge change from my S2. I've had the GN for just 3 days now and I'm glad I made the switch. The only thing I miss from the S2 is its camera. I really liked the Samsung camera app and quality from the S2. However, I don't take many pictures with my cellphone so I don't need that great of quality.
I'm glad I made the switch but mine was ultimately due to poor service from my provider.
http i.imgur.com/32jju.png

I've had 3 GS2, all variants with Exynos, and I have to say I love this phone much more than I did the GS2! The screen is the most loved feature, then comes the overall UI speed rivaling the GS2 and in a lot of ways crushing it and everything from the sexy curves to the overall build quality. And you can sell your GS2 for $500 or $600 easily on here or Ebay
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

I'm actually opposite to most of you guys in here
ICS stock launcher to me seems to be as confined as a stock Touchwiz on the S2
Outside of the hardware acceleration and few features like multitasking manager and face unlock, i actually like the overall feel and flow of TW
Anything prior to TW4, i hated TW but subtle addons to TW in S2 was actually livable. I did use LP as my primary launcher purely for the fact that i couldn't select the main home screen

The SGSII's camera is great and much, much better than the GN's, which is merely average. other than that the GN absolutely trumps the SGSII.
bottom line: if you don't use the camera much then the GN is well worth the upgrade. IMO, the best smartphone around at the moment.
---------- Post added at 05:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------
ph00ny said:
I'm actually opposite to most of you guys in here
ICS stock launcher to me seems to be as confined as a stock Touchwiz on the S2
Outside of the hardware acceleration and few features like multitasking manager and face unlock, i actually like the overall feel and flow of TW
Anything prior to TW4, i hated TW but subtle addons to TW in S2 was actually livable. I did use LP as my primary launcher purely for the fact that i couldn't select the main home screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only decent thing about TW4 is it's launcher. Actually, the launcher's quite a bit more than decent - i loved how smooth it was with LWP's, and also how the widgets were laid out. Perhaps the best launcher out there.
Other than that i find TW4 unbearable - not because it performs poorly but because of how it offends my eyes - from the color scheme used to the overly cartoony icons to the horribly designed and colored phone, contacts, call screen, email, messaging applications to the unbearably fruity ringtones.

Related

[Q] Anyone upgrade from a Vibrant? Your input needed

Ok...I sold my Vibrant which i liked ALOt...I need a phone and undecided between gs2 and nexus...I'm concerned that the screen with same res may not look as good as my vibrant ...so how is the screen compared to vibrant? Is the gs2 heavier? How would you compare it to the older Galaxy s (Vibrant)? Any input would be great!
The nexus has the older weaker gpu and a weaker audio and not sure its worth the premium...why they put that gpu in is just retarded. anyway this phone would cost me a whopping $749 shipped for old gpu and sub par audio.
I came from the vibrant... my reply to you is that the Galaxy II is the phone I wished the Vibrant had been. It's fast with the Stock ROM, the GPS is reliable and locks quickly, data speeds are fast and web browsing is just about as good as it is on my laptop.
I rooted and froze the required apps to get away from the tethering restriction and am playing with custom kernels to get better performance and battery life. I'd like to see Cyanogen Mod for this phone and will install it but for now for me the Stock ROM with the Synergy/Bullet Kernels does the trick!
I can't comment on the Galaxy Nexus as I don't have one but these are my thoughts on the SGS II from Samsung on Tmobile
good
I agree the S2 is what I expected of the Vibrant... I swore I would never do Sammy again but glad I gave them a second chance..
ronin4740 said:
I came from the vibrant... my reply to you is that the Galaxy II is the phone I wished the Vibrant had been. It's fast with the Stock ROM, the GPS is reliable and locks quickly, data speeds are fast and web browsing is just about as good as it is on my laptop.
I rooted and froze the required apps to get away from the tethering restriction and am playing with custom kernels to get better performance and battery life. I'd like to see Cyanogen Mod for this phone and will install it but for now for me the Stock ROM with the Synergy/Bullet Kernels does the trick!
I can't comment on the Galaxy Nexus as I don't have one but these are my thoughts on the SGS II from Samsung on Tmobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the display though? Larger screen and same resolution....I read some complain about fuzzyiness and blurry video?
I also came from vibrant....defintly the phone to get...like said before me this is everything you wish the vibrant was....my hope is that it has the same dev support as vibrant and so far it looks like were headed in that direction....i was also swaying toward nexus but its a watered down version of this phone the only thing bettet is the screen res...i have the lines on my screen but not really a issue cause to see them you have to set phone up to see them....kinda glad cause just gives me a reason for warrany if need be ....get this phone
+1
Had the Vibrant and hated it...swore off Samsung too. Compared side by side with HTC Amaze....well...you see the outcome
sgastel said:
I agree the S2 is what I expected of the Vibrant... I swore I would never do Sammy again but glad I gave them a second chance..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGS2
i loved my vibrant but i needed to upgrade to a bigger screen and since GS2 was in the market i grabbed it despite the lower res the screen looks fantastic i recommend u to stop
at the t mobile store and take a look at it, it,s also fast i rooted it and put custom rom now the phone is from another galaxy ^_^.... i was originally gonna get nexus but i don't wanna wait/and pay over 800$ for it SGSII is a great choice i made and i don't regret it
i upgraded from the vibrant to the SG2...i wasnt sure if i wanted to because i loved my vibrant and felt the upgrade wasn't necessary...then i found someone selling it on craiglist for $450 (great price, brand new) so i decided to sell my vibrant...it was a great decision...like everyone else said, its what you wish the vibrant was supposed to be...everything functions the same with improvements (gps, front camera, 4g, camera flash)...it was a great choice...and if your a guy who likes to root and do all that stuff its a great choice because ODIN is something you are familiar with...the SG2 is pretty much the vibrant with enhancements and a bigger screen...well worth the money, especially if you kept your vibe in great condition and are looking to sell it...i sold mine for about $200 so SG2 only cost me an extra $250..no regrets
Loved my vibrant. Got a super-sweet deal on my sgsII. A good choice. The thing I miss most is all the TeamWhiskey flavors for the vibrant. As soon as I get that it will be perfect.
STi489 said:
Ok...I sold my Vibrant which i liked ALOt...I need a phone and undecided between gs2 and nexus...I'm concerned that the screen with same res may not look as good as my vibrant ...so how is the screen compared to vibrant? Is the gs2 heavier? How would you compare it to the older Galaxy s (Vibrant)? Any input would be great!
The nexus has the older weaker gpu and a weaker audio and not sure its worth the premium...why they put that gpu in is just retarded. anyway this phone would cost me a whopping $749 shipped for old gpu and sub par audio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did you sell your Vibrant if you liked it so much?
I also had a Vibrant, and really liked it. Awesome phone, EXCEPT that I really wanted a camera flash. I have kids, and I use the camera a lot, so a flash comes in real handy.
Anyway, to answer your question about the screen, the GS2 screen looks amazing, and I haven't noticed any degradation in visual quality, even though it's the same resolution on a larger screen. For me, it's a non-issue.
Weight? Non-issue. The GS2, though wide, is very light. And thin.
In terms of everyday performance, it's a great phone. Mine's rooted, and I'm running the Bombardier ROM, by TriCH. Great ROM, super smooth, no issues, and the phone is quick!
But does the performance blow away my Vibrant like I thought it would? No.
That being said, having the larger screen, camera flash, and solid GPS performance makes the upgrade completely worth it.
p.s. As far as graphics performance, I've actually had some stuttering during a few games (puffle launch, Angry Birds) that I did NOT have with my Vibrant. Go figure.
I loved my Vibrant, but my needs simply outstripped the processor and ram available to me.
I am in love with my SGS2.
There are only 2 catches I think you need to know about.
First are the issues with the lines on the screen--if you search this forum you'll find a lot about it.
Second, and most importantly to me, the DAC is just not the same as the Wolfson we had in the Vibrant. No Voodoo sound. However, none of the offerings we seem to have available to us now in the ballpark of processor and ram come close to what supercurio was able to give us there.
I have read about the screen issues with brightness on low...But i tend to keep my screen bright...I got rid of Vibrant because i wanted a larger screen and flash....I really want the Galaxy Nexus but i don't thinki can wait...Going to tmo to check out gs2....The studdering on angry birds is concerning..I don't play many games ..pretty much just pokerist...But there shouldn't be any issues running a game like angry birds.
STi489 said:
I have read about the screen issues with brightness on low...But i tend to keep my screen bright...I got rid of Vibrant because i wanted a larger screen and flash....I really want the Galaxy Nexus but i don't thinki can wait...Going to tmo to check out gs2....The studdering on angry birds is concerning..I don't play many games ..pretty much just pokerist...But there shouldn't be any issues running a game like angry birds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you read the other section?
you only need to install spare part, and disable old apps compatibility mode, which causes that problem in 2D games
I'm still inside 14days and trying to decide if I'm going to keep my SGS2. It took me a long time to get my Vibrant to the point where I was happy with it and I'm not sure if the flash and front camera are worth the $.
My other concern is that swype is awkward to use with one hand because this phone is so much wider than the vibrant. That plus continuing bluetooth problems are probably the two biggest reasons I would return this phone.
Even though the resolution is the same as vibrant it still looks really nice but YMMV.

My Pros & Cons Of The Galaxy Nexus And T989 And Why I Came Back

This was made on the go, just some quick thoughts and my opinion.
T989
Pros:
Camera Quality
Extended Memory
Battery Life
Double Development(Can flash skyrocket roms)
Pentaband
1.5 GHZ Processor(Can OC to 1.7/1. 8)
Quick Bootup
Mass Storage
Fast GPS Lock
ICS Coming
More Choices Of Launchers
Sound Quality
9-11 Hrs Of Battery Life
Price
Cons:
No Voodoo
Some Devs Jumped Ship
Running Gingerbread
Graining/Blobbing
$20 For Unlock Code
Plastic Feel
I9250
Pros:
Screen Resolution
Comes With ICS
Camera Capture Speed
Development
Pentaband
Fast Charge Up
Standby Time Is Awesome
Quick Boot Up
Cool Accessories
LCD Mods Play Better With Display
LED Notifications
Constant Google Updates
Download Speeds
Fast GPS Lock
Awesome Video Capture
Face Unlock
Softkey Mods
Awesome Call Quality
Android Beam
1 Click Everything
Task Manager
Will Hold Value Better Over Time
Build Quality(Better feel without case)
Cons:
Battery Life
Grainy Pics
Some Apps Aren't Compatible
Processor(Highest OC is 1.4)
16GB Storage
Have To Use Wifi Explorer To Drag/Drop Files
No Mass Storage
$50 For Battery That Should Have Launched W/Device
Sound Quality Sucks
Now this was in a recent course which was 2 weeks of use. Had one briefly during launch and traded it because of the demand. Saw development picking up so I got one back and gave it a longer try/go.
The Galaxy Nexus is awesome don't get me wrong its just that it seems like they put more into the interface looking pretty than basic elements running smoothly. It has cool features which will definitely be a upgrade to people that haven't tried it but some of your favorite apps may not work and if your someone that likes to use your device day in and day out be prepared to bring a charger with you. The only 3 things that amazed me about the phone was the face unlock,the screen resolution and the softkey mods. Battery life was lacking and those three features weren't enough to make me want to keep this device. Tried everything from rom, radio, baseband combos and it just didn't make it better. Some other people may disagree. I don't buy phones to have them sit on a desk so showing me screenshots with 75% display(meaning standby/lack of use) won't convince me otherwise.
Now when it comes to the T989 I feel like it's a overall better device. Even though we are on GB we will have a ICS rom soon whether if it's OTA or Leaked. Better battery life with rom and kernel combos that actually show improvement, great storage for pack rats, and development from both sides of the fence. Not to mention we have a new addition to the Devs I feel like the Sgs2/T989 is a strong enough device to hold me or anyone over till the Sgs3, but I'm sure I will try out the Blaze as well.
2 Galaxy Nexus owned/traded and I don't feel like I'm missing out by coming back to the Sgs2. In my eyes they both have strengths and weaknesses but it's far from a slaughter.
:-D
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
I feel like the Skyrocket is a better device too, it's the reason why I haven't grabbed the GNexus.
And with the CPU/GPU thing, the S3 just about destroys the OMAP4460.
Adreno 220 is much faster then the SGX540, and even though the OMAP has the same tech as the Exynos, it just doesn't seem nearly as fast, and the Snapdragon feels much quicker.
Also, on the GNexus, could you still see pixels because of the PenTile display? On my friends GNexus, I have no problem noticing the pixels, but I can't see them on my Skyrocket.
Longcat14 said:
I feel like the Skyrocket is a better device too, it's the reason why I haven't grabbed the GNexus.
And with the CPU/GPU thing, the S3 just about destroys the OMAP4460.
Adreno 220 is much faster then the SGX540, and even though the OMAP has the same tech as the Exynos, it just doesn't seem nearly as fast, and the Snapdragon feels much quicker.
Also, on the GNexus, could you still see pixels because of the PenTile display? On my friends GNexus, I have no problem noticing the pixels, but I can't see them on my Skyrocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From every angle the display was crisp. Didn't notice any pixels. Watching movies on it was AMAZING.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
charlieb620 said:
From every angle the display was crisp. Didn't notice any pixels. Watching movies on it was AMAZING.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, guess it's just my eyesight then, or it's his screen, because I could EASILY see pixels without a problem.
And I agree, I watched a movie on it, looked ****ing AMAZING.
I'm glad to have another perspective on this. All I can say is glad to have another fan back.
Message relayed from the dark side.
Good decision, the gs2 battery life is no joke. And especially now that TDJ has his hands on a device, expect greater things to come. Eugene, not sure how great he is, but other people can vouch for him, so i can't wait! But RK and TDJ is an amazing combo, they finished strong at the mt4g dev section. Made it imho the best single core device.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
I love the Nexus. Battery life has been the biggest surprise for me....though I came from a charge....
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
mkarps said:
I love the Nexus. Battery life has been the biggest surprise for me....though I came from a charge....
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think your battery life is good, ask us Skyrocket's and T-Mo SGS II users.
Thanks to the GSM/LTE combo in the Skyrocket, I use battery at the same rate as they do, so there's no battery drain.
I do 12-14 hours on a charge with heavy usage (I mean, constant texting, web browsing, gaming, listening to music).
I use my phone constantly. On the Nexus I was getting 4-5 hrs. I don't see how that is acceptable. In time I'm sure a kernel will give it more juice. The phone has only been on the market for 2 months.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
charlieb620 said:
Cons:
No Voodoo
Some Devs Jumped Ship
Running Gingerbread
Graining/Blobbing
$20 For Unlock Code
Plastic Feel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. while i agree with some, most of them i don't, and the unlocking fee is not applicable in the equation
firstable what do you mean by Graining/Blobbing?
Voodoo is not applicable to our device
ICS is guaranteed so the GB part is only partially applicable until we get 4.0
the Plastic Feel is subjective to each person feel, to me the T989 is one of the better quality Samsung has ever build to date
the Galaxy Nexus actually feels more plasticky, i like our back cover more than the one that came with the i9250
AllGamer said:
Hmm.. while i agree with some, most of them i don't, and the unlocking fee is not applicable in the equation
firstable what do you mean by Graining/Blobbing?
Voodoo is not applicable to our device
ICS is guaranteed so the GB part is only partially applicable until we get 4.0
the Plastic Feel is subjective to each person feel, to me the T989 is one of the better quality Samsung has ever build to date
the Galaxy Nexus actually feels more plasticky, i like our back cover more than the one that came with the i9250
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I included the unlocking fee because i buy my phones for full price and i have to have them unlocked which most of the time it cost me money since none of the unlocker apps work and tmobile wont give them to me. I travel alot and being as though the nexus comes factory unlocked i figured i would list it as a con on the sgs2 side and a pro on the GN for myself.
The Graining/Blobbing is from a thread i read which most people have been experiencing which runs more in the category of lines running vertical in some screens. I experienced some but its not a big issue. That was in comparison to the 720p screen of the GN which i found no screen issues viewed from any angles.
I know Voodoo isnt functional with our device but i saw several people mention it and i was one of the people that miss it. Just from back in the Vibrant days. I think it is or was more effective than Volume+.
ICS is coming we all know that, but trying out ICS and than coming back to GB to me is a downgrade. Not just based on the OS #, but because ICS has more cooked in, and it will be great once we have it officially on the Sgs2. It was listed as a con for me because we have to wait on it for some time. May not be a biggie to other people.
The feel of the GN felt more nice is the hand to me with or without a case. The sgs2 in the color black feels nice in the hand maybe more so because of the door material , but the white model feels more cheap. I have a white on the way as im selling my black because I like the full look of the white but i know i have to add a white body glove to it to get a better feel of it.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
very interesting regarding the white vs black model of the T989 i didn't know the back cover was different on the white
i was under the impression it was just the color.
re: unlocking fee, well in that case i do agree if you compare it as the total Cost of the phone, but that being said, the i9250 is still more expensive even with that included into the total of a T989
i'm indifferent about the Graining/Blobbing as it happens on both devices, actually all new AMOLED devices seems to be suffering from the same thing from what i've read across devices (Nokia, G Note, G Nexus, T989, i727, the new HD version of skyrocket, etc)
it'a factory production thing... not much we can do
that being said, i don't see the problem when using it normally, it only shows up when you have brightness all the way to Zero, otherwise is not noticeable
any brightness setting of 20% of more will just make it go away
AllGamer said:
very interesting regarding the white vs black model of the T989 i didn't know the back cover was different on the white
i was under the impression it was just the color.
re: unlocking fee, well in that case i do agree if you compare it as the total Cost of the phone, but that being said, the i9250 is still more expensive even with that included into the total of a T989
i'm indifferent about the Graining/Blobbing as it happens on both devices, actually all new AMOLED devices seems to be suffering from the same thing from what i've read across devices (Nokia, G Note, G Nexus, T989, i727, the new HD version of skyrocket, etc)
it'a factory production thing... not much we can do
that being said, i don't see the problem when using it normally, it only shows up when you have brightness all the way to Zero, otherwise is not noticeable
any brightness setting of 20% of more will just make it go away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive read that as well, but i only noticed it so much on the devices i had.
The door on the black t989 is more so like a carbon feel sort of with more grip, and the white t989 is more glossy/slippery.
Also thanks for editing my OP. I was mobile at the moment of post.
i usually get the best phones available.. glad i have the s2.. the camera/sd card on the nexus is a deal breaker..
ive been using the same sd card for years and i wouldnt want it any other way.. its the easiest way to move ur music/pics/info quickly to a new phone.
magnum_touchpro said:
i usually get the best phones available.. glad i have the s2.. the camera/sd card on the nexus is a deal breaker..
ive been using the same sd card for years and i wouldnt want it any other way.. its the easiest way to move ur music/pics/info quickly to a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup a quick swap and your done. Real convenient.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
I wonder why all these GN vs GS2 threads are here? No need to justify your purchases. We all like and want different things. I can appreciate a new POV, but in essence its all the same. I can find thousands of people who can say the GNs pros outway the cons. To all their own I say.
Sorry, if it feels like I am targeting you, it's just these threads just seem like people trying to convince themselves more than anyone else that their phone is better than the GN...which is very subjective.
There is enough hate in the world. Why can't we all get along here ...?
I seen the gn and hated it its so ugly the missing buttons r ugly too
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Well this thread is more reasonable than the others because at least he listed a whole list of pros and cons. While the other ops are like "gs2 ftw" or something along those lines. He's not necessarily bashing either phones. he's listing some things that will help others decide if the cons outweigh the pros for either phone. Like if you're a battery user, immediately you would want to stick with the gs2.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I agree with your points.
I just traded my white gs2 for a galaxy nexus and I plugged it into my computer and couldn't even transfer files to the sd card -.-. After installing drivers I can do it through MTP but I feel like out of the box internal sd card support was one of the major advantages of having an android device.
I might be interested in trading back for a gs2 but.... the screen is just... AMAZING on the nexus. I can't notice any pixels like someone else stated earlier but the screen quality is great. I had a sensation and was complaining about the ppi when I moved to the gs2. It would be hard to readjust to the galaxy s 2 if I do decide to go back to it.
Another point is the camera quality on the galaxy s 2... it completely blows away the nexus. I don't think the nexus is horrendous but for a 700 dollar phone you would think they could make some improvements. I also think that a better camera app would help, the native camera app in ICS isn't that much of an improvement from AOSP gingerbread.
The last and final point that would make it difficult for me to move back to the gs2 would be the operating system. Ice cream sandwich took a bit to get used to but after playing with it, its definitely a more fluid experience than the galaxy s2. Even if the gs2 gets the update.... I find it hard to believe that the update would be as anywhere as stable as the nexus. There are major bugs in the CM7 build from a couple months ago.... I just wonder how long would it take to get a stable ICS one. Also I would assume that the ics update for the t989 would come with touchwiz. Touchwiz sort of kills the beauty of ICS for me, I tried it out on the i9100 and it wasn't very impressive--it didn't add many pros over the gingerbread build.
I think its a toss up... if camera/internal hardware/specs is important def go with the t989
If updates/support/screen quality is important then go with the nexus.
I'm back with the nexus but i want a att note now that it can get tmobile 4G.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium App

Upgrading Advice: SGS II vs GNex

Dear xda,
To many of you this may seem like a stupid question, and are probably thinking "this idiot should just go do some research" - I already have. I can get an upgrade as early as the 28th March (Just over a month away). I am not considering the SGS II (I already know it will be too expensive)
So this is what I know to make my decision upon, any other developments, user experiences welcome.
Galaxy Nexus Pros:
-Google ICS
-Will receive latest updates
-4.65" Screen 720x1280 HD
-Aesthetically pleasing
Galaxy Nexus Cons:
-PenTile matrix screen (Been reassured on xda & reddit it's not a problem)
-Price
-Worse Camera than SGS II
-Worse GPU than SGS II
-Worse CPU??
Galaxy S II Pros:
-Getting ICS
-Cheap (£26pcm - will drop with release of SGS III)
-Awesome hardware
Galaxy S II Cons:
-Smaller screen than GNex 4.2" 480x800 WVGA
-Almost a year old (however still comparable to Gnex which is a "brand new" device)
-Not sure: worse android development than GNex??
I would probably go with the Galaxy S II HD LTE over the Nexus if the LTE part worked in the States on Verizon. I'm not sure how that plays out for you over there though.
jspradling7 said:
I would probably go with the Galaxy S II HD LTE over the Nexus if the LTE part worked in the States on Verizon. I'm not sure how that plays out for you over there though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't seen that in the UK
bortak said:
Galaxy Nexus Pros:
-Google ICS
-Will receive latest updates
-4.65" Screen 720x1280 HD
-Aesthetically pleasing
Galaxy Nexus Cons:
-PenTile matrix screen
-Price
-Worse Camera than SGS II
-Worse GPU than SGS II
-Worse CPU??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PenTile literally does not matter. The PPI is so high you'd need a magnifying glass to see the pixels. Really. I'd take PenTile 720P over an RGB WVGA any day of the week.
Price is high but it is a new phone as you know. Kinda how it works.
GPU and CPU are definitely up to the task. Don't let people tell you its "worse" than anything because its not the best model in the world. They handle everything just fine. The CPU is top notch and ICS was made for it.
Galaxy S II Pros:
-Getting ICS
-Cheap (£26pcm - will drop with release of SGS III)
-Awesome hardware
Galaxy S II Cons:
-Smaller screen than GNex 4.2" 480x800 WVGA
-Almost a year old (however still comparable to Gnex which is a "brand new" device)
-Not sure: worse android development than GNex??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes its "getting ICS" (eventually) but its get ICS with TouchWiz on it. It won't look like ICS on the GN. And it won't get another update after that, but the GN will. It'll get all the updates.
Price may be a factor you can look at here.
If you care about development, the SGSII has a lot but as you said its getting "old" now and the development may start to trail off a bit.
---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------
jspradling7 said:
I would probably go with the Galaxy S II HD LTE over the Nexus if the LTE part worked in the States on Verizon. I'm not sure how that plays out for you over there though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't have LTE rolling in the UK yet.
Galaxy Nexus if you want Jelly Bean.
bortak said:
Dear xda,
To many of you this may seem like a stupid question, and are probably thinking "this idiot should just go do some research" - I already have. I can get an upgrade as early as the 28th March (Just over a month away). I am not considering the SGS II (I already know it will be too expensive)
So this is what I know to make my decision upon, any other developments, user experiences welcome.
Galaxy Nexus Pros:
-Google ICS
-Will receive latest updates
-4.65" Screen 720x1280 HD
-Aesthetically pleasing
Galaxy Nexus Cons:
-PenTile matrix screen
-Price
-Worse Camera than SGS II
-Worse GPU than SGS II
-Worse CPU??
Galaxy S II Pros:
-Getting ICS
-Cheap (£26pcm - will drop with release of SGS III)
-Awesome hardware
Galaxy S II Cons:
-Smaller screen than GNex 4.2" 480x800 WVGA
-Almost a year old (however still comparable to Gnex which is a "brand new" device)
-Not sure: worse android development than GNex??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen a lot of positive response towards getting the GNex from xda and reddit, think I'll go for that when it comes to updating. Thanks guys
bortak said:
Dear xda,
To many of you this may seem like a stupid question, and are probably thinking "this idiot should just go do some research" - I already have. I can get an upgrade as early as the 28th March (Just over a month away). I am not considering the SGS II (I already know it will be too expensive)
So this is what I know to make my decision upon, any other developments, user experiences welcome.
Galaxy Nexus Pros:
-Google ICS
-Will receive latest updates
-4.65" Screen 720x1280 HD
-Aesthetically pleasing
Galaxy Nexus Cons:
-PenTile matrix screen
-Price
-Worse Camera than SGS II
-Worse GPU than SGS II
-Worse CPU??
Galaxy S II Pros:
-Getting ICS
-Cheap (£26pcm - will drop with release of SGS III)
-Awesome hardware
Galaxy S II Cons:
-Smaller screen than GNex 4.2" 480x800 WVGA
-Almost a year old (however still comparable to Gnex which is a "brand new" device)
-Not sure: worse android development than GNex??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wowowo. Wait a minute.
worse gpu and CPU?
Ohh well, I'm tired so I'll let it be...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
martonikaj said:
PenTile literally does not matter. The PPI is so high you'd need a magnifying glass to see the pixels. Really. I'd take PenTile 720P over an RGB WVGA any day of the week.
Price is high but it is a new phone as you know. Kinda how it works.
GPU and CPU are definitely up to the task. Don't let people tell you its "worse" than anything because its not the best model in the world. They handle everything just fine. The CPU is top notch and ICS was made for it.
Yes its "getting ICS" (eventually) but its get ICS with TouchWiz on it. It won't look like ICS on the GN. And it won't get another update after that, but the GN will. It'll get all the updates.
Price may be a factor you can look at here.
If you care about development, the SGSII has a lot but as you said its getting "old" now and the development may start to trail off a bit.
---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------
They don't have LTE rolling in the UK yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
All I wanted to say basically, haha.
I was in the same position as u mate and was not sure what phone to go for. I'm also in the UK so was aware that s2 was a lot cheaper but in the end went for the nexus. I have not regretted it. Stunning screen, ics is awesome and phone is lightening quick. Cannot recommend enough.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
My Fiance had the GSII Skyrocket and the screen comparison was no contest...Gnex destorys it. You can call it a Pentile, I call it stunning and so has everyone else.
CPU/GPU? Really a moot point. In day to day tasks both are equally fast.
Camera, Gnex has a small disadvantage here in image quality.
Network, a major consideration. Verizon dominates in the US in my experience. You can go on quibbling about small specs, but I'll take Verizon over AT&T/T-Mobile anyday--both carriers I used to be with in the past.
My Fiance has since returned her GSII Skyrocket and joined me on Verizon. She now has a Razr MAXX, but I'll save that for another thread. Summary, I've tried them all and still love my Gnex the most. Is it flawed? Surely, but so is every phone right now in some way.
I have a feeling that when the quad-cores hit loaded up with ICS, then things will change quite a bit. Until then, I still see the Gnex as king.
I've had 3 Galaxy Nexus and about 7 SGS2. Yeah I know why so many lol. I trade alot. Kept going back to the SGS2 for the storage but development is dying down. The nexus has it all. The only downfall is no more accessories are being made. The galaxy nexus has the best display hands down. I just like the SGS2 for some reason. Gingerbread just seems ancient to me and I won't be going back. Tested out a Note today because I have several trade offers for one but the display on there is horrible compared to the nexus as well. I like the build but at the same time have to figure out where ima put it. It's too big.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium App
bortak said:
I've seen a lot of positive response towards getting the GNex from xda and reddit, think I'll go for that when it comes to updating. Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're making the right decision. I definitely haven't regretted getting the GN. Even though SGS2 will get ICS eventually, it'll be destroyed by TouchWiz.
If you are even partly thinking about going down the rooting pathway, just make sure you unlock the bootloader as soon as you get it - this wipes EVERYTHING on the phone including the "SD card" partition (it doesn't come with a physical SD card).
As it's a dev phone, the ROMs and kernels out there are really cutting edge.
And don't worry about the cons you've mentioned, the display really is beautiful, the hardware is definitely not slower than the SGS2 in the real world, and though the camera might not be quite as good quality, the minimal shutter lag somewhat makes up for it.
Good luck!
I have had both,you cant go wrong either but dev for sgsII alil weak.
AndroidGeek on Epic SGII Touch using XDA V.I.P status
Have both
Hi,
I have both, and since I got the Nexus (SGN), I haven't used my SGS2 once.
The biggest gripe with Nexus: storage. GSM version is only 16G, not extendable.
Otherwise, SGN all the way. Pentile is not a problem at all. I also had Nexus S where Pentile was very noticeable and irritating; it's not the case with SGN.
The resolution of SGS2 is really too low as for 2012 in my opinion.
I was in the same position around a month ago.
SGS2 in my hand, Gnex on Amazon.co.uk
People raved on about the CPU and GPU, and how the SGS2 has more space, and that the camera was miles infront of the Gnex.
However I bit the bullet bought the Gnex, and i'm not disappointed.
The phone is as fast as it needs to be, with no slow downs or hanging, the ICS software is a huge leap forward, and most importantly AOSP, not Samsungs balls'd up version.
Check out the thread about photos taken on your Gnex and you'll see that it takes very nice pictures as the sensor is the same but only 5mp which means better images. Where the real divide comes at the moment is that the Gnex camera has no Exposure or ISO control, which creates a couple of problems.
Exposure control is i believe Matrix meaning the entire image is reviewed and adjusted to a 50/50 balance, it's not bad but you'll have a bit of a mare tricking into doing over or underexposure, so silhouettes is difficult and sometimes you can expose the image how you want. ISO is the sensitivity to light, being that it is automatic it will pick a higher ISO even when at times it's just not needed, the problem with that is Noise in the picture, whether colour artifacts, sometimes you find images are just speckley and unsharp.
However in good light the pictures are perfect (for a camera phone) and the on board photo editor from Google is very good too.
Storage, there is no getting away from the fact that the storage is only 16gb where the SGS2 can take an additional memory card upto about 64gb I believe?
on the Gnex your apps eat into your Internal memory where the SGS2 has 2gb for it alone, admitted though you'd have to go nuts to fill it up alot with apps as i have GTA3 at 586mb plus all the other things i use google inc. 99% of them and all the social media (facebook twit, blog etc) and other like games and reddit etc and i've only just reached 1gb, bearing in mind GTA3 is nearly 600meg. i've got about 15 CDs @192kbps ish and photos and videos i've recorded and i've only used about 4gb so unless you carry all ur media with you i don't think you'll be filling it up anytime soon. others will argue they need 16gb + but if you take your favourite music with you, not all of it, and perhaps a few full length movies you'll be fine.
The Aesthetics of the Gnex was what sold it so me, and it feel much nicer in hand, admitted it's lovely naked but without a case i wouldn't want to put much stock in the Titanium Silver finish lasting very long, unless you wear a suit or something, in and out of jeans or my combats i wear in a warehouse i work at it would see some medium abrasion on a regular basis. where the SGS2 has a black finish so if it wears it will only be more black.
All in all it's your money but i got rid of my SGS2 for the Gnex and i'm not disappointed, i get frustrated by the camera not offering the controls i mentioned, but i don't know of another phone like the SGS2 which offers the controls, so your on level pegging with many other handsets.
Something has just come to mind and that is the battery life, i have everything syncing every hour and push email and the Gnex lasts a good 10-15 hour day, where i needed the extended battery on the SGS2 to manage a whole day in that way. Probably more to do with OS than phone but that is how it stands at the moment.
(syncs are; 2 twitter, 1 facebook, 2 blogger, 1 tumblr, 2 picasa, 1 photobucket, 1 flickr, Google reader, Google Docs, Push Exchange)
I'll try to tell a story about how I was facing the same choice, and that choice was made (almost) by chance. I never regret that, also
I've played a bit with SGSII in the shop (can't find GNex here where I live - only by delivery from the capital), and was much pleased with it. So I've ordered one from the online store (cheaper than retail shop, ofc). Waiting almost a week for my delivery, with no news nor clue why it's still isn't here.
Then I call online store manager and figure that they were running out of stock for SGSII and I have to wait more (that's why they haven't yet sent me one in the first place). I think - what the hell, I want a new toy! Go to the same store site, see GNex price dropped a bit so they cost almost the same. Read a few reviews (was a bit troubled with pentile picture quality), then called him again - to change the order for GNex. So, it all turned out for good now
And I think it's the right choice afterwards.
I had five sIIs before switching to nexus things that i dident like about sII was :-
Awfull yellow tint on screen (much worse then nexus)
Pink spot camera , havent seen one yet that does not have this.
Otherwise nice phone , defintly prefer my nexus thou thanks to stickmount by chainfire you can mount sd cards through usb and the 5 megapixel camera isent that bad honest , the iceing on cake thou really has to be the os google defintly took a big step in right direction with ics
i had both and chose The gnex.
No bull**** on my phone, no crappy software or touchwiz fast upgrades and compared to my sgs2 this phone is beautiful and the battery lasts 2 times as long
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
You should really stop and wait until next week. Once that's done you may see a drop in price on the GN or a new toy that catches your fancy. Otherwise the Nexus is the only Android phone I endorse because you don't have carrier gimpage and maker barfage all over it.
martonikaj said:
PenTile literally does not matter. The PPI is so high you'd need a magnifying glass to see the pixels. Really. I'd take PenTile 720P over an RGB WVGA any day of the week.
Price is high but it is a new phone as you know. Kinda how it works.
GPU and CPU are definitely up to the task. Don't let people tell you its "worse" than anything because its not the best model in the world. They handle everything just fine. The CPU is top notch and ICS was made for it.
Yes its "getting ICS" (eventually) but its get ICS with TouchWiz on it. It won't look like ICS on the GN. And it won't get another update after that, but the GN will. It'll get all the updates.
Price may be a factor you can look at here.
If you care about development, the SGSII has a lot but as you said its getting "old" now and the development may start to trail off a bit.
---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------
They don't have LTE rolling in the UK yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
I had an international gs2 and was worried just like you about specs and all of that but believe me with the nexus it doesn't matter anymore to me as I don't play top notch games..
The user experience is just unique, the shape makes it easier to hold than the gs2 and the screen is something else ..
My family has got a gs2 and except for the games, the nexus does everything as well as the gs2 if not better ( GPS).
The nexus is the first and only phone that caught the attention of all the people I frequent and it's so good not to be mistaken for an iPhone user!
Just get the nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

Anyone had gs2 and gnex?

Guys,i need opinions about this...someone who knows,and is experienced,please write in this thread,i really need to choose between this two phones,and im unshure about it...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I had both. Granted it was an sgh-i777 but it essentially the same phone as the i9100. The s2 out performs the gnex on hardware hands down to me. (Only comparing 3d gaming) but cm can be a little buggy at times with wake locks when I had it. Gnex has a better screen and software support but both are great phones. Do you want last years king of the phones or bleeding edge software updates?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Both good phones
I had the gt-9100i and are currently using the Gnex.
And like the post above me i did like my SGS2, but not having the newest version of android really was a dealbreaker for me
Well that is a dealbreaker for me too.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
nyamoV2 said:
I had both. Granted it was an sgh-i777 but it essentially the same phone as the i9100. The s2 out performs the gnex on hardware hands down to me. (Only comparing 3d gaming) but cm can be a little buggy at times with wake locks when I had it. Gnex has a better screen and software support but both are great phones. Do you want last years king of the phones or bleeding edge software updates?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm what has been written above. I sold my international S2 i9100, which I really loved!
Exynos with Mali 400 outperforms TI-OMAP 4460 with its PowerVR SGX540 I guess in every single test. (for example in case of Nenamark2 the difference is 48-52:28-32!) S2 has gorilla glass and better camera (8 mpix + 2 mpix), sd-slot, even hard home button can be considered as an advantage.
On the other hand. Nexus has much better screen, NFC, and great support! It depend what your priorities are but...If you're into aosp/cm world Nexus is far better solution.
Official updates. Even though I think samsung is the fastest update-provider among all manufacturers still S2 got recently...its second 4.0.4 update while GNex has 4.1.2! Samsung confirmed S2 to be scheduled to JB-update in november, but I highly doubt it'll be given more than this. In case of Nexus....I'm certain it'll be supported at least 12 more months.
Moreover...exynos is closed hardware, (while omap is dev's beloved device) which makes it extremely hard for devs to get fully functioning aosp rom. You can see the difference if you compare CM10 on both handsets.
- S2 - no jb-hwcomposer and thus no v-sync, no butter - jittery and yes laggy, problems with audio.
- GNex - almost perfectly smooth! I know that lot of people here complain over smoothness but seriously there's nothing to complain. IT's one of the smoothest android experience today even if you compare it to hardware monsters like international variant of S3.
Smoothness of stock roms cannot be even discussed here. Nexus wins fair and square. So...who cares what benchmarks say? The device is as good as the software running on it.
I wish this had gorilla glass while reinforced also its not as strong it scratches easily compared to my S1 it has small nicks on it and has been though worst then my nexus an nexus has a good 5 big scratches and also cracked display
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I had both for a while, i really think the gnex outperforms the gs2 in every single way, sure gs2 have a better camera and it was pretty fast with gingerbread but it failed to delivery the same experience with ICS...and it took sooo much time to samsung release ics and with crappy touchwizz wich was the same skin as in gingerbread.
The gs2 has very low resolution and ppi screen so the gpu as an easy time. The iphonish home button really sucked balls. Basically gs2 is already outdated and doesnt deliver the same user experience as the gnex. IMHO.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I still have my i9100, purchased it before the nexus. there are things I prefer on it over the nexus, but not deal breakers.
The s2 has much better standard screen colors than the nexus, I had to tweak using a kernel that support color tweaking to get the same colors that pleased me on the s2.. However, after spending time on the higher resolution nexus screen, the s2 looks real bad.. But prior to purchasing the nexus I thought the s2 screen resolution was fine, but I did not have anything to compare it to.
Call quality I find to be much better on the nexus, much clearer voices.
Cameras.. I don't use them much so I don't have an opinion on it. as long as the phone takes pictures, I'm happy.
Wifi is much better on the s2.. I have fought with constant disconnects on the nexus hardware, while the s2 always had rock steady Wifi.
Speed... This depends on what you use the phone for. I do not play alot of games. I do not doubt the s2 has faster hardware to run games better, however I find the nexus offers a much more fluid experience when doing everything else. Simple things as such as dialing a phone number, typing, scrolling, and the nexus much more responsive and fluid. there are no annoying pauses or lags. the s2 no matter what rom I was using always had some sort of lag.
Ever thing just works on the nexus, while alot of things on the s2 were compromises. you get one feature but another was broken, especially when using custom roms.
I'm going to hang onto my s2 until the official jb release and see if jb can make it run as well as the nexus... If not, I'll be selling it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
dumbdroid said:
.... it was pretty fast with gingerbread but it failed to delivery the same experience with ICS...and it took sooo much time to samsung release ics and with crappy touchwizz wich was the same skin as in gingerbread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right and Touchwizz is extremely ugly but ...ICS on Galaxy Nexus was laggy as hell to be honest, sometimes even worse than in case of S2. For example if you applied live wallpapers. I have never noticed any single scroll-lag on S2 (stock ICS rom), on GNex it was unfortunately pretty common.
Just switched from an i777 to the gal nex and I would never go back...the screen alone is enough...not to mention instant shutter speed on the camera, first to update, I've had much better battery life...plus when you go to a custom ROM, compared to the s2, everything just WORKS...and for $350 you won't regret it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
s2 was my first android, gave it to my dad and now using gnex.
fundamentally the gnex has a higher screen resolution, but no hardware keys on the front so nav buttons are a must on it.. s2 has buttons, and side by side, the displays are actually a bit identical. the gnex looks somewhat better because of the higher ppi, but pentile is visible on text when you see it very closely..
performance wise, both have almost the same cpu specs, but gnex is slightly slower. its because of the higher resolution. and i can tell you this without any benchmark numbers. i tried fpse on both, there's a slight lag on the gnex. the sgs2 runs it smoothly..
jellybean on gnex is stable (of course) and awesome. on the s2, not so much...
all games/apps work on both, with slight differences in things like emulation as i said above..
battery life on both is more or less the same, both are battery hogs. but after using them both for well over two months each, i can say that gnex sucks from 100 to 0 slightly faster.. an extended battery wouldn't be such a bad idea, i personally bought myself an anker 5600mah portable charger, and it does the job for me battery life wise. easily get through the day with super heavy use (navigation,browsing hsdpa, etc)
if you're gonna buy one of these TODAY, it makes no sense to get a s2. nexus is cheaper, and you are guaranteed Key lime pie immediately, and even possible L-- version.. yes the camera is a bit bad compared to the s2, but it's a small trade off for the price difference and software update frequency.
m.kochan10 said:
That's right and Touchwizz is extremely ugly but ...ICS on Galaxy Nexus was laggy as hell to be honest, sometimes even worse than in case of S2. For example if you applied live wallpapers. I have never noticed any single scroll-lag on S2 (stock ICS rom), on GNex it was unfortunately pretty common.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard about it but never experienced it myself because I've rooted and installed a custom rom+kernel in the second day i had it. I think that was with android 4.0.2 witch i never run on my phone. The only "stock" firmware i had was the jelly bean leak and it was great.
---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:25 PM ----------
crazyguns said:
i tried fpse on both, there's a slight lag on the gnex. the sgs2 runs it smoothly..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but my xperia play beats both and have crappy hardware...why?
Same goes for some gameloft games like gangster in Rio or something like that runs beautifully on my xperia play and it is unplayable on the gnex.
D3HuM4NiZ3D said:
Guys,i need opinions about this...someone who knows,and is experienced,please write in this thread,i really need to choose between this two phones,and im unshure about it...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just recently got a gnex and gave my wife my gs2. I would never even think of going back. Might not ever own another non nexus phone. definitely the better phone imo.
qbanlinxx said:
I just recently got a gnex and gave my wife my gs2. I would never even think of going back. Might not ever own another non nexus phone. definitely the better phone imo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I think I sold my S2, bought nexus....and today I bought my father a brand new S2 as a birthday gift. While i was configuring everything....I was like "Oh my how sluggish it is compared to Nexus". No more non-nexus androids!
can't ever go back to touchwiz... I used sgs2 i9100...love nexus software
Sent from Nexus Prime
Can't beat the nexus experience. I still have my i777, rooted weeks after I got it, and have loved tinkering, and tweaking the hell out of it ever since. Both phones are more than capable of remaining relevant for some time, but as I said, it's the Google flagship experience that really seals it. I love my s2, aokp with siyah is amazing, but I've had my nexus for just shy of 2 months now, and I honestly haven't found a reason to root it, official jb is just that good for me. Google wallet is about the only thing I've found that one phone has over the other, though Nfc is fully functional on the s2, aside from the secure hardware element needed for wallet. Not sure what the going rate is on the s2 anymore, but at best its just as good a deal as the gsm nexus right now. Long story short(kind of rambling, I apologize) love both phones, wouldn't ever discourage anyone from the s2, but of this comparison, I'd advise the gnex to anyone.
Pink pony Gs2 i777
Pure Google Gnex i9250
Pink stallion Gs3 i747
Stock tweaked Asus tf201
S2 is fast, like other people said, it out performs Gnexus a lot imo. Even on TW GB/ICS or AOSP, its still faster. Exynos are really good. But then, you wont get a proper OTA if you want JB or latest update in the future. I love the brick look of SGS2 though. when the screen is off, it looks so sexy. but gnex are sexy in both screen on and off.
For me, having the latest software in any hardware are important for me.So I am sticking with Gnex. I gave my S2 to my mum, and bought myself a One X. But then I still use Gnexus most of the time for pretty much everything. Cuz it has official Jellybean and all custom roms are stable enough since it is already an AOSP to begin with. One X still have some trouble with ICS/JB AOSP, so only choice to stick with Sense ICS for stability.
my friend always ask me if its worth to get a Gnex since it is 1 year old already. My answer for them are simple, if you care about updates every time they are announced, Gnex is the answer. and also, if you intent to use it to the fullest(3/4 years duration), its Gnex. Otherwise, buy anything you like. I always change phones, but Nexus is the one i wont replace until a next nexus(if they tempt me enough).
I got 2 phone. but i prefer GNX than GS2. GS2 outperform GNX but overall GNX better than GS2
Depends which s2 as well. I had the s2 skyrocket with the s3 processor and its a laggy pos next to the nexus. Lte was awesome and the camera pwns the gnex but that's it. I've had every nexus and every time I've strayed to get another phone I end up having nexus envy.
So the nexus is really that much better than the s2 skyrocket
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Your experiences with SGS III

Hello All,
I've mostly lurked on the forums and found a lot of information related to Android as well as various phones. I'm not a noob and have flashed ROMs, radios etc. and know a bit about Android and Android devices in general.
Now to the reason for the thread. My wife is eligible for an upgrade and wants to get rid of her Inspire 4G due to various issues. She would like to get an SGS III but I want to ensure that is the correct choice before proceeding. I had previously looked at the Motorola Atrix HD (discarded due to only 8 GB of storage and no ability to save apps to SD in ICS and beyond) and the LG Optimus G (still thinking of this). I would like the opinion of the helpful people on XDA regarding the following points pertaining to the SGS III since it's been out for a while now. Any opinions you can provide would be very much appreciated.
1. Signal (not had a good experience with signal on the Inspire 4G - lots of dropped calls. We live in an area that doesn't have the best signal but it has been ok on other phones that we own)
2. Battery life (again not a good experience on Inspire 4G). I'm aware of the extended battery available but would like an idea of the stock battery life that can be expected
3. Screen readability, especially in sunlight (this was not one of the cons on the Inspire 4G but is based on reviews indicating that the SGS III doesn't go as high in brightness as other phones)
4. Touchwiz (She prefers the stock AOSP interface - Cfx ROM - running on her phone currently over Sense and I haven't played with Touchwiz yet to figure out pros/cons)
Any personal feedback that you can provide on the SGS III based on your time using it would be much appreciated. Please note that I do not intend to flash ROMs on the phone since this is going to be her daily driver and I would rather keep it stock (at least in the beginning ).
Thanks in advance.
I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.
I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.
If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.
A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.
Thanks
iceman4357 said:
I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.
I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.
If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.
A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.
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Click to collapse
iceman - I appreciate your feedback. I was thinking the same thing considering all the recent processor announcements (Tegra 4, Exynos 5, Qualcomm 800 series etc.) and the rumors about the GS IV, LG's next big thing, 1080p screens etc. I'm just not sure she would like the 5"+ screens those are expected to have. I'll ask her to hold out for a few more months. Even if she doesn't like those, they should make the GS III fall in price, at the least.
Thanks again.
best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3 . the blackberry is worth a look to i find it feels cheap and has small screen. Id wait for march-april thats when most of the tech seems to come out. theres tons of new ones coming out soon id wait for the galaxy s4(Exynos 5 Octa is a chipset manufactured on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture, packing four Cortex A15 cores at 1.8 GHz for the tasks requiring a lot of processing power and four 1.2 GHz ARM A7 cores for the basic tasks, which are supposed to improve the battery life. )
My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.
Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.
Hopefully that helps some.
curry67 said:
best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3.
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I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.
Best phone I've ever used.
My wife and I both got sg3's together. Mine is now running Task's ROM and my wife's is still stock. She loves it just the way it is, and i am fine with that, now i won't have to be constantly flashing hers or hear her complain about glitches, she uses it for news, Facebook and gossip mags and texting. Stock Is fine for all that. I honestly don't know many people who actually talk much on their phones anymore, and if that is the case, then screen size is important. I don't know how all these girls stare at their tiny iphone screens.
My 2 cents
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
gpo1956 said:
Best phone I've ever used.
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^This
I have very few bad things to say about the s3, but because of the phones coming out in the next 3-6 months, I really think your wife should wait it out.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Looks like I'll wait
gtrslngrchris said:
My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.
Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.
Hopefully that helps some.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for providing your feedback. All of the responses suggest that I can't go wrong with the GS III. Glad to know that Touchwiz is better than Sense. I didn't even consider the One X due to the improper priority setting for the Sense UI over all the other running apps. But as some others have suggested in this thread, since new phones are coming out I'll wait a couple of months before making the decision. Her phone is now running stable with the AOSP Jelly Bean ROM provided by the CodefireX team so I think I can afford to wait.
I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.[/QUOTE]
You may be right for the processor speed but the no SD card no removable cover (iphone model) and I just feel Samsung makes a better product IMO.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
I seriously love this phone...
fast, smooth and great battery life.
I have been very happy
sound quality
very less weight, bright screen, fast processor and a great rom with features no other vendor yet provided.
I heard great reviews about the audio quality of international S3. Does the ATT model and international have different audio chip's?
---------- Post added at 03:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------
I loved the ext SD card and also with 64 GB support, that was a buying point for me. Removable battery, hardware home button.
I love mine and got one for my wife this past Christmas. She had the atrix and didn't like the size of the s3. Now she can't put it down.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
Great phone! Just make sure that you put it in a good solid case cause the glass is easily broken.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Look honestly plain and simple
The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot
(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)
I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...
No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.
Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.
TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.
In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.
I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
jayRokk said:
Look honestly plain and simple
The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot
(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)
I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...
No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.
Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.
TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.
In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.
I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
I own a note and an s3 and I agree that the s3 is way better.
so much smoother and faster
S2 was my first smart phone before that I had flip phones no text no nothing. For a skyrocket it's only ok. S2 was amazing and best of what was out but with hardware I'd issues bad drivers and just Samsung sucking I think s3 could been the best again and wasn't. I'm disappointed in how much better it could be. It's great phone I love it. I don't protect it just good warranty no issues. But Samsung sucks. They got billions and can't release a driver to work with Windows.that just upsets me a lot. It's pathetic. Because of Samsung the s3 is only even player of the game not the leader as it should be and could be. Laziness isn't excitable for a billion dollar company or being cheap. Christ I wish could beat up the guy who released last drivers.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I just came over from t-mobile and had an HTC Amaze lovely phone but sense was terrible and it killed the battery almost instantly. I had to purchase additional batteries to pop in whenever I went anywhere.
I have had the SGIII from AT&T for about a month now, and it is still stock, I haven't even rooted it... I probably will one day when I'm bored but for now I'm happy. The battery life is like 100x better than my amaze was stock and the screen is bigger as well. I also get a lot better signal with AT&T than I did with T-Mobile. I can actually use my phone at work now! As for the touchwiz, I already own Apex Pro and SSLauncher so I didn't keep touchwiz as the default for long. I am too "nerdy" when it comes to customizing. The bluetooth works flawlessly in my car for making phone calls and listening to podcasts and music. The camera works great, and I like how it flashes first then flashes again to try to prevent people from blinking. Also the SGIII is one of the few phones that still comes with a wired headset.. it's the small things that count
I recommend you do NOT get the LG. I have the LG Optimus from t-mobile at home and it can't even do app2sd nor can I root it to add apps2sd. I was going to install a bunch of games on it for my 6-year-old to play on, but 3 games in I got the "storage full" message. It's going to ebay and I'm gonna get her a tablet or chromebook instead.
The S3 was/is my first android device and I love it. Coming from an iPhone, expandable storage and a removable battery are very welcome. The screen size feels great and looks great as well. I kept touchwiz on it for about a month before I rooted it and flashed a new rom. For the most part TW was ugly as sin and frustrating.

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