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
Related
Hi,
Ive owned the s2 and a sensation xe , i liked the s2 however all the ones i tested had a pink spot on camera and yellow tint on screen left side, this was a month ago.
Anyhow i can get this phone on a super deal the lack of micro sd does not bother me and tbh im i dont think im to bothered about the camera either. That being said im eager to know if anyones upgraded over the s2 and what there views might be in relation to size and the new screen. Also iw as curious how much of the 16gb memory you have free for to actually use upon first boot ?
Im sorry if these questions have been asked but i have searched here and been watching endless youtube vids as well as reading various reviews. And would appreciate the feedback of people here
Depends how much you can get the Galaxy Nexus for?
The $700+ price tag is what drove me off and i just opted for the white Galaxy S II for about $400+ and saved the money to fund a future purchase.
The Galaxy Nexus is more of a side upgrade than a full upgrade, the Galaxy S III will be the full upgrade.
If you can get it cheap, then go for it. If not, its not really worth upgrading from an SGS II. Considering we should get ICS stable port soon hopefully with the great dev community we have and it would run better than on the GN in terms of plain hardware speed.
The GN screen can't be matched though, its beautiful
GN SGSII
I just got my GN a few days ago and my impressions are:
The phone feels slightly bigger, but only because it's thicker. But it feels much better in your hand.
the screen clarity is insane. I thought SGSII was amazing, but this is really something else.
I think having had a lot of time using a SGSI, I can totally tell that the screen is pentile/super AMOLED, not PLUS. But the resolution more than makes up for it.
Camera is acceptable. It's definitely no SGSII but it's not totally dismal either.
1080p is awesome. And the funny distortions that you get with google talk/video recording is a fun feature.
QUOTE=fade1d;19778180]I just got my GN a few days ago and my impressions are:
The phone feels slightly bigger, but only because it's thicker. But it feels much better in your hand.
the screen clarity is insane. I thought SGSII was amazing, but this is really something else.
I think having had a lot of time using a SGSI, I can totally tell that the screen is pentile/super AMOLED, not PLUS. But the resolution more than makes up for it.
Camera is acceptable. It's definitely no SGSII but it's not totally dismal either.
1080p is awesome. And the funny distortions that you get with google talk/video recording is a fun feature.[/QUOTE]
pewpewbangbang said:
Depends how much you can get the Galaxy Nexus for?
The $700+ price tag is what drove me off and i just opted for the white Galaxy S II for about $400+ and saved the money to fund a future purchase.
The Galaxy Nexus is more of a side upgrade than a full upgrade, the Galaxy S III will be the full upgrade.
If you can get it cheap, then go for it. If not, its not really worth upgrading from an SGS II. Considering we should get ICS stable port soon hopefully with the great dev community we have and it would run better than on the GN in terms of plain hardware speed.
The GN screen can't be matched though, its beautiful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really appreciate the feedback thanks , i can get this phone for free same as sII with no increase to my line rental or contract , the main thing thats doing it for me on this phone is the resolution i wasent to keen on the gsII previously due to the yellow tint screen issues and pink spot. That being said im sure if you can get a working one it would be great.
fade1d can i ask you please how much memory you have free of the 16gb when you first boot ...
you have around 13gb on first boot.
If you can get either one free with your contract, go for the Galaxy Nexus.
Simple choice when you put it that way.
Camera won't be a problem, you should be using a point and shoot or DSLR if you want to take real photos anyway.
Since this is the Galaxy Nexus Forum, I'm going to say go with the Galaxy S II
I'm going for the GNex because of the awesome screen and it's on Verizon.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App on UNL3ASH3D R3BLURR3D V2.3 and will continue to be sent from here until I buy the Galaxy Nexus 32GB
pewpewbangbang said:
Depends how much you can get the Galaxy Nexus for?
The $700+ price tag is what drove me off and i just opted for the white Galaxy S II for about $400+ and saved the money to fund a future purchase.
The Galaxy Nexus is more of a side upgrade than a full upgrade, the Galaxy S III will be the full upgrade.
If you can get it cheap, then go for it. If not, its not really worth upgrading from an SGS II. Considering we should get ICS stable port soon hopefully with the great dev community we have and it would run better than on the GN in terms of plain hardware speed.
The GN screen can't be matched though, its beautiful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That more than likely won't be the US retail price, that's only through Best Buy, and usually they're around 200 over verizon price.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App on UNL3ASH3D R3BLURR3D V2.3 and will continue to be sent from here until I buy the Galaxy Nexus 32GB
lol....your on verizon. Im pretty sure we're talking about the GSM version as the OP states he had the SII and Sensation.
To get the GSM version, you have to import it and the cheapest price is from handtec which is $700
How the hell are you getting a Nexus for free?
I have the SGS II and for me it was clear the Galaxy Nexus was for me. The camera is the only thing I will really miss for the extra details but will love the zero shutter lag from the Nexus.
Don't play that much games on the phone so nothing major there either for me.
I'm going to love the faster updates and all the small details of what the Nexus really is.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
pewpewbangbang said:
Depends how much you can get the Galaxy Nexus for?
The $700+ price tag is what drove me off and i just opted for the white Galaxy S II for about $400+ and saved the money to fund a future purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how did you get the gs2 for around 400? last I checked it was selling closer to 550
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
pewpewbangbang said:
you have around 13gb on first boot.
If you can get either one free with your contract, go for the Galaxy Nexus.
Simple choice when you put it that way.
Camera won't be a problem, you should be using a point and shoot or DSLR if you want to take real photos anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Russellmania said:
How the hell are you getting a Nexus for free?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again thanks for replys all 13 GB first boot is a bit of a wounder most my mp3 from other phone would fill that so i will have to think about that point and how important that could be be. On another note i can get samsung nexus for free becouse i have been given extra allowance in my upgrade due to getting messed around by my current phone providor they sent me 4 sII all refurbished when they was supposed to be brand new (it was a massive mess about).
Reason I would go for the GN is updates direct from Google and not having to wait for Samsung to get them and integrate them with there touchwiz crap.
Hated touchwiz on my GS2 and for me this is the first version of android you don't need a different launcher and stock Android is the dogs.
I got one off someone in the selling section of this forum.
And as for touchwiz..............thats why your on XDA developers, to root the phone and put custom roms on etc so you don't have touchwiz. But the thing i will say is, the reason why the GS II was so fast and still it when it came out was because of touchwiz and all the hardware acceleration samsung implemented.
The browser is probably one of the smoothest if not the best out there right now.
pewpewbangbang said:
I got one off someone in the selling section of this forum.
And as for touchwiz..............thats why your on XDA developers, to root the phone and put custom roms on etc so you don't have touchwiz. But the thing i will say is, the reason why the GS II was so fast and still it when it came out was because of touchwiz and all the hardware acceleration samsung implemented.
The browser is probably one of the smoothest if not the best out there right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't have to root though did you just install launcher pro or Go launcher for example, my point is I don't need those launchers with ICS.
I can't say I come across any problems with the browser on this phone, its fast and smooth and I never used Flash anyway always disabled it.
Jabbypants said:
You didn't have to root though did you just install launcher pro or Go launcher for example, my point is I don't need those launchers with ICS.
I can't say I come across any problems with the browser on this phone, its fast and smooth and I never used Flash anyway always disabled it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol...whats the fun of not putting customs roms on. They usually make the phone run better anyway. People with Nexus phones still root and put custom roms on their phones.
I never said the galaxy nexus browser was slow. It's definitely smooth and fast because ICS implemented hardware acceleration finally and the ICS framework totally reworked the browser so that its loads better than the old ones. In terms of speed and loading, it's the fastest out there, it has the lowest sunspider scores of any phone right now and in terms of smoothness, its probably on par with the GS II but i haven't used one.
Reviews said ICS in terms of perceived speed its a tad slower than the GS II and galaxy note
pewpewbangbang said:
I got one off someone in the selling section of this forum.
And as for touchwiz..............thats why your on XDA developers, to root the phone and put custom roms on etc so you don't have touchwiz. But the thing i will say is, the reason why the GS II was so fast and still it when it came out was because of touchwiz and all the hardware acceleration samsung implemented.
The browser is probably one of the smoothest if not the best out there right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The custom hardware acceleration was one of the reasons for SGSII being so fast, but ICS brings this natively, so both the GN and SGSII are the same.
I'd pick the GN just for the beautiful HD screen. Outside of that, there isn't much difference.
I recently had to make this choice and went GN.
I haven't seen comparison pics but at the end of the day bumping up the megapixles doesn't equal better photos.
Yes there are custom roms and what not but I know from having my SG1 that the amount of closed source things samsung include in the phone makes it more difficult for people to get things like cyanogen running (of course thanks to awesome people they did it anyway )
Its just looks a really polished device and i heard so many people say if you hand tried a pure android device you should... so I am
well as i've said......galaxy nexus is the way to go if your upgrading from something thats not an SGS II. Otherwise its more of a sidegrade than an upgrade. And doesn't seem worth the money as of right now (it will get cheaper of course)
Just note many people get this wrong, even though the Galaxy Nexus is a pure android phone.....doesn't mean all the things are open sourced. Some of the hardware in it may still be closed source like audio or something. The Galaxy S phones are open sourced but some of the parts in the hardware aren't which is why it's not always easy to do AOSP on the phones. Just a note
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.
I am currently a happy SGS2 user for almost a year. BUt ive been thinking if i should switch over to the galaxy nexus by the end of this month. Actually the only reason that is holding me back from getting a nexus is the rather average camera. And the 1080p video recording has this really annoying wobbly effect which AFAIK does not have a fix. Hardware wise ive been told its a step down from the S2 but day to day performance is on par. So do you guys think its a good idea for me to switch over or should i just stick to my S2 for now and wait for the S3?
It would be best to think for yourself...
I have them both but the gs2 is on sale, and i will never go back to a non nexus device.
Btw, this exact question comes up every single day recently........
As a guy who had his 1st GN die
Had a GSII as a loan phone for a week.
and then got his warranty replacement GN
I much prefer the GN
Thanks for the tip, I'll keep that in mind. Haven't been able to find many S2 users who migrated to GN to know about their opinions between the two..
Sent from my non-Apple device via XDA App
You should just wait for GS3. Honestly the gs2 is just a sidestep mostly. The only compelling reason that wins hands down is Google support and development. Besides if you get the nexus now, it kinda seems that you might kick yourself in da butt for not waiting a few more months.
Sent from my Nexus in Texas.
I had the SGS2 and I switched from a nexus S and am now back to the Galaxy Nexus as awesome as the SGS2 and possibly the 3 are they will never be better than a Nexus device. The Nexus with the direct link to Google updates and pure android without bloat or a skin UI is always better and faster. The updates are going to be way ahead of carrier/hardware UI having phones. So in the end I wont ever buy a non Nexus Android again no matter the specs
Hi first I had galaxy s 2 i9100 then I got galaxy s 2 t989 for T-Mobile then paid 685 for galaxy nexus. I had all 3 then I sold the galaxy s 2 i9100 next galaxy nexus and I kept the T-Mobile version t989 its the fastest of them all. And it has all the bends for at&t T-Mobile 3g and 4g. Once it gets a ICS rom it will bee more faster. Cm9.
I am not here to BS I had all 3 Nexus has the software but has lots of shortcomings ( ext. SD and the processor, camera and so on) but its the best phone in hand.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
samoevn said:
Hi first I had galaxy s 2 i9100 then I got galaxy s 2 t989 for T-Mobile then paid 685 for galaxy nexus. I had all 3 then I sold the galaxy s 2 i9100 next galaxy nexus and I kept the T-Mobile version t989 its the fastest of them all. And it has all the bends for at&t T-Mobile 3g and 4g. Once it gets a ICS rom it will bee more faster. Cm9.
I am not here to BS I had all 3 Nexus has the software but has lots of shortcomings ( ext. SD and the processor, camera and so on) but its the best phone in hand.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I can say is wow.
Sent from my Nexus in Texas.
@rbiter said:
You should just wait for GS3. Honestly the gs2 is just a sidestep mostly. The only compelling reason that wins hands down is Google support and development. Besides if you get the nexus now, it kinda seems that you might kick yourself in da butt for not waiting a few more months.
Sent from my Nexus in Texas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touchwiz and Ice cream sandwich = yuck.
If the OP cares about development and having the latest and newest android version get the nexus. You won't disappointed. Sure the Galaxy S3 may have better specs but have you seen touchwiz on 4.0?
After all it is just a phone and galaxy nexus is already fast as it is.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Interesting comments here. My sister's contract should be up by the time the S3 arrives in my country (Hopefully by mid July) so i can always get the nexus right now and switch over to the S3 later. No loss there. The only concern is if i were to get a nexus right now i will have to bear with it until the S3 is released later this year. I dont mind the specs and form factor of the phone, i got to touch one today for the first time and i think it feels better in the hand compared to the S2.
Honestly the camera is the ONLY thing holding me back right now. I hardly take HD clips on my S2 even though its great, but i do take a lot of pictures of random sights and objects. Not really a huge loss to me but i do take camera quality into consideration.
cr0wnest said:
Interesting comments here. My sister's contract should be up by the time the S3 arrives in my country (Hopefully by mid July) so i can always get the nexus right now and switch over to the S3 later. No loss there. The only concern is if i were to get a nexus right now i will have to bear with it until the S3 is released later this year. I dont mind the specs and form factor of the phone, i got to touch one today for the first time and i think it feels better in the hand compared to the S2.
Honestly the camera is the ONLY thing holding me back right now. I hardly take HD clips on my S2 even though its great, but i do take a lot of pictures of random sights and objects. Not really a huge loss to me but i do take camera quality into consideration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the GN picture thread in General then. A lot of ppl have posted pics taken with their GN.
zephiK said:
Check the GN picture thread in General then. A lot of ppl have posted pics taken with their GN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or Flickr.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
I'll check them out!
Also can someone enlighten me on the 1080p recording? In most video samples the video has this awful wobbly/wave effect while panning and focusing and it really spoils the whole thing. Is it due to the phone having a poor camera sensor or software settings?
Im refering to the wobbly effect seen in this video
While it should look something like this (No wobble)
To my surprise there doesnt seem to be anyone talking about this issue so im really curious to know!
cr0wnest said:
Interesting comments here. My sister's contract should be up by the time the S3 arrives in my country (Hopefully by mid July) so i can always get the nexus right now and switch over to the S3 later. No loss there. The only concern is if i were to get a nexus right now i will have to bear with it until the S3 is released later this year. I dont mind the specs and form factor of the phone, i got to touch one today for the first time and i think it feels better in the hand compared to the S2.
Honestly the camera is the ONLY thing holding me back right now. I hardly take HD clips on my S2 even though its great, but i do take a lot of pictures of random sights and objects. Not really a huge loss to me but i do take camera quality into consideration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently switched from the SGS2 to GN. I'm almost completely happy with the S2 except:
- The necessity to depend on Samsung to publish new firmwares means it will be quickly abandoned in favour of the S3. The S2 is still the king of the hill for the time being but I have no doubt when S3 comes out the S2 will receive 1 or 2 minor upgrades at best.
- Compatibility, some apps and games do not work correctly with it (there are many examples that I don't feel listing).
- Not all games run smoothly, despite the powerful GPU due to compatibility problems (Gameloft is the prime suspect, although others such as Shadowgun is shaky as well).
Here are the pros of Nexus devices:
- Direct updates from Google, of course.
- Guaranteed compatibility for all apps
- All games should run smoothly or satisfactorily as they should be well tested with Nexus devices.
Hardware is a toss, if you are in it for benchmarks only I'd suggest waiting for the S3 (and prepare to replace it when S4 comes out). If not, go for it and be rest assured that the GN will still be good 2 years later.
If it sounds a lot like the iPhone/iPad situation, because it is. Hardware superiority means naughts if it's driving sub-standard/unsupported software.
The camera is fine, I do think it's a problem of pre-production devices. I took videos in daylight and night time and none of those exhibit the waving issue.
cr0wnest said:
I'll check them out!
Also can someone enlighten me on the 1080p recording? In most video samples the video has this awful wobbly/wave effect while panning and focusing and it really spoils the whole thing. Is it due to the phone having a poor camera sensor or software settings?
Im refering to the wobbly effect seen in this video
While it should look something like this (No wobble)
To my surprise there doesnt seem to be anyone talking about this issue so im really curious to know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The wobble is likely the video stabilization. There's an app which you can turn it on and off with the GN and it does have a smoother video with it on, but some wobble as well. Some people prefer that over the jittery video that the GN produces with stabilization off (which is quite obvious in the second video link you posted).
I see, does the cam corder have a built in option for video stabilization? I think the jittery is fine, i didnt even notice until you mentioned it. For now it seems quite likely that i'll be getting a nexus. Thanks for all your help guys, much appreciated.
The only thing that bugs me is the 5MP Camera... but about the S3 or a new GN or whatnot.... this always occurs every year or two so eventually you'll switch or maybe you stay... im really loving this GN...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Unless you really want the nexus support and updates.
I would recommend waiting for the next Samsung galaxy s device whether it is called sIII or s II plus...
I believe that the next Samsung galaxy s device will be better than the galaxy nexus in hardware perspective.(camera,thinness,build quality, battery, maybe even screen).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
My $0.02
It's all a matter of preference.
The GSII is an amazing phone; my girlfriend has that and I have the GNex. She would take her GSII over the GNex any day of the week, and vice versa. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of the screen, camera, speaker, and SD card slot; however, to me there's no replacement for basic, stock Android on a snappy phone. The radio in my GNex seems to be better than her GSII's, but that's a subjective thing.
Yes, you can root and install a ROM on the GSII. Overall, the GSII is a better piece of hardware. However, my preference is a solid phone that's supported by Google and has no bloatware or lockdown at all.
The main thing what makes Galaxy Nexus better than Galaxy S2 is faster updates and native support from Google. You will first get updated, fixes, you don't need to wait till Samsung will create their TouchWiz.
Otherwise these devices are very similar. Camera performance is equal, the screen is bigger for Galaxy Nexus and it has a bit weaker technology but you can't see with your eye so both are the same quality.
If you would have Galaxy S or some other phone then update would be must have but upgrade from SGS2 to Nexus is not worth it as both devices are with similar specs and performance.
My frends... its over many weeks and days.. I'm looking for a new phone.. I want to know which is the best phone... is it a Galaxy note! Or GALAXY S II or THIS GOOGLE NEXUS ...?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Well since your asking in the Nexus forum most of us will say the Nexus. If you ask in the Note forum, most of them will say the Note. If you ask in the SGS2 forum, most of them will say the SGS2. It is all preference. I had the SGS2 before this Nexus and I prefer the Nexus. The SGS2 is a great phone, but I prefer Google Phone's so Nexus it is for me. I will probably never buy anything but Nexus from now on. I had the Nexus S 4G and when I upgraded that, I missed the Nexus badly even though I upgraded to a more powerful device. I say get the Nexus. To me the Note is too big and I wouldn't get the sgs2 because the sgs3 is going to be out sometime this year. I would wait on the Galaxy S 3 or get the Nexus if I were you.
I wouldnt get S3 even it is the most powerful ever. I learnt my mistakes getting a non-nexus phones since last 2 years. Got me a Nexus S and now Gnex, its Nexus line for me from now on. All this closed sources from Sammy and others make me stay with nexus all the time.
Well then....THEY ARE ALL THE SAME. Honestly on a day-to-day usage basis you won't be able to see any real significant differences, 2 cores, 1gb of ram, and a good GPU on all of them.
NOW BENCHMARKS
Thats where you'll see the differences.
Nexus all the way!!!
I used to have a SGS (Vibrant). The only thing I hate about Samsung is that they do not provide updates as quickly as they come out. I have to rely on custom roms and such to get the latest OS from Google. That's why I bought the GNex, as long as you are or flash to yakju, then you will get the updates as soon as Google churns them out. And if you have a penchant for flashing ROMs, then the GNex will still serve your purpose.
I say go with the GNex, you can always sell it if you want to. Also, the GNex is the only pentaband phone that's readily available with an Android OS. If you buy the GSM version then you can either use it on ATT or TMobile and still get 3g from both.
Good luck!
i regret buying my nexus, unreliable battery life. if no other phone got my interest between now and iphone w/4g speed, im jumping ship.
All phones are the same....a slab with an OS on it....the question u need to ask is do u want a stock Google experience, or do u want a custom interface? u will not notice any speed differences, or anything like that because the naked eye just doesnt! people say all this crap about quad core and all this, but theres no need for it! these phones are already fast as hell, i just dont get how much faster people expect it to get! What does "fast" mean? its not like u boast around ur benchmarks to people (unless ur on XDA all the time)
I don't think you will notice a huge difference between both phones.
It might be better to wait a few weeks for Galaxy S3.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
" It might be better to wait a few weeks for Galaxy S3. " <= That's correct
im surprised no one mentioned the 720p screen, i think this is the best feature of the gnex over the S2. if you do a lot of browsing or watching videos on your phone you will def notice the difference between the gnex and S2. OS is not as important as hardware esp. if the phone has a strong dev community like the S2. the S2 already has roms running 4.0.3 but if you prefer to stay stock and depend on the carrier or google for updates then the gnex is the way to go.
Even on the hardware side the gnex is behind the S2 in some areas like the cpu(skyrocket) and the 8mp camera. The S2 with ICS is faster than the gnex, there's quadrant benchmarks that put it over 4200 mark with 4.0.3. Some will disagree with me here but i really miss the SD card slot, as i have the gsm gnex it only comes with 16gb. i have about 3 gigs free now and have to delete stuff from my phone more often. I still pick the gnex over the S2 any day for the screen though, 720 x 1280 is a huge jump over 480 x 800 on screens bigger than 4 inches. I can read text on websites without having to zoom on the gnex, just squint a little whereas on the S2 text is just a blur without zoom.
I love design of GNEX than S2
quangvuhee said:
I love design of GNEX than S2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah me too
I'd wait for the SGS3. The SGS2 is better than the GNEX in ALL but screen and looks department.
Had a play with my GF's GS2 yesterday, and WOW is it faster than my GNEX.
GS3 will blow GNEX into 1990, sod the google experience.
neotekz said:
im surprised no one mentioned the 720p screen, i think this is the best feature of the gnex over the S2. if you do a lot of browsing or watching videos on your phone you will def notice the difference between the gnex and S2. OS is not as important as hardware esp. if the phone has a strong dev community like the S2. the S2 already has roms running 4.0.3 but if you prefer to stay stock and depend on the carrier or google for updates then the gnex is the way to go.
Even on the hardware side the gnex is behind the S2 in some areas like the cpu(skyrocket) and the 8mp camera. The S2 with ICS is faster than the gnex, there's quadrant benchmarks that put it over 4200 mark with 4.0.3. Some will disagree with me here but i really miss the SD card slot, as i have the gsm gnex it only comes with 16gb. i have about 3 gigs free now and have to delete stuff from my phone more often. I still pick the gnex over the S2 any day for the screen though, 720 x 1280 is a huge jump over 480 x 800 on screens bigger than 4 inches. I can read text on websites without having to zoom on the gnex, just squint a little whereas on the S2 text is just a blur without zoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SAMOLED+ screen on the SGS2 is just gorgeous though. That's what I primarily miss after going to the Nexus. The colors were better, and it was so luminous, that I would have it on minimum most of the time.
I do like the higher resolution I have now, but that isn't everything when it comes to a display.
I also would have liked to have my 32gb SD card carried over here.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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