Develop Bugs

My main reason for considering the Nexus

No not the screen but the fact it is pure Android. Boy do I hate manufacturer or networks OS glossy coatings or add-ons, I have yet to meet one I actually liked. At least on the Arc they are fairly light weight. The one thing I admire in iOS is that Apple don't let any of the networks muck around with their software, if only Google was the same.
The other thing related to this I like is the rapid update cycle, none of this lets wait around while we add on all our OS add-ons nonsense.

Super Chimp said:
No not the screen but the fact it is pure Android. Boy do I hate manufacturer or networks OS glossy coatings or add-ons, I have yet to meet one I actually liked. At least on the Arc they are fairly light weight. The one thing I admire in iOS is that Apple don't let any of the networks muck around with their software, if only Google was the same.
The other thing related to this I like is the rapid update cycle, none of this lets wait around while we add on all our OS add-ons nonsense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats pretty much the only reason anyone gets a Nexus

Well apple has its own muck. Served the way they want to serve it to you. But yeah, the nexus line of phones are not the latest and greatest in specs and i cant figure out why some people think it is. The big catch all with google phones is pure android and the developer support it gets. Google gives a great base foundation to build on software wise and that im sure is a big reason so many developers flock to it. The latest phone still has some question marks on it but they will be answered. Bigtime.
I voided my warranty and your mum.

slowz3r said:
thats pretty much the only reason anyone gets a Nexus
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Click to collapse
The only reason I dumped the Nexus One was because of its reception problems, OS wise it was probably, aside from my Arc, the best Android device I have used. I bet in real life use the Nexus will feel quicker than the GS2, not because of its hardware but because it isn't bogged down with the ever lovely Touchwiz!

I got a SE Xperia X8 (big piece of crap, has kinda good (unofficial; damn SE) support; Nothing to do with current smartphones, even the ones of equal tier) and I really need an upgrade. I got mine just like... 6 months ago, less than that, maybe, but I already feel it being weak and crappy.
Anyway, I got a friend who has the NS (Nexus S) and it runs like a BEAST! It probably can stand up to the Samsung GSII. That's why I want a Nexus. It might not have state-of-the-art hardware, but it's surely WAY better than mine and it's a Nexus. The Nexus line has a huge back end, lots and lots of developers, not to talk about direct Google support and CyanogenMod versions. Most devices' CyanogenMod builds are ports of the Google Phones.
The problem to me getting it is the fact that I got mine sort of recently and the price. I might have to wait for a price cut, or not.
I think ICS looks really really really damn sexy. I like the enchanting blue-ish theme of it. If people get it from the release, there isn't going to be much to it. Just a new OS with a few bugs. It's like getting a Beta phone. But those bugs will be corrected in a matter of a couple of weeks, I strongly believe. It's still a great update.
It will take a while to see good developing for the GN (1, 2 months... maybe more), I guess. It's a matter of seeing what is going to happen. I kinda see the ICS as a re-vamp of all the previous versions, with some really cool features of course. I say it's a great advancement.

precisely. i will say, when the nexus one came out it leapfrogged pretty much everything out there. it seems to me people keep wanting another nexus one type of one up when it comes to specs, but in reality the fact that it's google's baby offsets a fair number of spec sheet "shortcomings".
eric b

Let's see. Gorgeous screen (FU everyone crying about PenTile), ICS, no external buttons, guaranteed timely updates, a developer's dream, it's a winner all over.
I don't care if it's not the beefiest phone, spec-wise. It's fully unlocked and built for ICS. Any phones that get ICS later will still have to deal with having softkeys that don't need to be there any more.

SomeGuyDude said:
Let's see. Gorgeous screen (FU everyone crying about PenTile), ICS, no external buttons, guaranteed timely updates, a developer's dream, it's a winner all over.
I don't care if it's not the beefiest phone, spec-wise. It's fully unlocked and built for ICS. Any phones that get ICS later will still have to deal with having softkeys that don't need to be there any more.
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Click to collapse
Unless I misunderstood the concept, you still have the volume rocket and the Power Button (virtually 3 buttons)

Yup, timely updates are the reason I am going with the galaxy nexus, i love quick updates and hate oem customisations.
Also the hardware is nice.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Griffrez said:
Unless I misunderstood the concept, you still have the volume rocket and the Power Button (virtually 3 buttons)
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Click to collapse
He meant no buttons directly tied to the os. The nokia n9 has power and volume rocker buttons still but no other buttons attached directly to os functions.
I voided my warranty and your mum.

same reason here...
1st to have the updates... coming from a ****ty LG...
pure android. no bugs...

K.D.M. said:
same reason here...
1st to have the updates... coming from a ****ty LG...
pure android. no bugs...
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Click to collapse
no bugs? you spray raid on your phone. try again. i'm sure we'll run across some critters and hopefully google and cyanogen will address them quickly.

Simple, stock Android UI. Likely to have Cyanogen. Pentaband radios.
Skickat från min ASUS Eee Pad TF101

veyka said:
Yup, timely updates are the reason I am going with the galaxy nexus, i love quick updates and hate oem customisations.
Also the hardware is nice.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus One had was a veritable torrent of updates compared to other Android devices I have had. Also there didn't seem much delay in updates in geographical sense, in that didn't seem to matter that I was in the UK rather than the US.

=> USB Host feature to connect an external USB DAC, an external USB hard drive ...
and the large screen: easier to read

I will change from the SGS II to the NG because of this reasons.
-Pure Android (a SGS II stock ROM is mostly around 300 MB CyanogenMOD is 100 MB)
-better development base
-updates
-screen
-curved screen (I miss my Nexus S while doing a call the SGS II is so flat...)
Especially the pure part is important so devs don't have to fix the stupid **** from the manufacturers like a lagging browser when you deodex a SGS II stock ROM...

same reason here, to have the updates... coming from a ****ty LG...never, never again...
pure android... can't wait

Stock ICS & new hardware. I'd really like an external SD & 8MP, but hey, I'm ready to upgrade from my dInc.

My reason is that crazy sexy screen, and the development base here on xda. I know if there are any problems our great developers here will fix them and make this phone smoother than Google and Samsung could ever imagine.
Side note, so this CPU Max clock is 1.8, correct? Can't wait to have it running on that.
(Btw I buy extra battery's and switch throughout the day as they die. Why have a crazy phone if your going to be worried about battery life? Just put up some more $$ and have more fun with your phone...IMHO)
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

I thought you can get pure android on any phone thanks to XDA and that includes rapid updates. I usually go by the looks and the hardware, rather than the software, which I will replace anyway.

Would you recommend me upgrading?

Hello everyone! I'm currently using an iPhone 4 on AT&T and I recently played with a Galaxy Nexus at Verizon after watching a lot of videos on it (I just had to play with one). I must say, I loved the screen from the short amount of time I used the phone and loved the interface of Android 4.0. I've been using iOS for awhile now and its not because I'm a 'lemming' or some other ridiculous term (please lets keep the fanboyism out of this) and have always jailbroken my phones. The Galaxy Nexus just seemed very nice (although I dislike the backing of the device) and I'm not sure if it's just the allure of something different since I'm so used to iOS (which I'm finding to be stagnant) or if its because its that much better.
I guess I would like to hear anyone's experience with the device, especially if they upgraded from an iPhone 4 as well. The biggest complaints I've heard about the phone are the sub par camera, the build quality, wifi issues, multitouch problems, and battery issues (this one worries me). Upgrading to the SGN would cost me quite a bit, probably around $650 dollars. I'm thinking I could sell my phone off for about $250-$300 making the price slightly more bearable.
Few of the things I liked while playing with it:
* Increased screen size with high pixel density
* Ice Cream Sandwich has a very futuristic feeling to it and I absolutely love the look of it
* Seemed very fast
* Camera took very fast photos
* Full screen browser was amazing (so much more content)
* Face unlock
* Live wallpapers (is this a big battery drain?)
So from a purely objective opinion (not a biased one, although I suppose that is impossible to avoid) do you think its worth the price for me to upgrade to a Galaxy Nexus from the iPhone 4?
Thank for you for time in answering my question(s), I really appreciate it!

I also had an iPhone 4 and chose to upgrade to this phone. Best choice I ever made when it comes to phones! The killer for me was the screen, I absolutely could not go back to a 3.5" screen now. And ICS is just fab! Go for it.

What you're experiencing right now is Night. If you were to upgrade the the Nexus then you would see Day. The only disadvantage the Nexus has over the iPhone is battery life. If you can deal with that then do it.
Had a Fascinate > Charge > iPhone4 > Nexus. I just can't stand that damn 3.5" screen.

Honestly, when i had an iPhone 4, the battery life was horrid. 8 hours at most.
sent from my 3v0

You pretty much nailed why this phone is better, but I think it comes down to apps. You'll miss some apps on Android at the beginning but you'll also find out that most of those apps you'll miss are irrelevant in an Android environment. You'll miss the battery life on your iPhone that's for sure unless you get a GSM version which I have, I have 10hrs on it and still 84% left of battery, didn't even try to conserve power.

masamichi7 said:
Honestly, when i had an iPhone 4, the battery life was horrid. 8 hours at most.
sent from my 3v0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I don't understand the myth of iPhone 4 having great battery life.
The nexus will last 8-10 hours on 3G just like the iPhone 4/4s and it has more power hungry specs.

Although face unlock works well, I can't help but tell you it is a gimmick. Once you press the power button, it takes a while for the camera to initialize so there is some delay when unlocking (as opposed to the quick slide to unlock) but on the other hand is amazing to show-off to friends
Also, many users have reported that live wallpapers cause lag although I cannot confirm that myself. (But, when I did turn live wallpapers on, I did notice some slugishness/lag but it might be because I was running a lot of processes in the background)
The battery drain is also noticeable, for me on Android Revolution HD with Francisco Franco's kernel (dec 13 test non overclock) I get about 10 hours of usage but I still am yet to confirm the battery of the device. You should check out the galaxy nexus LTE review at www.theverge.com for more info. But I'm fairly certain that it does state the battery drain is heavily noticeable on the LTE variant.
Finally, I absolutely love the screen on the Galaxy Nexus as well. I would never go back to a ~4.5 inch screen ever again

I personally get tired of mobile OSes every couple years. I started with the original iPhone, upgraded to 3G, then jumped ship after 3GS release. Not only did I want to dump AT&T, but I also wanted to try out Android.
I was getting sick of Gingerbread so I upgraded early from my Droid Charge. I love the change so far, and I think I'll be sticking with Android for a bit longer. But coming from an Apple product you have to realize that Android will never be as polished or smooth. Google just doesn't have the closed ecosystem like Apple.
The gaming department is really disappointing for me over the iPhone, and is one of the primary reasons I want an Apple device again. But that 3.5" screen makes it hard to enjoy too lol. I think I'll just settle for an iPad 3. If you really like customizing and personalizing your devices, Android is perfect for you.
4G LTE is simply awesome. If you are around a lot of power sockets during your normal daytime gig, battery life is no big deal. Screen size is awesome. No dropped calls is awesome. And I know with Verizon, iPhone 4's fetch like $350-400 still, even after the release of the 4S.
Either way, I hope some of this info helped you lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Upgrade!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

As long as you can deal with the reinvestment into a new ecosystem and possibly buying the Android version of any paid apps you want to continue to use I'd say go for it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

My first android phone was a HTC Desire, then I sold it for iPhone 4S, which I was using whilst waiting for the Galaxy Nexus to be released. I've used an iPhone 2G before and to be honest 2G -> 4S has basically no difference. Using the dialer is poor, no smart dial, small screen which is pretty poor if you want to read web journals on your phone.
So many other basic features are missing from the iPhone such as you have to enter facebook to upload a picture. On Android you just take the photo, and share VIA Whatsapp/Facebook whatever. As easy as that.
Get the Nexus, you definitely won't regret it. Also if you get like a Note or SG2, it'll have the problem of when it gets ICS 4.0 it will still use the Touch Wiz which is frankly crap. So unless you're good at setting up Alternative Launchers or using Custom ROMS your best bet is just using the Nexus. Good luck.

Don't know much about the networks over there in America, but it seems that verizon is very much like Telstra here in Aus. Best coverage but biggest dicks.
That aside, I can say that the Galaxy nexus is awesome. While iOS has always been smooth, ICS has a nicer look about it. The GNEX screen is just amazing - similar to retina but more real estate, which is a winner in my books!
PS. Getting 11 mbps speeds here in aus with HSPA+ too

ive never owned an iphone 4 but i have worked with them a lot.
would i upgrade to a GN? without question.
if you want 'safe' phone then stick to the iphone
if you want a phone you can actually enjoy and play with then go android and the GN is one of the best options out there.
I havent had much trouble with the battery to be honest yes under heavy use it can go down quite quickly (although not as quickly as some devices)...for example i used about 45% when streaming a Newcastle game for 2 hours on full brightness which isnt to bad in my experience.
In 'normal' daily use the battery performs as well as most phones so far.
A lot of iphone users throw the battery issues with android phones out there, but believe me we have had plenty of situations when iphones have drained just as quick.
Just remember that heavy data usage, poor coverage and heavy screen use are the usual culprits for batteries dying.
The GN hasnt got a problem with the battery - at least not for me

Thank you for your replies! I'm still debating about it. One part of me says that a better phone will be coming out soon, while another part of me says that there will always be a better phone coming. Regardless, I do have one question for those of you with a Galaxy Nexus:
If I were to download an app from the Android Market will it scale to the Galaxy Nexus's screen properly? I imagine the graphics would have to be updated in the app to support the higher resolution, but I was curious if Google had worked anything out for generic images to scale correctly. Also do things like buttons (generic images used throughout the UI basically) change to their Android 4.0 counterparts?
Thanks again

ErikWithNoC said:
Thank you for your replies! I'm still debating about it. One part of me says that a better phone will be coming out soon, while another part of me says that there will always be a better phone coming. Regardless, I do have one question for those of you with a Galaxy Nexus:
If I were to download an app from the Android Market will it scale to the Galaxy Nexus's screen properly? I imagine the graphics would have to be updated in the app to support the higher resolution, but I was curious if Google had worked anything out for generic images to scale correctly. Also do things like buttons (generic images used throughout the UI basically) change to their Android 4.0 counterparts?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some apps scale, some don't, some will say not compatible. A lot of games don't work
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk

nrfitchett4 said:
Some apps scale, some don't, some will say not compatible. A lot of games don't work
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
That is disappointing. From your experience would you say enough work? Also, do you (or anyone else in this thread) think developers will update their graphics for the SGN's resolution (is it a standard resolution for ICS)?

Nah its just a few lines of code. Most everything will scale properly. ICS is still new and we only just recently got the Nexus. Its not even really updating graphics. Its not like Apple where things get stretched and look hideous. Completely different methods. I hated Apples method to make iPhone apps work on iPads. Most Android apps look 100% normal when scaled. Google doesn't want Tablet and Phone apps... they want 1 app that conforms to all... and most do. A few don't.
I typically take my phone off the charge at 8am. Its 8pm now with 30% left after going all day with corporate email, Gmail, Facebook, xda a few hours, and scrabble a few times. Pretty normal usage but its new so I keep tinkering with it.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer

player911 said:
Nah its just a few lines of code. Most everything will scale properly. ICS is still new and we only just recently got the Nexus. Its not even really updating graphics. Its not like Apple where things get stretched and look hideous. Completely different methods. I hated Apples method to make iPhone apps work on iPads. Most Android apps look 100% normal when scaled. Google doesn't want Tablet and Phone apps... they want 1 app that conforms to all... and most do. A few don't.
I typically take my phone off the charge at 8am. Its 8pm now with 30% left after going all day with corporate email, Gmail, Facebook, xda a few hours, and scrabble a few times. Pretty normal usage but its new so I keep tinkering with it.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is it that the graphics don't need to be changed? I'm sure games would need different sized graphics to take advantage of the higher resolution screen. As for the whole iPhone app iPad app thing. I would rather developers create a dedicated tablet app versus's a scaled up phone app any day, so either way isn't that great in my opinion. Great news on the battery! I'm assuming your using the GSM version of the Nexus since your on T-Mobile?

Sorry I couldn't help it
I'm in a weird mood today...

Gsm sexier ....thinner and more pronounce curve lte version battery drains fast. Hate it .. I returning the lte and staying with gsm version
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Who do you think is responsible for gimping the nexus phones?

The nexus phones always seem to be missing some crucial features that prevent them from destroying all the competition.
The nexus S had 480p recording which was a shocker since every high end phone was coming with HD video recording. It also never had a 32GB variant which didnt make sense since there was no card slot. Isnt google competing with apple?
Okay now the situation is a bit different with the galaxy nexus. It brings forward the sharpest SAMOLED screen to date but it just couldn't do without those shockers.
It turns out its the dimmest SAMOLED screen on any phone, hurrah samsung this is supposed to have the greatest display. It could still be said to have but the brightness seriously puts a dent on it.
5MP camera anyone? And yes MP dont matter that much but the overall quality of the nexus camera just doesnt compare with the S2 and iphone 4S.
720p resolution but weak GPU in a world of android where game optimization is poor? Ya that one puts a nail in the coffin for me.
And then where is the 32GB galaxy nexus? A phone with 1080p recording is only 16GB with no card slot? Really google?
When apple upgraded the GPU for the new ipad, it showed me they plan things with applications as the priority. Google on the other hand slapped a regular chipset for a 720p pentile screen that isnt actually HD but requires the GPU to output a million pixels.
Dont mind me guys I know you are all happy with your phones. I am a nexus S owner looking to upgrade but it seems like I will have to sacrifice software support for my next phone for better hardware and performance.
So then who is to blame? People say samsung and it makes sense in a way. Samsung doesnt own the nexus brand and if samsung makes this killer nexus phone that goes on to be a best seller, google could simply ask some other manufacturer to make the next nexus phone as they are not tied to anyone. So some other company benefits from a brand name that samsung helped establish as a top one.
On the other hand is google really that powerless to not be able to just tell samsung what they want in their phone?? It could very well be the case that google itself doesnt want it's nexus to utterly destroy everything else like the S2 did. Google doesnt want to discourage other manufacturers. There is one big thing which google miss out in all of this, it's nexus phone doesnt dominate the iphone feature wise the way it really should.
So your thoughts?

Gambler_3 said:
The nexus phones always seem to be missing some crucial features that prevent them from destroying all the competition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're not *supposed* to be "destroying the competition". Nexus devices are meant to serve as an example for the direction they want Android to take. That's it.
The nexus S had 480p recording which was a shocker since every high end phone was coming with HD video recording. It also never had a 32GB variant which didnt make sense since there was no card slot. Isnt google competing with apple?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Google is not competing with Apple. All they care about is that you (and iPhone users) continue to use google.com. Android serves that purpose. The Nexus serves as a guidepost for Android.
Okay now the situation is a bit different with the galaxy nexus. It brings forward the sharpest SAMOLED screen to date but it just couldn't do without those shockers.
It turns out its the dimmest SAMOLED screen on any phone, hurrah samsung this is supposed to have the greatest display. It could still be said to have but the brightness seriously puts a dent on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um. Ok.
5MP camera anyone? And yes MP dont matter that much but the overall quality of the nexus camera just doesnt compare with the S2 and iphone 4S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because Google wanted to emphasize a camera with instant photo capture. The Galaxy Nexus takes worse photos than my Nexus S 4g.
720p resolution but weak GPU in a world of android where game optimization is poor? Ya that one puts a nail in the coffin for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, then get another phone. Easy solution, no?
And then where is the 32GB galaxy nexus? A phone with 1080p recording is only 16GB with no card slot? Really google?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 1080p is only at 10mbps...
Either way, having limited space actually serves google's interests once again, as they want you to use Google+ sync for photos, and Google Music to stream music.
MTP so users don't have to bother mounting their phones' storage.
A modest GPU to show how much hardware acceleration can help the experience on even "older" chipsets.
You (and I) don't have to like it. Not at all. But them's the breaks. There are a LOT of other phones with better specs.
When apple upgraded the GPU for the new ipad, it showed me they plan things with applications as the priority. Google on the other hand slapped a regular chipset for a 720p pentile screen that isnt actually HD but requires the GPU to output a million pixels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool.
Dont mind me guys I know you are all happy with your phones. I am a nexus S owner looking to upgrade but it seems like I will have to sacrifice software support for my next phone for better hardware and performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, yes you will.
So then who is to blame? People say samsung and it makes sense in a way. Samsung doesnt own the nexus brand and if samsung makes this killer nexus phone that goes on to be a best seller, google could simply ask some other manufacturer to make the next nexus phone as they are not tied to anyone. So some other company benefits from a brand name that samsung helped establish as a top one.
On the other hand is google really that powerless to not be able to just tell samsung what they want in their phone?? It could very well be the case that google itself doesnt want it's nexus to utterly destroy everything else like the S2 did. Google doesnt want to discourage other manufacturers. There is one big thing which google miss out in all of this, it's nexus phone doesnt dominate the iphone feature wise the way it really should.
So your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are to blame for owning a Nexus already, and yet not understanding the point of Google creating Nexus devices.
The Nexus S was no trend-setter either. It was a GalaxyS but without an SD card. Why on earth would Google do that with the Nexus S? Because, again, their goals for the device were to showcase their new Gingerbread theme (which SAMOLED screens do best) and push manufacturers into making more cloud-centric devices (ie no SD card). They wanted a larger screen, and a "sexy" looking device to show that Android can have style.

Google are in the business of making money. The Nexus phone is a consumer device for ORDINARY EVERY DAY PEOPLE. It is NOT a developer phone for geeks!
All this nonsense about Google not caring about the phone competing is absolute complete and utter uninformed nonsense from people who are more than happy to champion poor, over priced, old tech.
Google would do very well to stop advertising the Nexus is it's just for developer geeks, because the adverts i've seen for the Nexus are incredibly similar to the adverts I see for the iphone.
Google dropped the ball on this phone, plain and simple, and only fan boys will argue otherwise.
I will say one thing, thank god for AOKP! The latest AOKP Rom is amazing.

biffsmash said:
Google are in the business of making money. The Nexus phone is a consumer device for ORDINARY EVERY DAY PEOPLE. It is NOT a developer phone for geeks!
All this nonsense about Google not caring about the phone competing is absolute complete and utter uninformed nonsense from people who are more than happy to champion poor, over priced, old tech.
Google would do very well to stop advertising the Nexus is it's just for developer geeks, because the adverts i've seen for the Nexus are incredibly similar to the adverts I see for the iphone.
Google dropped the ball on this phone, plain and simple, and only fan boys will argue otherwise.
I will say one thing, thank god for AOKP! The latest AOKP Rom is amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. Because Google is *REALLY* pushing it hard on all 4 carriers in the US, huh? Really trying to get that market-share for the Nexus.
They still refuse to sell the GSM Galaxy Nexus in the US, some 6 months after release. They've dropped "official" support for the CDMA binaries for the VZW Galaxy Nexus, and have shown no signs of that changing anytime soon.
But yeah, sure, Google really cares a lot if this phone competes with other Android phones. No reason why they should care, since an Android phone is an Android phone.
Riiiight, if you say so.

I said please dont mind what I am saying. I am not here to merely bash this phone but for a reasonable discussion.
I really dont mind the lack of SD card at all thats why I have a nexus S. I also dont really mind heaving inferior video recording, I'll much rather have an LED flash which the galaxy S didnt have.
What I do care about is the still picture camera and gaming performance, 2 areas the nexus S was up with the best for it's time but the galaxy nexus isnt. The nexus S didnt bring in a new screen but it was still the best you could get. It didnt bring in a new chipset but again it was the best you could get(yes shortly bested by the tegra 2) but it was still more than adequate for 800x480.
While the galaxy nexus would have superior screen to my nexus S, it would have inferior sunlight legibility which is an unfortunate compromise that shouldn't be there considering how bright the note is. While it plays all games fine for now you never know when it's time would be up due to how poorly optimized android games can be.
I agree with the above user google dropped the ball on this there is no way to go around it. The galaxy nexus unlocked is now cheaper than the galaxy S2, that shows how it has performed. The nexus S never became cheaper than galaxy S.

Gambler_3 said:
The nexus phones always seem to be missing some crucial features that prevent them from destroying all the competition.
The nexus S had 480p recording which was a shocker since every high end phone was coming with HD video recording.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
480p recording was an operating system limitation at the time. Vanilla android just didn't support HD recording. People are giving manufacturers boatloads of crap for skins, but the reality remains that they add functionality that the underlaying OS wouldn't otherwise have. My 2010 HTC Desire had HD recording because of Sense, but my Nexus S didn't have because of vanilla android.
The FM radio that is inside both Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus? Vanilla android doesn't support it so we don't get to use it. Also I believe skins have added quite a bit of HW acceleration to their devices before the OS itself had it in any meaningful way. Android is quite barebones OS in itself, though now with ICS things are looking much better.

reuthermonkey said:
They're not *supposed* to be "destroying the competition". Nexus devices are meant to serve as an example for the direction they want Android to take. That's it.
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Click to collapse
Well said.
From Google:
"...Nexus, is designed to allow enthusiasts to install custom operating systems. Allowing your own boot image on a pure Nexus S is as simple as running fastboot oem unlock."
From Engadget:
"Google's purebred Android phones are by nature developer-friendly and ship with a painless ability to unlock their bootloaders."
Again from Google:
"As part of the Nexus brand, Nexus S delivers what we call a “pure Google” experience: unlocked, unfiltered access to the best Google mobile services and the latest and greatest Android releases and updates."
From ZDnet:
"The Galaxy Nexus will be the next Google flagship phone, insuring owners will always get Android updates, and in a timely fashion."
From Gottabemobile:
"The “Pure Google Experience” phone skips all of the bloatware (pre-installed apps that nobody asked for) and custom UIs that manufacturers and carriers commonly tag onto Android phones."
Starting to get the picture of what Nexus is all about? Nexi are Google's flagship phone not Samsung's, not HTC's, not Sony's or anyone else.

Cmmts said:
480p recording was an operating system limitation at the time. Vanilla android just didn't support HD recording. People are giving manufacturers boatloads of crap for skins, but the reality remains that they add functionality that the underlaying OS wouldn't otherwise have. My 2010 HTC Desire had HD recording because of Sense, but my Nexus S didn't have because of vanilla android.
The FM radio that is inside both Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus? Vanilla android doesn't support it so we don't get to use it. Also I believe skins have added quite a bit of HW acceleration to their devices before the OS itself had it in any meaningful way. Android is quite barebones OS in itself, though now with ICS things are looking much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you talking about? The nexus S still doesnt have HD video recording with ICS.
If it really was an OS limitation you didnt think someone here at xda would have long been able to find a hack??
And GB nexus S is one of the smoothest if not the smoothest single core android phone I have used.

But the nexus is a consumer phone not a dev phone....quote all u want
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Gambler_3 said:
What are you talking about? The nexus S still doesnt have HD video recording with ICS.
If it really was an OS limitation you didnt think someone here at xda would have long been able to find a hack??
And GB nexus S is one of the smoothest if not the smoothest single core android phone I have used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't seem to find a reference at this point, but I have been told this. BTW HTC Desire still remains my smoothest single core android phone to this day. I really wasn't that impressed with Nexus S.

So let's see. You (OP) criticizes the GN because you think it has a weak GPU even though you admit it runs all current games fine. If the screen lacks brightness, you know this is configurable. As for the SD card slot, Google finds it is a nuisance because it splits the filesystem in half and you need to juggle where to put stuff.
Most of the camera problems were fixed with firmware 4.0.4 and it is definitely comparable with the GS2 (I own one too so I know).
The GN is a well designed device and comes with the best Android stock experience, not some skinned nonsense.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

As some said, its a base for other devices. Kinda like a minimum requirement for future phone. whatever other device makes, i don't care. I'm happy cuz Android is that powerful and has varieties. of course, i'll be staying with Nexus.

Cmmts said:
Can't seem to find a reference at this point, but I have been told this. BTW HTC Desire still remains my smoothest single core android phone to this day. I really wasn't that impressed with Nexus S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be inclined to agree, having a Desire for almost 24 months. However, the girlfriends Desire S is also single core and faster, she would never let me take Sense off of it but I dare say it could well have been better.

Here's a discussion where a number of users state that the 720p issue is because of the OS.
http://androidforums.com/nexus-s/238837-why-doesnt-nexus-s-record-video-720p-30fps.html

TlDr but I got bits out of it.
The nexus doesn't need a super gpu for 720p rendering the 4460 OMAP has the best HD decoding in the industry. The screen is fine. The camera is sub par in the amount of pixels it can fit in a square but the quality is fine. It does the job. Its a phone ffs.
Honestly all I can say is to read my signature.
Also, this phone was never meant to compete with iOS or other Androids. It was meant to help set an industry standard for the next generation of Android hardware.
Please, can we stop making threads about how the Nexus isn't everything you wanted it to be? There's plenty of other phones you mentioned, so go use em and stop cluttering our General.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Cmmts said:
Can't seem to find a reference at this point, but I have been told this. BTW HTC Desire still remains my smoothest single core android phone to this day. I really wasn't that impressed with Nexus S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy nexus does HD video and nexus S is running the same OS so what does lack of HD has to do with OS?
And I have found the nexus S app drawer to be as smooth as iphone, cant get smoother then that. And home screens are pretty smooth as well without too many widgets. Ofcourse other phones could be just as smooth.
Andie00 said:
This thread sucks.
Well said.
From Google:
"...Nexus, is designed to allow enthusiasts to install custom operating systems. Allowing your own boot image on a pure Nexus S is as simple as running fastboot oem unlock."
From Engadget:
"Google's purebred Android phones are by nature developer-friendly and ship with a painless ability to unlock their bootloaders."
Again from Google:
"As part of the Nexus brand, Nexus S delivers what we call a “pure Google” experience: unlocked, unfiltered access to the best Google mobile services and the latest and greatest Android releases and updates."
From ZDnet:
"The Galaxy Nexus will be the next Google flagship phone, insuring owners will always get Android updates, and in a timely fashion."
From Gottabemobile:
"The “Pure Google Experience” phone skips all of the bloatware (pre-installed apps that nobody asked for) and custom UIs that manufacturers and carriers commonly tag onto Android phones."
Starting to get the picture of what Nexus is all about? Nexi are Google's flagship phone not Samsung's, not HTC's, not Sony's or anyone else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So where does it say that the pure google experience gets hampered if you put the latest tech inside a phone? Seriously what is this ridiculous argument that just because it is dev phone it isnt about hardware.

Cmmts said:
Here's a discussion where a number of users state that the 720p issue is because of the OS.
http://androidforums.com/nexus-s/238837-why-doesnt-nexus-s-record-video-720p-30fps.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2010 dude this is 2012. Obviously it has nothing to do with OS as nexus S is now running an OS that does support HD video.

Smallsmx3 said:
But the nexus is a consumer phone not a dev phone....quote all u want
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who said it's a dev phone?
We (and Google, and the entire tech industry) has stated that the phone is a guidepost for Android. It's a reference phone.
Now, it's quite normal for developers to prefer Nexus phones because... well... they're the reference. But no one ever said it wasn't a consumer phone. It's just not going to be the latest and greatest of everything. It's not meant to be - never was.

Which is the question of the thread why the hell cant it be the latest and greatest when the greatest company samsung is making it??
Why should they leave out features that dont need any rocket science to put into? Why cant those who love the reference phone have all the greatest features when the company making it is clearly capable of delivering them?

Gambler_3 said:
Galaxy nexus does HD video and nexus S is running the same OS so what does lack of HD has to do with OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And some phones with ICS support UMS, yet we support MTP. The OS does have to do with it, considering it likely has checks in it, and/or the Nexus S specific overlay LIMITS it to 480p.
The Nexus S has 320mb of usable ram and a single core CPU. Do you expect it to record in 720p like a boss? I know my Droid Incredible had 720p enabled in an update, and it was a joke.

Pro's and Cons?

So I am up for my 2 year upgrade and I have been curious of the Galaxy S3. However the last time I strayed from the apple coated path I kinda got burned. But this was back during the iphone 3g and the "other" phone I got ran windows mobile and did so poorly due to at&t's bloatware. Things have changed and android is a far superior operating system that windows mobile can only sit in a little dark corner and hope to be.
But I have to admit, while I have the ASUS infinity, I have never ventured into the realm of android phones. So I really have no idea were to start. I am wanting a phone that can not only match but be vastly superior than my current iphone 4 and be able to carry me through 2 years without lagging behind to much. I have heard so many good things about the S3 I figured it would be a alright place to start.
My biggest concern is that by moving fully away from iOS I will loose features and applications I have built over the past few years and that the apps on android may not be as good. Not that I had or used that many paid programs, 98% of the ones I use day to day were Free on the app store. But I know I will miss iMessage as I use it fairly frequently between my family, but thats really the ONLY apple-only feature I will miss. Although I really question how well ebay runs on android, the version I installed on my infinity really felt lacking compared to its iOS sister. Another feature I have been looking forward to is Siri, but Google Now is just as good if not better, the S3 just needs JB. XD
Another thing I am concerned about is the camera quality. As good as the iphone 4 camera is, I would love to get something better.
Anyways I guess my ultimate question is... Do you think the S3 is the best android phone available at this time, do you think the S3 will still beat the next iPhone that is supposedly coming in September, and do you think a better android phone will come out between now and when the new iphone hits?
Also... Are there any shortcomings to the S3? Like does it overheat, have screen sensitivity issues, lots of build defects, or etc?

I was an apple junkie myself until I got my little HTC aria, and I've never looked back. The galaxy s3 is the best phone I've used hands down, my wife has a 4s and the rest of our family all revolve around Iphones, but I am constantly amazing them with what android can do...and BTW the camera is really awesome, no shutter, burst shot and the ability to take pics while recording HD video...what more could you ask for?! Get one, enjoy it, spend some time getting to know android, then if you decide to keep it and get brave, root it and try Google now lots of fun and very handy!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

I move out of iOS around 2 tears ago and i will never go back. Like you said iMessanger is only good future in iOS, but you can always work around with some third party apps. Everything else is as good if not even better on android then iOS.
Get S3 and you will be happy. I admit it is diffriend but you get around android fast..
Good luck.

Recent convert from iphone 4 to S3, and the only thing I would watch for is the stock samsung email client flat out mangles email from my company's exchange server. (Can root and go ICS stock email as a work around, or buy a paid email app, but something to be aware of) Also, I have yet to find a cribbage app as good as Cribbage Premium on iOS, but that's just me The battery life on the S3 is worse than the iphone 4 out of the box, but CPU Editor will let you tune the cpus for good battery life, and since the battery is removable, you can get backup batteries for cheap.
Anyways I guess my ultimate question is... Do you think the S3 is the best android phone available at this time, do you think the S3 will still beat the next iPhone that is supposedly coming in September, and do you think a better android phone will come out between now and when the new iphone hits?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best android available? I'd say yes, though would take a look at the HTC One X as an alternative. The rumors of screen size on the iphone 5 are 4", I like the extra screen real estate on the SG3, but that's just my preference. The iphone 5 is supposed to drop middle of next month, and I haven't heard of anything new and wonderful that will drop before then in the android space.
Would I make the switch again? Absolutely. I made money selling my iphone, and not having to pay my carrier for the infrequent tethering I do is saving me money monthly as well. I like the ability to tinker with the phone as well. It's been a great daily driver, and it brings back some of the notification style features and the notification led that I missed from my blackberry back in the day.
I work tech support for a small section of a large company. Would I recommend the S3 over the iphone 5 for Average Joe User? Probably not. too much tweaking has to be done to get it to work in our environment (and that's our environment's fault mostly, not the S3's). Also, the ability to f*ck with the phone is a two-edged sword, and some of my users are lucky they manage to dress themselves in the morning, giving them the ability to flash would cause issues and add to my workload

Kostazu said:
Recent convert from iphone 4 to S3, and the only thing I would watch for is the stock samsung email client flat out mangles email from my company's exchange server. (Can root and go ICS stock email as a work around, or buy a paid email app, but something to be aware of) Also, I have yet to find a cribbage app as good as Cribbage Premium on iOS, but that's just me The battery life on the S3 is worse than the iphone 4 out of the box, but CPU Editor will let you tune the cpus for good battery life, and since the battery is removable, you can get backup batteries for cheap.
Best android available? I'd say yes, though would take a look at the HTC One X as an alternative. The rumors of screen size on the iphone 5 are 4", I like the extra screen real estate on the SG3, but that's just my preference. The iphone 5 is supposed to drop middle of next month, and I haven't heard of anything new and wonderful that will drop before then in the android space.
Would I make the switch again? Absolutely. I made money selling my iphone, and not having to pay my carrier for the infrequent tethering I do is saving me money monthly as well. I like the ability to tinker with the phone as well. It's been a great daily driver, and it brings back some of the notification style features and the notification led that I missed from my blackberry back in the day.
I work tech support for a small section of a large company. Would I recommend the S3 over the iphone 5 for Average Joe User? Probably not. too much tweaking has to be done to get it to work in our environment (and that's our environment's fault mostly, not the S3's). Also, the ability to f*ck with the phone is a two-edged sword, and some of my users are lucky they manage to dress themselves in the morning, giving them the ability to flash would cause issues and add to my workload
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Humm that has me concerned then. Since I use email quite a bit.
Is the One X more stock android than the S3 is?
Also how do you guys think samsung will handle jellybean? Like do you think it will have google now or will it be locked to s-voice?

HTC uses the Sense overlay where Samsung uses Touchwiz. It's a layer of software bolted on top of Android in either case, and preference between the two may vary depending on the user.
That email warning is only for Exchange and may be specific only to my company's Exchange server, so take that warning with a grain of salt.
Leaks for jelly bean already out, so should be available soon. I would imagine Samsung will stick with S-voice, which is a shame as I have heard nothing but love for G now.
The really nice thing about Android imo is that if you don't like the stock apps or features, you can do something about it, via additional software or running a completely new Rom.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

get SGS3
if you are into heavy modding. Community is very vibrant.
If you don't like tinkering - Apple is way to go.

The beauty of android is that you can already get jelly bean on the S3, and that too in the vanilla form straight from the galaxy nexus jb aosp version
Sent from my GT-P3113 using XDA Premium HD app

bravomail said:
if you are into heavy modding. Community is very vibrant.
If you don't like tinkering - Apple is way to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was my thought process when I bought my first smartphone (finally) GS3

bravomail said:
if you are into heavy modding. Community is very vibrant.
If you don't like tinkering - Apple is way to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im a little inbetween to be honest. Like I would prefer something to just work out of the box... but I like having the option to tinker if I want. ;P
BTW, I decided to get with the S3 and so far have been a happy owner for 2 days now.
Only problem I have had so far is getting the phone to jive with my mac. Basically I am wanting to sync my music and ringtones over to the S3. I'm uploading my music to google play now, but google play does not appear to be reconized by samsungs music player so the music widget is useless. :S

[Q] Moving from iPhone to Note 2, advice please!

Evening all,
I am a long time lurker on this forum, and I have noticed that a lot of you have got Android phones so I was after a bit of advice.
Currently, I have had the pleasure of using an iPhone 4 for the last two and a bit years. It has been a spectacular phone and with the combination of iTunes for management, it had made everything a lot easier. However, with the launch of the iPhone 5 I personally feel that the ‘enhancements’ made do not warrant the extra expenditure, so I am looking for a change.
My next phone of choice is probably going to be the Samsung Galaxy note 2; which, I have read a number of reviews and watched a variety of different YouTube videos showing its features and functionality. I was looking at buying this on a 24 month contract with 3UK but there are a few little things stopping me.
First, from the management side of things, is there anything like iTunes for the Android platform, secondly is Android as fluid as iOS as I know a few early adopters who used Android and it was one of my primary decisions to go to iOS and lastly what is the build quality like on the Samsung devices?
Thanks in advance!

Do yourself a favour and get Tunesync. It syncs your iTunes library perfectly over wifi - to this day it's the only way I know to get iTunes libraries to your phone without the album art etc screwing up.
Saying that, there's always Spotify too!
In terms of build quality, the Note 2 is a mile ahead of the S3 and has a far better screen, although the sheer size difference may make your head spin. Android runs great provided you get a custom ROM, Android revolution HD is my favourite as it's a very fine tuned version of the ROM it comes with. In fact, after the hideous iOS 6 update to my ipad 3 I'd say my Android is smoother.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

I have been offered the note 2 on three with £30 discount.
I love the way the iPhone works, but I want something that is a little different. What about app synchronisation? How is this done with android?

I'll make this short and sweet.
In terms of build quality, iphone much is better.
It terms of anything else, note 2 is better.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

MohJee said:
I'll make this short and sweet.
In terms of build quality, iphone much is better.
It terms of anything else, note 2 is better.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In what way is the note 2 better?

MohJee said:
I'll make this short and sweet.
In terms of build quality, iphone much is better.
It terms of anything else, note 2 is better.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree you pay much more for the build quality, thats why iphones are expensive.
I have been very disappointed by the quality of the note2, let's start with the usb cable not working out of the box, a small scratch on the screen out of the box too, and a little bit deformed back cover (camera hole didn't fit perfectly).
Otherwise, I think it is a real smartphone, not a tinny cute Iphone.
How the note 2 is better? It is a computer like not a normal phone, you throw any media file in it and play it, you can use the stylus for working by writing notes on pdf files, highlighting sentences, signing docs, making plans... The extra real estate screen fot browsing Web and i mean, real browsing, not playing it cool with a 4inch toy, you can even use the stylus the way you use the mouse. And finally usb otg, just stick a usb drive and copy, cut, create docs or files or whatever you want.
I can't keep on, but as I said, you will use a smart phone for the first time in your life (if you are coming from iphones as you said) windows smartphones where very cool, but android is taking over.
Sent from my GT-N7100

RokkaMan said:
Android runs great provided you get a custom ROM, Android revolution HD is my favourite as it's a very fine tuned version of the ROM it comes with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree, most new Android phones with ics and above run great as stock without using a new rom.
Sent from my Samsung Note II.

Tomo1971 said:
I disagree, most new Android phones with ics and above run great as stock without using a new rom.
Sent from my Samsung Note II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+10
I don't use any custom roms. I love stock Samsung Note 2

Dylanlewis2000 said:
In what way is the note 2 better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Screen size. Speaks for itself.
-Battery life. Probably the second best battery life on a smart phone, second only to RAZR MAXX.
-S-Pen(which comes with a whole set of features far too long for me to list here.)
-A lot of cool and useful features (multi Window, smart stay, smart rotation, direct call, pop up video player, pop up browser, swipe to screen shot and much more)
-Jelly bean (4.1.1) out of the box, official 4.1.2 coming soon.
-Quad core 1.6GHz processor, which is faster than iphone 5 dual core A6 processor.
-2GB ram.
- Feature rich camera. (best shot, best faces, low light, hdr, burst mode, panorama, face detection, share shot, smile detection, timer, anti shake + 12 effects + set exposure value +auto focus & macro focus etc...)
-micro sd card. Enough said. Allows you to add up to 64gb of additional storage. (64gb SanDisk card cost 40 or 50 dollars in amazon, or somewhere around that).
-removable battery, should for whatever reason the 3100mah be not enough for you, you can buy a spare one. Although you probably won't need one because like I said the battery life in this phone is amazing.
On top of my head, these things . I still haven't gone into the tens of dozens things what android can do that IOS simply can't, and I really don't want to since that'll take a lot of typing, and you can Google this stuff.
Also I strongly disagree with above who said that you NEED a custom rom. In my opinion, the stock experience in this phone is excellent and touchwiz is hugely improved than what it was before. You can get custom rom if that's you're thing, but you certainly don't need them. Only thing I'd advise anyone to do is to root their phone.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

You can mention thousand points why Note 2 is better, but the point is how many points are actually applicable in real life usage.
Anyway, replying to OP's query, well in short, NO, Android is NOT smoother or as smooth as iOS 6, in fact it is not smooth like the previous iOS, and I am talking about Jelly Bean 4.1. Well I am using both iPhone and Android/Samsung flagships for over three years now. I have never ditched my iPhone 4S for anything, but I just sold it for iPhone 5. I purchased Note 2 because I loved the S-Pen idea, the screen size. But being said that, when I scroll through my contacts, or some apps, my iPhone 5 is LOT smoother than my Note 2. Jelly Bean might have a name like 'Project butter' but iOS has the real butter.
Also, keep in mind that Android applications (Play Store) are NO MATCH for App Store. Yes, there are several crap in App Store, but more in Play Store, and the overall quality is pretty bad.
I love both my devices for several different reasons, so can't ditch either of them. And another thing about Android users you will see is their pathetic fanboys. They don't even mind a laggy, buggy, crappy device, they just want openness, now I never found out what is openness, the craze of CM ROM's maybe?
Now build quality, well boy, what can say but plastic? Well, Note 2 has all plastic. So I will not comment on it's build quality. Some kids will say glass will break easy, well lets drop both iP5 and Note 2, then see.
So, IMO, if optimization, fluidity and smoothness of OS matters to you big time then stick with iPhone 5, for all the other reasons go with Note 2, and if you have spare money to burn, then have both.
Now you see I have skipped all the cons about iOS, why? Because you know them already.
I am NOT a fanboy of either iOS or Android, I hate them.

I am used to prime-evil OSs, as over the last few years I have had a variety of devices ranging from Symbian os to windows mobile 3,4 and 5. All have their advantages and disadvantages, I loved windows mobile As it had fantastic email client support and a lot of apps (2003-2005 era) and I like Symbian for its simplicity and the devices Nokia created like the E90’ But since transitioning to the iPhone I have found a fantastic yet restrictive user experience.
The restrictiveness with apple is one of the main reasons they have created a fantastic App Store, whereas the Nokia and wimo stores back in the day were utter gash.
Do you get many problems with android apps? Do the fill the screen? I remember reading early reports that android apps were not filling the screen on some devices and on others refuse to run. This is something that would annoy me.

Tomo1971 said:
I disagree, most new Android phones with ics and above run great as stock without using a new rom.
Sent from my Samsung Note II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, let's just say in my experience compared to my other android phones, that hasn't been the case yet.
And for the record, Android revolution HD is just the stock rom that's been tweaked, just to counter the "custom rom" misinformation in this thread.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Dylanlewis2000 said:
The restrictiveness with apple is one of the main reasons they have created a fantastic App Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well this is so simple to understand but some so called 'power users' are too dumb too get it
Dylanlewis2000 said:
Do you get many problems with android apps? Do the fill the screen? I remember reading early reports that android apps were not filling the screen on some devices and on others refuse to run. This is something that would annoy me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They fit the screen. At least the one I use, and I don't install anything I see. I first see if it's labeled as 'Top developer' or 'Editors choice', then I see the users rating. Just for an example, a good sports app, Score Mobile, labeled as Top developer, available in Play Store. I already was used to this app from my iPhone 4S. It was so smooth, so fluid in iOS, but when I use it on my Note, oh boy, I have never seen an app could lag/stutter like that. Now if this is an app labeled as 'Top Developer' then imagine the apps which are not labeled in anything.

I was an I phone user for 2 years then switched to galaxy s2 and now note 2. The I phone is idiot proof and everything just works but android is catching up. The apps are all full screen any phone and just as good as ios. The real beauty of android is if you don't like something rhen just change it. You can change anything from keyboard to launcher and widgets are a godsend. Got to say I'm really impressed with google now its spookily good, its like it can read my mind
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app

I switched from iPhone 4 to Note 2 in this week.
I'm very satisfied. The only problems that i have noticed are:
- Bad email clients (even those from the market. iOS Mail is much better to use)
- Bad space management (it's impossible, i have a giant 5.5" screen and Messages app is impossible to read decently with the keyboard open)
- Best app quality in iOS (Whatsapp messenger for iOS has more options, like custom ringtones for every single contact)
- Bad display quality if you not see it directly in front of you (iPhone has IPS, which is the best display for view angles)
- Some strange response when i receive a notification. If that is a SMS the phone rings, display turns on etc, if that is a mail, i receive only a notification sound, no display on. And seems that is no way to change this.
- Apps like Facebook Messenger, that has a unique notification tone on iOS, doesnt' have that particular ringtone here, but they use a default tone chosen by the user. And that is the default tone for ALL the application that doesn't permit to personalise it.
I know that there will be solutions for a lot of this things, they will be hidden somewhere but hey, it is a huge waste of time.
Besides, it is a great phone. Great sound quality, great battery, great screen and it has so powerful hardware that it results more smooth than iPhone 4. And it's Android, which means infinite personalization and possibility to use custom roms for reaching better battery life (i suppose), better personalization, better user experience.
Sorry for my english, i'm an italian user. :fingers-crossed:

Music sync can be done with either double twist and tunesync, they both mirror itunes libraries and playlists etc.
I've been a user of the iphone 4 for 2 years and the note 2 is a HUGE improvement. People that say ios never lagged are just lying lol. iOS lagged and apps crashed on my iphone several times.
From the opinion of someone thats been on both sides, I honestly could not go back to an iphone. Mainly because of the screen size of the note 2 makes iphone screens seem too small for me to use anymore. But to each his own. Its about what suits you.
Stock rom on the note 2 is fine. I only get a lag when opening the S-Note app and a slight delay when opening the contacts app. Other than that everything has run smooth even with 3 browser windows open at once and a video playing at the same time.
As for app syncing, why? lol. I never understood the point of it on iOS and always disabled it.
app quality is definitely more refined in iOS. But improving slowly on android finally.
edit: @ the guy above my post: you can change most notification tones in the individual app settings. Facebook -> menu -> settings -> notification tone
In what way is the stock email client bad? :S I find it miles ahead of the iOS email client because you can actually attach multiple files at once. Plus for me, it is easier to use. I find the iOS mail client to be garbage. But again, thats my opinion

If iOS email client is garbage then I see fanboyism again here? And no one said iOS never lagged.
Anyway, I don't wanna argue.

jujuburi said:
If iOS email client is garbage then I see fanboyism again here? And no one said iOS never lagged.
Anyway, I don't wanna argue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol no fanboyism here. Just my opinion. I used the iphone for 2 years and the app honestly annoyed me because it felt so limited. I actually do find the stock android one better. I dont count it as fanboyism as I genuinely used both and gave both a try instead of blindly bashing one without experience.
As for the lagging. My bad, I misread one of the earlier posts. But in general I do find my friends claiming that ios never lags.
All good bro, im not looking to argue either
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

@Note 2 might be too big specially if ur coming from an iPhone
3.5→5.5
I even felt the difference between s2 and s3
4.3→4.8
2 inches more straight away ! You gonna take some time for adjusting for sure !
sent from my gs3 GT i 9300
----------------------------------
---------- Post added at 07:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:20 PM ----------
I would say go for nexus 4 instead it has best software and is better than iPhone 5 in terms of fluidity also it has s4 pro processor faster quad core processor presently for mobile.
Only problem is space if it doesn't bother then go for it I used nexus 4 yesterday and it is awesome a bit better than s3 overall I feel , note 2 was too big for me when I used.
I think nexus 4 was the only phone I have used and is way fluid than iPhone, note 2,galaxy s3
sent from my gs3 GT i 9300
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I see that the discussion took a turn to android vs. ios. I guess this is inevitable in these kind of topics. Anyways, here's my take, and I've used both operating systems.
-IOS has the advantage in a number of things. For one, there are way fewer devices to worry about. After all, the IOS is exclusive to Apple devices, which you can count on your finger tips. Android, on the other hand, runs on literally hundreds of devices (a side-effect of being open-source). Naturally, this has it's advantages and disadvantages. For instance, app developers for the IOS, for instance, can make sure that their apps work flawlessly in the Iphone, with all its models, and the Ipad, with all its models, before pushing that app into the market. An advantage of using an open source OS would be that manufacturers don't have to pay for using it in their devices, and as such can offer their devices at lower prices due to lower costs. Another advantage of being open source is that each one can manipulate the system however they like to make it unique than the others and add to it whatever they want (eg: Samsung's Touchwiz, HTC's sensation).
-Google and Apple have completely different philosophies. Apple believes in a "walled garden" approach. Meaning that they'll reject any app unless it fits to their criteria. Of course, what works for Apple in this case can't work for Google. If Google rejected any app that doesn't work perfectly with all android devices, their market would be a ghost town. Consequently, an app developer in android can release an app even if it doesn't play nice with all devices. Most of them will then update it to make it as perfect as possible (at least for the popular android devices) taking into consideration user feedback. Having said that, you'll be hard pressed to find an app that doesn't run on an android device, unless that device is old/obsolete/runs on a very old version of android. To put things in perspective, I still haven't run into an app or a game that don't work well in my note 2 or doesn't fill the entire screen, the same app would work perfect in my old Galaxy S2 before I sold it, which has a much smaller screen and used to run on Android v. 2.3 (this brings me to my next point, read below).
- Largely because it is open sourced, Android is a much more flexible OS. What do I mean by this? Well, take for example the jump from 3.5" Iphones to the now new screen size 4" in the Iphone 5. Most apps in the apple store would get letterboxed until the developers update them to support the new screen size, even though the increase in screen size is only 0.5". I've yet to run into a game or an app that doesn't fill my 5.5" screen in the note 2. If there are any, and probably there are, they would be rare.
- It's difficult to go wrong with IOS because it's a bare-boned operating system (all you really have is an app drawer.. i.e: a bunch of icons on the screen). For the most, the iOS now looks exactly how it did back in 2007. Even the notification slider (which was copied from android) is nowhere as good as it is in android. If that's all you'll ever need or want, then by all means, stay with the Iphone, because you're going to get much more than that moving to Android. It hard to go wrong when you don't actually add anything major. Of course, that's not to say Apple doesn't add things. They are masters in the art of adding things (say for example, the notification slider, rejecting a call with a message, or Panorama mode in the camera) and then calling it revolutionary, notwithstanding the fact that such things existed in other OS's for years.
Like I said this could go on for pages, and it really doesn't have to. Once you understand the concept of a 'closed' system vs. an 'open' system, you'll understand the major advantages and disadvantages of each. Having understood that, you decide for yourself which one is the best one for you. For me personally, I'd rather have device that runs Froyo than one that runs the on the latest iOS 6.