Database Users

Debating between this and a Galaxy Nexus...can someone bring me up to speed?

Hi all,
I'm advising a close friend on a phone purchase (she is not tech savvy). She currently has a Droid RAZR and wants to upgrade. I personally have a Galaxy Nexus and love it, but am a bit concerned about getting her a phone that is outdated hardware wise compared to the G3.
On the flip side of things, I've been running a 100% smooth version of JB for months now. It's a pretty awesome operating system. I looked through the development forums for the Galaxy S3, but couldn't tell if there is a really reliable, fully functional version of Jelly Bean for this phone yet.
How far along is development? Does the phone have a locked bootloader?
I'll be playing tech support for this phone so I want to make sure it is as trouble-free as possible, while still serving as a significant upgrade from her current RAZR.
Thanks so much!

I haven't had a Nexus, but I looked at it when I was looking for a phone. Two things I can say - the S3 is the best phone out there I could find as of 1 month back. My wife had a Note and I was going to get one also until I got an extra good deal on the S3 from Kogan. The S3 was always the choice but for price, so getting $120 off the price made the choice.
I chose based on memory, screen and expansion slot. The only other phones that got considered didn't have the screen (I'm getting on a bit and little screens give me the irrits) or didn't have the card slot. Why they bother with phones with no card slot I don't know - do they think we all want to return home all the time to connect to our PC's to get data/music etc? I can carry 100+GB of what I want in a small case designed for an SD card and have it in the phone in 30 seconds - it's not rocket science.
I don't think you can make the choice based on having a rock solid JB out there - BTW I think you have a typo in your post - I'm betting the Nexus didn't get a rock solid set up from day 1 either. On the other hand there are plenty of developers who love the S3 who are working hard to make a perfect (for them) ROM, so it should be possible, even now, to choose a ROM that is stable and fast and has the bells and whistles she wants.
DLI5 has been leaked and seems pretty good - the official release can't be far off and then you will have stock JB for her.
cheers...

Plain old AOSP Jelly Bean is not ready and not truly usable on the S3 yet. Once Samsung release the source for their Jelly Bean ROM after it is released, things should progress nicely and we should see some stable Jelly Bean ROMs pretty quickly.
How much can she spend? If the device is being used for typical browsing, email, etc. the GNex will suffice, though battery life is poorer. Storage again is self explanatory. Intensive, graphically demanding games will of course be poor on the GNex, but for casual gamers it will be fine. I'd start by looking at what she requires then going from there, rather than working out the differences between the two devices.

I had the Nexus when it first came out, and the note. The S3 is by far the superior choice, specifically against the nexus.
Aside from the 'pure android experience' and quick updates, there isn't much going for it! The camera sucks!! The only thing I can think of that she might not like about the sg3 is the size.. depends if she has butch hands or small petite hands! :victory:

I would suggest to take a look at this...
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-S-3-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus_id3040
But as an S3 user the phone is superb!Get it!
It's much better for me than the nexus...

Had a nexus for a while, great phone. but when I bought the s3 I have never regretted it...it has a far better screen, seems more sensitive and has more sharpness and beatiful colors. Hardware wise its far more superior than nexus.
2nd The s3 scene is much bigger than the nexus one, more roms nd more updates, great custom kernels with almost daily updates.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Possibly looking at the GS3, would like some opinions

I have a friend who is letting me use the upgrade on their line at the end of September to get a phone so I can keep my unlimited. As it sits right now I have a Galaxy Nexus. I love the phone but want something with newer tech. I had a few questions though.
The first being battery life of the phone compared to the GNex. I'm not at all satisfied with the performance of the Nexus regarding the battery. I average under 2 hours screen time and medium usage, and that sort of stinks. Since the S3 has the same size battery as my extended I have now, is the batter life good in those regards?
Secondly there are some good looking phones coming down the line. I'm a picky person when it comes to screens. Is the quality good regarding the screen? I have some burn in on my nexus and I don't know how the S3 is. Also, the nexus has an annoying issue where the screen loses sensitivity after a while. Does that happen on the S3 as well?
Would I be better waiting for the Note 2, RAZR maxx HD, or the HTC device or getting the S3?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Here's my personal opinion;
If you're looking for newer tech, why don't you wait for the new Nexus phone(s) coming around December? The S3 is bound to lag behind upcoming phones because technology is moving really fast.
Since the Galaxy S3 has the same screen as the Galaxy Nexus, it is bound to be affected by screen burns after a year or more. The screen quality is excellent but Super AMOLED screens are prone to burn-ins. The Note 2 has a better screen, in my opinion.
The battery life of the S3 is superb! Really. My friend's Nexus doesn't last long at all whilst my S3 can last for a long time!
Stick with the Nexus for now.

Thanks for the honest responses. I wish more companies would follow HTC and use super LCD2, the screen is awesome and crystal clear. I like the note 2 but I fear it might be just too big.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Just wait a bit for the optimus g or a bit more for the new nexus. The sg3 is great, but there are going to be a few better choises very soon, at least hardware-wise. Then razr maxx hd looks promising, It might be a good bet considering the google acquisition of moto...

I have never been a fan of LG, they always seem to be lacking. I heard a rumor about the new nexus being the 5 inch phablet from HTC. Not sure how I feel about having a super big phone. I'll have to check out the note 2 to figure out if I could handle it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

chrisjm00 said:
I have never been a fan of LG, they always seem to be lacking. I heard a rumor about the new nexus being the 5 inch phablet from HTC. Not sure how I feel about having a super big phone. I'll have to check out the note 2 to figure out if I could handle it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The razr maxx hd looks nice on videos and articles, but Its a bit thick and has a dual core cpu. Lg makes great hardware, but I've never liked the software and slow updates. There are probably going to be other devices with a s4 pro(quadcore) chip soon I would wait and go for one of those.

SGS3 is awesome... Best phone I ever had (and I had quite a few..).
Battery lasts me all day (just email, browsing & reading newsfeeds), no problem. Screen is nice, no complaints. The S3 is just gorgeous and really speedy. I use mine with a 64GB SD-Card, which is the reason why I passed on the GNex.. I need storage space for movies and music!
Best of all, I hook my S3 up to my 42in flatscreen TV (LG), and the picture is nice and crisp...
Did I already suggest you should get an S3 (Quad core)?
Sure, there will always be better & faster phones coming out, but this one just has everything you (probably) want.
Just one thing I really hate about the S3: the physical 'Home' button. HTC did that better on the Rezound (a crappy phone w/ a nice screen...), even though those morons gave it 4 buttons. - How dumb is that?
I certainly will never get another HTC as long as 'Sense' is around - even though I used to root all my phones and put Custom ROMs (preferably CM) on them anyway...
However, I have to admit that after using Samsung TouchWiz (in JB flavor) for the last 6-8 weeks, I have no desire switching to some always half-broken CM ROM anymore.
With TW, at least, all the features work.. right away!!!
Sent from my rooted GT-I9300 running Samsung's 'leaked' Android 4.1.1/JB [XXDLI7] using xda-developers app (blue)

Isnt there a new HTC one x5 coming out? (seeing as you said you like htc screens, this ones meant to be 5 inches and full 1080p) could be just a rumour but have a look: http://blog.gsmarena.com/the-htc-5-phablet-to-be-the-google-nexus-5/

I am having this phone and after using a store model I found it pretty smooth.

i have to honestly say this phone is amazing. not a single fault with it.
its heavily supported by the community, paranoid android is amazing too. etc etc etc.
but as always, just look at what you need. theres never any point looking for the greatest tech, because another this or that will come along in a month and be the new 'best'.
for me, external SD card was a must, removable battery is always nice, etc etc.
either take the dive and get an S3 which will be a really really solid phone for the next 12 months and probably longer, or wait another 6 and get the next big thing, be it nexus, galaxy, HTC <insert name here>... but just make sure it does what you need (and with the number of custom roms out there, this is becoming more and more flexible)

diz_dizane said:
i have to honestly say this phone is amazing. not a single fault with it.
its heavily supported by the community, paranoid android is amazing too. etc etc etc.
but as always, just look at what you need. theres never any point looking for the greatest tech, because another this or that will come along in a month and be the new 'best'.
for me, external SD card was a must, removable battery is always nice, etc etc.
either take the dive and get an S3 which will be a really really solid phone for the next 12 months and probably longer, or wait another 6 and get the next big thing, be it nexus, galaxy, HTC <insert name here>... but just make sure it does what you need (and with the number of custom roms out there, this is becoming more and more flexible)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, this phone is great, lots of fun and also needed an SD card and battery I could swap. Nothing worse than arriving somewhere and having to wait for the phone to charge!

I was thinking of jumping from the Sensation 4G with Tmo to the GS3 since they are offering an upgrade 2 months early...I think I will stay with my rooted Sensation a bit longer its awesome anyways but I think Tmo will be getting a new line up before Christmas...Im considering the Note 2 but it may be too big Im not sure yet...just dont wanna waste an upgrade and a month later the lastest and greatest hit the market....
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda app-developers app

A lot comes down to personal preference.
Like the first reply said why not wait until december.
I had the Galaxy S3 and I hated it.
Found it very uncomfortable to use. Impossible to operate in one had. I would try it out yourself, i wish i did, its not as smooth as everyone makes out. However, i was advised to do lots of things to it which would have made it smooth like rooting etc (i couldn't be bothered with the hassle of that)
Screen is very good but not as good as other phones and its really bad in sunlight. Almost unusable.
Dont know what battery other people have got but its not very good. You wouldn't get through a day with it thats for sure. Android fans had a tough time over the years with battery but this is an improvement.
Also, the device is not very pretty as others seem to think. Again this is personal preference. Its very plasticy and flimsy. One drop and its dead. Poor build quality.
As you can see my post is very negative due to the experience I had with it. Personally, if your an android fan wait til december.

The opposite of what he ^ said.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

antdawe said:
A lot comes down to personal preference.
Like the first reply said why not wait until december.
I had the Galaxy S3 and I hated it.
Found it very uncomfortable to use. Impossible to operate in one had. I would try it out yourself, i wish i did, its not as smooth as everyone makes out. However, i was advised to do lots of things to it which would have made it smooth like rooting etc (i couldn't be bothered with the hassle of that)
Screen is very good but not as good as other phones and its really bad in sunlight. Almost unusable.
Dont know what battery other people have got but its not very good. You wouldn't get through a day with it thats for sure. Android fans had a tough time over the years with battery but this is an improvement.
Also, the device is not very pretty as others seem to think. Again this is personal preference. Its very plasticy and flimsy. One drop and its dead. Poor build quality.
As you can see my post is very negative due to the experience I had with it. Personally, if your an android fan wait til december.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An opinion, that most people do not share. I would just wait for the next Nexus or look at what HTC is brining out. Something tells me the new Nexus phone may be a disappointment, I do hope I'm wrong though

[Q] N4 Good Upgrade from Galaxy Nexus?

Hey,
My phone contract is up for renewal on the 11th January 2013 and wanted to get some opinions from people who used to own the phone I currently own which is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
I really can't fault my current Nexus, it is running Rasbean ROM with Franco kernel with very smooth, fast, reliable results.
However, with my free upgrade coming soon I'm a little bit stumped as to what my next move is. I don't want to move away from my current Tariff because it is the only tariff (mobile network) in my area that gives me good coverage around my house, so I'm more than happy to carry on paying monthly instead of going down the PAYG phone with a GiffGaff tariff etc...
I've just watched a video comparing the Nexus with the Nexus 4, yes the Nexus 4 does seem half a second or so quicker at starting apps etc and the screen looks completely different to the Nexus.
- Is there any other differences that you noticed from your upgrade?
- Now you have been using the Nexus 4 for a couple weeks+ would you do the same upgrade again?
- Is the non-removable battery a problem at all when flashing buggy Kernels/ROM's?
- Is the signal coverage roughly the same as the Nexus?
- Can you get the stock Nexus browser on the custom ROM's instead of the slow Chrome browser that came with the Nexus 4?
Any other pointers would be a massive help in me upgrading or not. Either I upgrade and sell the phone on as brand new or I keep the Nexus 4 upgrade and sell my 10 month old Nexus as used.
What would you do?

Why would the non removable battery be a problem with roms? The signal should be equal or better than the Gnex. You can get whatever browser you want on any android phone you want (almost).

The Nexus 4 is a beast. Its fast, fluid and just incredible.
If you're concerned about not getting the phone out of a bootloop you can always press vol up + power to force reboot(afaik).
Install CM10.1 and you will get the stock AOSP browser but theres also an alternative in the themes and apps section.
My signal seems better than with my Xperia S and it was already good, so I would say its the same or even better.
I would definitely upgrade(ok i did ) if I were in your situation.

I just got mine today but I say Yes. It is completely worth it. As for the non removable battery. It shouldn't be a problem as you can always get into fastboot. I don't know about other roms but you get stock android browser on Paranoid Android. The screen is much nicer. Fast processor. Pretty much everything you need unless you want LTE.

I had a galaxy nexus before this. Here's some points in the nexus 4's favor:
-Much much better screen
-Better battery life
-Better camera
-Faster and smoother UI
-Looks and feels like a higher quality device
-Music output significantly better through earphones, and louder through speaker
-Wifi reception is better. Cellular signal slightly better or the same.
Also note:
-Almost all custom ROMs come with the AOSP browser and ditch chrome.
-You can reset the device at any time by pressing and holding the volume and power keys together. There are loads of devices without removable backs and they all use this kind of reset combo. Don't worry about not being able to battery pull.
Cons of the nexus 4 to the galaxy nexus:
-Not as much development happening in the N4 forums as yet compared to the galaxy nex. I'm sure that will shift with time and is only the case due to poor availability of the N4.
-Not as durable as the gnex. Will probably take a lot less to break it.

tatltael said:
I had a galaxy nexus before this. Here's some points in the nexus 4's favor:
-Much much better screen
-Better battery life
-Better camera
-Faster and smoother UI
-Looks and feels like a higher quality device
-Music output significantly better through earphones, and louder through speaker
-Wifi reception is better. Cellular signal slightly better or the same.
Also note:
-Almost all custom ROMs come with the AOSP browser and ditch chrome.
-You can reset the device at any time by pressing and holding the volume and power keys together. There are loads of devices without removable backs and they all use this kind of reset combo. Don't worry about not being able to battery pull.
Cons of the nexus 4 to the galaxy nexus:
-Not as much development happening in the N4 forums as yet compared to the galaxy nex. I'm sure that will shift with time and is only the case due to poor availability of the N4.
-Not as durable as the gnex. Will probably take a lot less to break it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better battery life is subjective. You can get official extended batteries at around 2000 mah whereas n4 is 2100. Not much of a difference and the hsic wake lock is a problem for most people at least until Google panes out a update or flag a custom kernel
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

its basically the same. its maybe a tiny tiny bit faster in daily use, it doesnt scroll faster or anything but the transitions are nicer. so, first thing you notice is ... nothing. i know i'm getting tortured now but its the truth. its a nice little upgrade, beautiful screen (if you calibrate, otherwise its greatly inferior to your nexus), i love that its wider. in some games you notice slight differences, theres new lightting effects, flares, etc. overall it feels more precious and shiny and you can be sure it will withstand the next 24 months - and thats the thing with nexus, the software is the same, but it lets you enjoy what android has to offer without having to worry about silly stats. the new one is just making sure it stays like that bringing enough punch for tomorrows demands.

I'm coming from the GSM galaxy nexus.
The N4 has a wonderful screen, I like it a lot more than my Galaxy Nexus' screen.
But if you have the 2000 mah OEM battery, you will find the battery life of the N4 on 3G very disappointing. On WiFi they're pretty comparable.

Brilliant feedback folks, thanks a million for the in depth conclusions.
I'm swaying towards the Nexus 4 - for the pure reason of it been more future proof than the Galaxy Nexus.
The ROM and Kernel issues don't worry me, as they will get stronger and stronger as time go on, and both my favourite DEV's have got one and are developing ROM/Kernel so that's a bonus.
I was worried about the battery life of the Nexus 4, but by the sounds of it if you are on wifi the battery is not too far from the performance of the Galaxy Nexus.
I'm just slightly nervous about selling my nexus as it has been faultless.

chrisgtl said:
Brilliant feedback folks, thanks a million for the in depth conclusions.
I'm swaying towards the Nexus 4 - for the pure reason of it been more future proof than the Galaxy Nexus.
The ROM and Kernel issues don't worry me, as they will get stronger and stronger as time go on, and both my favourite DEV's have got one and are developing ROM/Kernel so that's a bonus.
I was worried about the battery life of the Nexus 4, but by the sounds of it if you are on wifi the battery is not too far from the performance of the Galaxy Nexus.
I'm just slightly nervous about selling my nexus as it has been faultless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be nervous, it's about a $100 upgrade depending how much you get for your phone. I'd say it's worth it if you are selling ur old device for a good amount. Battery life, I wouldn't worry.
Franco Kernel + ROM of your choice, you shouldnt be disappointed.

Well........that was a quick decision if I ever I made one.
My Nexus 4 will be delivered by o2 tomorrow. Nexus is up on the popular bidding channel.
See you around the dev forums
Cheers and Happy New Year.

chrisgtl said:
Well........that was a quick decision if I ever I made one.
My Nexus 4 will be delivered by o2 tomorrow. Nexus is up on the popular bidding channel.
See you around the dev forums
Cheers and Happy New Year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats nice to see you have fast stock there. First things first would be to fastboot oem unlock of course (manual method, not toolkit )

zephiK said:
Congrats nice to see you have fast stock there. First things first would be to fastboot oem unlock of course (manual method, not toolkit )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think most of the major shops have plenty Nexus 4's left, its just Google play store that doesn't have any.
Yes, fastboot oem unlock & USB debugging will be carried out quite quickly.

chrisgtl said:
1- Is there any other differences that you noticed from your upgrade?
2- Now you have been using the Nexus 4 for a couple weeks+ would you do the same upgrade again?
3- Is the non-removable battery a problem at all when flashing buggy Kernels/ROM's?
4- Is the signal coverage roughly the same as the Nexus?
5- Can you get the stock Nexus browser on the custom ROM's instead of the slow Chrome browser that came with the Nexus 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- Better camera, better materials, looks nicer, better audio quality, better screen, feels solid
2- Yes
3- No
4- I can't tell you cause I always get full signal here...
5- I have both on Xylon ROM, but dolphin and chrome are great browsers

Nexus 4 turned up last night so had a couple hours to play round with it now it is all setup with rascarlo ROM and franco kernel.
What have I noticed so far (in order):
1) It's quicker, installing apps from play is very snappy
2) Screen looks different, its like it is raised up compared to the Nexus
3) Boots up v.quick
4) Feels heavier, more solid
5) Camera is better
Quite happy with my new purchase! Just need to see how much I can claw back from ebay on my old Nexus.

Eric-1987 said:
Why would the non removable battery be a problem with roms? The signal should be equal or better than the Gnex. You can get whatever browser you want on any android phone you want (almost).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My previous phone was a g2 and several times a rom would become unresponsive or if I was testing a nightly rom it came in handy being able to take out the battery to reboot the device
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Coming from Gnex.
Using the N4 in everyday life is not a big difference (same software, sometimes a bit faster). Not a milestone ahead.
But - the phone is so solid, good-looking and has a better camera compared to the Gnex.
If it is really worth to change is more emotional than stick to facts.

floppyears said:
My previous phone was a g2 and several times a rom would become unresponsive or if I was testing a nightly rom it came in handy being able to take out the battery to reboot the device
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holding down the power button for ten seconds performs this same action
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Who came from GS3?

Who came from a Galaxy S3? And how do you like the change? I'm coming over from being loyal to Samsung since the vibrant ( was HTC only before that). I Havnt liked the iterations of sense on previous HTC phones that's why I have been going with Samsung. Is the new sense 5.0 a lot better?
Those switching from s3 to one I would appreciate your opinions

my opinion is that I would never by a cheap piece of over priced plastic ever again. still holds true after holding an S4 yesterday.. software alone doesn't win me over.

me
I come from a galaxy s3....
I dont regret it a bit...
Wait till you hear the speakers....you will love it...

xdracco said:
my opinion is that I would never by a cheap piece of over priced plastic ever again. still holds true after holding an S4 yesterday.. software alone doesn't win me over.
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Click to collapse
I always thought you buy HTC for the software and Samsung for hardware. I still have an sgs2 with jb touchwiz (almost the same as the sgs3 ) but I believe Samsung is still lightyears behind HTC software wise. When I got the sgs2 I went for its specs but in the end it's software that gives you a pleasant experience and that pleasant sense experience turned to be very hard to port to Samsung devices.

I previously had a Galaxy Nexus with a port of TouchWiz on it, does that count?
I've actually owned both HTC and Samsung phones, and to this day I still prefer HTC. I started with the Nexus One, and really loved the build quality. I remember disliking the Nexus S when it came out because of its really cheap plastic construction. Samsung did finally win me over with the Galaxy Nexus because of the 720p screen, but it didn't take long to start getting some AMOLED burn on the top and bottom of the screen, and that really annoyed me. Plus the blacks on the N1 and GN weren't really true black anyway, as you can see the "black" pixels are actually still dimly lit when viewing the phones in complete darkness. It's a moot point compared to the display quality of the new Super LCD3, which is pretty acceptably "black" for me in low light.
By going back to the HTC One, I don't have to worry about screen burn, and I get the awesome HTC build quality. Most of my friends that still prefer Samsung are rocking a Note instead, because the S-Pen is really the only unique feature that they need. All the other TouchWiz specific apps are just rehashes of existing Google and other third party apps, so there's no point in spending extra to get the Samsung experience. There's also much less bloat in Sense 5, and I actually love using the IR blaster, and I think BlinkFeed is a pretty decent alternative to Flipboard and Google Currents, at least when I don't want to spend a lot of time configuring my news feeds.
For me, Sense 5 pretty much hits the sweet spot in terms of additional functionality versus bloat. I'm still accustomed to having huge developer support on Nexus devices, but I'm more comfortable running stock Sense than I was with stock Android, and may just keep the stock ROM for a few more months, or even indefinitely.

godutch said:
I always thought you buy HTC for the software and Samsung for hardware. I still have an sgs2 with jb touchwiz (almost the same as the sgs3 ) but I believe Samsung is still lightyears behind HTC software wise. When I got the sgs2 I went for its specs but in the end it's software that gives you a pleasant experience and that pleasant sense experience turned to be very hard to port to Samsung devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true. very true. the software, in the end, is what end users will adapt to. personally, i don't care about the stock software as I end up customizing it anyways. however, i cannot agree that Samsung is for hardware unless you mean bleeding edge hardware and not so much the plastic. Even then, I could care less if a CPU is 200MHz faster than X as memory is a better determining factor, for me anyways.

I came from gs3 lte with 2GB of ram and I still have it. I use gs3 from time to time because I have some game on it with my data.
I have to say, WOW! The One is just so much better in every aspect, I mean every, I cannot think a single thing which it lacks of.
The screen is much clearer, sharper, lighter, it does not have the over saturated colour but still provide deep black.
The smoothness of the os is just so much better on One, even they both have 2 GB ram, s3 just lags here and there, even the basic things. When I did not get the One, I never realised the lag, but now I really can't go back to s3.
The sound, the build quality, the specs, and the camera, do I need to mention again?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

I personally came from an HTC Desire HD, but my girlfriend has an S3 and for a while I thought I was going to go with one. Great phone and very slick. The plastic construction didn't even bother me as much as I thought it would. I really loved my DHD in the beginning but the newer Sense updates made the phone feel more sluggish IMO, so I was pretty much decided on either an S3 or Nexus 4. The way I saw it, I wasn't going to get an S4 because the improvements were pretty incremental, with a huge amount of bloatware and gimmicky features that I wasn't interested in. Considering I could get an S3 for free on a cheaper, better contract, it just didn't seem worth it.
Anyways, once I saw the phone I was tempted to go back to HTC, and trying it out in person totally cemented it. The screen, speakers and camera are fantastic, and Sense actually provides useful, and completely unique features that really appealed to me. It obliterates Touchwiz in speed and minimalism, whilst improving on the stock Android look and feel. HTC Zoe, lowlight photography and HDR microphone are killer features that I would really miss now if I was to switch to any other phone. It's the best bit of tech I've ever used, and has completely restored my faith in HTC.
To top it all off it's also cheaper than an S4, meaning I'm finally on an unlimited data plan for an extra £12 per year compared to what I was paying before. So with cloud storage I don't even need expandable memory. HTC has done so much right with this phone, and while I can see it's not perfect for everyone, it comes as close as humanly possible for my needs.

I came from S3 having owned S2 before that. Waited till S4 was released to have play with it not impressed soon as held one knew I had to get it. The speakers are awsome so is camera and features everything about it really lol
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

I came from s3 and I'm happy s3 is laggy, and TouchWiz is evil
---
DimonVideo.ru

Didn't come from a GS3 but I do respect that phone alot. Fantastic device.
However, I was heavily debating between the GS4 and the One. I must say, the One takes the cake, hands down.
Sense 5 is beautiful, fast, and functional - not nearly as bad as it used to be. I (truly) have not noticed any lag at all yet.
In my personal opinion, I don't care for the GS4 based off the design and TouchWiz.
After you hear the speakers, use the camera, and hold the One... I think you'll be sold, I was.
Just my 2 cents, friend. Let us know what you decide!

I went from a HTC Desire Z --> S3 --> One.
In fact the only reason I chose S3 over the One X last year was because I needed AWS (was on Wind mobile for a while). I actually would have bought the One X if I had the choice.
To me, the S3 is kind of ugly. The plastic (especially the flimsy battery door) really made the phone feel cheap. It's not to say that all plastic phones are cheap, only the way samsung makes them. I had a Nokia N9 for a couple of months and loved the build quality.
The screen on the One is definitely nicer. I prefer the bright, crisp look of LCD vs the pentile screen of the S3.
And the thing that really sucks on samsung devices is the touchwiz. It doesn't matter if you are running gingerbread or jellybean, it pretty much looks the same.
And coming from an desireZ I was surprised that the roms were not compatible even with the identical hardware (ie Wind S3 vs T-mobile S3). With my DZ i used to flash G2 roms all the time even though they had different hw. It seems to be the same case for the One.
The things that bug me about the One are the missing menu button (I know there are some hacks available) and the fact that NAND is write protected (until we figure out S-OFF). I also miss the quick notification menu settings but I'm sure there are apps/hacks that can add this functionality (haven't bothered looking yet).

I also came from a GS3. Its an underwhelming experience on many aspects in comparison to the One. Hated the lag when opening contacts and the dialer, evil Touchwiz. Very uninspiring.
Having said that it was an older device.
The One is just mesmerising....in all the right areas.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

Came from the S3 and it was a great upgrade
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

I came from the S3. I love the One. To me Sense 5 is less "cartoonish" than touchwiz.
The cool Touchwiz features like smart stay and such were cool at first but after a while a never used them. To me the incredible sound on this device trumps everything else for me. I watch YouTube and use speaker phone all the time. It makes such a different to use those things on a phone like this.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

I still love my S3. It was my first truly fast phone and was the largest upgrade in speed, features, and screen. It always worked perfectly and I really didn't "need" an upgrade, but my wife did so I got the One and gave her my S3
The One seems nice so far. There are a few qwirks I'm hoping HTC can address soon, but I expect to like this phone just as much.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

I'm coming from an S3 as well. I'm far happier with the One than I ever was with the S3. I always found that Samsung gave their phones a ton of features that never really seemed to work. Like using the accelerometer to flip between pages and using the front facing camera to see my face so that if I'm lying down it doesn't auto rotate. These are great features on paper but in practice they never worked or didn't work very well. The HTC One is pretty much a no frills handset (compared to the S4 in terms of features) that's beautifully designed. Honestly, I hope HTC does well with this phone, it's finally an android experience that I've been happy with.

Came from the GS3. I wasn't sure I wanted the gs4 because it was so similar to the gs3. Once i held the htc one, it was over.

s4
I came from a S4,I didn't like the plastic and now with my One I'm so happy!!
I love sense,build ,sound,display etc etc..........
byebye Samsung!:fingers-crossed:

I came from the Canadian dual core galaxy s3 and I have to say that the One is at least 1000 times better. Sense isn't filled with a bunch of useless software things that clutter up your phone and the battery life is incredible. Not to mention that in games it's much quicker and have yet to experience any lag at all in any games including modern combat 4 which lagged like hell on my SGS3

** Moving to the Nexus 5 **

So guys, I think I will be moving to the Nexus 5 and I water to take your opinions and if you want to change to it...then why?
I have two main reasons, the first would be to simply expand, I would like to test other phones than samsung and starting with a Nexus is the perfect choice. The other and MAIN reason would be Rom and Mod comp ability. What I mean here is that stock nexus devices should and as I know get many Roms, and i love exploring all the great Roms out there, and love tweaking my phone to the MAX. The problem here is that I own an I9500 and as you know that thing has a very low amount of Roms (Thanks to all debs who went through and created Roms for this device) but what I mean is that they are very limited. I remember on my Galaxy S1 how many Roms there were and how many Roms I flashed. Another problem would be that there are no stock android Roms, or stable ones at least, which limits everything. Along side with that Samsung is making it even harder to flash custom Roms (there is a post about this) but anyway it is becoming tougher, and that is kind of the opposite of what I want ( I AM NOT HATIN, I HAVE BEEN A SAMSUNG USER FOR YEARS). One example would be that we can't flash an older firmware, and that made so many problems for people like loosing their IMEI.
So tell me your opinions.

Nexus line will always be the first to get software updates. What you'll lose from moving are the expandable memory, removable battery, better camera, IR feature, perhaps better headphone sound as your version has the Wolfson DAC. Somethings to consider if any of those are important to you. Us i9505 owners have better development, also the ability to flash GPE roms.
I've personally ordered the N5 to give it a try if I don't like it I will return it under the DSR regulations we have in the UK. I do like Nexus products heck I had the N4 before moving to the S4 and have a N7.2 as well so know how development for those products are.
You'll gain instant updates, a plethora of roms and kernels, hassle free unlocking and no lock downs like Knox. A beefier CPU. Etc.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

nikzDHD said:
Nexus line will always be the first to get software updates. What you'll lose from moving are the expandable memory, removable battery, better camera, IR feature, perhaps better headphone sound as your version has the Wolfson DAC. Somethings to consider if any of those are important to you. Us i9505 owners have better development, also the ability to flash GPE roms.
I've personally ordered the N5 to give it a try if I don't like it I will return it under the DSR regulations we have in the UK. I do like Nexus products heck I had the N4 before moving to the S4 and have a N7.2 as well so know how development for those products are.
You'll gain instant updates, a plethora of roms and kernels, hassle free unlocking and no lock downs like Knox. A beefier CPU. Etc.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer. As for my loss, well you will always need to sacrifice something to get something else, but for me the most vital thing would probably be the expandable storage and maybe the headphone sound. As for the IR blaster, camera, and battery they aren't major for me, as I have never had to change batteries, barely used the IR blaster, and don't use my phones camera when taking important photos. So I hope that if I do get the Nexus 5 I would have a great experience.

You sure will have a great experience. Just check the N4 and N7 threads and see how many roms etc there are. With custom roms the experience will get even better. You may find stock Android weird at first but you'll get use to it.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Im already selling mine on Ebay. Nexus 5 will be mine next week

nikzDHD said:
You sure will have a great experience. Just check the N4 and N7 threads and see how many roms etc there are. With custom roms the experience will get even better. You may find stock Android weird at first but you'll get use to it.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, thats the most exiting thing for me THE ROMSD just hope I don't get screwed over again and only a couple of Roms will be released....but I'm pretty sure that that won't be the case.

Stevemeister said:
Im already selling mine on Ebay. Nexus 5 will be mine next week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great man, congrats!! Don't forget to report back on your experience, and what things do u like better or worst..
By the way which model of the S4 of you own?

Thanks!
I own a I9505 but I hate the screen and the AOSP bugs so the new Nexus is a logical move for me.
No more waiting for android updates and no more purple smearing issue with the screen.
Can't wait !

Stevemeister said:
Thank!
I own a I9505 but I hate the screen and the AOSP bugs so the new Nexus is a logical move for me.
No more waiting for android updates and no more purple smearing issue with the screen.
Can't wait !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually never had screen problems (probably because of different model) but I agree.....NO MORE WAITING FOR UPDATES!!!!

I have one on the way. I first reason I bought it so that I could play around with OSs more, not just ROMs. Trying out different ROMs is fun but it is still Android. I hope to see ports of FirefoxOS, Sailfish, and Touch for the Nexus 5.
Second, I've had many Samsung devices and developers have always found a way to get them open for playing with but KNOX is different. It was not meant to be circumvented and Samsung must keep it that way. As people figure out ways around it Samsung will be forced to take more aggressive actions or the whole thing is useless for enterprise and government organizations. Samsung started down the path and will be forced to follow it.
Last reason, I had an LG Optimus G prior to my S4, and I really liked it. It was a great device and instilled confidence in their ability to make nice handsets.
There are a few drawbacks to the change for me. I will miss some of the hardware features like the sd and battery. I will also miss some of the software my carrier provides like navigation.
Sent from my SHV-E300K using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

+1. I am thinking of doing the same. While nothing is perfect. The nexus 5 is as good as it can get in terms of ui and responsiveness. I have yet to read some reviews though from some of the top reviewers specially camera , screen and battery reviews. Just read CNET review and they mentioned that the screen is not as good as the iphone5 and HTC one. Not very bright and under sunlight its less that satisfactory. It also doesn't compare in terms of vibrancy to a gs4 or a note 3. The video sample footage they shot is also pretty ordinary (a little jittery and kind of extremely sharp, almost like playing a video game with AA turned off). So I am still holding my horses but really like this phone otherwise. Only if the bottom bezel (chin) wasn't too big. It feels like a waste of space.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

I think we have several Dislike Threads forS4. Why we need this one.? You wanna move on, Then its good for you but please let S4 Users live in Peace.

Well this thread does serve a purpose since people who switched can give a comparison on what is good/bad about the N5 in comparison to the S4.
I for one want a nexus device
Ever since i got into android I always had a samsung, well still have 1 year and 4 months in my contract so i guess my next device is gonna be the N6.

I need a microSD slot and I like having a removable battery, AMOLED and full-sized screen (the navigation bar takes up room). S4 for me.

Staying with S4
Why?
rocking 64GB of sexy stroage
Strong 2800 Battery (also got a 3900mah battery for it)
Octo-Core ( 4 x 4)
Android 4.3
i'll jump to S5 when its out,
Nexus 5 looks like a business phone no sd card cant remove battery and 32GB won't cut it in this day n age wake up people.

Good choice bro, i doubt you'll be dissapointed
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

lethcore said:
Staying with S4
Why?
rocking 64GB of sexy stroage
Strong 2800 Battery (also got a 3900mah battery for it)
Octo-Core ( 4 x 4)
Android 4.3
i'll jump to S5 when its out,
Nexus 5 looks like a business phone no sd card cant remove battery and 32GB won't cut it in this day n age wake up people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree!
Also heading for the s5 instead of nexus.
No sd card sucks! And battery replacement is a must for me

Thread closed, please use this thread >>> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2334012