Database Users

Trying to resist the allure of the Galaxy Nexus

Ever since I heard the first rumor earlier this year of the Nexus Prime (which morphed into what is today the Galaxy Nexus), I've been drooling. When the device was officially rolled out several weeks back, I decided I was going to buy the unlocked pentaband version as soon as possible.
Now I find myself trying to get those thoughts out of my head. For one, the phone still isn't available in the US, and buying one from overseas runs around $700 minimum, including all costs (the Nexus S at Best Buy last December, by comparison, was only $550 IIRC). Secondly, I'm pretty disgusted by what I view as a botched rollout of the device. It was announced a month ago, and there's still no official information on pricing, availability, or carriers. Compare that to an Apple rollout (a company whose products I greatly dislike, BTW), where the official rollout tells you pretty much everything you'd want to know in order to make a buying decision. Finally, despite some of the awesome specs of the Galaxy Nexus (most notably 720p resolution), I think the main draw is still ICS, which I'm hopeful will come to the Nexus S in an official and working form very shortly.
So, I think if I can get my hands on a bug-free ICS by the end of the year, I'll be satisfied to keep the Nexus S for at least another six months. I really like the Nexus S, and it still can comfortably handle anything I throw at it.

I am in the same boat. Very disappointed in the galaxy nexus. Hardware is so-so and the roll out is pathetic. No news of a tmo version and it's been announced a while ago. If this doesn't sell for under $600 I will just keep my nexus s and hope they get the next nexus right this time. I'm slowly losing faith in the nexus line. Google allowed verizon to molest it a little and I find it just plain less appealing now. I loved the idea of having a somewhat special Android when I owned the nexus one and now nexus s. But I feel google is slowly merging the nexus into the melting pot of android phones. I wanted something that really stands out and always stands out.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

Another gripe is that I personally have never met or seen anybody with a nexus phone. After the galaxy nexus I feel I may start bumping into people who own one. And to make matters worse, it will probably be someone who has no idea what it is. And will call it their "Droid" phone. Maybe I loved the nexus line a little too much. : (
Sent from my Htcclay's SuperICS Nexus S using xda premium

NicholasQ said:
Another gripe is that I personally have never met or seen anybody with a nexus phone. After the galaxy nexus I feel I may start bumping into people who own one. And to make matters worse, it will probably be someone who has no idea what it is. And will call it their "Droid" phone. Maybe I loved the nexus line a little too much. : (
Sent from my Htcclay's SuperICS Nexus S using xda premium
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Never saw another nexus one in person until I lived in Singapore, I saw two the first month I lived there! When the nexus s came out I ordered that bastard immediately and had it shipped to my mom and she shipped it to me. I wanted to be alone in owning a Nexus phone again.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

NicholasQ said:
I am in the same boat. Very disappointed in the galaxy nexus. Hardware is so-so and the roll out is pathetic. No news of a tmo version and it's been announced a while ago. If this doesn't sell for under $600 I will just keep my nexus s and hope they get the next nexus right this time. I'm slowly losing faith in the nexus line. Google allowed verizon to molest it a little and I find it just plain less appealing now. I loved the idea of having a somewhat special Android when I owned the nexus one and now nexus s. But I feel google is slowly merging the nexus into the melting pot of android phones. I wanted something that really stands out and always stands out.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
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Verizon didn't do anything to the device. I don't understand why your disappointed, this is one hell of a device.

NicholasQ said:
I am in the same boat. Very disappointed in the galaxy nexus. Hardware is so-so and the roll out is pathetic. No news of a tmo version and it's been announced a while ago. If this doesn't sell for under $600 I will just keep my nexus s and hope they get the next nexus right this time. I'm slowly losing faith in the nexus line. Google allowed verizon to molest it a little and I find it just plain less appealing now. I loved the idea of having a somewhat special Android when I owned the nexus one and now nexus s. But I feel google is slowly merging the nexus into the melting pot of android phones. I wanted something that really stands out and always stands out.
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All good points, and I fully agree. Maybe Verizon is giving Google some too-hard-to-resist incentives? Otherwise, I can't imagine why Google would have abandoned the "buy-an-unlocked-GSM-phone" concept.
NicholasQ said:
Another gripe is that I personally have never met or seen anybody with a nexus phone. After the galaxy nexus I feel I may start bumping into people who own one. And to make matters worse, it will probably be someone who has no idea what it is. And will call it their "Droid" phone. Maybe I loved the nexus line a little too much. : (
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Now that you mention it, in the 11 months I've had my Nexus S, I've never seen anybody with a Nexus phone, either. I have, though, been asked several times when people see my phone, "What kind of iPhone is that?"
splmonster said:
Verizon didn't do anything to the device. I don't understand why your disappointed, this is one hell of a device.
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I was under the impression that Verizon has installed a bunch of proprietary Verizon apps (bloatware) on the Galaxy Nexus. Is this not true? Also, isn't the phone adorned with Verizon badging?
- DDB

I was in the same line of thinking as the OP. I was going to alternate years: this year tablet; next year phone. I had to go in to Three to renew my contract and there the GN was on display so naturally I play with it. I couldn't resist. I had a free upgrade so I said GN please. Now I have a NS that's not being used anymore. Maybe I'll give it to the wife? Damn why did Three need to have it on display? Now I'm in a two year contract instead of sum only all you can eat data. Though I do have all you can eat for the GN.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I have to force myself to be satisfied with a two-year phone replacement cycle. Getting the new iPhone every year when I was with AT&T spoiled me; now I feel like my phone is out-of-date in three months (and with the hardware cycle the way it is now, it probably is!).
I am going to try to hold on to my Nexus S until the next gen Nexus is released (after Nexus Galaxy).

i got a nexus s Is the galaxy nexus worth the upgrade

I'm really tempted to buy the galaxy nexus but I got a nexus s and
This phone still on some boss **** ice cream sandwich just turned this to a
new Phone so the question is should i upgrade and import my unlocked
Nexus for 700$ and just keep my nexus s in my collection or just stick with what I got and
Wait for the next one that will most likely be 1080p screen quote me on that .
.....check me out @[email protected] leave comments

At this point I would say save your money. Use what u have for a few months. The galaxy nexus is nice...but there are more powerful phones out currently. I'm losing all my concern for ics.
My vote, save your money.

I was in same boat. But now that I see how well ICS runs on the NS, it is like having a new phone. Just gonna hold onto it. Maybe get the next Nexus while all my friends are one year into their Galaxy Nexus contracts and can't upgrade

I don't think Galaxy Nexus is that much better than the Nexus S, especially considering the price tag. If you're going to upgrade go with Galaxy S II, its cheaper and has a better screen. Once rooted, its the same as GN

I was also tempted to upgrade to the GNexus, but after ICS I am not that tempted anymore. I am considering wait for the next Nexus (after having two non-Nexus phones I refuse to buy anything that is not a Nexus).

Keep the good feed back coming!!!

There's no real benefit upgrading imho. Especially if it's a 2y contract. Right now I'd take a payout instead of a new phone if it was my turn to prolong the contract.
No new OS, no new uberly good hardware. At the end the price is also a deciding factor. For a small upgrade, not worth it imho.
But in the end this is the Nexus S forums, some bias has to be expected

if you already own the i9020, i can say it's not worth the upgrade to i9250
wait for something better
if you read over the GN i9250 forum a lot of people have mixed feeling about that phone
or at least wait until the price drop do like $200~$300 before getting it
by then most of the bugs and problems should have either been fixed by Google or by the XDA community

IMHO, it's worth the upgrade.
Out of the box, the Galaxy Nexus is speedier and has a more beautiful screen than Nexus.

Not worth it right now. Wait a couple of months and the price on the GN is going to drop like a rock. Just like did with the NS.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

I bought my nexus s unlocked so I ain't got no contract
But I feel they could of done better with the galaxy nexus
Nexus s still go hard

I think most people agree that it's an incredibly warranted update.
It's bigger and badder in every way.
Whether or not it's $700 worth it is another store though.
The NS still holds it own when it comes to mobile phones.
I'd say it's not quite there yet to the point where you NEED to get one.
Maybe in a year when Samsung releases the Galaxy III S it'll be a good time to upgrade.

pkilla said:
I bought my nexus s unlocked so I ain't got no contract
But I feel they could of done better with the galaxy nexus
Nexus s still go hard
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I'm gonna have to agree with this!

Just enjoy what you have for now and in a couple months pick up a used one for half.
Sent from my Crespo4G using Tapatalk

Sevchenko said:
I don't think Galaxy Nexus is that much better than the Nexus S, especially considering the price tag. If you're going to upgrade go with Galaxy S II, its cheaper and has a better screen. Once rooted, its the same as GN
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Better screen? How so, because its samoled + vs samoled? In person and go the naked eye the screen on the gn is far better than the sgs2.
tapa tapa tapa

Ive just received my GN!!! Its incredible. For me, its worth the change. Awesome screen, awesome power inside. I've ICS on my NS since Saturday, and its more-less the same. However, I can say that the FEEL of it is NOT the same.
I would say, just go to a shop and see the screen. Put your NS beside, and then decide.
Have fun!

Wouldn't trade my NS for any other phone on the market right now. Have read way to many mixed reviews about the GN to even consider that thing.
Sent from my Google Nexus S using xda premium

I got my GN for over a week. It's true that it's not a huge upgrade from NS, especially now it also has ICS. Screen is bigger and it's quite faster though. My only gripe is the screen is not as good as NS.
If you want the best and have money to blow, go for it, otherwise wait a while till you can get it cheap. If you are tight on money, definitely are smarter things to spend your money on.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

For not that big of an improvement, I would hold off. As usual things are changing quick, use your upgrade for the one after!
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

yeah $700~$800 for a minor upgrade... it's a very expensive decision if you ask me
do you feel like spending that much money for an extra core in the CPU and a 720 resolution screen
which by the way is causing many Apps incompatibilities until the Apps developers releases a newer version of their Apps to support 720
that's another thing to consider
but like other have said, if money rains from the sky for you, then go get it

Nexus S: Still worth getting?

HTC Thunderbolt user here. I have an upgrade with Verizon in the coming month, but I'm considering leaving my line on the family plan to a sibling and getting a GSM phone with tmobile bands. Would you guys say a used Nexus S is still a good buy, or should I just jumo to the Galaxy Nexus? Can't convince myself that both extending my contract and getting the gimped VZW GNex right now though. Anyway, if you could share your opinions, I'd appriciate it. Thank you.

armada786 said:
HTC Thunderbolt user here. I have an upgrade with Verizon in the coming month, but I'm considering leaving my line on the family plan to a sibling and getting a GSM phone with tmobile bands. Would you guys say a used Nexus S is still a good buy, or should I just jumo to the Galaxy Nexus? Can't convince myself that both extending my contract and getting the gimped VZW GNex right now though. Anyway, if you could share your opinions, I'd appriciate it. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait til October when Google releases the new Nexus Devices.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

Exit_Only said:
Wait til October when Google releases the new Nexus Devices.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
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I thought it was November?

Exit_Only said:
Wait til October when Google releases the new Nexus Devices.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
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Unless Google offers it at $350 also, probably priced out of what I can really afford. Though maybe it'd bring the GNex price down. Good advice. Oct/Nov is when my upgrade is anyway so I can decide then.

My 2 cents
The Nexus S is a fine phone, depending what you planning on doing with it. I would not recommend purchasing on a contract, but as an interim phone it should work great.
I personally found that I rarely used my phone as, you know, a phone and began resenting paying a high price for talk time I was barely using (Sprint). So I purchased a Nexus S off of ebay and use it strictly as a voip sourced phone using VOX over wifi.
To fill my need for a larger screen I picked up a Galaxy Tab (only $50) and use a 2 gig data plan with Verizon for $30/mo for when wifi not available as it comes with built in tethering. Though as an after thought I am wishing I went with the T Mobile 100/min and 5gig for $30/mo. The size of the Nexus S works in my particular case and easily upgrades to even JB so I am a happy flasher.
The Nexus S works great for a phone to have some fun while waiting for that next great thing, but might disappoint over the long haul against some of the current and upcoming monster phones.

If you're buying 2nd hand, I'd say GN is worth the extra 100$(€) difference.

Hi,
I had a Nexus S for years and, this phone ils absolutely perfect except two things.
No MHL compatibility: You can't put your screen phone on a TV or anything else..
No notification LED: I couldn't live without it after switching from x10 mini pro to Nexus S.
Last advice, if you get Nexus S, try installing SlimICS + Holo Launcher HD for a 2/3 day battery life by enabling the phone to only receive calls when the screen is off. (You can add things like sync every hours or such).
If you also want MHL, check for Samqung Galaxy S II.

It all depends on what you want. I like the size of the Nexus S. Its bigger than an iPhone, but way more portable than a Galaxy S3. The hardware is still decent. It runs JB just fine. Battery life is very good too.
Sent from my aokp_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2

Tmobile has been cheap and a definite carrier upgrade to ATT in my area.
I want real carrier and phone upgrades instead of incremental ones.
In your situation I'd wait for the Oct/Nov release to make the switch.
My Nexus S has been a 99.99% solid companion since it's release in 2010.
I've had power button issues randomly for the past week but the JRO03L update seems to have fixed it.
I've enjoyed carrier and handset stability that's noticeable compared to my friends.
I've watched my Verizon buddies complain about "normal" use killing charge ad nauseum.
I've listened to my Sprint buddies complain about absent ROM support for phones that drove them nuts.
My ATT buddies, well the service still seems to have the same call quality issues I had years ago.
Hopefully my next upgrade will serve me as long and as well until the next jump in carrier bandwidth becomes a must-have.

Mine is a champ. No plan to upgrade when my contract is up.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app

Nexus S is still great phone and I will keep mine for long time. I will rather buy tablet then new phone.

xAyla said:
Hi,
I had a Nexus S for years and, this phone ils absolutely perfect except two things.
No MHL compatibility: You can't put your screen phone on a TV or anything else..
No notification LED: I couldn't live without it after switching from x10 mini pro to Nexus S.
Last advice, if you get Nexus S, try installing SlimICS + Holo Launcher HD for a 2/3 day battery life by enabling the phone to only receive calls when the screen is off. (You can add things like sync every hours or such).
If you also want MHL, check for Samqung Galaxy S II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not my plan to derail the thread, but you can use BLN technology to make the softkeys at the bottom flash or light up whenever you get a notification. Acts pretty much the same as a notification LED. Been available for over a year too.

It's okay unless you play vidya a lot on your phone.

No it's not worth getting now. It's a 2 year old phone and as good as it has been it's showing its age. It's struggling with the latest roms, very laggy and slow and battery performance isn't good. I'm rooted, running a nightly cache cleaner and occasional wipes and its still slow. Contract is up this week and its a toss up between the sgs3 and hox. Favoring the sgs3 on performance but the hox it's 5 quid cheaper every month. Not considering the nexus as I frankly find the nexus line boring.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

nexus s is still nice to use. almost roms are support galaxy nexus and nexus s basically
Sent from my SHV-E210L using xda app-developers app

wait a bit
I'm in the same boat as you and advise waiting a bit till this winter or spring to see how all the new hardware and prices shake out. quad core is the ideal android environment.

No. Ex-Nexus S user here. Just broke my phone a month ago and switched to a 2nd hand Galaxy Nexus. GNex is so much better, and it's not expensive either

Same here.. been using Nexus S.. and still going strong.. I just don't find it economical to change my phone every year or two.. Since I've bought my Nexus S.. it has been a good experience.. plus with all this mods.. I feel like my phone runs faster and smoother.. So I think still good for another year or so.. So if you can get Nexus S cheap.. get it! hehe

I would get a newer phone. The nexus s is outdated man; and plus google is going to release a new phone soon. We're going to be waay behind and things are just gonna get slower for us I think. No matter how many roms we flash to see if we can speed stuff up; its gonna get slower and slower. That's just how technology is; it gets faster and faster and if the older stuff cant keep up, it dies out

If you can find one under $100 get it now jelly bean really makes it fly
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Sent from my Jelly Bean powered Nexus Snarf 4G

To buy or not to buy?

Hey I'm looking forward to upgrade my phone before Christmas and I wanted to hear some opinions. So how the title already says:
Should I buy a Nexus 4 or not and if not what are some good phone you can recommend?
Thanks!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I'm in this boat as well. It's a hard decision a the moment because every phone has a down side! Manufacturers could make perfect phones but then they wouldn't be able to sell new ones! I'm stuck between this and the One X. The one x has a better camera, screen and audio and 32gb storage the only thing that puts me off is the tegra 3 not thinking it's that great. On the other hand the nexus 4 has lots of problems and those stupid on screen soft keys would drive me nuts especially considering they don't go away in any games. Man it's a hard decision. May I add that the One X is only £80 more expensive and it seems to be getting better with every update.

I'm sure if you took the time to read through the countless decent threads, you'd find your answer.

As you guys are in Europe please don't buy it. Hopefully Google will send the stock of your countries to Spain so I finally will be able to get a N4. xD

I have had mine since last Thursday, and if I dropped it today and it exploded in to a pile of dust and my insurance gave me enough money to buy any phone I wanted... I'd still pick another Nexus 4.
The S3 it replaced on Jelly Bean was fast, but the Nexus 4 put's it to shame, the only thing it doesn't do as well is the camera, but that's about the least important thing on my list of things I look for, and the Nexus 4 ticks everything else.
Phil

I'll guess I need some hands on experience with the N4

I think its worth the buy and this is my own personal reason why (already bought it and owned it). If you go with either HTC One X or Samsung SIII you have the benefit of having the abundant of offline storage, their own personalize software (Sense or Touchwiz), and all the little feature that google cut out to maintain cost. If you go with the Nexus 4 you get teh benefit of having google support the software/update on your phone until it can't run it no more. You don't get that from HTC or Samsung. Even their flagship phones support and updates cut off ater 1 years MAX. Sometimes its even less than one year as they are already prepare to lauch a new flagship device. Seeing as how the One X and the S III already been out for a while now I think they will probably cut off in about 5 months or so. If you order it directly from google then its even better cause its almost 1/2 the price.

You should try it out before you buy, when you get the chance that is. I upgraded from a Samsung Vibrant, so this new phone was like an epiphany. It's very fast, smooth, and a nice device. It's also my first official Google Nexus device and I'm loving having JB 4.2. In the end it's you that's going to purchase the device. Make a list of what features you want and need, and then go down the list or let others know. Otherwise, everybody can say whatever they want about buying or not buying a device.
In my case BUY BUY BUY!

Very awesome phone. I upgraded from an S3 and couldn't be happier. However, good luck getting it before Christmas.

Thanks for your answers! Helped me a lot... I think I will go with the Nexus. I never had a Nexus device and even though I love the features of the GNote and all the other phones, I always complain about how long Samsung needs to update unfortunately for now there's no chance for me to try it out, but I think my Stores should get it on December 15th.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

[Q] Should I buy one now?

So, first a bit of backstory. I own an HTC Sensation 4G, rooted and running Android 4.2.2. I like the phone, but it is slowing down and I am looking to upgrade. Specifically, I want to get a Nexus 4 (surprise)! To the main question though, Should I get a Nexus 4 now?
Being 6 months old, I take this phone to be fairly recent. Also, having constant updates is great. Honestly though, will it stand the test of time and still be worth it another 2-3 years down the road? I mainly ask this question because I am graduating and money will (most likely) be involved for an end of the year present. Even if it wasn't, I am planning on splurging a bit. The question is, should I wait another 6 months or more? My Sensation works (for the most part).
Any responses are greatly appreciated, and thanks for taking the time!

I had a gs3 and upgraded to this a month ago and it was worth every penny. You will not regret your purchase. If I were you I would purchase one. And if you end up not liking it,you can always sell it for almost what you bought it for.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Just go ahead and buy one!! You won't regret it!
The Nexus 4 will definitely last you for more than 3 years, software wise.
Its one of the snappiest and most responsive phones out there. The hardware will definitely be fine for another 3 years. The S4 Pro Quad + 2GB ram is very good IMHO.

If you don't like try GS4or hTC1 nexus exp.
(But i didn't see the pro of GS4,1 cuz its no touchwiz,sense like smart stay etc.so its just overpriced N4)(big.LITTLE? ummm just normal 4 cores)

When it comes to "should I wait for the new one to come out?", I usually advise people not to hang on for too long. If it were a week before they might announce the new one, let's say a week before I/O, I'd say wait that week to find out, but as far as waiting 6 months for the possible release of the new Nexus, I'd say don't hold your breath. The Nexus 4 will be a darn-good phone for 2-3 more years so don't worry about that.
Besides, I actually like to buy hardware after 6 months of release if I can wait. That way, they have time to iron out all the wrinkles, to make small revisions to the hardware that they found needed changing after release. You get a more solid phone if you wait for those changes. I got mine 2 months ago and it's a great phone.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I've made my mind up to buy one in the very near future. Again, thank you all very much!

I too use to own a HTC Sensation. The only reason i got the Sensation was because i had issues with LG G2x. Anyway i last year around may i got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The nexus 4 is a different beast all by itself. Yes, get is and you will not regret it.
Hopefully my exchange will soon arrive and i will see what comes out Nov. Never buying a NON nexus unless google stops making nexus

You should of had one 6 months ago when I sold my sensation! get it now and enjoy life.

I actually sold my Sensation last year for a GN. Trust me, nexus is the way to go.

Got mine today. I'll never pick my Senny up again! I love this phone
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

The deed is done. Thank you everyone for helping me with this decision and providing helpful advice. I can't wait to get it in the mail!