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[Q] Help Me Choose a Smartphone plz

Hi Guys,
This is my first thread in the android section cuz I have been a windows mobile user for a long time with my SE xperia x1.
Now i'd like to buy another phone and unfortunately Windows Phone 7 lacks a lot of things so I'll go with an android phone. I think that froyo is really good.
I thought about the SE X10 but it only has android 2.1 and no official update for or no update at all for 2.2 which reflects how hard it'd be to update to any further version.
I also did some reading and found that Android 2.3 is soon to come and its minimum requirements are 1ghz processor and 512mb RAM. and I want to be able to update to it when the update comes out, so i want a phone with these minimum requirements and to currently have android 2.2 froyo on it.
so if u plz guide me to a phone with these specifications and not very expensive i'll be very thankful

T-Mobile's HTC G2 is a good phone, it has stock Android 2.2 and since it's one of Googles phones it should get the 2.3 update fairly quickly. Also Motorola's Droid 2 is stock 2.2 so it will get the update faster than other phones and has a 1ghz processor, and the Nexus One is probably the best Android phone out there.

Thanx for ur reply but sry i forgot to mention that i'm from Egypt and i'm going to get this phone from UAE so unfortunately there's no carrier phones so T-mobile g2 is not an option

An unlocked Nexus One should work over there. Do you're carriers use GSM?

I guess so, but I won't find a nexus one I'm not buying online

Well The Nexus One is the safest card at the moment. It will most likely be upgraded to gingerbread.
So if you can get hold of a nexus one, I think your problem is solved.
Here's something to read...
http://www.brighthand.com/default.a...ingerbread+3.0+Nexus+One+Upgrade+Release+Date

Thanx for your help, Bu I don't Think that the nexus one will be available where I'm buying plus honestly I don't think it looks beautiful either
so is there any other phone to consider??
The update to 2.3 doesn't have to be official but if the phone have the minimum requirements I believe that someone here at XDA will get the update running on it in no time
so any other recommendations ??
EDIT: There's a Probability that the Nexus One might be available so I'd like to know what does it lack among the phones available now cuz it has ben out since Jan 2010 it must be late on something I guess

I dont own one myself , so I cant really tell you anything about its cons or pros or whatever. However its physichal aspects does seems to feel a bit old, compared to HTC desire that is...

Alright, Let's say that I go for the desire
do u think that it'll be getting the 2.3 update either officially or non-officially
one more thing, is there any drawbacks with the desire?

I have no idea when it come to the desire actually.
And no, I personally think desire is the best android handset out yet =)

ahmedsalem89 said:
Alright, Let's say that I go for the desire
do u think that it'll be getting the 2.3 update either officially or non-officially
one more thing, is there any drawbacks with the desire?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the desire will not get an official 2.3. update.
But the Desire is almost the same as the Nexus One, which will get the 2.3. update, so there probably will be lots of 2.3.-ports for Desire from Nexus One.
I would'nt got for a SE-device, because imho their support is bad (updating on 2.1. when 2.2. already has been released 6 months ago WTF).
Regards

Yes I agree and as they both have practically the same specs, It would be bad marketing if they didnt offer a upgrade to the Desire aswell in my opinion...

Personally I would recommend the Galaxy S because the support is decent, it has a lot of supporters (custom roms, custom kernels, AOSP-ification etc).
Also hardware wise it is superior to anything on the market right now (strongest graphics chip) and the Super AMOLED is something out of this world! you have to see it to believe it.
Optionally you could wait till January for Nexus 2 which is a (?) modified version of galaxy S with gingerbread.
Secondary I could recommend the N900, it's an AWESOME hacking phone, just got USB hosting support (USB drives etc) and it looks like nokia might bring MeeGo to it after all.
But it's early adoption, yada yada, you'll have to take chances and learn some terminal commands and linux (no biggie) and in reward you get to run android, ubuntu palm pre apps (awesome games) at an almost perfect state(meaning phone, uit etc, games run perfect )!
Now what I would not recommend you to get is an iPhone.
The software support is awful, jaibreaking literally breaks the device (gsm etc...), buld quality, you must have read about it and buh-bye widgets flash and customizations.
's a blog about all that stuff, I keep reading and remain astonished...
http://theiphonefever.blogspot.com/2010/05/iphone-4g-screen-multimedia-flop.html

Yes you could buy a n900 and port it with upcoming nitdroid 0.0.9 (android 2.2.1)
But if you were looking to buy a android device in the first place I would not recommend to buy a n900 and port it to android and so on. I mean... gingerbread is soon to come and the NITDroid project is currently on the froyo stageline , in that case you would always be at least 1 year behind.

I wouldn't go for a galaxy S because of the lack of flash for the camera and the looks, I guess it looks kinda cheap and the desire is way better looking but I agree with you the super AMOLED is great.
and the n900 is very low on specs even if it'd boot android it'll be slow and laggy IMO, plus it's a NOKIA and for me this reason is more than enough not to buy it
and off course I wont even consider an iphone these phones r way stupid
I agree with nickownzya about SE phones I was astonished when I knew that the x10 got 2.1 while 2.2 was already out. why would they do that?!!!
so I guess I'll be either buying a desire or a nexus one, good looking, great support, and better hardware.
Thanx for the help guys

Desire and Nexus are cool but otherwise I hate HTC designs. Why do they always have to make that "spotted" back? what's wrong with a smooth finish?
Hard choice anyway, nexus seems to be close to the end of it's "lifetime" and kinda lags on specs HD video etc, but desire has more potential but doesn't have the same support...
Either way I don't agree about the galaxy looking cheap. SO far it's the only device with gorilla glass display (scratch proof so far for me) and it has the sleekest/thinnest shape of them all.
Also it has the strongest video hardware which will keep it from becoming obsolete a while longer than the competition. So far nothing takes full advantage of it though, unfortunately.

When it comes to design, it differs from a person to another. for me this plastic is too much plus it's a fingerprint magnet and I hate that. I would prefer a metal finish, metal buttons or even harder looking plastic with matte black or gray.
U seem to be a big galaxy S fan yourself and I don't hate it but If only they have added flash for the camera and took the whole thing and put it into a better looking body something like the milestone 2 which BTW also has Gorilla Glass display or a SE x10 I'd definitely go for it .
Anyway, Honestly I'd prefer the desire because of the same reason u mentioned .

Then go for desire, you wont be disapointed =)

Samsung galaxy s. You can't get better hardware.
Its not perfect out of the box.
Infact it need little care, but then its great.
I had an iphone4 before i did buy my sgs. Well now i don't have a iphone 4.
Sent from GT-I9000 jpo. My own kernel for z4mod and with 342MB Ram

ahmedsalem89 said:
Alright, Let's say that I go for the desire
do u think that it'll be getting the 2.3 update either officially or non-officially
one more thing, is there any drawbacks with the desire?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are not Jesus Christ or prophet mahomet....
There is plenty of threads to look for if you want an android phone. As I know... no one here works at google or at HTC ... we don't know nothing about gingerbread and wich one is gonna be updated and when. Google, youtube... make your homework. There's plenty of videos and reviews on the net...
I thought egyptians still use papyrus to communicate... no?

Who cares about 2.2 what about 2.3?

Am I the only one that worries more about 2.3 than 2.2? Samsung is literally the last top of the line phone to get 2.2....ridiculous....Will we see 2.3/3.0? I mean this phone should have came with 2.2 or at latest sept. I really expect samsung to support these phones through July 2011. Does anyone else? What's your expectations?

i don't think there will be official 2.3 android...

Samsung is notorious for not supporting updates. They'd rather sell new hardware than update what's out already for free. You're lucky you're getting a 2.2 update even if it is taking forever to release, 2.3 is going to be a stretch though.

Who cares for official release , no one here is running stock anyhow.
Word on the street is Nexus S is Galaxy S variant and is running Gingerbread, and since Nexus line is googles developer phone , means source of gingerbread will be available .
I expect easy and smooth port to Captivate by local XDA devs.

ghost77 said:
Who cares for official release , no one here is running stock anyhow.
Word on the street is Nexus S is Galaxy S variant and is running Gingerbread, and since Nexus line is googles developer phone , means source of gingerbread will be available .
I expect easy and smooth port to Captivate by local XDA devs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woot, never thought of that, since it will be a Galaxy S variant. That just made me happy to think about

ghost77 said:
Who cares for official release , no one here is running stock anyhow.
Word on the street is Nexus S is Galaxy S variant and is running Gingerbread, and since Nexus line is googles developer phone , means source of gingerbread will be available .
I expect easy and smooth port to Captivate by local XDA devs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We already know the camera is different... I don't think it will be as easy as i9000 to i897.. but yes there is some hope here . Google to the rescue!!!
Actually OP this is why we are all so excited about Cyanogen - BC it has NO Samsung components you can just upgrade to 2.3 once its released.... once cyanogen is final nobody here will be talking about Samsung anymore
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

ghost77 said:
Who cares for official release , no one here is running stock anyhow.
Word on the street is Nexus S is Galaxy S variant and is running Gingerbread, and since Nexus line is googles developer phone , means source of gingerbread will be available .
I expect easy and smooth port to Captivate by local XDA devs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's gonna be quite different. The camera and the soc will be dual core. Could have other hardware different as well.
I wonder how motorola and htc can afford to keep their top phones upgraded and samsung... Doesn't. I mean look at the droid from nov 2009....
I hate to go back to an iPhone next year, but this sucks. Thank god for xda! The devs here should have their own national holiday.

We don't really know anything about its spec just many rumors/fantasy's.
The only thing we do know its a bit curved , possibly a concave display , seen in one of the interview videos.

Corriewf said:
Am I the only one that worries more about 2.3 than 2.2? Samsung is literally the last top of the line phone to get 2.2....ridiculous....Will we see 2.3/3.0? I mean this phone should have came with 2.2 or at latest sept. I really expect samsung to support these phones through July 2011. Does anyone else? What's your expectations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a correction, x10 is still on 1.6 so wer not that far behind
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

mac208x said:
Just a correction, x10 is still on 1.6 so wer not that far behind
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
X10 is not a top of the line device. It was supposed to be out last feb...by the time it came out, middle of the pack at best.
I would not base any standards on a SE device.

we still have a lot of things to play with...I played with Samsung focus and the position of camera&usb&mic I can say it's definitely the same with captivate...

Very true i hate how SAMSUNG doesn't update their devices. I might just get a nexus one now haha
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

The sad part the Captivate its the only good android phone on at&t. I guess we're stuck with the captivate forever thanks att.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Dxtra said:
The sad part the Captivate its the only good android phone on at&t. I guess we're stuck with the captivate forever thanks att.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola is supposed to be bringing a dual core phone to AT&T in feb. That's if you like blur. I'm also not sold on dual core either... I mean hello battery drain and for what positives? The soc in our captivate has yet to be pushed by anything android market can throw at it.
The resale value on this phone is gonna be horrible. I sold my 3GS last month for 300. Think in oct 2011 I can sell this phone for 200? Sucks. If the software support was there, they would wipe the floor with apple.

Corriewf said:
Motorola is supposed to be bringing a dual core phone to AT&T in feb. That's if you like blur. I'm also not sold on dual core either... I mean hello battery drain and for what positives? The soc in our captivate has yet to be pushed by anything android market can throw at it.
The resale value on this phone is gonna be horrible. I sold my 3GS last month for 300. Think in oct 2011 I can sell this phone for 200? Sucks. If the software support was there, they would wipe the floor with apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way. The only reason people are on this forum / using this phone is because this is the only competitive att android. I love android os, but Samsung is so terrible at public relations that nobody will want a phone that never updates and has a broken GPS. You would be lucky to get 200 in 6 months...
Seriously I hope for my sake att doesn't get another good android phone for a while... all the developers will leave this behind
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

The new dual-core suppose to use less power then current single-core , if its true i wouldn't worrie about power.

you samsung guys are soooo pessmist ,
I come form a motorola phone with a locked bootloader , 2.2 was announce for the end of Q4
just to show there is worst then samsung ...
on a side note this devce can run custom kernel , so as long as source is release for gingerbread who cares even if its only out for htc it will eventually be ported to SGS , as long as there is a need for it it will happen ...as simple as that ...

fatttire said:
No way. The only reason people are on this forum / using this phone is because this is the only competitive att android. I love android os, but Samsung is so terrible at public relations that nobody will want a phone that never updates and has a broken GPS. You would be lucky to get 200 in 6 months...
Seriously I hope for my sake att doesn't get another good android phone for a while... all the developers will leave this behind
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See that is exactly how Apple keeps winning the war. Software support. It's an easy Eco system to buy into because the hardware is almost always supported for years. Yes closed systems. But the resale value for notebooks, computers, and iPhones is awesome. My wife will easily be able to pay for her next iPhone by selling the iPhone 4, hell we made 100 profit on both our 3GS. I have bought 2 3GS, an iPad, and a MacBook air.
I really love android and I love the hardware samsung puts out. I just wish they could grasp the concept of full customer support. They just come across as shady salesmen that can't wait to push the next big thing.
If I can't sell my captivate for much $$, I certainly won't be buying the next samsung whatever.

DAGr8 said:
you samsung guys are soooo pessmist ,
I come form a motorola phone with a locked bootloader , 2.2 was announce for the end of Q4
just to show there is worst then samsung ...
on a side note this devce can run custom kernel , so as long as source is release for gingerbread who cares even if its only out for htc it will eventually be ported to SGS , as long as there is a need for it it will happen ...as simple as that ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry...I came from a cdma HTC Sprint hero...and people have a right to be pessimistic about all of this. I've been down this road with them where 2.2 was promised..but never delivered..Yes..we could root and flash to other roms including Cyanogen's 2.2 CM6....but..the whole point is getting what was promised to begin with..
Mac

Mac11700 said:
Sorry...I came from a cdma HTC Sprint hero...and people have a right to be pessimistic about all of this. I've been down this road with them where 2.2 was promised..but never delivered..Yes..we could root and flash to other roms including Cyanogen's 2.2 CM6....but..the whole point is getting what was promised to begin with..
Mac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way I see it these companies should make one of the following choices:
1. Sell cellphones with untouched Android. Leave it like wp7 and ios and let google handle software upgrades etc.
2. Have your custom software but support upgrades until hardware is no longer up to par. Maybe make their software downloadable through the market so we just update as needed but can run stock android while waiting.
3. Get out of the cellphone business and just become a hardware manufacture for real cellphone companies that can provide support.
I personally think option 1 is the best.... And most profitable. I mean samsung is stretched pretty thin. They make tvs and washing machines while trying to make cell phones, manufacture chips, and be a software company. Do what you do best and stick with it.

[Q] Why didn't we all chose the Nexus S?

I have recently seen a YouTube video in which ICS was running perfectly on the Nexus S.
Today I saw a story on Engadget.com that ICS is rolling over to Google employees (those all use Nexus S it seems), and the official release is due any day now.
[http://androidandme.com/2011/12/dev...campaign=Feed:+androidandme+(Android+and+Me)]
First of all, that's cool!
Second, why didn't we all chose to go with the NEXUS S?
Full support, source code in the open, immediate updates....
WHAT AM I MISSING?
Thanks

1.DUAL CORE a smooth as iOS if u may..
2.8 MP CAMERA with Half and FULL HD recording
4.STOCK android(if only g2x had not been with tegra 2 ICS ports would have been very very early for this device)
5.Awesome Build not as plasticy as NS
6.Tegra GAMES(official nor using plugins),
7.HDMI OUT and etc etc...
NS has only one advantage... quicker updates....nothin more literally.
just my thoughts.

I already had a Vibrant and wanted something faster. Nexus S was basically a Vibrant with better software and LESS storage.
Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk

lotherius said:
I already had a Vibrant and wanted something faster. Nexus S was basically a Vibrant with better software and LESS storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Are you suggesting that the Nexus S is SLOWER than the G2x?
Ok, so you right. Because I had a Vibrant as well, and did notice just how fast the G2x is. B-U-T, isn't ICS going to change that?

You don't choose a Nexus S because Samsung devices suck. Problematic hardware and questionable firmware. Nexus S is also a single core device and is basically a slightly updated Galaxy S device. Also, if they do a lower power shutdown the internal sd can get corrupted and if you have not previously unlocked the bootloader there is nothing you can do to fix the device and it is permanently soft bricked (has to be sent to Samsung for warranty replacement). The G2X is a far superior device.

benyben123 said:
Thanks. Are you suggesting that the Nexus S is SLOWER than the G2x?
Ok, so you right. Because I had a Vibrant as well, and did notice just how fast the G2x is. B-U-T, isn't ICS going to change that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jboxer said:
You don't choose a Nexus S because Samsung devices suck. Problematic hardware and questionable firmware. Nexus S is also a single core device and is basically a slightly updated Galaxy S device. Also, if they do a lower power shutdown the internal sd can get corrupted and if you have not previously unlocked the bootloader there is nothing you can do to fix the device and it is permanently soft bricked (has to be sent to Samsung for warranty replacement). The G2X is a far superior device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too right, jboxer..... Although I liked certain things about my Vibrant, there were plenty I didn't. The thing I liked the MOST was the 16gb (12 usable) internal storage + SD Card, and the Nexus S took away the SD Card's additional storage.
And, we are CERTAINLY suggesting the Nexus S is slower than the G2X... single core processor for one... slower Ram if I'm not mistaken as well. Camera quality is worse.
And, ICS may be nice, but it isn't going to turn sow's ears into silk. That is, it won't make a phone any faster than it already is.

Have you looked at what ICS really is? As I in what it legitimately does that gingerbread doesn't?
Aside from looks (which are replicable with themes) its not that much.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using XDA Ultimate App

LordButtersI said:
Have you looked at what ICS really is? As I in what it legitimately does that gingerbread doesn't?
Aside from looks (which are replicable with themes) its not that much.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using XDA Ultimate App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ICS will fully implement multi-thread processing, which Gingerbread doesn't do. That alone should speed up multi-core devices quite a bit. In Gingerbread the dual cores are inefficiently used.

I have both and I say both are GREAT.
NS has the very best speaker like other Samsung models, and voice quality is decent (not badly compressed like other Samsung)
AMOLED + Voodoo are prefect combination and I fine tuned the screen to perfection.
G2x with Eagleblood 2.4 is GOOD even there are few minor bugs.
It is VERY FAST (2500 on quadrant)
Good color screen (bleeding is minimal)
5GB+SD (I have not tried FAT64 FS microSDXC yet as it's not commercially available).
720p video recording (Google app)

Good stuff!
The reason I brought this issue up, is because me and a friend had a discussion about his next phone (he is now with Vibrant). I said that since him and I are total geeks when it comes to our devices (test every ROM, change themes, and we actually CARE about that stuff [i guess we are bored as well, even though we're not kids anymore] ), then the NUMBER ONE thing that we need to consider, is DEVELOPMENT!
If a device is a good device, but has no dev, no "action" when it comes to ROMs, tweaks, kernels and so on, than it's just not a fun device to own.
A device that is just "plain good" would be good for our wives (and indeed, how awful it was when I tried to show my wife why CM7 is awesome - wow that went bad , but not good for us geeksters

ICS is built for dual-core devices. ofcause nexus s will run ICS but i doubt it's any faster
if not for LG, devs could have released ICS port for G2x with hw acceleration(see the dev forum)
nexus is definitely slower than g2x. the only thing makes it good is official google support

Best Phones for Testing APKs?

We need to buy about 2 phones for testing some custom android apps we've built.
Does anyone have suggestions on what the best phones for testing would be?
I was thinking something with HTC sense on it, and something with stock android on it. Both need to be able to s-off and root easily.

erm... the google dev phones (nexus) ?? Personally I use galaxy nexus most for this kinda thing

For any kind of software testing, you need to know how it will function on both the latest and greatest devices, as well as the oldest hardware you intend to support.
I'd think for the price of two top-tier 2012 phones, you could buy 1 top of the line current phone, one from last year, and one from 2 years ago. Possibly also include Sense, Touchwiz and vanilla android.

Something running GB and something running ICS/JB. Many phones are still on GB so a used device running GB would be useful to test on.

Test it on emulator first?

jianC said:
Test it on emulator first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for sure it's the first thing to do,but not always if it works on emulator it will work on specific phone

Nexus one and galaxy nexus. Then you've got gingerbread and jellybean covered

If you need a newer phone for testing , the Galaxy Nexus is an obvious choice .
If you need a older phone ( old hardware ) to test yous apps , have a look at Nexus 1 or HTC Desire , it can run flawlessly 2.2 , 2.3 and 4.0.4 . I have a Desire on ICS ( BCM ) so I can tell .

willpower102 said:
We need to buy about 2 phones for testing some custom android apps we've built.
Does anyone have suggestions on what the best phones for testing would be?
I was thinking something with HTC sense on it, and something with stock android on it. Both need to be able to s-off and root easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HD2? ROMs range from Android 2.1-4.1 (AOSP, AOKP, CM), Sense 2.0-3.5 (one discontinued Sense 4 alpha), TouchWiz + GB, Xperia Arc GB, MIUI etc. It's also got similar specs to a low-range phone nowadays so that would be a good choice I think. In addition, a One X probably.

HTC One X?!

Samsung galaxy nexus
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Galaxy nexus its official hands down
Sent from my evo 4g using xda premium

It seems it is indeed no contest there.
Does the Galaxy Nexus come with Sense by default? (It's been a while since I've looked into these. Last Android phone I owned was a droid bionic and before that the htc hero.)
We definitely are going to support gingerbread, so we'll need a little bit of an older phone too. I'm sure breaking it up like that into 3 or so phones is ok, as long as they fall under budget.
And yeah, the dev tests with emulators, but I'm QA on this project so I get to play with them real-world once he's done and find more bugs.

Nexus S and a Galaxy Nexus,
Will do the job well:thumbup:
Sent from my GT-S5660 using xda premium

willpower102 said:
It seems it is indeed no contest there.
Does the Galaxy Nexus come with Sense by default? (It's been a while since I've looked into these. Last Android phone I owned was a droid bionic and before that the htc hero.)
We definitely are going to support gingerbread, so we'll need a little bit of an older phone too. I'm sure breaking it up like that into 3 or so phones is ok, as long as they fall under budget.
And yeah, the dev tests with emulators, but I'm QA on this project so I get to play with them real-world once he's done and find more bugs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GNex is a Nexus phone, so why would it come with Sense?
Anyway, the best choice is still the HD2 IMO. You can test it on all versions of Android from 2.1-4.1 and it's incredibly cheap, with specs which are not too bad (1GHz Snapdragon with 576MB RAM) for the price. If you can get the app to run smoothly on the HD2 the likelihood is that it will run on any newer phone.

IMHO you have yo use a stock device.. nexus as all the docs suggest. Custom ROMs have additions substitutions and tweaks that in a dev sense are not baseline. Although the differences are minimal or should be. Better to play safe. So nexus s and galaxy nexus.. Google provide stock ROMs for these in dev device downloads.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Noted. Thanks.
And yeah, that's cool that some of these phones support plenty of roms, but I don't want to be flashing 3 different roms every time the dev iterates a new point (v.2) update. I'd rather have 2-3 phones ready to go. (seems lazy, but I've got a lot of other work to do to

We got a droid (motorola timestamp issues), a Galaxy Nexus, and an hd2. So the hd2 comes stock with windows mobile? This is strange to me.

willpower102 said:
We got a droid (motorola timestamp issues), a Galaxy Nexus, and an hd2. So the hd2 comes stock with windows mobile? This is strange to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the hd2 does have a lot of support, but when the top threads in the device specific forum warn of how unstable and beta-ish android development is on this phone, then I'm not really as excited as I was. might end up returning this one.

[DISCUSSION]Nexus Brand Name

Before I start, I'd just like to say that this is just my personal rant and even though some of you may not agree, that's why I'm having this as a discussion thread.
Let's get this started then.
All I see going around XDA are people comparing their own devices to the latest Nexus device and saying 'Should I switch to the Nexus?' or a load of people rimming off the Nexus' as if they're the best thing since sliced bread.
Some of you may wonder why this bothers me. I'll tell you.
Just because a device has the Nexus brand name, it doesn't make it any better than any other phone of equal quality. A hell of a lot of people will see a device is a Nexus and immediately want to get it.
Why would you want to?
If you ask one of those people why a Nexus is so great, they'll say one of three things or a mix of the three.
The reasons are;
1) All Nexus devices look great and have great build quality.
2) It's guaranteed to have great developer support.
3) It's officially supported by Google so it will get the latest Android updates before any other device.
Now, let me tell you my response to each of those points...
1) Most Nexus devices don't look great. The only one which looks good, in my opinion, is the Nexus 7. Apart from that, none of them look any better than other devices around.
2) Yes it will have great developer support, but so do a lot of phones which are already around and have been for ages now. An example of that is the Galaxy S2. It's been around for over a year and a half and it still has more development than most phones do
3) Again, this is true. But they're not the only devices to get the Android updates quickly. This site has a smattering of great developers so it will never take long for other devices to get the latest versions, and you haven't even needed to buy a new phone just to get the latest and greatest.
So with that being said, why buy the latest Nexus device when I'm reality it isn't any better than devices which are already available?
I know some of you may be Nexus fanboys and not agree with anything I've said, but I'm hoping that some of you agree just so I know that I'm not the only person who isn't being hypnotized by the word 'Nexus'.
As I said at the top of this post, I'm leaving this as a discussion so if anyone would like to add anything extra or disagree with what I've said, then you can feel free to do so.
But whatever you do, DON'T TROLL OR FLAME OTHER PEOPLE SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THEM!

Agree with all of the above! I'm getting it to replace my GNex.. it's a better device and I don't need two Nexuses
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

True most other phones have similar specs (lol dnt want a nexus 4 anymore)
any suggestions??

My first real Android experience has been with the Nexus S 4G about one year ago today actually... i replaced my iPhone 3GS...
Being my first android experience, i didn't know what android offered until i physically had the phone in my hands... i had it for two weeks before deciding to root it and try out the latest Android at the time, 4.0 ICS... fell in LOVE with my phone after that... i only realized other Carriers/manufacturers added their own version of android after i got used to ICS and started looking for other devices to upgrade to... once i became educated with android, i realized that i got extremely lucky with my first android experience/purchase... because not only were other devices not officially updated to ICS, but the rollout of ICS took a very long time to even start getting stable ports/builds from developers... the skin thing also turned me off from wanting another device...
Simply put, even tho my phone is rooted, i can only vouch for devices that come with pure Google experience as that was my first real android experience... someone will say that you can always root your device and update as developers push out there latest ROMs for other devices... but i can't promote that to my friends/family that don't even know what rooting means (like myself before)...
i strongly promote the Galaxy S3... in fact just yesterday someone posted on Facebook asking if they should get the gs3 or iPhone 5... i was surprised to see out of around 20 replies, only 2 said to get the iPhone 5... i said gs3 but i also mentioned the Nexus 4 and its amazing price point... she looked it up but liked the gs3 look more... today she bought the gs3 because of that and because the N4 isn't available yet...
Before, if anyone asked me what phone to get, I immediately said the gs3 hands down... now my response is Nexus 4... i prefer the sleek/clean look and curved glass of the Nexus devices... the gs3 would be great IMO if it didn't have hard keys like back/home/menu at the bottom... so with that, the N4 looks better to me than any other device out there... i also loved the look of the Gnex... sadly, that one lacked in specs for me to upgrade my ns4g... and sadly the N4 lacks CDMA/LTE support for me to upgrade... now I'm kinda stuck as to what now?
Hope that was a civil response you want in this thread
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

FangV said:
True most other phones have similar specs (lol dnt want a nexus 4 anymore)
any suggestions??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ask in this thread mate
the1dynasty said:
My first real Android experience has been with the Nexus S 4G about one year ago today actually... i replaced my iPhone 3GS...
<SNIP>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand why some would want the pure Google experience, but there are ROMs which provide an extremely close experience anyway. Plus with the added features they have, it seems like the logical choice to go for custom ROMs, at least in my opinion.
If you use the thread linked above, you'll be able to ask there about what device to get next if you're not too sure.
And yeah, that response was all good

Galaxy S3 was a lot slower and laggy compared to my gnex. Went back to my gnex after a week. I buy the nexus for the pure android. Its smoother, cleaner, quicker and just better.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

bendirkss said:
Galaxy S3 was a lot slower and laggy compared to my gnex. Went back to my gnex after a week. I buy the nexus for the pure android. Its smoother, cleaner, quicker and just better.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.. noticed the same when comparing JB on my S3 to JB on my Nexus..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

KidCarter93 said:
Ask in this thread mate
I can understand why some would want the pure Google experience, but there are ROMs which provide an extremely close experience anyway. Plus with the added features they have, it seems like the logical choice to go for custom ROMs, at least in my opinion.
If you use the thread linked above, you'll be able to ask there about what device to get next if you're not too sure.
And yeah, that response was all good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know custom ROMs are available for other devices... but the only other phone on my radar was the gs3 but I hated those buttons... i enabled the on screen buttons on my ns4g and my kernel let's me dim the light on the capacitive buttons so its like they're not even there anymore lol... i lost some screen real estate but no biggie really...
I was really looking forward to the next nexus and was really disappointed to hear no CDMA/LTE support being that i have unlimited with Sprint now and I'm gonna be switching to a special unlimited plan with Verizon in a month or so... i really wanted to continue using nexus devices but looks like I'll have to go elsewhere for now... luckily, I'm content with this ns4g being that i got it tuned nearly perfect for good performance... the SD read is still a bit slow tho... i can survive until something wets my appetite again like the N4... or I'll just get the SGS4 if nothing comes out before then...
Btw, I'm on 4.1.2 right now running most apps from 4.2 system dump... so this 2year old phone can even take photosphere, and quite well i might add... no rush to upgrade devices... if rather put that money to getting the Nexus 10
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

Another reason is that all of the hardwares of Nexus devices are guaranteed to be open, unlike most Samsung touchwiz devices.
Another one is that new nexus devices are all have insanely low prices as they are subsidized by Google.
Also, now nexus devices have the greatest fastest socs in the market. Just look at nexus 4's S4 pro and nexus 10's Exynos 5.
In response to your opinion,
1. Not all nexus devices have great build quality, especially those ones made by Samsung. But in my opinion, all nexus devices have great design and look. Just look at the nexus 4. It's one of the most gorgeous phones in the planet.
2. For your information, the development of the Galaxy s2 is now dead. Also, the galaxy s3 is almost dead. Those are caused by their closed source drivers.
3. Nexus devices are the first to get the STABLE, latest android version.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

The reason is that the Nexus line keeps choices simple. Also, they don't have bloat (TouchWiz, Sense, etc) - and don't say get an AOSP ROM. I have heard that they are nothing but trouble. I quite like the idea of my tablet looking like it's running the same OS as my phone. And personally, the Nexus 4 is the best looking phone out there IMO, even compared to the iPhone 5 and the Samsung S3 (the style/position of the home button killed that design). I really like the UI design of stock Android too, it's not childish or cutesy looking like the bloat or iOS. I'm into the whole 'sci-fi' theme of it.
Also, looking at most other phones, they generally fall short in certain areas, whereas the Nexus devices as of late are looking relatively well considered. After using a Galaxy Nexus, I despise the current state of AMOLED tech. That rules out almost every Samsung phone under the sun. HTC One Xes supposedly have sucky battery life (plus, Tegra 3 vs a quadcore Snapdragon simply isn't a competition at all), and I've decided that lasting less than 5 hours with the screen on (for any mobile device, tablet, phone, whatever) just isn't good enough anymore.
Tablet-wise, for an Android tablet, there is no comparison to the upcoming Nexus 10. The Note sucks and the Infinity really sucks. The iPad wants you to get into the whole Apple ecosystem with Macs and iPhones to really get the best out of things like iCloud and whatnot, and Mac sucks for software & games.
The only real competitor to a Nexus is Windows 8 and WP8, which both look great (better than Android except for the whole 'Bing' thing) but their ecosystems aren't ready for real use yet. I have to say, the Lumia 920 is packing some awesome technology, and with the winter season coming I would really appreciate the touch screen you can use with gloves on. Not to mention the typical Nokia build quality, plus it seems to have everything covered.

The Nexus phones are the quickest to get updates and don't have any OEM skins or bloatware that is forced on the users. While an AOSP ROM can be ported to any phone in theory, it takes time and there are usually hardware issues due to closed source or unavailable drivers, and also locked bootloaders.
The problem with the Nexus line is its sort of like Apple's devices in the sense that there is limited hardware choice and device's memory can't be expanded. My personal hardware tastes are for a smaller device with no more than a 4.3" screen and it must have a microSD slot. I'll put up with OEM skins, bloatware can be frozen with root, as hardware is more important to me than software. But everyone it entitled to their own opinions and preferences.

Nexus phones do have bloat. Google+, google currents, Google earth, google movies, Google books, etc. All /system apps that can't be removed. Most of them are useless.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Personally running Slim on my S3 is fast enough for me and my aged brain, any faster and I can't keep up!
Add to that my phone is my main music player hooked up to amp and speakers, I love that I can dual boot to get Samsung best bits(few!)
Not worried about lte
Glass back may be stylish.....but is utterly stupid on a phone.
......I am stupid!.....the reasoning?..... .this is all my opinion, nobody is really interested, and I'm not really interested in theirs......ergot......I MUST be stupid for posting in first place.....

jordanishere said:
Nexus phones do have bloat. Google+, google currents, Google earth, google movies, Google books, etc. All /system apps that can't be removed. Most of them are useless.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Was that your final answer? I use most of those... and last I checked, u can go to the play store and uninstall all of them... don't even need root if I'm not mistaken...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

KidCarter93 said:
If you ask one of those people why a Nexus is so great, they'll say one of three things or a mix of the three.
The reasons are;
1) All Nexus devices look great and have great build quality.
2) It's guaranteed to have great developer support.
3) It's officially supported by Google so it will get the latest Android updates before any other device.
Now, let me tell you my response to each of those points...
1) Most Nexus devices don't look great. The only one which looks good, in my opinion, is the Nexus 7. Apart from that, none of them look any better than other devices around.
2) Yes it will have great developer support, but so do a lot of phones which are already around and have been for ages now. An example of that is the Galaxy S2. It's been around for over a year and a half and it still has more development than most phones do
3) Again, this is true. But they're not the only devices to get the Android updates quickly. This site has a smattering of great developers so it will never take long for other devices to get the latest versions, and you haven't even needed to buy a new phone just to get the latest and greatest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I'll agree not all Nexus look great, though that's a real personal preference thing. I for one, would prefer the Nexus one look over the Nexus s. I currently own a Gnex and I'd be honest in saying it looks alright, but I would like some changes made (Nexus 4, comes close)
2) To be fair, of course the S2 (and noteably other handsets) will have a large dev support, in terms of quantity they sell a lot more than the Nexus family (exception of the Nexus 7, that's the first Nexus priced aggressively)
3) Quick =/= first to get updates. Some people just want the newest FIRST.
I personally choose the nexus because I don't want to be caught with a device that will have a short support life (mentioned above). History shows the Nexus WILL have the most official updates:
Nexus one: Shipped with Eclair, last official version was GB
Nexus S: Shipped with GB, officially supported till Jelly bean
Gnex: Don't know yet, but its gone from ICS to JB.
If you go to dev section, there are even newer (unofficial builds) I don't buy phones every year so I want a phone that will last me 2 years at least.