Galaxy Nexus vs Galaxy S2: Comparison reviews make me love my SGS2 even more - Android General

Like many others, I've been drooling over the Galaxy Nexus since it was announced. However, the more I read about it, the less interested I am to get one. At this point it seems that the only real upside to moving from the SGS2 to the Galaxy Nexus is ICS. But we all know there will be an ICS port available for the SGS2 within the upcoming months anyway, so that's a moot point.
Two comparison reviews I read:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42623/galaxy-nexus-vs-samsung-galaxy-s-2
http://www.knowyourmobile.com/comparisons/1098323/samsung_galaxy_nexus_vs_samsung_galaxy_s2.html
Considering that the Galaxy Nexus is larger, has an inferior screen (supposedly), and lacks the ability to upgrade the internal storage due to lack of an SD card slot, I'm really losing sight on the appeal for the Galaxy Nexus.
Are you still planning on upgrading to the Galaxy Nexus when it becomes available? If so, why?

Plus the Nexus only have a 5MP camera. One reason why I was considering the Nexus is because of the NFC technology Android Beam. I know a lot of people may need the extra space of a micro SD card slot, but a lot of people don't even have a micro SD card in their GS2 just because it doesn't come with one. Either way you go, you will be getting a good phone

Yeah, the 5mp camera appeared to be a turn off to me at first as well. But I have seen some comparison pictures taken with both phones and the 5mp camera on the Nexus does seem to be a bit clearer than the 8mp camera on the SGS2.
However, I don't typically choose a phone due to its camera. So this doesn't really matter to me.

Ya I was debating these two for awhile. I went Tmob GS2 and don't regret it one bit...better cpu, gpu, modem, SD card, camera, lighter, smaller, etc. For me a phone any larger than the GS2 and I not interested, it has taken some getting use to the larger size in my hand coming from a Nexus S.

I'm most likely going to own both of them. I love the nexus line of phones. Nothing like stock. They are both amazing from what I have seen and will decide which is better for myself after using both.
There is enough hate in the world. Why can't we all get along here ...?

sn0warmy said:
Two comparison reviews I read:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42623/galaxy-nexus-vs-samsung-galaxy-s-2
http://www.knowyourmobile.com/comparisons/1098323/samsung_galaxy_nexus_vs_samsung_galaxy_s2.html
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You do realize that both of those reviews are of the i9100, right? That phone is really a COMPLETELY different phone than the SGH-T989! There needs to be a comparison to the T-Mobile US version of the SGSII.
Considering that the Galaxy Nexus is larger
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The Nexus is larger in height but not width, it is in fact thinner in width.
, has an inferior screen (supposedly)
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Where the heck did you read that? Are you talking about Gorilla Glass? It has a reinforced glass, Google wouldn't let them put **** on their latest and greatest after the Nexus S flop
, and lacks the ability to upgrade the internal storage due to lack of an SD card slot
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Who uses more than 32GB?
Are you still planning on upgrading to the Galaxy Nexus when it becomes available? If so, why?
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YES. Because it is a Nexus. ICS. Updates BEFORE ANY OTHER PHONE GET'S THEM. Will have HUGE developer support. Best display available. There's more, can't think of them now.
---------- Post added at 08:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:11 AM ----------
sn0warmy said:
Yeah, the 5mp camera appeared to be a turn off to me at first as well. But I have seen some comparison pictures taken with both phones and the 5mp camera on the Nexus does seem to be a bit clearer than the 8mp camera on the SGS2.
However, I don't typically choose a phone due to its camera. So this doesn't really matter to me.
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I agree totally. When I first read the stats with a 5mp camera first thought was, "why"? But I have too seen the comparisons. I'm willing to get they upgraded the optics. All that aside, I don't take many pictures with my phone. I use my camera for that so it's a minimal spec.
---------- Post added at 08:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------
wannagofast said:
Ya I was debating these two for awhile. I went Tmob GS2 and don't regret it one bit...better cpu, gpu, modem, SD card, camera, lighter, smaller, etc. For me a phone any larger than the GS2 and I not interested, it has taken some getting use to the larger size in my hand coming from a Nexus S.
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Hmmm...Better CPU - You sure? This CPU (TMO SGSII) is pain to do anything productive with.
GPU - Ok, may be a LITTLE better, but I doubt you would ever notice the difference. As far as I've read that GPU performs just fine for any game available on Android.
Modem - What are you talking about? The HSPA+ speed?
SD Card, yeah, talked about that already.
Lighter - Um, NO, they weigh the same.
Camera - More pixels means **** if the camera itself cant handle them.
ETC - What else? You say you can't handle a larger phone? I thought this thing was huge when I got it and wanted to go back to my Sensation but in time I grew to like the size. Just FYI, the Nexus is taller but skinnier. Thinner too by .6mm.

NFC Android Beam Correction
I didn't think the GS2 had NFC (Android Beam) but I was just reading the back of the box and it says it is NFC enabled, so maybe it does. This pushes the GS2 over the top imo.

There just isn't enough added to it besides ics for me to buy it!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

typoknig said:
I didn't think the GS2 had NFC (Android Beam) but I was just reading the back of the box and it says it is NFC enabled, so maybe it does. This pushes the GS2 over the top imo.
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Menu>Settings>Wireless and network>Check NFC to enable.
Yes, the TMO SGSII has NFC.

The GN is better than TMO's SII in almost every way. The fact that its a 720p screen is such a big winner. 4.6' WVGA screen looked really bad to me. And I would take a TI-OMAP4 processor over Qualcomm's S3 processor any day of the week. Plus it's straight from Google. You save yourself the headache of wondering whether you're going to get the next Android firmware upgrade.
I bet the SII wont even officially get ICS until Q2 of next year, and that's probably after the SIII is released lol. Just like what happened with the first generation Galaxy S.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

Tmo sgs2 >>> GN
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

There seems to be a lot of debate about which phone is better. Both have similar processors, one has an sd card slot and one doesnt, both have huge screens, nfc, comparable cameras.
Given that the phones are so similar, why not save around $200 and get the sgs2?

Someone who played with both they both have ups and downs.
Galaxy nexus: 720 resolution Everything looks nice and sharp. But at angles these are at angles you never hold your phone at. It looks green. Samsung galaxy s2 doesn't at any angle. Galaxy nexus wins here.
Galaxy nexus: Os Latest and greatest. But it doesn't matter at all does it. Your on xda your going to root and run cm 9 or miui ics. Besides both teams come out with better things than Google themselves anyway. (tie)
Internal storage goes to samsung galaxy s2. Sorry to say most people fill of 32 gigs with enough clockwork back ups including titanium back ups, music videos and pictures it is easy to fill it up. You can say otg but I rather only carry my phone around and not carry extra pieces.
Both camera take very good pictures. More megapixels does not mean better pictures. The galaxy nexus camera takes pictures instantly and panorama works flawlessly. The software for cameras has always been better from oems than google. It still is. Goes to samsung galaxy s2. Then again you can get applications that fix this as well for the galaxy nexus. (tie)
Processors: .... Texas instruments processors aren't the best. They have been in various Motorola phones. Droid line phones have moto blur. Which I believe is more taxing than sense. Not bad not the best either. Google has optimized the software around the processor before I'm pretty sure they have again.
Qualcomm: Once again is not the best not the worst. You get better battery life supposedly. I didn't get to play with gnex for than 5 hrs can't tell. I'm pretty sure the lte version battery last 4-5 hrs. From single qualcomm to dual core one i can guarantee you it is an improvement over the single core phone. Various reports said hspa+ gnexus was getting a day.
Exynos: Best processor out supposedly. Various reliable benchmark test prove so. But its really no different than any processors. What is it downfall. You have this ridiculous amount of power in a phone. Which in a year it be outdated. In two years. you won't even been using this processor. Probably an updated version or a totally different. Also by the way reliable means nothing I can get two thousand people to vouch for me or give a good opinion of me. Never produce nothing in the end that really matters. Not like applications can't run because you have a certain processor. Look at tegra 2 games can still run on other various devices.
For the people who saying Ti is better than qualcomm. The galaxy nexus build is probably like Optimized like over 5 times. Can't compare stock and touchwiz. Matter fact you can't even tell over the samsung galaxy s2 line. On gingerbread. Hard to tax the roms are heavily optimized and are little nothing more than 90-100mb.
Anyone that says they can see the difference in real life performance on custom roms like cm 9 and miui is a fan boy and its all in their head after they see benchmarks so they start to elude them selves from the truth. Real life performance is not what sites tell you. It is how you use the phone. It varies from person to person.
If your developer go for the galaxy nexus. If your a consumer go for the galaxy s2. Both phones do the samething. Both phones can have equally the same development if you know how to code. Your not losing out.

I find it hilarious that *XDA members* would give points to a phone just because it comes with the latest version of Android. It's like a mechanic complaining because another car has better spark plugs or something. ICS isn't a real selling point to anyone but clueless end-users, IMO.

I know its been said here but still... any time you read ANYTHING about the SGS2 they are talking about the i9100 which is a COMPLETELY different phone than out t989... besides the camera and the "sII" printed on the back, not much else is the same... just saying.
Sent from my Beastly SGS2!

if you think that's bad
you should check this detailed list out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1362556
sn0warmy said:
Like many others, I've been drooling over the Galaxy Nexus since it was announced. However, the more I read about it, the less interested I am to get one. At this point it seems that the only real upside to moving from the SGS2 to the Galaxy Nexus is ICS. But we all know there will be an ICS port available for the SGS2 within the upcoming months anyway, so that's a moot point.
Two comparison reviews I read:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42623/galaxy-nexus-vs-samsung-galaxy-s-2
http://www.knowyourmobile.com/comparisons/1098323/samsung_galaxy_nexus_vs_samsung_galaxy_s2.html
Considering that the Galaxy Nexus is larger, has an inferior screen (supposedly), and lacks the ability to upgrade the internal storage due to lack of an SD card slot, I'm really losing sight on the appeal for the Galaxy Nexus.
Are you still planning on upgrading to the Galaxy Nexus when it becomes available? If so, why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

A lot of good insight here. One thing others have brought up, which I was not aware of, is that the TMO SGS2 is much different than the i9100 version. I knew the exterior was a bit different but I thought that was it. Are you saying that the T989 is inferior to the i9100? If so, in what ways?
jordanishere said:
There seems to be a lot of debate about which phone is better. Both have similar processors, one has an sd card slot and one doesnt, both have huge screens, nfc, comparable cameras.
Given that the phones are so similar, why not save around $200 and get the sgs2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my point. This is where I currently stand. I was ready to sell my SGS2 and pay an additional $250+ for the Galaxy Nexus sometime over the next couple of months. But at this point, it just doesn't seem worth it. Maybe sometime next year when it is readily available on T-Mobile and I am eligible to upgrade I will pick up a GN for around the same price I sell my SGS2 for, making it a wash.
AllGamer said:
if you think that's bad
you should check this detailed list out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1362556
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The below bug you listed would really drive me nuts:
software buttons bugs (mostly with apps that are not ICS ready)

sn0warmy said:
A lot of good insight here. One thing others have brought up, which I was not aware of, is that the TMO SGS2 is much different than the i9100 version. I knew the exterior was a bit different but I thought that was it. Are you saying that the T989 is inferior to the i9100? If so, in what ways?
That's my point. This is where I currently stand. I was ready to sell my SGS2 and pay an additional $250+ for the Galaxy Nexus sometime over the next couple of months. But at this point, it just doesn't seem worth it. Maybe sometime next year when it is readily available on T-Mobile and I am eligible to upgrade I will pick up a GN for around the same price I sell my SGS2 for, making it a wash.
The below bug you listed would really drive me nuts:
software buttons bugs (mostly with apps that are not ICS ready)
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Is is inferior but not quite like omg its just the original has better gpu and processor. But this version has better battery life. Ill trade off some power for better battery life anytime. All people do is over hype the processor which will eventually be outdated like every other processor. A everyday user for normal task it is easy. Even for a power user like me. Not a big deal. They act as if the t-mobile version is the bastard child of the family. Sure on stock touchwiz the original sg2 beats the tmobile version. But any other custom roms everything varies. You can never compare them because they are compiled from different sources. It is like comparing apples from different areas. They may look the same but they taste different.

When I got my phone, i was trying to choose between waiting for the galaxy nexus, get the iphone 4s, or get one of the SGS2 variants. I went with the SGH-T989. And after reading more about the Nexus, and playing around with friends' and family's iphone 4s, I'm pretty confident that I made the right decision.

Both phones have their positives and negatives.
The PenTile Super AMOLED HD vs. the Super AMOLED+ display is subjective. Some people like the higher resolution, some people would rather do without the green tint.
Both are NFC enabled, so that's a moot point, too.
About the processors: People in this thread seem to think that every single mobile SOC uses its own native ARM ISA. This is false. The TI OMAP 4460's processor and the processor in the Exynos (And for that matter, the Tegra 2's and the Apple A5's) are the same (Save for certain cases like NEON implementation, which most, but not all SOC's do. The Tegra 2 doesn't.) The Snapdragon's is not, as Qualcomm licenses the ability to design their own ARM based ISA from ARM Holdings (Think AMD and Intel). http://www.anandtech.com/show/3632/anands-google-nexus-one-review/9
Between Cortex-A9 SOC's, the difference in performance and benchmarks is either down to the GPU (The Exynos uses the Mali-400, the TI uses the PowerVR SGX 540, the Tegra 2 uses the Geforce ULP, and the A5 uses the PowerVR SGX543MP2), software optimization, clock rate, or certain cases where NEON would provide a benefit.
Performance per clock has the Cortex A9 leading the Snapdragon chip in most cases. This isn't Qualcomm's fault. The Snapdragon was never designed to compete with the A9, but rather, the A8. This is why benchmarks seem to have the T-Mobile SGSII coming in last place between the carrier variants. In real world performance, though, it's relatively a moot point. Most software is still being written for the 1GHz single core crowd. Any dual core device should remain hardware relevant for quite some time.
As far as GPU performance is concerned... the Adreno 220 /should/ be more powerful than the SGX540 the Galaxy Nexus uses, but software optimization can provide a key role here.
I've heard mixed views over the camera in the Galaxy Nexus. From what I've gathered, at its best, the camera can snap clearer, more color accurate shots than the SGSII at its best, but it's easier to take rubbish shots than the SGSII's. The resolution of the CMOS sensor means almost nothing in terms of raw image quality, and it's silly to compare cameras based on it.
The Galaxy Nexus doesn't use Gorilla Glass, but some sort of unknown manufacturer's "reenforced glass", like the Nexus S. I'll hold off until we hear some clear reports on how durable/scratch resistant this glass really is.
The biggest reason to go with the Galaxy Nexus would definitely be software updates, though. Obviously, it's the first phone with Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a massive improvement over Gingerbread in every way. And then, it will get consistent updates, as they are managed by Google instead of the manufacturer/carrier. (Remember how hard it was just to get an official Froyo on the US versions of the original Galaxy S?) Samsung claims that it's trying to clean up its act on that front, but it's not entirely up to them. It's up to the carriers, and they'd rather us sign onto new contracts with newer phones. We'll see.
There's no SD card slot on the Nexus. That's a big thing for most people.
Audio performance is interesting. The Yamaha DAC the Galaxy S II uses has been called a downgrade from the original Wolfson DAC the Galaxy/Nexus S used. I haven't heard reports on the Galaxy Nexus' DAC, so we'll just have to wait and see.
There will definitely be more ROM support for the Galaxy Nexus. Two reasons.
1. It's not split up into four (five?) different models, some of which have different hardware altogether.
2. AOSP Android. Everything running on the Galaxy Nexus has been open sourced from the beginning. (GAPPS excluded). Meaning there won't be any driver issues as per the SGSII.
If both phones were out right now and available for T-Mobile and I'd have to chose, I'd probably pick the Galaxy Nexus just for the ICS and ROM support. That's not to say I'm unhappy with my SGSII, but running a vastly superior version of Android and being able to tinker around with it that much more is worth it (to me) over my own personal preference for the non PenTile SAMOLED display and the Gorilla Glass.

Related

Will the Nexus Prime smash the SGS2?

From all the rumours floating around at the moment the Nexus Prime sounds like a beast. Samsung made, 1.5gHz exynos chip, Amoled 720p screen. 5mp rear camera w/1080p and a front facing 1mp camera. No physical buttons and Android 4.0.
But when the SGS2 gets Android 4.0, other than the 720p screen will it be pushed to 2nd in the awesome stakes? After all we have an very nice camera and and awesome chipset. Just like the Nexus S was a google branded SGS1, will the Prime be a google branded SGS2?
Any thoughts?
http://www.fonehome.co.uk/2011/07/18/google-nexus-prime-10-things-we-want-to-see/
robt772000 said:
From all the rumours floating around at the moment the Nexus Prime sounds like a beast. Samsung made, 1.5gHz exynos chip, Amoled 720p screen. 5mp rear camera w/1080p and a front facing 1mp camera. No physical buttons and Android 4.0.
But when the SGS2 gets Android 4.0, other than the 720p screen will it be pushed to 2nd in the awesome stakes? After all we have an very nice camera and and awesome chipset. Just like the Nexus S was a google branded SGS1, will the Prime be a google branded SGS2?
Any thoughts?
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It depends on how it all comes together. A higher quality 5mp camera could produce better results that our 8mp camera so that doesn't scare me. More power is always good. A pure Google phone is always good from a latest and greatest perspective. It's also guaranteed to have NFC which is good.
The screen kind of scares me. My SGS2 screen (an early build) is great but there have been lots of reported QC issues, wide variations in color temperature, the gradient issue, and the left side banding issue. Pushing even more pixels to get to 720p is going to be tough to pull off based on the challenges they experienced in the jump from SAMOLED to SAMOLED+.
The radio's important and I wouldn't go back to something lower than 21MB HSPA+. I doubt it'll support any form of LTE because there are too many frequencies to contend with.
So count me as a "maybe."
Thanks for responding. I am not so sure either. That's why a discussion is a great place to start. Hopefully it will smash the new Iphone.
http://www.fonehome.co.uk/2011/07/22/google-nexus-prime-processor-detailed/
It all seems over the edge to me. From looking at the previous releases of google phones starting from Nexus One which consisted similar specs to the desire, and the nexus S which again has the similar specs to the Galaxy S, infact they shared the same chipsets. I'm not implying that the prime would indeed carry the similarities of the GS2 on that behalf but maybe not too far off.
An improved build of the AMOLED+ screen with all the banding issue and etc gone (I doubt it'll be 720p either). I'd say yes to dual core and maybe 1.5ghz (why not?). 5mp camera, (really?) I doubt they'd go anything below an 8mp due to competitvity and yes yes we all know that the cmos sensor makes all the difference but most people prefer figures rather than facts which is where the target audience usually lies (consider iphone 5 being the biggest role in competitiveness here).
All in all any specs that surpasses the GS2 is a path to the right direction although it's too early to judge since quad core is only around the corner, so time will tell. I personally wouldn't buy a google phone; my list of reasons would stuff this whole thread.
Next Nexus will also be google with bare basic OS , that means no awesome Samsung media codecs.
Also Nexus S had no external sdcard only 16gigs build in.
Only time will show how crippled its gonna be, sure certain aspects might be better depending who is gonna make it, CPU/GPU might be better , 720p AMOLED screen would be nice or at very least some decked out IPS panel.
Generally nexus devices never been better then some alternatives , but its subjective everyone has different needs. I am more interested in next Galaxy successor !
Yes the galaxy 3 will be a huge step. I think that all the codec support on this device is amazing. The nexus s was OK but destroyed by the s2. The next nexus probably won't beat the s2 when you look at the previous steps taken.
Samsungs software this year has been excellent. It's one of the few devices with duel core being optimised well. Will vanilla android be optimised? Probably not.
nexus s will be interesting, and will be worth a look at if it boasts a 720p display.
EDIT: haah i meant nexus prime , thanks robt772000
blickmanic said:
nexus s will be interesting, and will be worth a look at if it boasts a 720p display.
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Nexus Prime
tl;dr
Nexus "Prime" will be a very good phone (atleast I can hope so!). But even if it smashes GS2, no shame in that. By all accounts, Prime would be released 6+ months after GS2, so it would be a shame if it can't beat GS2.
I am worried about few other points which you guys might have better knowledge:
1. How would be the application support for Ice cream? Will it be compatible with 2.x application?
2. What would be native/suggested resolution and form factor of displays? I assume that it's 480*800 for 2.x models. Is that going to change with Ice cream?
3. What would happen to Honeycomb? Ice cream is supposed to be across both tablets and phones? So, it appears to me that HC was just a stop-gap arrangement to allow android foot-hold in the tablet market.
4. What sort of processors are they going to support? My assumption was that HC was typically made compatible with Tegra2 and the primary reason why it sucked initially. I would bet that if HC ran on Exynos with Samsung optimized drivers, it would be much better than what it is now.
Most people tend think the battle would be with iOS, my idea is that the biggest threat for Ice cream will be from Microsoft!
Remember Windows 8 - it's being optimized for both tablets and notebook/desktops. Will be running both on x86 and ARM processors. And from initial views, that looks simply awesome. MS is going to have same platform running for phone, tablets and notebooks. I can't help and appreciate how much it would attract the developers. You develop for 1 platform which could run the application on any of the devices. And the customer base - everyone running Windows PC. That is huge. As much as I hated Microsoft, I can say with no shame that I simply love Win 7. I believe I had no BSOD over 1-1.5 years of using Win 7. Ice cream need to step up and has to bring something really useful to be a successful.
My only real concern is the screen quality, the SAMOLED plus is inferior to the regular SAMOLED due to its massive banding and QC issues, for day to day use theres basically no difference between both, For pictures the SAMOLED made some pictures prettier because it was not able to display the flaws/image compression artifacts, color is better on the Plus though. All in all it boils down to the screen quality for me.
robt772000 said:
From all the rumours floating around at the moment the Nexus Prime sounds like a beast. Samsung made, 1.5gHz exynos chip, Amoled 720p screen. 5mp rear camera w/1080p and a front facing 1mp camera. No physical buttons and Android 4.0.
But when the SGS2 gets Android 4.0, other than the 720p screen will it be pushed to 2nd in the awesome stakes? After all we have an very nice camera and and awesome chipset. Just like the Nexus S was a google branded SGS1, will the Prime be a google branded SGS2?
Any thoughts?
http://www.fonehome.co.uk/2011/07/18/google-nexus-prime-10-things-we-want-to-see/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All that and probably no micro sd card slot again.
Most definitely. It's the Big G's OFFICIAL phone. And should it have this epic HD-high-resolution 4.0" or 4.3" display. It'll blow the GS2 away. Not to mention whatever minor processor improvements there will be.
Also it'll be rocking 4.0 - K.O - Game Set Match.
Anyhows, I'm just happy they're continuing the Nexus range, because it really is something that showcases Android and combats iOS and that really brings the best of the best to the table. (well so far it has)........well not really with the Nexus S, but that is still a damn good phone. But this Nexus Prime looks like it's going to be another Nexus One, ground-breaking.
rd_nest said:
Remember Windows 8 - it's being optimized for both tablets and notebook/desktops. Will be running both on x86 and ARM processors. And from initial views, that looks simply awesome. MS is going to have same platform running for phone, tablets and notebooks. I can't help and appreciate how much it would attract the developers. You develop for 1 platform which could run the application on any of the devices. And the customer base - everyone running Windows PC. That is huge. As much as I hated Microsoft, I can say with no shame that I simply love Win 7. I believe I had no BSOD over 1-1.5 years of using Win 7. Ice cream need to step up and has to bring something really useful to be a successful.
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hmmm I agree with you. Microsoft are really stepping up their game. (ABOUT TIME!!) But I think while Apple and Microsoft are trying to unify the desktop and mobile experience into ONE, those two will compete a lot more. I think Android will take a beating in the coming years...but I also think that people (like myself) enjoy a change.
I for one, would HATE to be working on my Mac, or windows...then go out and switch to my mobile and then have the exact same/a VERY similar experience on my phone. I actually like the change in OS, the change in apps...but then again, I suppose most people just want everything to be exactly the same because it's more "simple" :/
daivik said:
hmmm I agree with you. Microsoft are really stepping up their game. (ABOUT TIME!!) But I think while Apple and Microsoft are trying to unify the desktop and mobile experience into ONE, those two will compete a lot more. I think Android will take a beating in the coming years...but I also think that people (like myself) enjoy a change.
I for one, would HATE to be working on my Mac, or windows...then go out and switch to my mobile and then have the exact same/a VERY similar experience on my phone. I actually like the change in OS, the change in apps...but then again, I suppose most people just want everything to be exactly the same because it's more "simple" :/
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Click to collapse
Yes, both MS and Apple are trying to unify the platforms. My view is that Apple will again try to keep that niche segment and their loyal user base. MS, like Google will license their software to other vendors. The whole scenario sounds similar to what happened in the desktop space 20 years back. History repeating itself - we have Apple on one side and MS/Google with a different approach on other. Players like IBM and Compaq making way for present day vendors like Samsung/Nokia etc.,
Ho well, I won't be surprised if in a year from now, with dual core 2ghz ARMs and 1+ gig of ram in phones we will see windows 8 running on smartphones with metro UI on top... If it runs on a tab, it'll run on a smartpone. Hell the SGS2 is crushing any tablet currently, it's just sad that all the SGS are always given unused potential (remember the sgx540 on sgs1, and now exynos mali400 on sgs2). But hey that's what makes them future proof, we'll still see SGS1 running new games and apps in a year or two.
I liked android for the customization and liberty it gave me, but I pretty much ran around it both on tablet (transformer) and phone (SGS1 &2) and I think that my next gen of devices will be wp7.5 mango (if the WP7 SGS2 ever comes out!) and then wp8 stuff late 2012.
Honestly I think the current tab market is just ****ting his pants at windows 8's arrival, because frankly, no iOS or honeycomb can rival win8's functionalities, if it runs smooth of course... (win 8 transformer 2 ).
Standing from here I really see MS as the big winner of following years. Android had 2 years to evolve into something really productive, yet it didn't really came there and still has a lesser quality catalog compared to the app store. But who knows what ICS will bring ? we can only wait.
Just a quick thing I've been thinking about...
If the Nexus Prime does have a 720p display and that's what games are played on, the experience most likely would not be as smooth as the SGS2 as the difference is pixels of the two devices is very drastic. Even qHD hurts game performance. Also, isn't retina display the most pixels needed for a 3.5" screen? I have a hard time believing there would be ANY noticeable difference between a 720p screen and qHD.
It depends on what hardware it will have.
If it will boast a Qualcomm Krait, then it will blow it away. If it uses anything else, then no, it might be slightly faster performance wise, but that's all. The only thing going for it will be the 720p screen, but we still don't know the size of the display or what type it will be.
L Eric said:
Just a quick thing I've been thinking about...
If the Nexus Prime does have a 720p display and that's what games are played on, the experience most likely would not be as smooth as the SGS2 as the difference is pixels of the two devices is very drastic. Even qHD hurts game performance. Also, isn't retina display the most pixels needed for a 3.5" screen? I have a hard time believing there would be ANY noticeable difference between a 720p screen and qHD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's supposed to have a ginormous screen, so think bigger than 4.3" of the SGS2. I don't think it will surpass the DPI of the retina display even at 720p or at that screen size.
If it doesn't surpass SII in every spec then it will be just another SII. You will have to make compromises between a lower mp camera or no card slot, etc. If it beats SII in every section then yes, it will blow it away.
Samsung Nexus for Me
Winner is
Around 2.5x higher resolution screen, 1280x720 vs 800x480
Around 50% crisper display of text, images and video, 315 PPI vs 217 PPI
More than 10% larger screen, 4.6" vs 4.3"
i will go for Nexus !!

[Q] Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy S II?

So I have an iPhone 4S right now.
Long story short, I switched from iPhone 4 to Droid X2. Hated how sluggish the X2 was but LOVED the openness of Android. And returned it and switched to the 4S when it arrived.
I love the look of Ice Cream Sandwich and every preview shows it running incredibly smoothly. It felt as though Android was in beta before ICS, and that it's finally moved into Gold product stage.
I'm dying waiting for the Nexus and mainly want it because it will have Ice Cream Sandwich.
My question is, should I just get the Galaxy S II or should I wait another few weeks for the Nexus? I don't care that much about 4G LTE. I DO want ICS. I've been reading the forums and it seems the S II is closing to get an ICS ROM that's fully functional.
What does everyone think? Get the S II today or wait a few more weeks for the Nexus?
2 days ago I would have said get the SII. But as full reviews are coming out now, I would definitely wait for the Nexus. Other than ICS, it is reviewed as an all around better phone (minus the camera, which is better on the SII). I do not own an SII, but you are going to get some disgustingly bias comments from people who do. Like I said, I am basing this off of reviews from reputable sites.
Thanks!
I'm very tempted by the Nexus (and the reviews are awesome!) I just have no idea when it's going to arrive. This month? December 8?
I'm very tempted by the S II because I'm hearing it runs pretty much as well as the Nexus, ICS is almost ready to be released (through ROMs, I'm sure the "official" release is a ways away), and it's cheaper.
Tough decision. I'm tired of iOS though and want to move on to a grown up OS. I just don't want to keep waiting. Argh.
Yes I'm bias I own an SGS2 but just check the specs out, lower spec camera, amoled not amoled+, no guerilla glass! The only real plus the Nexus Galaxy has is vanilla ICS and the SGS2 will have ICS soon enough whether it be Sammy ICS or custom ROM ICS.
Look at the price difference for lower specs, are you willing to pay that much more just to have ICS early??
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Swyped from a distant star, the other side of the Galaxy on my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
JayJ-1974 said:
Yes I'm bias I own an SGS2 but just check the specs out, lower spec camera, amoled not amoled+, no guerilla glass! The only real plus the Nexus Galaxy has is vanilla ICS and the SGS2 will have ICS soon enough whether it be Sammy ICS or custom ROM ICS.
Look at the price difference for lower specs, are you willing to pay that much more just to have ICS early??
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Swyped from a distant star, the other side of the Galaxy on my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better hardware, better software, better CPU, and I will quote the part about the display
"The other significant thing about the screen is its resolution. It’s a 720p HD Super AMOLED panel (full resolution 1280x720), similar to the display on the Samsung Galaxy Note. And just as we said in our review of that phone, this is about as good as it gets in terms of display technology on a portable device."
The only thing lower spec is the camera...this is a developer phone, who cares about the camera.
SGSII is better. The processor in the Galaxy Nexus is not as good as the ones in the world SGS2 or the Epic Touch. The only thing this phone has really is the higher resolution screen. Tit for tat it's ok, but not ground-breaking.
Why 5MP camera on a higher res than throwing in a better 8MP camera like the one on the SGS2
Plus the hype about the phone, and the true specs were a let down just to be able to run ICS. And as far as vanilla android all of the other makers have the ability to run stock android with out the company's UI.
I have used a Galaxy Nexus and the only thing I liked was the incredible screen. The rest was crap...including ICS.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio X315e using Tapatalk
Hey, I am just going off of reviews from well known sites THAT HAVE TRIED BOTH PHONES! Until someone else chimes in that has in fact used both phones for more than 24 hours, your argument holds no ground. I have taken probably a total of 15 pictures with my phone in the past year, so I could really care less about the camera..
More reasons not to go with the Nexus, 16gb USB storage and NO SD card expansion.
No flash until Adobe support it later in the year!?!
And I meant SAMOLED and SAMOLED+.
FreeYourAndroid - Galaxy Nexus vs. SGS2: Camera Comparison - http://freeyourandroid.com/viewnews.php?fya=54932841321744858
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Swyped from a distant star, the other side of the Galaxy on my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
The question for me, I guess, is how close are we to having a working custom ICS rom for the S II? I like the specs of the S II better, and would prefer the smaller screen - I think 4.65" is pretty big.
I just want to be able to have ICS and not have to wait months and months for the Samsung official update with everything skinned. I want Vanilla android or something close to it, but would love it on the S II.
Interesting thread !
Since I keep questionning myself about the very same question at the moment, I'm constantly doing prons and cons game
Here is my observations so far :
Screen
Galaxy S II : smaller screen (4.3") but S-Amoled Plus and Gorilla Glass. No waste of screen since it got hardware buttons
Galaxy Nexus : bigger (4.6") not "plus" but more DPI and 720p, everyone accords to qualify it to sharper. Good for visioning (films etc)
CPU / GPU
Since the two got the same CPU (Cortex A9 dual core), let's take a look a the GPU
SGS2 : Mali 400Mp, strong for graphic features
SGN : PowerVR SGX540, not so good with graphic features
Here is a beanchmark comparison : http://www.anandtech.com/show/5133/galaxy-nexus-ice-cream-sandwich-initial-performance
The choice of Google seems to go for user experience (general use, browsing etc). I don't think le GN is tailored to be a gaming beast for example
Hardware
The SGN doesn't have any micro-SD slot and can't do mass storage out of the box (but XDA dev are here for sure ), it's a Google choice to unify the storage : http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/1...behind-galaxy-nexus-lack-of-usb-mass-storage/
No notification LED for the SGS2 but got the jack above
Camera is better on SGS2 but since the captor on a mobile phone are not very good ... Can we really see a difference ?
So ?
So the choice is yours
The 2 devices are great, it really depends what you are seeking for
I don't speak about ICS since everyone here know it will come to the SGS2 soon
If you want a device for gaming, I say go for the SGS2
If you want a new device and a good big beautifull screen, pick the SGN
What do you think ?
EDIT : a usefull link to compare the 2 : http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=3621&idPhone2=4219
VTHockey11 said:
The question for me, I guess, is how close are we to having a working custom ICS rom for the S II? I like the specs of the S II better, and would prefer the smaller screen - I think 4.65" is pretty big.
I just want to be able to have ICS and not have to wait months and months for the Samsung official update with everything skinned. I want Vanilla android or something close to it, but would love it on the S II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 4.65 inch screen is a little misleading. Since there are no hardware buttons, the bottom part of the screen is dedicated for this. With that part of the screen gone, it is comparable to 4.3".
lowandbehold said:
The 4.65 inch screen is a little misleading. Since there are no hardware buttons, the bottom part of the screen is dedicated for this. With that part of the screen gone, it is comparable to 4.3".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but the on screen buttons are hidden when you got a full screen app (videos, games, apps developpers set to fullscreen) so you got a real 4.65" screen for that
some food for thoughts about the Galaxy Nexus http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1362556
AllGamer said:
some food for thoughts about the Galaxy Nexus http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1362556
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, quite a bit of issues. But it is to be expected with a newly released phone, and the SGSII has many of the same issues. One note about the volume bug issue (which I hear is the most predominent issue). That would not affect users in the United States. It only happens on an Edge network running a certain frequency that is not supported here.
Get it
As a person who went through this, then thought screw it, I'll take the leap.
GET THE NEXUS
It is an amazing phone and in my opinion equally to the SGSII better taken into account the software.
My main point was- I don't like the SII I much prefer the look and shape of the Nexus.
However the main plus point is the Camera and stock android.
No lag at all with the camera and no crappy touchwiz meaning that you don't HAVE to root to get rid of it.
Google nexus won´t have ICS, SG S II yes.
Jaime. said:
Google nexus won´t have ICS, SG S II yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you kidding with this post?

If you had to change phones soon...

I liked the Charge, but having non stop issues day after day. Extremely poor call quality when the phone gets below 20%, M$ Exchange email doesnt work, calendar wont sync, data always disconnects, etc.
Made about a dozen calls and finally got a hold of a regional manager that is willing to help me out, or so he says. Told me he would be able to get me an early upgrade price so trying to decide what route to go.
Prior to being an android user, I had the iPhone from the first version and dropped the iPhone 4 back in July for the 4G device. Saved me some money from having to buy a 4G hotspot and a phone, plus iPhone was limited and couldn't handle a few things that I needed. Seems to be better, but its still a 3G phone.
New Nexus looks pretty good, but heard some things not so good about them. Is it better to wait as it seems new phones come out every week, or better to pull the trigger on the Nexus now?
bossku69 said:
I liked the Charge, but having non stop issues day after day. Extremely poor call quality when the phone gets below 20%, M$ Exchange email doesnt work, calendar wont sync, data always disconnects, etc.
Made about a dozen calls and finally got a hold of a regional manager that is willing to help me out, or so he says. Told me he would be able to get me an early upgrade price so trying to decide what route to go.
Prior to being an android user, I had the iPhone from the first version and dropped the iPhone 4 back in July for the 4G device. Saved me some money from having to buy a 4G hotspot and a phone, plus iPhone was limited and couldn't handle a few things that I needed. Seems to be better, but its still a 3G phone.
New Nexus looks pretty good, but heard some things not so good about them. Is it better to wait as it seems new phones come out every week, or better to pull the trigger on the Nexus now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH if it were me I'd just wait for the next big smartphone of Q1/Q2, they'll be as good or better spec-wise than the Nexus however you'll be missing out on the pure AOSP experience and timely updates... its not that important to me so I'll be doing this, I'm gonna probably pick up the next HTC superphone (a little tired of samsung now though I love their hardware)
I have the Galaxy Nexus right now and its the best phone I've ever had. Sure they're some minor problems with it like with any new device. But nothing at all that makes it unusable or annoying.
I wouldn't wait for phones that come out at CES 2012 because they won't be available until Q2 at least. Plus all the Quad Core phones will all have problems working the kinks out since they'll be brand new. Much like the Thunderbolt, Charge, Revolution, and the (first) Bionic.
So my advice is to go with the Nexus. Better experience, faster updates, best phone I ever came across. Makes the iPhone 4S look puny and not fun at all IMO of course
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
If you have to change now, go for the Nexus. If you can wait some months, then wait.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
Best phone for flashers = Galaxy Nexus
Best phone for stock users = Droid Razr
its simple really...
blarrick said:
Best phone for flashers = Galaxy Nexus
Best phone for stock users = Droid Razr
its simple really...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you say the RAZR is better than the Rezound for stock users out of curiosity? I could have had either as my displacement and went with the Rezound because it appeared to be the better phone overall based on what I read.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
The Nexus is still better for stock users because it's the only one with ICS. The OS is far more intuitive and coherent than Gingerbread, and that's exactly what matters the most for those users.
The only pluses in general for the Razr versus the Nexus are its thinness (and it's not even a huge difference compared to the Nexus, it's much more noticeable compared to the chunktastic Rezound) and less-plasticky/more durable build (kevlar back, splash-proof coating, not made by Samsung).
With what I know from reading -- I'd go for the Nexus. ICS cannot be ignored, and couple that with the amazing AMOLED screens Samsung uses and you have a winner.
I believe ALL the phones have some quirks, you just have to make sure you can live with them.
The Charge was not considered a successful phone, it was the baddest mama jama when I bought mine in early June and though its not perfect, it got a breath of life when GB was released for it. Fixed most of my issues!
anoninja118 said:
TBH if it were me I'd just wait for the next big smartphone of Q1/Q2, they'll be as good or better spec-wise than the Nexus however you'll be missing out on the pure AOSP experience and timely updates... its not that important to me so I'll be doing this, I'm gonna probably pick up the next HTC superphone (a little tired of samsung now though I love their hardware)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hes actually right. If youre getting a new phone just wait for the next big phone. We have Tegra 3 coming to smartphones in Q1 and just look at the 12mp camera/quad-core phones running ICS coming just in the first 3 months of this year. Wait it out bro.
Nexus is the best phone out there right now. As for the issues you're having, if you want full Exchange support, get a Windows Phone, otherwise get Touchdown as that is the only way to have reliable Exchange support on Android. Really though, I think you'll find problems with your next phone too just based on the OP.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I completely disagree with the majority here. The HTC Rezound is by far the superior phone. Its 720p IPS LCD screen is *true* HD, not Pentile, and current OLED tech suffers from color inaccuracy and oversaturation. The subpixel count on the GNex is about equal to most 800x480 phones.
The Rezound's Adreno 220 GPU is also superior. The Gnex's GPU is just the Charge's PowerVR SGX 540 with 50% overclock. A nice comparison here: http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2011...htc-flyer-htc-desire-hd-and-samsung-galaxy-s/
The Rezound's camera is also better, and it has "Beats Audio" (not sure if that's any good though).
ambrar12 said:
I completely disagree with the majority here. The HTC Rezound is by far the superior phone. Its 720p IPS LCD screen is *true* HD, not Pentile, and current OLED tech suffers from color inaccuracy and oversaturation. The subpixel count on the GNex is about equal to most 800x480 phones.
The Rezound's Adreno 220 GPU is also superior. The Gnex's GPU is just the Charge's PowerVR SGX 540 with 50% overclock. A nice comparison here: http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2011...htc-flyer-htc-desire-hd-and-samsung-galaxy-s/
The Rezound's camera is also better, and it has "Beats Audio" (not sure if that's any good though).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
beats audio is garbage unless you like rap/hip-hop (thankfully the beats 'technology' doesn't kick in unless you plug in those craptastic beats headphones), the Rezound *might* have the Nexus beat in processor and camera but Nexus wins IMO screen-wise, its also unbloated/unskinned, will have first dibs on updates and with the zero lag shutter... meh its a toss-up I think, both are solid phones but I'd kinda lean toward the Nexus
Sent from my Acer Iconia A500 using xda premium
ambrar12 said:
I completely disagree with the majority here. The HTC Rezound is by far the superior phone. Its 720p IPS LCD screen is *true* HD, not Pentile, and current OLED tech suffers from color inaccuracy and oversaturation. The subpixel count on the GNex is about equal to most 800x480 phones.
The Rezound's Adreno 220 GPU is also superior. The Gnex's GPU is just the Charge's PowerVR SGX 540 with 50% overclock. A nice comparison here: http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2011...htc-flyer-htc-desire-hd-and-samsung-galaxy-s/
The Rezound's camera is also better, and it has "Beats Audio" (not sure if that's any good though).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This post sounds like a complete HTC fanboy post. Some of those tests with the GPU were barely better than the original SGX540 GPU. It's also closer to a 100% overclock (200MHz in the Charge v. 384MHz in the Nexus), so I would think those tests would turn out vastly different if run with the Nexus GPU at the same resolutions.
Screen is debatable, and if you looked at the Nexus screen, you couldn't tell if it was pentile or not. Outdoor visibility has ALWAYS been the best on the SAMOLED screens though, and power consumption can be better with them as well.
Camera, I'd have to see to believe as I have NEVER heard of HTC using good quality image sensors. Just because it's 8MP compared to the Nexus's 5MP doesn't mean it's better. That's like saying a 16MP point-and-shoot takes better pictures than a 10MP DSLR. It can if the conditions are right, but usually, it won't.
Beats audio is also a complete sham as the audio processor in the Charge is better. You'll likely get worse audio from Beats than you would from the Nexus. Then lets not forget software upgrades and the lack of add-on apps, can you guess which one wins here? And you can probably forget about AOSP on the Rezound anytime soon as it took several months for Layher to get it on the TB, and I don't see anyone having the dedication to do that again.
imnuts said:
This post sounds like a complete HTC fanboy post. Some of those tests with the GPU were barely better than the original SGX540 GPU. It's also closer to a 100% overclock (200MHz in the Charge v. 384MHz in the Nexus), so I would think those tests would turn out vastly different if run with the Nexus GPU at the same resolutions.
Screen is debatable, and if you looked at the Nexus screen, you couldn't tell if it was pentile or not. Outdoor visibility has ALWAYS been the best on the SAMOLED screens though, and power consumption can be better with them as well.
Camera, I'd have to see to believe as I have NEVER heard of HTC using good quality image sensors. Just because it's 8MP compared to the Nexus's 5MP doesn't mean it's better. That's like saying a 16MP point-and-shoot takes better pictures than a 10MP DSLR. It can if the conditions are right, but usually, it won't.
Beats audio is also a complete sham as the audio processor in the Charge is better. You'll likely get worse audio from Beats than you would from the Nexus. Then lets not forget software upgrades and the lack of add-on apps, can you guess which one wins here? And you can probably forget about AOSP on the Rezound anytime soon as it took several months for Layher to get it on the TB, and I don't see anyone having the dedication to do that again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also it took the rezound like 2 months just to receive root so their Dev community is probably pretty bare
Sent by me, for me and i love you
Just checked the Rezound forum. Apparently they already have an ICS ROM thanks to an ICS leak for the "Sensation XL", whatever that is.
As for AMOLED, unfortunately it's not mature enough yet and drains more battery than LCD as well as having inaccurate colors and oversaturation. And with a 720p pentile you won't notice the pixels but I don't think the sharpness would be as good as a true 720p RGB screen (I could be wrong, but I personally wouldn't bother taking the chance).
As for Beats Audio, I kinda figured you wouldn't be able to get hi-fi music quality without a proprietary port.
Also one other thing that (for me) is a real deal-breaker is lack of microSD slot on the GNexus. I have no idea what Google was thinking there.
ambrar12 said:
Just checked the Rezound forum. Apparently they already have an ICS ROM thanks to an ICS leak for the "Sensation XL", whatever that is.
As for AMOLED, unfortunately it's not mature enough yet and drains more battery than LCD as well as having inaccurate colors and oversaturation. And with a 720p pentile you won't notice the pixels but I don't think the sharpness would be as good as a true 720p RGB screen (I could be wrong, but I personally wouldn't bother taking the chance).
As for Beats Audio, I kinda figured you wouldn't be able to get hi-fi music quality without a proprietary port.
Also one other thing that (for me) is a real deal-breaker is lack of microSD slot on the GNexus. I have no idea what Google was thinking there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hooray for an ICS ROM that is very buggy, I know I'll use that all the time Can't wait to get a Sense'd version with as many useless apps as Verizon and jam into it. Glad to see you ignored the AOSP comment completely as well.
The screen statement is somewhat untrue as well. The issue with battery life comes when you're using bright colors or video. If you use black, you get excellent battery life as black pixels use 0 power for AMOLED screens, how much power does a black pixel use on an LCD panel? Inaccurate colors are one thing, as that depends on several factors, but it can be corrected, as can the over-saturation. Are there issues with the technology? Sure, but I'll take a SAMOLED screen over an LCD panel every day. Oh, and how about contrast ratio comparison between the two? How about comparing the thickness of a full screen assembly (touch sensor, backlight, and display) between AMOLED and tradition LCD? There are reasons that it's being used, despite how bad you think the technology is.
No MicroSD slot, now we're just nit-picking. Is it a bad thing? Kinda. However, how often do people change them? I only ever changed it out to get a faster card. The only thing I miss about having one is that I could just copy over my backed up data easily to the Nexus. Other than that, it's pointless and I don't see anyone having issues with the lack of a microSD card.
Oh, you also forgot to comment about the GPU tests and the camera. Is the Rezound a bad phone? No, but if you want long term support, I don't think you're going to beat the Nexus as it will see several updates in the future, and even if Google stops updating it, the community will keep it going. Plus, any issues you see can be fixed by the community before Google gets around to it, so you can see fixes faster if there are problems. The Rezound? It will probably see an OTA to ICS, then probably two more OTAs for bug fixes, after that, probably not much. Good luck getting AOSP on it, as that will take a long time, if ever; just see the Thunderbolt as an example. Community driven fixes? When's the last time HTC took bug fix advice from the public if it wasn't a security issue?
ambrar12 said:
Just checked the Rezound forum. Apparently they already have an ICS ROM thanks to an ICS leak for the "Sensation XL", whatever that is.
As for AMOLED, unfortunately it's not mature enough yet and drains more battery than LCD as well as having inaccurate colors and oversaturation. And with a 720p pentile you won't notice the pixels but I don't think the sharpness would be as good as a true 720p RGB screen (I could be wrong, but I personally wouldn't bother taking the chance).
As for Beats Audio, I kinda figured you wouldn't be able to get hi-fi music quality without a proprietary port.
Also one other thing that (for me) is a real deal-breaker is lack of microSD slot on the GNexus. I have no idea what Google was thinking there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha Rezound. You can keep that fat, whored-out (Beats scam, bloated up, Sense..), cheesy red colored locked-down brick. HTC is really becoming like Motorola by locking down their devices which creates delays and frustration for people like us. It will receive an update sure.. once. Until they release their new Super Amazing Incredible Orgasmic Deluxe 4G.
Also I hate the volume and power buttons on that phone, they are pretty much flush and have no tactile feel (mushy), don't even start on the horrendous battery life of HTC phones.
Sure the GNEX might not be ideal in every way, but neither is the Rezound. Just because you prefer it doesn't mean everyone else does too
I'd take SAMOLED Plus over LCD, but my personal experience with Pentile (browsing at Verizon store) has been pretty negative.
My point with the SD card was for the sake of extra storage. This is one of the most irritating aspects of the iPhone. These days there are 64 GB microSDXC cards out. The 32 GB card price keeps falling.
I'd wait too. I would want something with dev support like the Galaxy Nexus, but at least 8 MP rear-facing camera and hopefully >2 MP front-facing.
Go with the Nexus if you need a phone now....I have it and I love it. There are almost too many developers on that phone, which is a nice change coming from the charge.
The thing that annoys me most about the Rezound is the power button is on the wrong side of the phone. I use either my thumb or pointer finger of my right hand to push the power button. It's pretty awkward doing that on the rezound. Maybe it's just me lol

Note 2 worth it? (AKA ****ing really, Samsung?)

My infuse has pissed me off enough and I'm looking to upgrade ASAP. I was looking at the note 2, but then I realized the ONLY upgrades are quad core and 2GB of RAM. Almost everything else is DOWNGRADED. Did samsung have pothead 12-year-olds on the dev team for this one?
Note: If you're going to read past this point you're not allowed to comment on how much I hate my Infuse. You live your life, I'll live mine, k?
I guess my question is should I just get the original note since it'll be much cheaper once they release the note 2, and I don't need a quad core?
I would get the note 2 if I wanted to but I don't want to kinda because when samsung does crap like this:
Development dies quickly
Nobody buys it
It ends up like the Infuse with the best xda devs quickly leaving for real devices designed by people that clearly understand what they're doing
When it loses xda dev support, it starts pissing me off like the infuse does
The original note would be a very good choice. It seems several people have used upgrades for the SGS3 and are very pleased. I have the international (quad core) SGS3 and will be keeping it for quite sometime.
TheNetwork said:
My infuse has pissed me off enough and I'm looking to upgrade ASAP. I was looking at the note 2, but then I realized the ONLY upgrades are quad core and 2GB of RAM. Almost everything else is DOWNGRADED. Did samsung have pothead 12-year-olds on the dev team for this one?
Note: If you're going to read past this point you're not allowed to comment on how much I hate my Infuse. You live your life, I'll live mine, k?
I guess my question is should I just get the original note since it'll be much cheaper once they release the note 2, and I don't need a quad core?
I would get the note 2 if I wanted to but I don't want to kinda because when samsung does crap like this:
Development dies quickly
Nobody buys it
It ends up like the Infuse with the best xda devs quickly leaving for real devices designed by people that clearly understand what they're doing
When it loses xda dev support, it starts pissing me off like the infuse does
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the note 2 is a downgrade? Haven't really looked at the two in depth...but by a quick Google search it appears the only downgrade is that the note 2 has a 720x1280 resolution vs note 1 800x1280 resolution... but this is kinda expected when increasing screen size
Besides that most things seem the same or better...mainly the CPU and RAM
I don't see the note 2 being like the infuse because the note 1 was a huge success and still has a thriving dev community with some of the best devas
Plus being one of the first quad core, 2gb RAM, lte phones for Att...you can be sure it will attract the devs...only thing I can see making them leave the note 2 in the future would be for the sgs4...when ever that comes out
If you don't care about CPU and ram then don't get the note 2...stick with the note 1
But if your so concerned about dev community, why would you get a predecessor? Where the logic in that? Any of the big devs of the note will likely jump ship for the note 2...
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
^^
2MP FF cam > 1.9mp
16:10 to 16:9
pulled an iphone 5 with the lengthening.
PPI is down something like 20...
TheNetwork said:
^^
2MP FF cam > 1.9mp
16:10 to 16:9
pulled an iphone 5 with the lengthening.
PPI is down something like 20...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks...
.1mp is not much of a difference and likely won't be noticed (personally I rarely use the front cam anyways...)
I like 16:9 better then 16:10 anyways...it better for videos since that's what most HD videos are set to
PPI, again 20 isn't much...and likely won't be a noticeable difference
I personally would choose the note 2 over the note 1...but it really all comes down to personal preference
But still...you kinda make a big deal about dev life, so there is still no logic in choosing a predecessor over a new device if you want the best a good dev scene -as I said earlier...a lot of the note 1 devs will likely jump ship to the note 2
But again...all personal preference
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
I'll see what happens to the price of note #1 after #2 has been out for a day or two. If it goes to like $100 or $50 I'll definitely skip over the $300 PoS with $10 worth of hardware difference.
I'll be upgrading to the note II as well. I don't think you've done enough research if you are saying everything is a downgrade.. What exactly is a downgrade? In regards to decreased screen resolution, the subPPI went up and the screen is no longer RGBG. The US Note II's are also getting Exynos + LTE... Its also skinnier than the original note which isn't a bad thing.. IMO at least.
OK you've convinced me that it's a sidegrade.
You think it's worth $200 more (probably $100 on N1 and $300 on N2 for release) for 2 more cores (which still power many phones flawlessly) and another GB of RAM when Android has the best RAM management in the world?
side note: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/samsung/galaxy-note-carbon-blue.html note #1 has LTE too bud.
the rated ppi is deceptive. you are looking at pentil matrix rgbg vs real world resoloution. pentile matrix is a little weird they are geting away with high resoultion ratings by comparing it to crt tecnology. there are situations with different colors and contrasts that rgbg can create the number of lines it is rated as but it's not what is actually underlying. when you look at rgbg screens you may see a weird diagnal screen door effect depending on the colors on the screen since the pixels wind up being a little spaced out. high contrast stuff is not nearly as crisp, in effect text readability suffers. pick up an htc one x which has near iphone pixel density on an ips panel lcd and scale the text down till you can't read it, try the same on a gs3 which has a close enough screen size and the same rated resolution and you will see the ips is superior in this regard to the pentile matrix amoled. i would pick up an i777 gs2 before i got a gs3 for the size and i honestly think the i777 screen is clearer at the much lower resolution because the samoled+ is not pentile matris but thesamoled and samoled hd are.
also the older samsung devices are a 16:10 (i think this is what he tablets are, i dont feel like looking it up.) or 15:9 (most phones were this for a while) aspect ratio. this is good if the horizontal resolution is whole number scalable to hd video so there isn't a lot of estimations going on (1920x1200 would be ideal) because there is room for subtitles or the black bars just get bigger but it's often not. i'd look at horizontal res (in landscape) and compare it to common video resolutions over reading pixel count or density or vertical pixels or aspect ratio. and the .1 of an mp is nothing to worry about, i'd be more concerned about optics and firmware. i'm sure the pictures are actually improved.
about the dev community, right now the infuse is better than it's ever been. a lot of young talent is out there and guess what, they can't afford new phones, so yea dev drops off but it picks back up. if you want more dev buy a nexus or international device. the note 2 being exynos might see more dev as it may be more compatible with the international versions. i wouldn't worry about core count, watch the market, if the exynos 5 gets into a phone it's a dual core that runs with the ideal performance of the quad core, but the real world performance is much better since parallel processing isn't directly scalable. the snapdragon s4 chip (dual core) in the s3 and one x is also a beast. i'd be getting the most furture proof device. specs are almost meaningless since they don't relate to performance as directly as we would like them to.
in the end it's up to you, both great devices, the n2 will be more powerful but if the cost is a concern the n1 is still very good by any standards.
Yey finally an opinion I trust (ok I trust the rest of you but dani is an xda deity)
Dani897 said:
]
about the dev community, right now the infuse is better than it's ever been.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You hit the nail on the head with that one! The infuse has so many options and lots support! I wish mine didn't bork though -_-

[Q] Why would you choose an HTC One S over the Samsung Galaxy S3?

Just a simple question, why would choose an HTC One S over the Samsung Galaxy S3? I'm considering buying one of those, but i don't know which aspect of the One S is better than the S3..
Because it fits in the hand like no other phone,it's not too big and not too small,simply perfect,the phone is quite fast
And if u are buying a One S,buy it with the S4 chip
Sent from my HTC One S using TrickDroid 4.0.0
Far far far far nicer looking and way better build quality and of course perceived quality, the looks of the gs3 is the main thing that puts me of it
Better chipset (s4)
IMO sense is miles better for the stock apps, ui, colour scheme
Better battery life
The camera is better overall in terms of features/options and camera ui which make photography far better
If we're talking stock, Sense >>>> Touchwiz. Touchwiz feels so sluggish.
On the One S, I keep going back to stock from custom roms because I love how it feels and the battery life is great.
Only benefit of the SGS3 IMO is NFC.
Build quality, build quality and erm.. build quality.
Fluent usage! The GS3 is not running as smooth as Sense on my HOS!
Sent by baked One S
...and even more build quality
PcFish said:
If we're talking stock, Sense >>>> Touchwiz. Touchwiz feels so sluggish.
On the One S, I keep going back to stock from custom roms because I love how it feels and the battery life is great.
Only benefit of the SGS3 IMO is NFC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i'm not wrong, the battery life in S3 is actually better than the One S. also, it does have the option to expand memory (up to 64GB). other than that i'd lean towards the One S.
Build quality and form factor. High end specs in a smaller package.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
dorezen said:
if i'm not wrong, the battery life in S3 is actually better than the One S. also, it does have the option to expand memory (up to 64GB). other than that i'd lean towards the One S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't really count storage as a plus or a con for either device, it's all personal preference. ~9Gb is plenty for me
dorezen said:
if i'm not wrong, the battery life in S3 is actually better than the One S. also, it does have the option to expand memory (up to 64GB). other than that i'd lean towards the One S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't a huge difference in battery life, however, i have yet to see a GS 3 get the same sort of battery life with similar usage to what i and others get, which is about 4-5 hours on screen time spread across 1-3 days with heavy usage especially for browsing (out of the box), which kills battery life on Samoled screen mobiles particularly ours.
Plus it shouldn't be to any surprise anyway as we have the smaller display with a lower res. As well as a far more power efficient CPU chipset.
As said storage is personal preference, 16gb is enough for me, even if I had a 64g SD card i doubt that i would even use 5gb of that on top of the 16gb internal storage.
Smaller
--------------
If you are new to xda please watch this video it'll help you out )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmvCpR45LKA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Build quality is definitely a big one. Much better build quality with htc. Also gonna have to say size, sgs3 is practically a tablet.
Terminator19 said:
There isn't a huge difference in battery life, however, i have yet to see a GS 3 get the same sort of battery life with similar usage to what i and others get, which is about 4-5 hours on screen time spread across 1-3 days with heavy usage especially for browsing (out of the box), which kills battery life on Samoled screen mobiles particularly ours.
Plus it shouldn't be to any surprise anyway as we have the smaller display with a lower res. As well as a far more power efficient CPU chipset.
As said storage is personal preference, 16gb is enough for me, even if I had a 64g SD card i doubt that i would even use 5gb of that on top of the 16gb internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own a galaxy 3 and I get 5-6 hours screen time easily with just web browsing/text with games I get around 3-4 hours. As for build quality I don't know anybody who doesn't get a case for these higher end phones and most of them like the otter box cases make it feel as sturdy as any phone can be.
As for CPU they both have the same s4 chip if it is the lte variant and if its international it has the the quad core exynos so the better CPU argument kind of confuses me.
Expandable storage is extremely nice too have but that is just my opinion. Touchwiz 5.0 has added way to many features to list but i'd suggest you look it up its worth the watch. The camera also has a plethora of features that HTC phones do not. Also the lte variant comes with 2 gigs of ram which actually makes the CPU run more efficiently because it doesn't have to manage the memory as much.
All in all I would take a good look at the reviews on both phones before you make your decisions. One more thing before I forget is the amount of accessories available for the s3 is pretty nice.
Hope I helped
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
pierrenp said:
I'm considering buying one of those, but i don't know which aspect of the One S is better than the S3..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to a shop that has both, and hold them in your hand.
pyroemaniac said:
I own a galaxy 3 and I get 5-6 hours screen time easily with just web browsing/text with games I get around 3-4 hours. As for build quality I don't know anybody who doesn't get a case for these higher end phones and most of them like the otter box cases make it feel as sturdy as any phone can be.
As for CPU they both have the same s4 chip if it is the lte variant and if its international it has the the quad core exynos so the better CPU argument kind of confuses me.
Expandable storage is extremely nice too have but that is just my opinion. Touchwiz 5.0 has added way to many features to list but i'd suggest you look it up its worth the watch. The camera also has a plethora of features that HTC phones do not. Also the lte variant comes with 2 gigs of ram which actually makes the CPU run more efficiently because it doesn't have to manage the memory as much.
All in all I would take a good look at the reviews on both phones before you make your decisions. One more thing before I forget is the amount of accessories available for the s3 is pretty nice.
Hope I helped
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With other usage like mine below?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27010378#post27010378
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27665378#post27665378
Also would need to see screenshots and info. like in the above link.
Quite a lot of people don't actually use cases, I always had the intention of using one with my S (have like 4 cases) especially given that the MAO layer can chip easily, but it so good that I don't use any case at all now unless going out for the night or something, if it was any other phone like the GS 3 then I have no problem using a case) IMO the otterbox cases are butt ugly and add a stupid amount of bulk.
Yeah the USA GS 3 has the S4 chipset although touchwiz seems to be very poorly optimised with it as the XL (using this as it has the same screen res.) easily beats it. The international is quad exynos, but just because it is quad does not mean that it is better, the S4 has way more performance per core (this is far better than having an additional 2 cores as android and apps doesn't fully utilise 2 cores let alone 4, they just aren't optimised in order to properly make use of the cores), a lot more power efficient and better for heat.
Eh? What features is the HTC one series phone lacking compared to the GS 3? The GS 3 has nothing at all really, only the standard stuff like HDR, panorama etc.. With the one series/sense V4 you have a load of effects, depth of field, vintage warm and cold, aqua, distortion amongst a ton of other things as well as slow motion recording, 16.9 aspect ratio amongst other things. The touchwiz software on the note II has a lot of features that are comparable to the one series phones, not the GS 3....
2GB of RAM (only 1GB on the international GS 3 although the LTE variant for the UK has 2GB) is a nice touch but it doesn't really provide much of an advantage, only good thing that it brings is you can switch from a demanding game to the browser, which would have 3 or so tabs open without them reloading. With a chip like the S4, apps launch pretty much immediately anyway.
S III all day.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Y.G. said:
S III all day.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No... probably the number one reason people go for the One S over the GS3 (or One X, or Galaxy Nexus) is the form factor, and the build quality. Really, with the feature sets being similar (and unless you want to quibble), the only REAL difference is size, and there are a lot of people that think a 4.7+" phone is too big. I have the Galaxy Nexus, and am lucky enough to have a plan that lets me update my phone yearly with no penalty. I'm getting the One S - the damn thing is speedy, the perfect size and is the most comfortable phone I've ever picked up.
Just ordered a HTC One S to replace my S3. I always get the latest phones and I bought the S3 to replace my Galaxy Nexus that was stolen. I almost immediately regretted buying the S3 because of its size. I'm a big guy, have big hands but nevertheless, the S3 is just too big. 4,3 Inch is more than enough for me. A few weeks ago I helped buying a friend a new phone and he wanted to stick to HTC coming from an old HTC Desire. The moment I took the phone in my hands it instantly fell in its place and I was amazed by the difference in build quality. It's a HUGE difference! So, tomorrow my S3 will go online and I cannot wait to lay my hands on my new One S.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Terminator19 said:
With other usage like mine below?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27010378#post27010378
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27665378#post27665378
Also would need to see screenshots and info. like in the above link.
Quite a lot of people don't actually use cases, I always had the intention of using one with my S (have like 4 cases) especially given that the MAO layer can chip easily, but it so good that I don't use any case at all now unless going out for the night or something, if it was any other phone like the GS 3 then I have no problem using a case) IMO the otterbox cases are butt ugly and add a stupid amount of bulk.
Yeah the USA GS 3 has the S4 chipset although touchwiz seems to be very poorly optimised with it as the XL (using this as it has the same screen res.) easily beats it. The international is quad exynos, but just because it is quad does not mean that it is better, the S4 has way more performance per core (this is far better than having an additional 2 cores as android and apps doesn't fully utilise 2 cores let alone 4, they just aren't optimised in order to properly make use of the cores), a lot more power efficient and better for heat.
Eh? What features is the HTC one series phone lacking compared to the GS 3? The GS 3 has nothing at all really, only the standard stuff like HDR, panorama etc.. With the one series/sense V4 you have a load of effects, depth of field, vintage warm and cold, aqua, distortion amongst a ton of other things as well as slow motion recording, 16.9 aspect ratio amongst other things. The touchwiz software on the note II has a lot of features that are comparable to the one series phones, not the GS 3....
2GB of RAM (only 1GB on the international GS 3 although the LTE variant for the UK has 2GB) is a nice touch but it doesn't really provide much of an advantage, only good thing that it brings is you can switch from a demanding game to the browser, which would have 3 or so tabs open without them reloading. With a chip like the S4, apps launch pretty much immediately anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are some comparisons of the international galaxy s3 and the HTC one s
http://smartphones.techcrunch.com/compare/245-252/Samsung-Galaxy-S3-vs-HTC-One-S
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Samsung-Galaxy-S-III,HTC-One-S/phones/6330,6579
And here are some reviews and comparisons of the USA galaxy s3 and the HTC one s.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/HTC-One-S,Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-Verizon/phones/6579,7114
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