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
Click to expand...
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.
Related
Hi there. I am an LG P500 user. This phone is kinda normal,here are the specs:
MSM7227 Processor 600MHz
512MB of RAM
3.0 MP Camera
320x480 MDPI Screen resolution
Stock Froyo,can be updated to 2.3.3 official Gingerbread or unofficial CM7 (2.3.7)
No support for internal memory card
Bluetooth 2.1
Phone may seem crappy,but just take a look at our LG P500 forums - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=839.
We have everything: TeamWin Recovery,official ClockworkMod,Unofficial CyanogenMod 7 port which is fully working,tons of custom ROMs (even based on CM7 source),Official 2.3.3 update,great themed ROMs and yes,even franco.Kernel.
But I want some more. So,@ Media World italian store nexus one is now 270€,so I've chosen that(for MIUI,Oxygen,CM7,AOSP etc. official support),probably,not sure. My stupid noob question is:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus is being released,so it will be leaving Nexus S back,am I right? It didn't happen for Nexus One,but I read somewhere that Google after 4.0 won't release official updates no more for it. Will this also happen with Nexus S? Just want to be sure .
I'm not sure if I understand your question. Are you asking if the original Nexus will continue to be supported by Google, or if the GNex will be superior to the NS?
ciaox said:
Hi there. I am an LG P500 user. This phone is kinda normal,here are the specs:
MSM7227 Processor 600MHz
512MB of RAM
3.0 MP Camera
320x480 MDPI Screen resolution
Stock Froyo,can be updated to 2.3.3 official Gingerbread or unofficial CM7 (2.3.7)
No support for internal memory card
Bluetooth 2.1
Phone may seem crappy,but just take a look at our LG P500 forums - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=839.
We have everything: TeamWin Recovery,official ClockworkMod,Unofficial CyanogenMod 7 port which is fully working,tons of custom ROMs (even based on CM7 source),Official 2.3.3 update,great themed ROMs and yes,even franco.Kernel.
But I want some more. So,@ Media World italian store nexus one is now 270€,so I've chosen that(for MIUI,Oxygen,CM7,AOSP etc. official support),probably,not sure. My stupid noob question is:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus is being released,so it will be leaving Nexus S back,am I right? It didn't happen for Nexus One,but I read somewhere that Google after 4.0 won't release official updates no more for it. Will this also happen with Nexus S? Just want to be sure .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The nexus s will most definitely get an update. Google has stated that it will release AOSP soon after it release the galaxy nexus.
If you would rather not spend a few hundred euros more for a phone, the nexus s a great alternative, even if its a little out dated.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
if your going to buy the phone off contract, Id say do it while our phone doesnt have thousands of roms we have it were it counts and everything is nice and smooth
We might lose official support after ics but that would mean the next OS version is a long ways away
Nexus S is one good phone, and not obsolete at all yet. I'd recommend it. But it depends on what you plan to do with the phone, certainly a dual-core phone is better for gaming.
So,basically I am asking a simple question. After which Android release Nexus S is going to lose official support? I don't think it will lose it after ICS.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
It's a great phone, no complaints
ciaox said:
So,basically I am asking a simple question. After which Android release Nexus S is going to lose official support? I don't think it will lose it after ICS.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't know that.
However we assume it will lose support whenever it can't handle a version of Android that requires more than it has. ICS will be just fine, and it should not lose support after ICS. And even if it did, a port would most likely be quite easily made.
Yes I own nexus s and it is an awesome phone
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
A nexus s is a awesome phone, and yes google will eventually stop releasing updates for it. But if you dont have the money to buy a Motorola Razr or a Glaxy Nexus, the Nexus S is a great buy.
i'm very satisfy with nexus s battery life and a lot of developers support it, you should buy it if you are as poor as me
I upgraded to the nexus s from a kyocera echo(which could have been a good phone had kyocera released a recovery and it had some dev support.) and I've loved it since I got it. It's definitely a great phone and imo the best one in it's price range.
buy it. quality pure google phone. very satisfied user here.
Google has been asking for Android partners to go for *AT LEAST* an 18 month release cycle for its models, so that would mean that you'd get official updates up to about May/June 2012. They've never said explicitly they'd support the Nexus S for 18 months, but I think it's safe that they'd hold themselves to at least the same standards they want their partners to be. There's many articles online about the 18-months cycle, for example here: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/10/google-clarifies-18-month-android-upgrade-program-details-far-f/
Now as to whether to buy the phone or not, I'd say go for it. I've had a ton of Android phones, including ones considered top of the line at some point of other, sgs2, lg 2x, you name it I've had it for at least two weeks. I love the Nexus' form factor, its weight, the amount of development that goes on and most of all, I LOVE that the stock rom is pure Android. The curved screen, in my opinion, is the most beautiful feature on the phone and I'd only swap this phone for a Galaxy Nexus.
290 is a damn good price. Go for it. Resale prices are also quite decent by the way, check ebay for used phones, they seem to sell for around 200-250 eur at the moment, and with them being among the first phones to get ICS, I doubt that will change that much.
HeavenlyWinds said:
A nexus s is a awesome phone, and yes google will eventually stop releasing updates for it. But if you dont have the money to buy a Motorola Razr or a Glaxy Nexus, the Nexus S is a great buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, it's an awesome, fast and stable phone, but if you got the money for it, you definitely want to buy a Galaxy Nexus.
The Nexus S is the first phone I've ever had where a successor was released and I didn't care a whit. I love this phone and am totally satisfied with it in every way. I can't wait to play with it with ICS loaded.
It's the perfect size for my hand, battery life and general performance are great, it runs all the software that I want, and is just a good-looking phone. The GNex may be most of these things as well (it's too big IMHO and battery life remains to be seen) but there's nothing driving me towards upgrading from my current phone.
If you don't care about upgraded hardware and can be happy with "last gen" technology, the Nexus S IMO is the best bang for your buck. It'll be supported for a long time to come if the generally favorable feeling its users seem to have towards it continues.
Ok,I may be buying it. But I'm still not sure:
No HDMI
No Dual-Core
No FM Radio (i heard somewhere it works with cm7 and miui)
Secondary camera is only 0.3 MPx.
ciaox said:
So,basically I am asking a simple question. After which Android release Nexus S is going to lose official support? I don't think it will lose it after ICS.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the time the Nexus S "loses official support", you'll want something else, anyway.
EDIT: I just picked one up for $150 from local classifieds. Couldn't be happier.
Hey guys,
I'm looking up for a new phone to buy and after a while digging into I got caught undecided between a Nexus S and an Omnia W. One is Android, other Windows Phone. I had a Galaxy 5 before, using unofficial Cyanogemod 7, and got a little disappointed with Android Gingerbread. Don't know now with ICS. Is it really better? But what I like about Android is the ability to install ROM's and being able to have the newest updates. On the other hand, there's the WP, which I had an oportunity to try for a few minutes, and liked at first, the system is really smooth, fast... Also, the Omnia W has a great battery life. But I just don't know about future updates for the Omnia... Also, I'd like to know about the battery life of Nexus S, someone who has one, could you tell me?
I'd apreciate a lot if someone could help me. Sorry about my english, ha.
Thank's in advanced.
what is the dissappoint things about GB?
I don't understand why people even like winmo7, android is fast moving and more user flexible
I would suggest grabbing either
-Galaxy S (international I9000), Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus
ICS is pretty good but if you don't like GB it is most likely the launcher that is the problem, try using a different launcher until you are happy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_Launchers
I personally like ICS & ADW
Murmur95 said:
I don't understand why people even like winmo7, android is fast moving and more user flexible
I would suggest grabbing either
-Galaxy S (international I9000), Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus
ICS is pretty good but if you don't like GB it is most likely the launcher that is the problem, try using a different launcher until you are happy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_Launchers
I personally like ICS & ADW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, WP 7 seems to be a great platform. Also is Android. And the comment about the Launch, it wasn't it (at least I guess), I used to change between them. The thing was, I used to get a lot force close and this stuff.
Thanks for the reply.
considering WP7 is quite a new contender compared to droid, sooner or later both have their own adv and disadv. As murmur95 stated, Android tends to move faster because of its open source licensing (but not saying other than open source, the rests are bad things, they are good also, but i don't know their advs and disadvs).
If launcher forces close, I think have some issues with compatibility with the ROM, so you can either reflash the ROM and see if it works. ICS is essentially a new version of GB with some modification here and there, and yes. gives more feature, more stability, more speed, more battery saving etc2..so ICS is a very nice addition. That aside, you can simply watch videos, or read people's feedback of both WP or Android, but if you ask me, I favor Android better ^^V
I have tried W7 android and IOS believe me android is the best.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Buy the Nexus, is better than the other
Sent from my X8 using xda premium
Go ahead and buy one of Google's golden cages...
If you're such a lover of Android why not the latest MOTOROLA DROID which
at least is reasonably independent from Google gimmicks.
With any other device you'll have to ask for permission to, subscribe a compulsory
gmail account, allow google interfering with sundry notifications --
interrupting whatever activitties you may be on the edge of performing, etc.
Samsung machines while undeniably well designed and produced are little
more than advertising enforcers for Google -- see if you can easily get rid of
applications that fulfil your restricting space of internal memory, such as research,
google talk, etc. etc -- unless you're a fan of the said.
I'm inviting you to take notice of a two-posts query and shout for help concerning
one of those marvellous pieces-of-work:«Guidance to Samsung Galaxy Gio (S5660)??»,
and provide me your feed-back abou my issues therein...
Good grief! And i thought that the major manipulative OS was Windows -- I
even changed to linux (ZORIN 5,2 if you care to know) -- and then i went and
spoiled my own move and bought a Galaxy Gio...
I'm sorry if i sound too boring to you (and all).
Greetings and better luck than i had.
N'Rique
Why would you not consider the Galaxy Nexus, the successor to the Nexus S?
I think if that if you like the idea of installing custom roms then going for the nexus s would be a good shout. I believe that Google have been a bit slow rolling out ICS to it officially but this would give you the perfect opportunity to flash the latest versions of it yourself
First, thanks to all for replying.
About the force closes it wasn't only about the Launcher, was about lot of apps. The Galaxy Nexus is twice the price of Nexus S here, so...
What about Nexus S battery life? Has anyone tried this phone?
Thanks.
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade.. and the hardware itself is getting old(while still running ICS thanks to our great community, it raises the question how much farther will the phone be able to be updated..)
a cheaper alternative maybe? or its just that good..
That's exactly what manufacturers wants to hear from consumers. Why buy phones that have lasting dollar values and gets frequent software updates when you can buy a new expensive one every year that doesn't have great built quality and with zero to almost no software update?
Android can use a bit cleaning up on the performance side, even the Galaxy Note stock rom have hiccups because of the bloatness, with quadcore phones they'll have more excuss to bloat and put animations in. Windows Phone 7 seems to do fine with single core. It's not like my Galaxy S is struggling with any of the new games at 800x480 resolution.
Well we already know Samsung said "Nope, ain't gonna happen" for ICS on the Captivate even in spite of builds being made available by the talented folk here at XDA and at other places online. The excuse that "the hardware isn't capable of running ICS adequately" is always a crock because I'm running Doc's Master v8 right now, ICS 4.0.3 based, and I get higher benchmarks with this ROM than the stock KK4 AT&T Gingerbread 2.3.5 ROM with:
- Quadrant
- Antutu
- Vellamo (with Vellamo I actually get slightly higher scores than a Galaxy Nexus, unbelievable)
and several others I've tried recently. So much for being "inadequate" or an underpowered device...
So, Samsung, stop whining and making excuses and just give us some ICS source so people can make a pure ROM I suppose.
Doc's v9 is nice since it's currently a beta and completely unthemed, but a lot of stuff won't install properly on it from Play (although I can install them from the APKs if I remember to manually save them in between ROM swaps).
It's a great phone, it has a beautiful design overall (one of my all time favorites, with the HD2 still being the king of all smartphones to me), USB and headphone connections on the top - I hate it when they're on the sides or bottom, and the main draw being the Super AMOLED display.
People still buy 'em, so Samsung keeps making 'em and AT&T keeps selling 'em.
Works for me.
Snow_fox said:
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade.. and the hardware itself is getting old(while still running ICS thanks to our great community, it raises the question how much farther will the phone be able to be updated..)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The R&D and tooling have long been paid for and there are still people buying. It's practically free money for them. The longer they're made, the cheaper they can get. The cheaper they can get, the more they're sold.
I sought this phone out actively because I liked my Epic and knew how to root & fix it easily. I didn't want a contract and for $250 brand new vs $600 for a Note it was a no-brainer.
Snow_fox said:
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple, it sells. And with it running 2.3.5, it's very much up to date OS wise. It's not ICS, but at this point what is?
The early adopters are a rather small crowd of people that seems large to us because they are the tech obsesses folks that make xda what it is. They count for next to nothing compared to the "average user."
This phone is exactly what Samsung aimed for it to be, a Flagship. It was way a head of the curve when it first came out, and is still a great phone. It's been muddied by the early releases but, the fact that Samsung still won out (and is the top selling android manufacturer) means it really was an excellent device (and family of devices).
It's time is almost up though, because ICS really is beyond its abilities.
br0adband said:
The excuse that "the hardware isn't capable of running ICS adequately" is always a crock because I'm running Doc's Master v8 right now, ICS 4.0.3 based
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it can't. We don't even have half the features, almost everything new to ICS has been stripped out because we don't have the hardware for it. Sure, the core OS can be made to run on our phone, but even at that we can't run it properly. The things your comparing against are to that of 2.2, ICS is not some dinky internal tweaks. It's a whole new OS, it's 4.0 not 2.4. Now I'll admit that most of the new parts to ICS are little more then shiny buttons that don't serve us much good. But it's rather easy to dismiss things you've never been able to do before. Once you get your hands on a phone actually built for ICS, that is then made future-proof like the ours was, you'll look back at the cappy and laugh at it.
DaNaRkI said:
Once you get your hands on a phone actually built for ICS, that is then made future-proof like the ours was, you'll look back at the cappy and laugh at it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a Galaxy Nexus - the flagship Android 4.0 device - and couldn't stand it so I returned it and decided to wait on something better. Then the Galaxy Note came out and I can't wait to see what ICS can really do on that device, but since I can't actually afford one I guess that won't matter anyway.
Found this Captivate on craigslist for $60 and it's been fantastic since the moment I bought it. I swear the SGS feels more responsive and stable running a "hack" ROM of the same OS than the Nexus did/does. Yes it could just be some placebo effect, I suppose. A benchmark using Vellamo puts this SGS running an ICS ROM (at 1.2 GHz) outpacing the Nexus, go figure - a single core device running an unofficial hack of an OS besting the dual core flagship device for that very OS... ain't it cool?
There may be some aspects of ICS that the SGS can't do (NFC, etc) but they just so happen to be features I don't give a damn about, either so... it all works out in the end.
phone is sold
as long as ppl buy it.
u can get iPhone3gs u know - @ great price.
br0adband said:
Had a Galaxy Nexus - the flagship Android 4.0 device - and couldn't stand it so I returned it and decided to wait on something better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy Nexus is not a flagship, just like the Nexus S was not. It's a debut phone and like the other Nexus phones, a developers phone. It's mean to showcase the abilities of ICS, not push the limits of a phone. Our phone came out before the Nexus S, yet that phone has a lot of the exact same internals. Why? ours was made future-proofed, nothing better was needed for GB. The Galaxy Nexus was also not top of the line at it's release, just compare it to an SGS2. Future proof would have meant that LTE was designed into the phone at start, not added later.
But you do bring up a very good point that I already admitted to, most of the new abilities are rather unnecessary for a phone. But I don't doubt that once a good ICS phone comes out we'll find ways to work them into our daily life. Just like we have for all the unnecessary things that the Cappy can do now.
The Captivate is a pretty solid phone still. I still have mine kicking around that I use now for playing music since my Galaxy Nexus doesnt have external memory (and apps are getting bigger and bigger in size so I need all the space I can get) so this phone does quite well for that.
I think I would still be using this phone if it had a bigger screen (I got big hands) and if Samsung was continuing to update this.
i use my spare captivate as a skype phone (between rom tests).
and where is the phone still being sold?
I was perfectly ready to leave the Android platform for WP7. Either for a Nokia Lumia 900 or HTC Titan II.
But with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S3, I'm kinda being lured back to Android.
Anyone in this kind of predicament? And if so... Any advice?
I'm currently using a HTC Desire. But by now it's very outdated, slow and likes to crash lately.
I really like the design of WP7 but I think it's no alternative to Android. Just think about the possibilities to customize ur system. I really need something new once in a while.
But the design of the SGS3 does not really satisfy me. I really don't like these plastic cases...
IMHO if you were about to jump ship the GS3 shouldn't really make you change your mind. It's definitely not a game changer. Sure it's a good phone, but if I still had my GS2 I wouldn't upgrade yet. If I'll ever go back to Android it will be for no less than a Cortex-a15 and an edge to edge SAMOLED+ HD. If I were you I'd get a Lumia 900 while I wait for the GS4, or even for the iPhone 5 or 6. At least you'll have the chance to try WP for a good while, and if you like it you may also consider getting an Apollo device when they come out. I'm very likely to go for this option, I've been pretty happy with WP7 in the last 5 months. No matter how hard I try, I can't really keep a phone for more than a year, I get bored easily I guess
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Its not always about being able to customize your phone. Sometimes its just about being able to USE your phone. I must be getting old because working on android is starting to get boring. Is the Beta test over? I think when people say customize what they are really saying is updating to the latest version of Android because the manufactures aren't doing it. Why should we have to do something that is somewhat expected of the phone manufactures? I'm still waiting on official ICS for my Xoom and Rezound. One thing you can say about WP and iPhone when an update comes out EVERYONE gets it at the same time, not when a phone manufacturer gets to it. That is really starting to get old for me. Maybe I should go back to the old flip phones they never needed updates..
just my 2 cents.. (who cares right?)
Just purchase a used GS2, you have a Desire and you may keep your next device for a long time.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
zone23 said:
Its not always about being able to customize your phone. Sometimes its just about being able to USE your phone. I must be getting old because working on android is starting to get boring. Is the Beta test over? I think when people say customize what they are really saying is updating to the latest version of Android because the manufactures aren't doing it. Why should we have to do something that is somewhat expected of the phone manufactures? I'm still waiting on official ICS for my Xoom and Rezound. One thing you can say about WP and iPhone when an update comes out EVERYONE gets it at the same time, not when a phone manufacturer gets to it. That is really starting to get old for me. Maybe I should go back to the old flip phones they never needed updates..
just my 2 cents.. (who cares right?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I don't mind "forcing" an update from time to time. Also, people should start to understand that once that a new version of the software comes out your phone won't brick itself. I mean, if I had an ICS device now I probably won't give a damn about JB when it comes out. ICS is pretty much a full experience, JB will definitely be a minor update, like 2.2 to 2.3. Anyway I must say that I feel pretty much like you. Toying with the phone all day can be fun for a while, but once you're not a teen with nothing to do anymore you may wanna have a phone that just works with no gimmicks. That's why I'm happy with WP7 now. I'm still a nerd tho, don't get me wrong: I'm getting an Android tablet as soon as a good one comes out (Exynos quad please), but basically just for fun. As to my PHONE it's all a different kind of business right now, if you get what I mean
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
zone23 said:
Its not always about being able to customize your phone. Sometimes its just about being able to USE your phone. I must be getting old because working on android is starting to get boring. Is the Beta test over? I think when people say customize what they are really saying is updating to the latest version of Android because the manufactures aren't doing it. Why should we have to do something that is somewhat expected of the phone manufactures? I'm still waiting on official ICS for my Xoom and Rezound. One thing you can say about WP and iPhone when an update comes out EVERYONE gets it at the same time, not when a phone manufacturer gets to it. That is really starting to get old for me. Maybe I should go back to the old flip phones they never needed updates..
just my 2 cents.. (who cares right?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots of truth. And with that in mind, I might be tempted to move to iOS or WP7.
But, although I don't live to flash new ROM's all the time or customizing the phone constantly, I do have my phone customized just the way I want it and the way it is most useful to me. This includes, having a custom ICS ROM (I tried 2, settled on one and haven't moved for months, except for updates which are OTA and pretty simple). I don't think I could get either iOS or WP7 (probably mostly because of the lack of some of the apps I have on Android) to behave the way I want them to.
In the case of iOS I speak out of current personal experience. My personal phone is a SGS with ICS. The company I work with gave us iPhones. It's a pain in the ass to use that thing. Simple things such as turning stuff on or off, and the notifications are a joke. Lack of widgets is another weak point for iPhone, among many, many other things. The only really strong point is the camer which takes great pictures. But I end up taking them with my SGS because getting them off the iPhone is another goddamned chore.
I can't begin to count the times when I was doing something on the damn iPhone that takes me a zillion finger taps and thinking "this would be so simple on my SGS with a widget or shortcut or w/e".
In my case it's not really about customization for customization's sake. it's about productivity and, like someone said, being able to use the phone in a simple way. The phone adapts to the way I think, not the other way around.
The GS2 is one step forward and three steps back. It won't be as smooth, as good looking, or as user friendly as WP7, I guarantee that.
i will still go for a S2, and with the S3, S2 price will definitely drop.
the rom community for S2 is pretty awesome too, so yeah another plus point
I find the iPhone bland and screen has washed out colours. Ppi doesn't make a huge difference
Sent from my Galaxy SII i9100 running ICS Remix Rom 1.8.1 with Siyah Kernel
I don't like the WP, android is much better. I'm gonna stay with my SII for now
I don't choose wp7 because market place is not supported in Malta which suck .I know many ppl like me.
Sent from my SGS2 powered by cm9 love
bartoloandre98 said:
I don't choose wp7 because market place is not supported in Malta which suck .I know many ppl like me.
Sent from my SGS2 powered by cm9 love
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Click to collapse
Yeah, Microsoft must improve the worldwide support, here in Italy Bing is "beta", and doesn't really work well, so we're stuck with beta software. God, they should at least give us the option to change the default search engine, being forced to use a third party app just to "google" for something is pretty lame.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
You still cant change search providers? It's 2012 for goodness sake.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
I believe you should stick to android but SGIII shouldn't be the phone that brings you back. Plastic is a pretty bad material
I'd wait for the price drop and get a SG2. It's a great phone and there's a lot of great ROMs out there.
I bought an Omnia W and kept it for 3 days. Hated it. All of it!
Returned it to the store and got my self a 1 month used SG2... couldn't be happier!
Zmaina5 said:
I believe you should stick to android but SGIII shouldn't be the phone that brings you back. Plastic is a pretty bad material
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plastic is more durable than metal or any other material. Take a galaxy s2 and an iPhone and drop them at shoulder height. The galaxy s2 will have a little dent in the plastic. The iPhone would be completely shattered
Sent from my Galaxy SII i9100 running ICS Remix Rom 1.8.1 with Siyah Kernel
astratb said:
I'd wait for the price drop and get a SG2. It's a great phone and there's a lot of great ROMs out there.
I bought an Omnia W and kept it for 3 days. Hated it. All of it!
Returned it to the store and got my self a 1 month used SG2... couldn't be happier!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may also consider the Gnex actually. Right now you can find it at a lower price compared to the GS2: here in Italy I can find it online for 359€, pretty good considering that the GS2 can't be found for less than 400€, and it's kind of a more "dated" device...
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
I'm about to get my new phone. And was dead set on getting the HTC One X. But as time's gone on, I'm left more and more unsure of the decision. Between the lack of ROM support which is really just a derivative of HTC's failure to foster/support the open source community in the same way that Samsung has. i.e. SGS3 already having CM9 support. On top of that, now there are things like dropped signals and what-not. I'm wondering whether or not the HOX is really going to be a sound 18 month investment that'll keep me fairly in check with the latest hardware and software developments?
get SGS3
end
another nagger
CM9 we have it already working fully
dropped signal on defected devices only! why isnt this clear enough!
Buy an iPhone
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
hamdir said:
get SGS3
end
another nagger
CM9 we have it already working fully
dropped signal on defected devices only! why isnt this clear enough!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung isn't an option for me. It's just a brand I've never had an affinity to. Having CM9 working and having official CM support are hugely different things. Not to mention that the hardware in HTCs will never be fully supported die to the use of proprietary drivers.
Sent from my Incredible S using Tapatalk 2
agree with hamdir..we got all the best roms up and running and got like 3 versions of cm9 which are fully working..what else do you want? and we also got a Paranoidandroid port so again what else would you want...plus windows phone 8 ports should be dropping if the rumoured Tegra 3 chips they would be using would make it easy to port so again i say what else do you want? lol
go and get yourself an s3 my friend and be happy
Think of the One X as the modern HD2 phone with the support we are getting and not even been 3 months since the phone has been released and look what we have already
sabret00the said:
I'm about to get my new phone. And was dead set on getting the HTC One X. But as time's gone on, I'm left more and more unsure of the decision. Between the lack of ROM support which is really just a derivative of HTC's failure to foster/support the open source community in the same way that Samsung has. i.e. SGS3 already having CM9 support. On top of that, now there are things like dropped signals and what-not. I'm wondering whether or not the HOX is really going to be a sound 18 month investment that'll keep me fairly in check with the latest hardware and software developments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What answers do you expect in the HOX forum....
SGS3 is not without its issues too, one guy even had his phone set on fire on him. LOL
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2
sabret00the said:
Samsung isn't an option for me. It's just a brand I've never had an affinity to. Having CM9 working and having official CM support are hugely different things. Not to mention that the hardware in HTCs will never be fully supported die to the use of proprietary drivers.
Sent from my Incredible S using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seriously whats up with all this proprietary talk i don't get it
we have tons of kernel devs doing wonders like Goku said and its just been three month
we just had a completely working linux 3.4 kernel written from scratch by devs and even wifi drivers are being written for scratch
lack of ROM support are you kidding me
we had a fully working CM9 in just one month from release you really think CM9 official will not come? official CM will always favor devices close to the nexus line in terms of release date
In a word, yes get the hox, I played with an siii today, screen is so dull, touch wiz is awful and from all accounts camera is better on the hox. Don't bother with roms myself as I find the hox works just about perfect on stock.
Do it get the hox!
Agree I was actually thinking about switching until I tried S3... The HOX is indeed the best.
Sckank said:
Agree I was actually thinking about switching until I tried S3... The HOX is indeed the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say 'the best', both devices have pros and cons.
- but for what I'm after, beautiful phone, feels premium, awesome screen, OTA updates and dedicated nvidia T3 optimized games, the HOX is definitely the better option for me as I don't require removable battery or sd card slot.
But for me, the screen alone is sooo much better on the HOX, and the screen is always the most important spec of any large touch screen phone.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
chrisjcks said:
I wouldn't say 'the best', both devices have pros and cons.
- but for what I'm after, beautiful phone, feels premium, awesome screen, OTA updates and dedicated nvidia T3 optimized games, the HOX is definitely the better option for me as I don't require removable battery or sd card slot.
But for me, the screen alone is sooo much better on the HOX, and the screen is always the most important spec of any large touch screen phone.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, or just like I said, the best. ;-)
Oh, the HOX sounds better too.
Sckank said:
Yes, or just like I said, the best. ;-)
Oh, the HOX sounds better too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use sound enhancer mode it sounds even better..link in my sig
hamdir said:
seriously whats up with all this proprietary talk i don't get it
we have tons of kernel devs doing wonders like Goku said and its just been three month
we just had a completely working linux 3.4 kernel written from scratch by devs and even wifi drivers are being written for scratch
lack of ROM support are you kidding me
we had a fully working CM9 in just one month from release you really think CM9 official will not come? official CM will always favor devices close to the nexus line in terms of release date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but on my current device. Despite having all the goodies and kernel development. The camera still doesn't work as good as the stock. There's still sound issues etc. I never read about these things with OMAP devices.
Spewy1 said:
In a word, yes get the hox, I played with an siii today, screen is so dull, touch wiz is awful and from all accounts camera is better on the hox. Don't bother with roms myself as I find the hox works just about perfect on stock.
Do it get the hox!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I really just want it for the hardware. But rating is over the S3 does bring a smile to my face.
See what happens to SGS3 when SGS4 coming in. HOX will get better support. I mean long term support. Look at SGS2, not much going in in the original development, ICS upgrade are rushed work. I have a SGS2 so I know the dev environment for that phone. Most dev ditch it for Galaxy Nexus or SGS3. Look at SGS1, no official ICS by Samsung lolz, which have the same spec as Nexus S, and reason is Touchwiz related. Yes SGS3 get CM9 first. Now lets see who get CM10 first. SGS2 got a late CM9 cuz of sources. Not only late on releasing sources, but Samsung messed it up. The CM9 devs almost give up(which i'm glad they didnt) and now AOSP roms are better than TW ICS on SGS2. HTC Sensation got CM9 first compared to SGS2(which was released at the same time). See what i did there? Samsung will dump their previous flagship that easy.
Sensation VS SGS2
- same time release with Gingerbread but when ICS rolled out, Samsung released a rushed firmware upgrade and rushed sources, which makes CM9 slower while Sensation got everything working easily in the early CM9 phase. SGS2 had it too, but too many things not working.
- Sensation still got true and RD devs working on, while SGS2 has many winzippers(no offense to anyone) only(see their forums, has it split between 2 development threads). cuz RD devs on SGS2 find it difficult to work with SGS2 sources. I am not sure why, but no updates for months from them, except CM9 team.
SGS3? yeah cuz they got released with ICS so they got CM9 working fast. Now see when Jelly Bean comes. SGS2 has a lot of devs in the early days, but most has ditch it half way. I admit, SGS2 is still a great device. it was a legendary that revolutionize the dual core, but Samsung wasted it when they have a new flagships.
Your choice. if you like changing phones, go for SGS3, cuz you can buy SGS4 afterwards. but if not, go for HOX, more power till the end of its life. else, buy an iphone. much more easier, peace of mind.
I think the HOX is a brilliant phone, and I've had none of the more permanent faults, like the WiFi issue..
Only fault I've had was the yellow spots, but they went away the next day and I haven't seen them since, also I think it was my own fault.. I was in a public place and I was messing about with settings when it started blaring out music, really loud, and I couldn't turn it down, so I applied pressure to the back to silence it.
Your choice in the end.
I've got both devices and will be sending back my SGS3 for a full refund.
Why?
- I prefer Sense,
- I prefer SLCD2,
- I prefer the brightness,
- I prefer the looks,
- I prefer the build,
- I prefer HTCs overall device support including OTAs and longer albeit slower releases of newer Android versions,
- I prefer the helpful guys on this side,
- I prefer the camera
- I prefer the social network integration,
- I prefer the mail app,
etc etc
Both are good phones don't get me wrong, I'll keep saying any user will be happy with either BUT:
- Removable/extendable battery
- Extendable storage
If the above 2 are important to you avoid the HOX and opt for something else, if not an issue the HOX is a good choice out of the 2 top end Android handsets presently.
I'm not going to say buy the HOX over the SGS3 or vice versa, but I do suggest you handle both then make a decision as user experience is better than me or anyone else saying x y or z about the device.
Another opened BS thread, clutter, nothing to learn, boring, pfffff...
To my opinion it's, to yours it's probably not.
Thanks again everyone. As I said, for me thi sis more about hardware purchase than software preference. I'm not too fond of Sense and really haven't played with TW enough to have an educated decision. But ultimately want rid of the bloat and want to be in charge of my own destiny. Hearing that this phone is considered a first class citizen of the community and is most likely to be the successor to the HD2 is what swings it for me. As I'm coming the Incredible S which for all of it's beauty is essentially a third class citizen. I'll look forward to picking up my HOX midweek.
sabret00the said:
Thanks again everyone. As I said, for me thi sis more about hardware purchase than software preference. I'm not too fond of Sense and really haven't played with TW enough to have an educated decision. But ultimately want rid of the bloat and want to be in charge of my own destiny. Hearing that this phone is considered a first class citizen of the community and is most likely to be the successor to the HD2 is what swings it for me. As I'm coming the Incredible S which for all of it's beauty is essentially a third class citizen. I'll look forward to picking up my HOX midweek.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will never get a real successor to the HD2. I highly doubt that there will be a phone released any time soon which will be able to do so much and still have such active development after nearly three years.
The One X is good but Sense is very unnecessary for ICS in comparison to GB and Froyo. TouchWiz on the other hand is actually rather great now. I hated it for older versions of Android but it seems perfect on the SGS3. It's the little details which are really very impressive, and it's just so smooth. And to whoever said the screen on the SGS3 is dull, with all due respect are you an idiot?! It's by far the best phone screen I've used (better than the One X as well).
One more advantage of the SGS3 over the One X is just how simple it is to root. From what I've read about the One X, it's a bit troublesome to root and flash custom ROMs etc. whilst even someone like myself (never flashed a native Android phone before) can easily use Odin and flash things without really having to do too much thinking.
Nigeldg said:
You will never get a real successor to the HD2. I highly doubt that there will be a phone released any time soon which will be able to do so much and still have such active development after nearly three years.
The One X is good but Sense is very unnecessary for ICS in comparison to GB and Froyo. TouchWiz on the other hand is actually rather great now. I hated it for older versions of Android but it seems perfect on the SGS3. It's the little details which are really very impressive, and it's just so smooth. And to whoever said the screen on the SGS3 is dull, with all due respect are you an idiot?! It's by far the best phone screen I've used (better than the One X as well).
One more advantage of the SGS3 over the One X is just how simple it is to root. From what I've read about the One X, it's a bit troublesome to root and flash custom ROMs etc. whilst even someone like myself (never flashed a native Android phone before) can easily use Odin and flash things without really having to do too much thinking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one x's screen is better then the s3's... It's sharper and the colours look so much better. Plus u can actually view it in sunlight.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium