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[Q] Which phone to purchase

Hey guys,
I've been following xda-developers for last few months and it totally rocks.
Now I've been using Sony ericsson w950i (unlocked) until now.
Been thinking of moving to smart phone.
Now I'm confused, I don't care about carrier (though using ATT for now)
Here r choices: 1. Evo 2. DroidX 3. xperia X10
I don't want an iphone and I can't purchase Nexus One (which I would have if I had enough money :-/)
Anyway so here are criteria for phone:
1. Can be rooted, I like cynogenmod and I may hardly use original android
Here r few of my assumptions (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong)
I can't use proprietary UIs if I put cynogen (it doesn't matter but I wanna confirm)
Evo is my ultimate choice but heard battery sucks (what about spare battery solution ?), How severe is battery issue?
Please feel free to provide ur opinion about other phones as well. I may eventually end up purchasing Evo still I want some experienced opinions
Thanks

Evo is a great phone. It IS starting to get old. Perhaps wait till christmas to see what new phones HTC brings out?
THe X10 is outdated and will most likely only ever see android 2.1 so Id steer clear of it. In fact, I dont intend on buying any more SE phones but thats just me. .
The droid x seems amazing, can be rooted but its quite big in hand (but i suppose youre looking at the EVO so thats similar )
Have you considered the Samsung Galaxy S phones? including the AT&T captivate?
They can be rooted, unlocked, will certainly see cyanogen mod development and because there are sooo many of them around now both locally and internationally (unlike droid x and evo), there will be lots of development for them. Specs wise, they are the top gun.
Personally, id wait a bit and see what comes around the corner. If you still want what youve listed here, youll get a better deal seeing as many will flock to the new devices
Cheers!

I love the Evo. It's my mini tiny PC. Battery wise, well it does juice it up quite much...but then again I am constantly on my fone so I got Ian charges, dock for home, n extra battery as well.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Thanks guys,
As ozy pointed out waiting till Christmas/new year would be best possible option even for me, however don't want to renew my contract with ATT for one year just for that (will certainly look for something though)
And about Samsung phones I'm bit skeptic (fragile and get heated -- well thats 5-6 years back experience, never used it again so I'm not saying they r bad however I'm just being doubtful, though amoled screens r worth checking out)
And thanks anani exactly thats how I'm planning to use (though its on internet forever than on phone) I would appreciate if u can point out battery accessories links

lengthy bump..

If you are happy with AT&T I would get the Captivate. I have an Evo, love it, but my wife gets her phone through work so is stuck with AT&T. She recently upgraded from the Iphone, which she always hated, to the Samsung captivate. I have rooted it (simple compared to the Evo) and done a few mods, got rid of AT&T's market censorship, enabled side loading, and got rid of all the AT&T bloatware, and replaced most of the supplied apps with better ones from the market.
Running it side by side with my Evo I have to say, while I like the Evo better, but it has some advantages. The screen is much better looking, it has slightly more responsive touch input than the Evo, and Touchwiz is a less bloated UI than Sense. On the downside, the only two things I can find to complain about with it is that the bottom buttons are not as responsive as the Evo's, and the GPS on it takes a long time to lock and isn't as sensitive as the Evo's is. I am working on improving the GPS now though with some success. It will also be getting Froyo within the next few weeks, and rumor is the button issue may be addressed with the update.
Overall though, I like the captivate, especially since the phone call quality is really good, it is light weight and seems to be built very well. Also the screen fps isn't capped at 30 fps like the Evo is. If I was on AT&T that is what I would get.

You don't even need to think about it
HTC Desire with OLED mon ...

Thanks wfrandy and seals,
I'm kinda annoyed with at&t network at my place, most of the time I've had complains from friends saying "I tried your phone for whole day" and etc plus I'm not really in for data usage cap. Thats the main reason I'm hanging on my old phone else I could have renewed my contract by now.
But yea Captivate seems nice and Samsung strategy to make phones as open as possible is also tempting.
And about Desire - is it available with any carrier? I thought desire is not available in US market

hmm,
So I've a deal for htc droid incredible, verizon is giving it for free.
What are your reviews? I liked phone the only downside to the phones we were comparing seems to be 3.7" screen and no 4g connectivity
Please let me know if anyone have used the phone
Thanks

Google teaming with samsung - fail?

I believe that new Nexus S will let the google down. I had many issues with samsung products in the past, and I saw glitching stock vibrants. What you guys personally think about it?

I think Samsung wants to screw over their current customers. Then again, I am assuming they are doing this because of the leaks.

Yay, lets mix freedom and complete control and see what we get.... It's retarded and the nexus name is forever tarnished.

I would have loved to see the Nexus line stay with HTC but let's face it, they didn't do a great job with the Nexus One. Crappy digitizer and failing power buttons...

Nexus supposed to be the Android of all androids... But with samsung it will drown. I think dead buttons is nothing compare to a brick, which Nexus S will turn for sure.
Galaxy S phones failed big time. Lagging like hell and freezing. Not to mention previous samsung phones.
I could be wrong too. Lets see how Nexus S will go. Maybe samsung learned the lesson.

Do any of you guys have the phone? Did you create a thread just to bash something you haven't used? I have mine OCed to 1.4 GHz, running stable with CM7. Everything is blazing fast, as lag free as reasonably possible, and I have quadrant scoring at 3700+. Let me know when you can beat that.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Loggerhead87 said:
Do any of you guys have the phone? Did you create a thread just to bash something you haven't used? I have mine OCed to 1.4 GHz, running stable with CM7. Everything is blazing fast, as lag free as reasonably possible, and I have quadrant scoring at 3700+. Let me know when you can beat that.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Used one for 3 days before wishing the world was flat so I could throw it off the edge. Even with the "new version" the fragmentation compared to the first version of windows phone 7 is just awful. After playing with it I cant find much if any difference from 2.2. If I wanted to throw money away like that I'd buy a vibrant on craigslist for 150, add a front facing camera, then use it as toilet paper that being the most practical use for galaxy S garbage.

AntonJart said:
Nexus supposed to be the Android of all androids... But with samsung it will drown. I think dead buttons is nothing compare to a brick, which Nexus S will turn for sure.
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Actually I heard somewhere that the Nexus line is suppose to represent "pushing the Android line and what to expect from future Android phones."

z33dev33l said:
Used one for 3 days before wishing the world was flat so I could throw it off the edge. Even with the "new version" the fragmentation compared to the first version of windows phone 7 is just awful. After playing with it I cant find much if any difference from 2.2. If I wanted to throw money away like that I'd buy a vibrant on craigslist for 150, add a front facing camera, then use it as toilet paper that being the most practical use for galaxy S garbage.
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u mad
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Loggerhead87 said:
u mad
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Nope, happy with WP7, boy it's great to not lag on the homescreen

The Nexus S is a Samsung product that actually works. They've actually put a lot more effort in the Nexus S than they have the Galaxy S, which is sad to see on many levels. With the build of the Nexus S, and the power of hummingbird, the Nexus S is what all Galaxy S phones should have been. My Moment was a brick in terms of build, dropped it all the time but nothing went wrong with it. But the fact that it had no real hardware support for openGL, was built on 1.5 even though 1.5 didn't support CDMA, and the network issues were so far up there, I'd have to reset my phone 3 times a day! I had to send it back 2 more times and the same thing over and over! Rooting wouldn't help either! So they try to pawn the Intercept off to me as an "upgrade." A smaller resolution that most apps don't support, a slower network, and no Amoled screen? That's not an upgrade. When I had my Epic, the build quality was okay, nothing close to what my Evo is though. But I was tired of waiting for an update that should have come stock on the phone! With a phone like the Galaxy S there is no reason is should have shipped with 2.1! I'm glad Google is the one supporting the Nexus S and not Samsung, because then the Nexus S would have been stuck on 2.3 for half a year after the next Android comes out. I wouldn't mind the Nexus S, but that would be the only Samsung phone I would buy now. After 2 that had terrible support from Samsung, yeah right.

Loggerhead87 said:
u mad
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Samsung products suck. I told earlier, somewhere in other post, that I could be wrong about Nexus S. Lets see how it will go. I personally do not trust Samsung Brand.

AntonJart said:
Samsung products suck. I told earlier, somewhere in other post, that I could be wrong about Nexus S. Lets see how it will go. I personally do not trust Samsung Brand.
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Disagree with you a little bit there. I've got a Samsung TV, and Bluray player and both are amazing. It's their phone products that aren't too great. The Nexus S like I said, is what the Galaxy S should have been.

Samsung's hardware is amazing in my opinion.. Their tv's are the best,, and we saw it on our samoled screens.. I show my phone's picture to people and they are wowed... My vibrant is nice rooted on froyo.. But stock.... It's a piece of...
Thank xda for awesome developers.
samsung's software (touch wiz) sucks..
they don't release updates or keep their word.. They piss enough people off. But people keep coming back..
The nexus is saved by google. but honestly.. The nexus one set new standards on upcoming android phones. We didn't see much competition.. The nexus s came out.. With the same hardware we saw two seasons ago.. New standards? Na I don't think so.. instead we are looking forward to dual core phones.. 4g capable phones.. And to me the nexus isnt much of a difference from what we already had.. Cmon samsung! You should have surprised us with new shzz!
Still love my Vibrant though.. Just wish it was officially on froyo, had an FFC, perhaps some 4g capability... Psh.. I WISH! -__-"

Here I agree. I have samsung tv myself, and it is good. I also had their portable audio players, but they were bad. Nexus S has no sd card slot, 16 gb isnt bad, but what about powerusers? No 3G + support, full 4G coverage is still in the far future. Processor is still the same as in previous phones. No gig of ram. Its like a tiny upgrade of nexus one, not counting 4G and front camera. Oh wait, isnt back camera is 5 megapixels?
They should stop making dozens of models, and create 1 master phone, that kicks asses.
Sent from my HTC Magic using XDA App

That's sort of what they do now. They have two basis for their major phones.
Hummingbird
or
Samsung S3C6410
They've used Hummingbird in all of their high end phones, and the S3 in their mid-low end phones, and their older flagships like the Spica, the Moment. It's used now in another Galaxy phone I know(Not sure which one), I believe the Behold II has the cpu just not clocked as high, the Transform uses it, and the Intercept uses it.

I have sold my Wave S8500 and Galaxy I5800...I have learned my lesson.....No more Samsung produtcs for me.
Bad quality hardware and bad software support (updates, etc.) and bad customer service.
Google is making a huge mistake here!!

put simply...samsung hardware rocks, but samsung software blows. they really need to dump touchwiz and start from scratch...but imagine htc sense running on a galaxy s...epic win

I own both a Nexus one and a Nexus S. The NS is by far the better phone. Sure the N1 has metal and looks great it is in no way comparable to the NS. No android phone out right now compares with the NS.

[RESOLVED] Pros Cons of Nexus S?

So I recently switched to Sprint(ethical reasons, phone was a back burner issue) and grabbed an Evo. I can swap it during the first 30 days, which happens to give me about 4 days to consider swapping it for what will be the newly launched Nexus S 4g. I just want to know what your guys' opinion on this would be, since seeing specs written down doesn't mean as much as having the phone in hand for a while does.
From what I can see, it's like this.
Pros: Battery way better, unlocked from start, better proc(though same default clock speed), more internal memory and RAM, slightly smaller(more pocketable), updates from Google, better screen
Cons: cameras are worse(5mp & VGA v 8mp & 1.3mp), no external memory, hassle of exchanging, button arrangement(not sure why no one else does it the HTC way)
is there anything I'm overlooking while I consider the two? I haven't had a Nexus phone hands on, so I'm stuck looking at tech specs which could ultimately not matter.
(Update) Ended up swapping them. (/Update)

find a shop that has it on display and test it for yourself. i was unsure myself until i tested it personally. camera quality really is a non-issue imo.

I switched from Evo to Nexus 2 weeks ago. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Are you really going to be swapping out multiple SD cards? I never did in the six months I had my Evo. So that was a non issue for me. I got used to the button placement in less than one week. And the camera I think is just as good as the Evo camera. The flash works way better, low light pics are better. MPs are meaningless, its all about the sensor and the Nexus has a good one.
Not to mention that this sexy Nexus makes my fugly old Evo feel like a monster truck next to my new Maserati
My two cents!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

I'll swing by my local sprint store tomorrow to check and see if they have a demo model on the floor. If not, may swing to AT&T or best buy to check one out hands on.

samesies
I'm in the exact same boat as you. I'm upgrading my phone (From a TP2) for work and have been looking at both the evo and the nexus s. I went to best buy and they have a demo unit available to play with. I went with the evo for earlier availibility but think i will ultimately be end up swapping with the nexus. I would reccomend you hit up best buy to see the nexus s 4g in person.

rougegoat said:
So I recently switched to Sprint(ethical reasons, phone was a back burner issue) and grabbed an Evo. I can swap it during the first 30 days, which happens to give me about 4 days to consider swapping it for what will be the newly launched Nexus S 4g. I just want to know what your guys' opinion on this would be, since seeing specs written down doesn't mean as much as having the phone in hand for a while does.
From what I can see, it's like this.
Pros: Battery way better, unlocked from start, better proc(though same default clock speed), more internal memory and RAM, slightly smaller(more pocketable), updates from Google, better screen
Cons: cameras are worse(5mp & VGA v 8mp & 1.3mp), no external memory, hassle of exchanging, button arrangement(not sure why no one else does it the HTC way)
is there anything I'm overlooking while I consider the two? I haven't had a Nexus phone hands on, so I'm stuck looking at tech specs which could ultimately not matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Evo is a more "normal" phone and in my opinion has more dev support compared to the Nexus S, if I were you I would wait for the Evo 3D, but if that is not an option for you, stick with the Evo. The cons in this case just outweigh the pros, updates do not matter because Gingerbread doesn't bring much to the table, the cameras are better on the Evo, Sense is less depressing than stock Android, Sense is more social, the Evo is okay in the pocket, they have the same amount of RAM, and the screen on the Evo is amazing compared to other HTC devices, if you plan on watching movies it is AMAZING on both, but the Evo has the stand so it works better. Really the Nexus S is a hassle if you want to use it as a smart phone, I use it as a phone, yes but I mess around with it more than I text, email, and call people on it.
Stick with the Evo, unless you can wait get the Evo 3D.
Sent from my Xoom

Smokexz said:
The Evo is a more "normal" phone and in my opinion has more dev support compared to the Nexus S, if I were you I would wait for the Evo 3D, but if that is not an option for you, stick with the Evo. The cons in this case just outweigh the pros, updates do not matter because Gingerbread doesn't bring much to the table, the cameras are better on the Evo, Sense is less depressing than stock Android, Sense is more social, the Evo is okay in the pocket, they have the same amount of RAM, and the screen on the Evo is amazing compared to other HTC devices, if you plan on watching movies it is AMAZING on both, but the Evo has the stand so it works better. Really the Nexus S is a hassle if you want to use it as a smart phone, I use it as a phone, yes but I mess around with it more than I text, email, and call people on it.
Stick with the Evo, unless you can wait get the Evo 3D.
Sent from my Xoom
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By the way if this is for work, get an Evo that thing has an amazing touch screen keyboard making it easier to edit documents etc. The Nexus S can sometimes feel like you are beta testing software, the past 3 updates for the Nexus S have always brought a plethora of issues for a lot of people.
Sent from my Xoom

matt2053 said:
I got used to the button placement in less than one week.
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Agreed, me too.

Smokexz said:
... Sense is less depressing than stock Android, Sense is more social...
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Click to collapse
Sense actually works as a major con for the Evo. You have no idea how many times its pissed me off over something minor and annoying they added in. The gallery with it is crap, it assumes all mms are slideshows, I can't delete a Facebook number from the phone(traditionally prevents it from syncing that contact), I have to set up an 8 digit passwd on it just to set up a WiFi network, and so many other things that just don't happen in stock android. It's way more trouble than the tiny amount of eye candy it brings is worth.
Evo 3D does look nice, but since I just got the Evo two weeks ago, there's no possible way for me to get it. The Nexus is only an option cause it launches during my 30 day return/exchange window.
Sent from my Evo "Leoben" using XDA Premium App

I say Nexus S. As much as people "hate" Samsung, their camera hardware ****s on HTC. Only the newer HTC's can even compete. Speaker is awesome on the NS. And if you ever plan on playing at least some games then NS is your choice. Hummingbird proc in it is so much better than the first Gen snapdragon. And I believe battery life is better on the NS.
But of course it's all up to you on how you use your phone. I love sense as well and what it has to offer. So it's really up to you and what you use your phone for daily.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Ended up swapping them today. Out with Leoben the Evo and in with Lore the Nexus S 4G.

Is this a Good Phone

Im looking into buying a nexus s and just wanna see what ppl on these forums have to say about it. Overall is it a good phone? how's the rooting process hard? Does rooting vastly improve it like it did my hero? General opinions on the phone?
Thanks for any input

Like you, I came from a HTC Hero. Rooting isn't necessary to squeeze more performance from the nexus s compared to the hero. Having said that, it is strongly recommended to root it because it allows you to do so much more on the nexus s. In terms of performance wise, rooting does not "vastly" improve the performance.
General opinions of the phone are its great! Go get it.
The rooting process is extremely simple. Go do a quick search on the forums.

Great phone. Fairly easy to root. The guides available are great as long as you follow it verbatim. The phone itself is fast as is and has large internal memory for apps. Rooting is worth it IMO. The extra overclock and undervolt keeps the phone always running fluid and increases battery life significantly.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Thanks for the input guys...REALLY looking forward to gettin this

Im getting another one this will be my 3rd. Its def a keeper. Vanilla and constant updates 1st
Sent from my Sensational Phone using XDA Premium App

Yeah hero is probably the worst effin phone ever made in the history of all phones so any upgrade is a blessing.
And yes, the hero sucked so many balls. The slowest laggiest POS ever.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

fraspas said:
Yeah hero is probably the worst effin phone ever made in the history of all phones so any upgrade is a blessing.
And yes, the hero sucked so many balls. The slowest laggiest POS ever.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
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I actually thought Hero sent the trend on how Android devices should look and function.
Anyway, imo, nexus s is the best android phone, I just got one yesterday, samoled version (dislike slcd), I love everything about the phone. It even performs better than my brother's HTC Sensation even with its dual core.
my next phone will either be the next nexus or galaxy s3.

Please delete this post.

I have the galaxy s vibrant. Would you guys still recomend me to get the nexus s? I can get one at a very good price.. But im wondering if its worth the change. Any input is welcome
Edit: sorry for the thread highjack, thought of posting here rather than creating a new thread.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using Tapatalk

bimmerboii said:
I have the galaxy s vibrant. Would you guys still recomend me to get the nexus s? I can get one at a very good price.. But im wondering if its worth the change. Any input is welcome
Edit: sorry for the thread highjack, thought of posting here rather than creating a new thread.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I love my Nexus S (coming from an HTC Magic), but if you already have a Galaxy S, I don't think it's worth the trouble: they have pretty much the same hardware inside. In addition, IIRC, Galaxy S has Gorilla glass, a SD card slot, FM radio and 720p recording.
The best thing about the Nexus S is that it's vanilla Android, constantly updated and officially supported by Google. It has NFC, which the Galaxy S doesn't have, and gets better support from app developers as well. I didn't need all those hardware features the Galaxy S had: I just wanted *the* Google phone :-D.
Basically, the Nexus line is much better supported than the Galaxy S line, but if you're in XDA, I guess you won't mind flashing a vanilla ROM to your Galaxy S.

Thanks for your reply. You made good points on my deciding factor. But even if im on xda, i hate having to flash my phone all the time (my sgs is stock). I just want the latest version of android.
Here's the thing.. Someone wants to buy my sgs for $300. I have credits on my account and could get the nexus s for $308 all in. Or i can just save my credits and let it accumulate over the next few months to buy a better phone. But im really itching for a stock vanilla android phone. Decisions decisions...
Sent from my GT-I9000M using Tapatalk

Stay with Galaxy S. As soon as you go to Nexus S, you will miss your Galaxy S. IMHO, Nexus S is a downgrade from Galaxy S. I did this mistake but within 2 weeks gladly came back to Galaxy S. But if you are too itchy, buy Nexus S and compare both head on head. Know the difference yourself and get rid of the one you find inferior compared to the other.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

rdbhalla said:
Stay with Galaxy S. As soon as you go to Nexus S, you will miss your Galaxy S. IMHO, Nexus S is a downgrade from Galaxy S. I did this mistake but within 2 weeks gladly came back to Galaxy S. But if you are too itchy, buy Nexus S and compare both head on head. Know the difference yourself and get rid of the one you find inferior compared to the other.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
I dont think it is a downgrade, i think the point in android world is " you cant have everything"... sure, sgs has a lot of features that we dont have in nxs, but nxs also has some things over sgs... and you need to decide what you are looking for, what comes first for you...
I came from a desire hd, that in specs is worse of nxs, and i am pretty much satisfeid with it. I guess the point is: it's good to look specs, but it is only half part, the other half is about daily usage.
Back to the question, if i were you i would wait a little bit more, swap for a nealy phone, more than 6 months old... maybe you can get a sgs II or wait for the new nexus prime, i just dont know if it a good idea.. =o)
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

thiagodark said:
I dont think it is a downgrade, i think the point in android world is " you cant have everything"... sure, sgs has a lot of features that we dont have in nxs, but nxs also has some things over sgs... and you need to decide what you are looking for, what comes first for you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the only additional thing Nexus S has is flash. I have my own reservations about the quality of HTC phones after using HTC Desire for few weeks. But if the choice is between SGS and NS, SGS clearly has an edge. But again, its individual's choice. Whatever works the best for you.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Absolutely disagree. I've had the vibrant for the last 9 months and thought it was awesome but then the lag gets unbearable because of the file system. I went in with my brother and dad and got a family plan and we got the nexus s since I thought that would be the best (hulu, Netflix, etc all came out first for it) and you get software updates first too from Google. And the phone is wicked fast. I thought I would miss touchwiz and all the quirks but you know what I did for like 3 days. And the battery life on this sucker is amazing. I think its a great buy especially for me. But each his own. People have different wants and needs and everybody needs to do their research before buying and investing in something so expensive.
rdbhalla said:
Stay with Galaxy S. As soon as you go to Nexus S, you will miss your Galaxy S. IMHO, Nexus S is a downgrade from Galaxy S. I did this mistake but within 2 weeks gladly came back to Galaxy S. But if you are too itchy, buy Nexus S and compare both head on head. Know the difference yourself and get rid of the one you find inferior compared to the other.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Well I do not disagree. Galaxy S does need a little bit of tweaking to get the full performance out of it. All I did with my SGS was to install JVO 2.3.4, root it and this changed it to a totally different phone. Yes, I use stock gingerbread launcher and keyboard instead of touchwiz or Samsung keyboard. All of this takes hardly 30 minutes.
Nexus S is definitely fast out of the box. But gorilla glass, FM radio, expandable memory slot, better video recording give SGS an edge over NS. SGS just needs half an hour more to reveal its potential.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I wrote a review to answer this first post.
Here is a review I put together as I had same initial questions. Hope it helps.
My first experience with android was rooting a Hero, since then I enjoyed a year with a rooted EVO, but after several boot-looping experiences which I was unable to correct, the phone had become unusable, and I was forced to choose a new phone a little more premature than I would have liked. I had my heart set on the specs of the Galaxy S II but after enjoying two HTC phones and how easily they were rooted I also leaned toward the EVO 3D. I will admit here, that I was a “flash-aholic” when it came to trying out new ROMs and kernels, and would probably continue to have been so if it weren’t for the boot-loop and force closing problem I was having.
I decided to go ahead and get a Sprint Nexus S 4G instead of waiting another ten days for the EVO 3D, knowing that if I didn’t have a good experience with the Nexus, I could return it within the 30 day trial period. The Sprint rep. was very helpful and honest with his assistance, he showed me that the Nexus even in the store was not picking up as good a signal as the EVO 4G, and I expressed concern about receiving signal at my residence, as frequently I had to step outside in the back yard to have a phone conversation using the EVO.
Initial setup of the Nexus was surprisingly easy, but just as suspected the signal at home was weak, though not any worse than the EVO. A call to Sprint tech support the next day helped when they offered to send me an Airave unit, which I received in only one week and found a dramatic improvement for not only my phone but my wife’s EVO as well. Thank you Sprint!
My next adventure was whether or not to root this phone, as I held off until I decided I was going to keep it. It was a little bit of a challenge for me to set up adb capabilities on my computer but worth the research. So I was now set up to make the root possible, however, reading up on the Nexus didn’t convince me that rooting was to my best advantage at this time, so I have held off. The signal problem had been resolved, my battery life has been great, my phone is extremely fast, and tethering works right out of the box, most importantly is everything works well without bugs or any other problems. This doesn’t mean I won’t root when I see a clear advantage in the future, and fortunately rooting the Nexus is as easy as it can get.
Instead I have used ADW EX customizations to optimize this phone for my best android experience, and it is this point convincing me to keep it. The Nexus S has none of the Sprint bloat-ware profligation, and none of the manufacturer skin-ware. Using ADW EX and android widgets, I was able to customize my Nexus to suit my needs perfectly. The best part of the experience is that I got to choose how my phone worked, and my phone now operates exactly how I want it to, I might also mention that Launcher Pro would work very well also. Ah, the beauty of android.
Later the next week I went into a local RadioShack to have hands-on time with the EVO 3D to make certain I had made the best choice. I did that Sense 3 twirl thing and the rep mentioned the limitations of Nexus screen scrolling, I showed him that my phone also had infinity scrolling. He was surprised and didn’t go any further.
Sure the latest summer phones have better specs, more powerful hardware, and unique features (3D), but for me at least, they don’t really make for a better android experience than a Nexus. Here is a list of widgets I have included on my screens.
Agenda widget keeps an excellent display of my appointments.
Springpad for notes and general organization uses.
Google+ widget, as well as android system widget for general phone info.
I use Jorte calendar to fill up one entire screen.
The control widget for quick access to phone controls.
The Starbuck coffee widget cause I gotta admit, I like my coffee.
Skype video calls work excellently and I use it frequently since most phone users still don’t have Google Talk video. I have combined Facebook with Twitter using Tweetdeck, and this app I keep in an easily accessible hidden dock which contains many of my frequently used apps, one of the best features of ADW EX and used by many ROMs such as Cyanogen.
The overall flow and performance of the phone is flawless, handling multi-functioning easily, Bluetooth works very well, wi-fi at home and at my local Starbucks is good, pictures are adequate and the general feel of the phone is sleek without giving up that much on size coming from an EVO slab phone user. The idea that updates get pushed out to Nexus phones before anyone else will keep me a happy user for some time to come as the Nexus is a developer’s phone hence new applications often come to this phone first, the recent case of Skype video calling is a great example.
What do I miss most, or wished improved? I must admit I do miss that EVO kickstand, which was a nice feature though I can’t help but think it would mess with the sleekness of the Nexus. The missing sd card hasn’t been an issue for me, but I suppose it could be for others. There are times I still miss the LED notification light, though that is minor thing. I have read others complain of the back being slick and a fingerprint magnet, but I stuck an Egrip strip with a cool image to help in handling the phone better and reduce the space for smudges.
Are there better phones out there this summer? Sure, if you go by hardware specs, so if photo quality is important to you with a better camera and more features such as 3D, or if you just can’t live without that LED notification light, the Nexus may not be for you. A dual core phone is slightly faster, but hardly noticeable and does 1 second or less really make that much difference? Do they make better use of the android system though? In my opinion this is where the Nexus excels and for me that is the true strength of this phone and why I suggest giving it a serious consideration.

I would probably keep the galaxy s in favor of the nexus s, mainly because of the browser-lag issue in the nexus. It is a great phone, but I don't think vanilla android brings to the table that much you should sell your galaxy. Hardware wise you would be gaining nothing.
You almost might as well wait for the next nexus that probably will come at the same time as ice-cream sandwich (Q4). Nexus is nice because you get the updates almost immediately, but Google has indicated that there will be no major updates before the launch of ICS. So why not wait for the phone that launches with ICS?

i just LOVE nexus s... Fast smooth amazing battery life, bought it two days ago and i completely fell in love with it. Coming from htc sense i thought vanilla would feel a little "vanilla" but no sir, the speed and the battery pays off sure if ur a guy who likes to use camera a lot then sgs might be a better option, but for all other things i believe sns is better. plus the curved screen is sexy

of course, most people here recognize this phone as good one. you know this phone even been to Space. how great.. haha

Samsung or HTC

Which should I get I'm confused but I want this phone to last a while
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Re: HTC One or M7
Isn't the htc one the official name for the device whilst M7 was just three rumour name? Or am I confusing it with another device?
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my HTC Vision

Do yourself a favor and don't get an HTC device again. My sister has a HOX and they've gotten no updates past their first update.

Re: HTC One or M7
But I really i dont like Samsung but imma take what I can get and there are 2 diff phones with the One as there name that's why I said m7
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Re: HTC One or M7
I have always found HTC build quality to be the best, not just in durability but also feel. Samsung doesn't "feel" nice on average but I'm learning their build quality is on par with all the latest phones. One of my least favorite phone makers is lg, bit I just got my girl a nexus 4 and from what I can tell it too should last a long time with the case she has.
But I've grown tired of needed high quality development for each phone I get (hence the n4) and I've phone the worst of the phone companies is HTC as far as getting new software for their "flagship phones"
Granted I will always use custom software its nice to know there is a solid base for me to work with, well mainly developers to work with, I haven't seen a HTC phone get more than 3 major updates, mostly two or one, the only one to have three huge updates was the dream, very first android phone.... Since then they have let their loyal fan base down.
So if you want a phone with consistent software updates, go Samsung flagship phones or go with a nexus, chances are you'll be disappointed in a years time or so if you dont
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Re: HTC One or M7
Here is why the HTC One.....well any HTC device is a lose/lose. 1 they lock em down tighter thank Fort Knox. And 2 well read this short article on why HTC was sued by the FTC. http://thehackernews.com/2013/02/privacy-of-millions-of-htc-devices-at.html?m=1
Sent From SaberMod using my Nexus 4

Re: HTC One or M7
Wow. Now I wanna change the name to Samsung or HTC . but if I do get a Samsung would the s3 or note II last?
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K7Cobb said:
Wow. Now I wanna change the name to Samsung or HTC . but if I do get a Samsung would the s3 or note II last?
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s3 in my eyes is nothing special. My little brother has a Verizon S3 and it didn't impress me at all.
I read ALL the raves about how powerful it was blah blah blah. And when I finally got one in my hands I was like really, this is the NEXT BIG THING...LMAO.
The most powerful device I've touched to date has been my N4.
I'll get to play with the Note 2 again soon and I'll stack it against my N4. But the Note 2 is just god awfully huge and I wouldn't have it as a personal device because it covers my whole entire face haha
Sent From SaberMod using my Nexus 4

strapped365 said:
The s3 in my eyes is nothing special. My little brother has a Verizon S3 and it didn't impress me at all.
I read ALL the raves about how powerful it was blah blah blah. And when I finally got one in my hands I was like really, this is the NEXT BIG THING...LMAO.
The most powerful device I've touched to date has been my N4.
I'll get to play with the Note 2 again soon and I'll stack it against my N4. But the Note 2 is just god awfully huge and I wouldn't have it as a personal device because it covers my whole entire face haha
Sent From SaberMod using my Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the Note 2. I don't use my phone for calls particularly often (a few times a day at most) and use it more as a productivity (or... productivity reducer, really) device and the form factor is great. It has great battery life due to the huge battery and the digitizer is fantastic. That being said, the Nexus 4 will get far longer support because it's a Nexus device and many people will hang onto it.
Nexus 4:
- Pros: Updates for 1.5 - 2 years, huge support from XDA and such, inexpensive, good battery life, great screen after tweaks, did I mention the XDA support?
- Cons: Somewhat fragile front and back glass, no SD card (if you use one), no removable battery (if you use one)
Galaxy S3:
- Pros: Somewhat well supported due to the very large userbase, Wolfson DAC, SD card, removable battery
- Cons: Feels pretty cheap, not a quad-core
- Toss-up: Pentile screen
Galaxy Note 2:
- Pros: Wacom Digitizer and Pen, huge screen, non-Pentile AMOLED, Wolfson DAC, SD card, removable battery
- Cons: You look like an idiot when you put the phone to your face, less PPI than S3 or N4, can't use one-handed well, less support on XDA, loss of Digitizer support when on AOSP ROMs, expensive even with a contract
The pros and cons in my head.

Well now I need to change the name again lol, I was thinking about the N4 but how big is the screen? And does XDA only have stock ROMs cause I would like to load a sense/touchwiz ROM onto it. And the N4 is the original device I was gonna choose from....since its on tmo.....but I want a big screen and NICE CASES
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K7Cobb said:
Well now I need to change the name again lol, I was thinking about the N4 but how big is the screen? And does XDA only have stock ROMs cause I would like to load a sense/touchwiz ROM onto it. And the N4 is the original device I was gonna choose from....since its on tmo.....but I want a big screen and NICE CASES
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 4.7 inch IPS display on my nexus which is pretty boss but Google fudged the colors so they need tweaked.
I rock the Poetic Atmosphere case and have 0 issues with it. I'll get some pics of it all up for you later I just got my speedy working to take pics with
Sent From SaberMod using my Nexus 4

I've made up my mind imma get the s3 because it has a great screen good accessories and it has sense 4.1 and android 4.2.1/.2 so I'm good! Imma be happy AF when I get the s3 but imma be sad cause this is the device I started with lol. But until I get the s3 imma be on here checking out ROMs.
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Sense is actually an HTC interface /overlay (?). S3 has touchwiz or whatever they call it.
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mojoffdawal said:
Sense is actually an HTC interface /overlay (?). S3 has touchwiz or whatever they call it.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but there is a dev group that ports sense to Samsung devices
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my myTouch 4G Slide

Lol sorry for the confusion lol by sense and 4.2.1/.2 I mean custom ROMs , but I thought that was kinda obvious
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ill go for HTC anytime IF they still made qwerty keyboards

If you still want a keyboard, Samsung seems to be the only provider.
Luckily, the devices they make are fairly good. Captivate Glide is the device I have gotten in the past month. Keyboard is heaps better than the one on the 4G Slide.
They also make the Relay 4G, which has one of the best keyboards I've ever seen on a phone. And it's the fastest QWERTY available on the market right now.
I will eventually upgrade to that device, but the pickings are somewhat slim, I must say.
I feel like T-Mobile customers have been the most fortunate when it comes to QWERTY phones. They had and still have some of the best devices available.
3G Slide, G2, 4G Slide, and now the Relay 4G all from the same carrier.

HTC doesn't do it like Samsung does. Samsung gives updates HTC doesn't. Samsung devices (majority) all have nice cases. And Samsung will last you a good amount of time. Most likely imma get the s3 but if not the note 1. Sorry HTC but you let your biggest fan down
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The S3 is light, but it's delicate. I've already broken two - and i'm pretty careful with my devices. Don't for a second believe that 'gorilla glass 2' is 'just as good as gorilla glass 1'. It's a bunch of bs.
It's quick, I like the bigger screen. Hate no keyboard, and refuse to use the 'fake' virtual keyboard. Had to go get a real virtual keyboard to cope. (I don't do fake well anyways)
I have an S3 on verizon, and the doubleshot on t-mo.
I use the s3 for work, because I travel and t-mobile ****ed me bad with no service - across most of the country. I haven't been to a backwater nowhere town yet that verizon didn't have good service in. T-mo, pretty much nowhere that isn't a huge population center.
But guess what? If I have to take a picture (and I take lots during the course of my shifts) I always pull the doubleshot. The S3 has the worst camera of any digital device i've put my hands on in the last 3 years.
My job depends on legible pictures - the S3 fails to deliver usable pictures so consistently the might as well just have left that out and put more ram in.
If I have to write an email, or the descriptions for those pictures where I can't use the magic cube? Yep - doubleshot. Then a wifi hotspot to send it to the S3 since I have no T-mo service wherever I am standing most likely.
So, despite having an S3, I still use the doubleshot for just about everything, and basically the s3 is a glorified internet connection to make up for T-mo's lack of network basically anywhere.
I do like the USB OTG function, and create and receive flash drives constantly while at work. It's the best way to swap large files like we make between each other on shift. The fact I can do it from my phone and don't need a laptop/netbook like most other people are stuck with is clutch.
Again, though, basically data hits the s3 and just goes over to the doubleshot where I actually work with it.
I do use the s3 to play Ingress - multi-window is nice if you port it or flash a rom that has it. I can't see multi-window being much more then frustrating on anything smaller then the s3 screen size.
I'm hit or miss on other games on the s3, can't say as I prefer it over the doubleshot or vice versa. The bigger screen isn't that much of a deal, but it might have been if I had the bigger one first.
I wanted to be a lot happier with it then I was, the extra ram is nice and the screen size is boss. Native HID bluetooth support is nice, but I find I don't really use it much beyond the magic cube. The MHL cable is cumbersome compared to the tv-out function of the doubleshot.
I sure as **** miss the keyboard shortcut hotkeys on the s3, just using android on it is clunky compared to a hardware keyboard device. If you got used to using them, get prepared to have your legs kicked out from under you. Doing specific things on the device takes 4 times as long or longer (if you can find something to tap to tell it to do what you want even - sometimes the keyboard shortcuts allow actions you can't otherwise perform)
Just having to do everything the long way without the keyboard shortcuts eliminates any performance gains the extra ram provides in general usage. 9 times out of 10 the doubleshot gets it done way faster just because I can tell it to do what I want it to do so much quicker.
nfc tags kinda make up for it a little bit, but not really. They are very limited in that you can only do what the tag is programmed to do. I have just under 50 tags in general use - it starts to become too much after a bit. Keyboard shortcuts are much more elegant.
In the end, my feelings on the s3 are just ... meh. If I could put the doubleshot on verizon, i'd sell the s3 in a heartbeat without a backward thought.

Blue6IX said:
.
In the end, my feelings on the s3 are just ... meh. If I could put the doubleshot on verizon, i'd sell the s3 in a heartbeat without a backward thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why didn't you get the Droid 4? It's not a doubleshot, the camera is not as great, but it has one of the best keyboards ever fitted to a phone.
Sent from my Captivate Glide