Database Users

Galaxy SII or Sensation

My first android phone was Nexus One and after a year in December i bought Nexus S. Now i feel that i need a new phone or a tablet,right now i m little confused between samsung Galaxy s2 or Htc Sensation.
The reason i m posting is that many of you guys came from flavored to vanilla phone like Htc and galaxy. So i want to know which phone is devs favorite and has more roms and will be better for gaming and stuff.
Or
Should i go for Galaxy tablet or Asus EEEpad?

Go do your own research about Galaxy S2 vs. Sensation. People here at these forums prefer the Nexus S over anything. We get the Nexus series because manufacturers don't have any say in anything. They simply just provide the hardware.
Not being a jerk or anything, but we shouldn't have to babysit you one by one our opinions about what phone to get when we're already enjoying the one we already have.

Amritttt said:
My first android phone was Nexus One and after a year in December i bought Nexus S. Now i feel that i need a new phone or a tablet,right now i m little confused between samsung Galaxy s2 or Htc Sensation.
The reason i m posting is that many of you guys came from flavored to vanilla phone like Htc and galaxy. So i want to know which phone is devs favorite and has more roms and will be better for gaming and stuff.
Or
Should i go for Galaxy tablet or Asus EEEpad?
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Click to collapse
It's a tough question because everyone has different needs.
I have used MANY Android devices, I'm almost ashamed to admit.
I currently have the Nex S, HTC Glacier and a Motorola Xoom and I'll probably be getting the SGSII soon.
The Sensation is really nice. I have the ROM with Sense 3.0 running on my Glacier now and it's pretty sweet, but I still would prefer the SGSII without a doubt.
So it's really a YMMV situation, based entirely on your preferences, needs and wants
However, I've heard the new Samsung Galaxy 10.2 is currently regarded as the best Android tablet out now. So I hope that helps.

zephiK said:
Go do your own research about Galaxy S2 vs. Sensation. People here at these forums prefer the Nexus S over anything. We get the Nexus series because manufacturers don't have any say in anything. They simply just provide the hardware.
Not being a jerk or anything, but we shouldn't have to babysit you one by one our opinions about what phone to get when we're already enjoying the one we already have.
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C'mon man.
Lighten up a bit.
It's a community.
We help each other out.
He asked a harmless question.
That's all.
He clearly lacks experience and is looking for guidance from those that do.
Is that really so bad?

phonepersonality said:
C'mon man.
Lighten up a bit.
It's a community.
We help each other out.
He asked a harmless question.
That's all.
He clearly lacks experience and is looking for guidance from those that do.
Is that really so bad?
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It's really bad when you're coming to a respective forum and people are giving their own opinions about the phone when the REAL facts about the phone itself are on Engadget. These phones are made to fit a person's personality. One phone will please one person, whereas, another will knock it down because it's simply not what they're looking for.
Galaxy S2: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-review/
Sensation: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/27/htc-sensation-review/
I'd go with the Galaxy S2. That's just me. Happy?
I just find it really rude to come here and start talking about two phones that have absolutely nothing to do with its respective forum. People here (especially Sprint) users just got the phone and it's making them have regrets in buying the NS4G because with this thread, it makes the NS seem like an obsolete device when development for the NS/NS4G is starting to boost.
Sensation XDA: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1109
Galaxy S2 XDA: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1055
Note: Going to one of those forums and asking the same thing, they will most likely side with their phone because its a biased post. Just like how I'm standing up for the Nexus S. However, it may be more informative since they ACTUALLY have the phone in their hand and can list their personal experiences with the phone rather than us providing our experiences based on our readings from tech blogs. Fair?
Quad-core phones are coming out later this year with the upcoming rumored Nexus device anyway, which will most likely be the flagship "Ice Cream Sandwich" device. The leaked roadmap for NVIDIA Tegra lists that Tegra 3 (Quad-Core 1.5GHz) will be released within this Fall.
And since the Nexus S is a Nexus device, it will be one of the first phones to get "Ice Cream Sandwich" (or whatever it will be called). Having that in mind KEEPS me on staying with Team Nexus. Because there's really no reason to go out of Team Nexus when Nexus devices are getting their updates directly from Google including a fully deoxed ROM being released in a short period of time. ESPECIALLY when these devices being released are not optimized for Dual-Core (or above) usage. It doesn't matter if it has a 8-core CPU, if the OS doesn't optimize those cores, then it really doesn't matter. That's the end of the story.
Anyway, enough of my ranting. I hope this makes you stay with Nexus devices because they are truly unique phones and people should learn to appreciate them more. We will get our updates faster than any other phone and to be honest, I don't trust any manufacturer that determines whether or not when I will get the OTA. Even still, CyanogenMod does a great job on keeping users at the highest Android OS version possible but a stock version of the latest will help. Especially when Nexus devices are un-bloated and built from AOSP for the most part.

GS II... hands down.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

I would go for SGSII since it's a Galaxy S series phone, where almost everything is possiblility

man, you need to get both in hands to decide! since in real world specs means nothing! sensation has better resolution, buy s2 has mega hiper super amoled plus (or whatever samsung is calling it now)...
pick both phones and use it for a while, then decide!

http://androidandme.com/2011/06/new...ou-might-want-to-wait-for-the-nexus-3-part-1/

Does it make me a terrible person that I want to pay full retail for that phone despite only having my ns4g for ~2 months now?

Why not just get a tablet. If your that much of a power user and need a new phone after a couple of months. Give your eyes a rest and get something bigger
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

I prefer the overall non-branded android phones hence the nexus S I currently have. Had an HTC before and got kinda fed up with the bugs/issues and SLOW response from HTC to provide firmware updates.
I've had the Nexus S since Dec 2010 and I've already had four firmware updates!
Friend at work has the SGS2 and its a nice phone.. though I'd prefer it without touchwiz naturally lol

sjtscott said:
I prefer the overall non-branded android phones hence the nexus S I currently have. Had an HTC before and got kinda fed up with the bugs/issues and SLOW response from HTC to provide firmware updates.
I've had the Nexus S since Dec 2010 and I've already had four firmware updates!
Friend at work has the SGS2 and its a nice phone.. though I'd prefer it without touchwiz naturally lol
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Well the fact that Samsung gave a CM7 developer a Galaxy S2 to dev CyanogenMod meant a lot. I give Samsung more credit than they deserve regardless of how people criticize Samsung.
Motorola is just a no no.
HTC would be my second choice. I respect them for their commitment to "unlocking bootloaders." But the fact that they wanted to lock the bootloaders in their first place is shady.
Samsung doesn't really lock their bootloaders, its just fully open. And no, I'm not referring to the NS. The Galaxy S series wasn't even hard to unlock, just rename to update.zip and flash it in stock recovery.

I dont think so nexus 3 will be tegra 3 1.5 quad core so now i am thinking galaxy s2 or lg optimus 2x(g2x)

Nexus 3
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

NYYFan325 said:
Does it make me a terrible person that I want to pay full retail for that phone despite only having my ns4g for ~2 months now?
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Click to collapse
yes, it makes, you are terrible! =oP
that was the main reason i came to nexus, i want to trade it only for a new nexus... this hardware race is insane! it reminds me the old times of PC: 166mhz, 233mhz, 300mhz... MMX, 3DNOW

just look for better battery life .. wichever provide u better battery..and i think almost all phone now days coming with dual core n higher ram..
if u dont really care about updates than just pick one, which looks n feel better
cuz there arent much higher upgraded features coming anymore soo 2.3 and above is all cool

SGS2 because:
Faster everything
Slimmer profile
internal storage plus micro sd
physical button on the front
not Sensation because:
Wifi Death Grip issue
Sense 3.0 = which is garbage and pure eye candy

nexus one was my first android as well, and coming from vanilla, sense > touchwiz for me. Actually, a lot of ppl prefer sense over touchwiz. thats what you should look into if youre coming from vanilla.
of course, you should look at the specs as well. i found that any hardware differences werent significant enough for me.
Even though i'm not a fan of touchwiz, i ordered the sgsii because its compatible with the network im heading to, and mainly bc it looks like samsung really brought their stuff together and put a lot of work into the phone...where as (while i'm not doubting the work put into it) the sensation comes off as merely a dual-core EVO 4g.
just my 2 cents.

I don't understand why people prefer Sense > TouchWiz.
Sense is ALL EYE CANDY.
TouchWiz, first thing that comes to mind is looking like iOS. This is true, but when you put TouchWiz launcher under the hood and use LauncherPro/ADW over it. It's actually a great skin. TouchWiz implemented new features such as the power widgets on notifications bar and added codecs to play 720p. The Camera App was amazing too.

Galaxy nexus drops to $349, re-evaluating galaxy s III purchase?

Just saw that the nexus was dropping to $349 officially from the play store, to coincide with google i/o. That phone wasnt even in my radar until now. The s iii will most likely stay at $550-600 ebay prices for a while due to limited quantity. Its even higher right now as it hasnt fully launched in a lot of markets. Is it worth the $200-300 extra price if one wants to get a contract free phone?
The other thing i want to know is color temp. The phonearena comparison ideo between the two clearly show how much bluer the s iii is and the nexus is much whiter, making webviewing better since the black text on white is better looking and higher ontrast than black on blue. Will turning on cinema or natural mode make the s iii look like the nexus?
That $349 midrange price is very temptng. And they both have 720p screens and (to me) negligible performance differences. The play tore even states it already has jelly bean.

Well if you plan on custom OS I suppose the nexus is worthwhile.
I would want the camera and S Beam but if nothing else aside from S3 can use S Beam I suppose you could leave that out.
Does the nexus have the microSD slot? I know one Nexus didn't...
Sent from my MB870 using xda premium

Thought about it. But sticking with my plan of purchasing the S3. Camera is much better and so is everything else. I would think AOSP rooms will roll out quickly for the S3 so I wouldn't worry about not getting JB.

Zaf9670 said:
Does the nexus have the microSD slot? I know one Nexus didn't...
Sent from my MB870 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
nope, no micro SD slot on he Gnex

I came from the nexus. Its good but its not the gs3.
Better screen
Better camera
Smoother (stock s3 vs custom Rom kernel on nexus)
More ram (US version)
In addition we will ultimately have aosp roms. We will also have many variant of touchwiz, something they will not have.
Honestly, Google devices are over rated unless you are the type that doesn't root and flash custom roms.

Aridon said:
I came from the nexus. Its good but its not the gs3.
Better screen
Better camera
Smoother (stock s3 vs custom Rom kernel on nexus)
More ram (US version)
In addition we will ultimately have aosp roms. We will also have many variant of touchwiz, something they will not have.
Honestly, Google devices are over rated unless you are the type that doesn't root and flash custom roms.
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Click to collapse
I agree with every thing you said except the last part.....for myself I am a serious FLASHAHOLIC.....I mean bad....I have a whole stack of devices I mess with....
The Gnex is Zoolander...it only has one look. Flashing Samsung and other brands you will always have two bases which means twice the fun.....it is well known the Gnex is a developers phone.....leave it for them.
Sent from........Somewhere In Time

tylerdurdin said:
I agree with every thing you said except the last part.....for myself I am a serious FLASHAHOLIC.....I mean bad....I have a whole stack of devices I mess with....
The Gnex is Zoolander...it only has one look. Flashing Samsung and other brands you will always have two bases which means twice the fun.....it is well known the Gnex is a developers phone.....leave it for them.
Sent from........Somewhere In Time
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Click to collapse
That is what I said...

If I were paying for the phone, yes I would immediately switch my purchase to the Galaxy Nexus. The lack of expandable memory really, really stinks, but I could buy almost two Galaxy Nexus phones for the price of one SIII (I'm on T-Mobile), and I know I could live with a smaller portable music collection for that kind of difference.

I am waiting for $325 or$300 then pulling the trigger. anyone know the return policy for ATT Premier?

Aridon said:
That is what I said...
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Click to collapse
Yeah sorry.....missed the ..."doesn't".....that was a key word.
On that note.....well said man.....well said.
Sent from........Somewhere In Time

[Q] HTC One X Plus vs Nexus 4?

Which one would you recon would be a better all around phone
One X + specs http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4976
Nexus 4 specs http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_nexus_4_e960-5048.php
I would go for the nexus 4 but the 16gb space seems too limiting and I love the sense UI but also hate how manufacturers take ages to release the android os updates hence always turn to custom roms and am a frequent flasher.
which one would you also recon has better battery life?

i would compare htc with samsung but not with nexus..
getting a nexus phone isn't only about the specs of the phone,
if u need pure android and fast updates with limited hardware specs then go for nexus
if u need a device for its hardware spec like storage and the ability to increase is then i suggest u go with htc.
since the sgs 1 i got i will never go for other than the nexus samsung left as with their GB and never got updates since then..although we got many custom roms but still not like stock.
at the end it is ur decision be wise and think twice before taking the next step.
GoodLuck

It's your call on the phone. They have pros and cons. The flagship phones usually get updates longer then lower end models. HTC has good hardware. Nexus is bare bones and designed to be minimalist.

Why do people keep saying the Nexus is limited this or lacks hardware that? The Nexus 4 is one of the most powerful devices on the market. In fact, it has the smoothest performance out of all the devices. Do yourself a favor and get the Nexus, If you want somewhat better pictures then get the One X.

1gb of ram is fail, especially on a sense phone where the ui uses a third of your ram from boot
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

marwan91 said:
i would compare htc with samsung but not with nexus..
getting a nexus phone isn't only about the specs of the phone,
if u need pure android and fast updates with limited hardware specs then go for nexus
if u need a device for its hardware spec like storage and the ability to increase is then i suggest u go with htc.
since the sgs 1 i got i will never go for other than the nexus samsung left as with their GB and never got updates since then..although we got many custom roms but still not like stock.
at the end it is ur decision be wise and think twice before taking the next step.
GoodLuck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no sd card
and who says nexus 4 has limited hardware! its a powerful phone mc4 whit max setting(mod) runs at 50-29 FPS

I used to have a one s and a one x...and i would definitely keep the nexus over both. HTC's always get support for like a couple of months after release then just die. Also updates never happen. After the one s and x i'm most likely never going to buy another HTC again.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

How many VS. threads are yet to follow to clutter up XDA Use (for instance) Google and Youtube to search for and compare phones.

doesn't matter anymore
Since Google now updates apps instead of Os, getting a Nexus device no longer matters. Jelly Bean is a mature OS. Nothing really new out there. Rumours are 4.3 will contain minimal improvements. Not as important anymore. Go with phones that has features that matter to you now. Not 2 years from now.

but when 5.0 comes out people will come back to Nexus and bashing the OEM's again for being late because its a major update and that will take awhile.
plus, Seriously considering One X series?? do yourself a favor and get HTC One(M7). else, Nexus it is! spec might not be as good as S4 or One, but definitely smoother than them. We are talking about a device which is optimized/in-sync with the OS itself here.
its a no brainer to choose Nexus 4 for me cuz of the price. and updates are important, cuz you know money doesn't easily come so i have to make it count. i'm a geek so i have to be the latest in software. haha.

Stevedion said:
Since Google now updates apps instead of Os, getting a Nexus device no longer matters. Jelly Bean is a mature OS. Nothing really new out there. Rumours are 4.3 will contain minimal improvements. Not as important anymore. Go with phones that has features that matter to you now. Not 2 years from now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect. Nexus devices so matter. Nexus has one thing that other phones do not and that is the availability of working drivers from the very start.
When Android 4.3 come out, other phones will have broken auto rotate, cellular data, bluetooth, gps or whatever it may be because of the drivers not working properly with 4.3 and when 5.0 comes out, it will be even more significant to the point that it will be a large transition kind of like Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich depending on what 5.0 includes.

LuffyPSP said:
do yourself a favor and get HTC One(M7). else, Nexus it is! spec might not be as good as S4 or One, but definitely smoother than them.
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Agreed with everything else in the comment, but the HTC One is just as smooth as the N4 from what I've seen.

Nigeldg said:
Agreed with everything else in the comment, but the HTC One is just as smooth as the N4 from what I've seen.
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It's not noticeable but the slight stutter is there. I played with One almost everyday. It is fast, with RARE slowdown. Sometimes in loading an app.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

I have both phones and I would suggest to somebody to get the n4 over the x+ in a heartbeat. It's just an overall better phone in fact it's the best phone I've ever had the pleasure of owning. Plus if you are into modifying your your phone with roms and kernels then I do not suggest getting an x+. On the flip side the n4 has a huge development community that is extremely active
Meh Kittehs say meow from my Xperia TL

shadymouse said:
Why do people keep saying the Nexus is limited this or lacks hardware that? The Nexus 4 is one of the most powerful devices on the market. In fact, it has the smoothest performance out of all the devices. Do yourself a favor and get the Nexus, If you want somewhat better pictures then get the One X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True it is quite powerful, but when I was comparing the N4 to say a used S3, couple of things stood out (And course this could be the same comparison to a One X+)
- No user-removable battery, as such no extendable battery, the N4's powerful cpu can suck down that 2100mA battery pretty easy.
- No micro-SD card , so no readability there, but can put a 64GB into an S3
- No USB-OTG support (so can't just plan on using some 32GB thumbdrive, and you only have a choice of 8GB or 16GB, no 32GB model yet)
That's basically what my take on it, an its usually non-issue to most people.
Far as a N4 vs a One, just in terms of practicality and not doing number crunching, especially since I feel like both of them are rather nice and would likely be happy with either for day to day use.
On the N4 :
1) Extremely easy to unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock, no codes, etc).
2) Extremely easy to add a custom recovery (fastboot flash recovery name-of-recovery.img)
3) Extremely easy to just add a custom rom (boot up into recovery, wipe, adb push what you want, flash)
4) Rather easy to root stock AOSP once you got recovery (TWRP will isntall SuperSu for you, just let SuperSu do the rest)
5) More likely to use the shipped AOSP rom than I would HTC Sense
6) If google says a phone is getting an update, it's getting an update, none of that HTC BS bout Desire-HD getting ICS then all the sudden Nope.
And besides, it's nearly impossible to hard brick a Nexus 4, if you're a flash-a-holic, unlike the HTC One X that my brother somehow hard-bricked (he only had it rooted, nothing more) and just shut down and is a paperweight (I spent maybe 3 weeks on seeing if I could repair it before it got tossed).

You could get an HTC one Google edition
------------------------
Sprint Galaxy S3 "Supernexus"
Whiplashh Rom
Look it up.

Whiplashh said:
You could get an HTC one Google edition
------------------------
Sprint Galaxy S3 "Supernexus"
Whiplashh Rom
Look it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What price those going to run at anyways? I mean if it's 200-300$ more than the normal edition with Sense, I'd rather get a Nexus4 that already had the same treatment, or wait until the AOSP version been out a while, root a normal OneX+ and then put a rooted AOSP rom based on that release onto it and save a few hundred. (assuming physically both models are the same... though not likely).
Though if the price is at what NewEgg has it at right now (399$ (50% off) for an Unlocked HTC One X+ 16GB) , then it's a bit of a tougher decision compared to the 350$ you'd pay for the N4 16GB. But if it's at the 600-700$ range... I'm going for the N4.

This discussion began in Jan and the person who started this must have bought his phone by now. Shouldn't this thread be closed?

noobdroid_90 said:
This discussion began in Jan and the person who started this must have bought his phone by now. Shouldn't this thread be closed?
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Click to collapse
Looks like kamranhaghighi (and maybe LuffyPSP) are to blame for necro-bumpin'
PS: In the searchable interwebs, topics like these rarely stay for the sole benefit of just the original poster. (course that being said I wonder how many other N4 vs HTC One [blank] threads there are).

kbeezie said:
In the searchable interwebs, topics like these rarely stay for the sole benefit of just the original poster.
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Noted

[Q] Would you still recommend N4 or wait for MWC announcements?

I'm about to put in an order for the Nexus 4. I've been totally committed to doing this for a month now (waiting for my current subscription to expire). Today I saw an article about Xperia Z and some comments on the upcoming Mobile World Congress and all the news that are expected.
I'm currently sunning a Samsung galaxy S2 with CM 10.1. I hate Touchwiz and really want to run android vanilla as far as I can. I enjoy having the latest version of Android and am a bit tired of the un-cooperative Samsung devs that makes the CM 10.1 ROM only run "OK-ish".
So my question to you that have the Nexus 4 today is:
What else (besides quick updates) makes the Nexus 4 beat the competition today and would you still buy a Nexus 4 if you could change your mind (had your money back) today?

There won't be anything at MWC that challenges Nexus4 on the value for money front. Sure the Xperia Z is a great phone, same specs as the N4, better camera, but it's double the price.
If you are looking to pay the N4 price, and nothing more, then MWC will have nothing for you. (Huawei Ascend P2 possibly, but it's still not a Nexus device).

CrazyPeter said:
There won't be anything at MWC that challenges Nexus4 on the value for money front. Sure the Xperia Z is a great phone, same specs as the N4, better camera, but it's double the price.
If you are looking to pay the N4 price, and nothing more, then MWC will have nothing for you. (Huawei Ascend P2 possibly, but it's still not a Nexus device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
@OP, it comes down to whether or not you would appreciate the new hardware or not. I personally couldn't care less about better processors, cameras and 1080p displays because from day to day usage I would never notice any difference. With the N4 you get brilliant hardware and software at an unbeatable price. Given the choice now I'd still get myself a N4.

rage77 said:
I'm about to put in an order for the Nexus 4. I've been totally committed to doing this for a month now (waiting for my current subscription to expire). Today I saw an article about Xperia Z and some comments on the upcoming Mobile World Congress and all the news that are expected.
I'm currently sunning a Samsung galaxy S2 with CM 10.1. I hate Touchwiz and really want to run android vanilla as far as I can. I enjoy having the latest version of Android and am a bit tired of the un-cooperative Samsung devs that makes the CM 10.1 ROM only run "OK-ish".
So my question to you that have the Nexus 4 today is:
What else (besides quick updates) makes the Nexus 4 beat the competition today and would you still buy a Nexus 4 if you could change your mind (had your money back) today?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There might be some phones out at MWC that might challenge N4. The Optimus G Pro especially with a Snapdragon 600 chip. However no phone will be at the price to performance ratio of N4. Also none of those phones will have guaranteed upgrade to new android versions after first 6-10 months.
btw CM10.1 running badly on S2 is not a fault of un-cooperative Samsung CM devs, but Samsung Mobile itself.I owned one and moved to N4 just so I can run latest version of Android ASAP.

Thank you all for good answers and helping me decide. Yes, Nexus 4 is still the phone for me as I like to root and run the latest Android version and as you mentioned, I probably won't care much for that slightly faster CPU and so on, that's not the important parts for me.
atulalvenkar said:
btw CM10.1 running badly on S2 is not a fault of un-cooperative Samsung CM devs, but Samsung Mobile itself.I owned one and moved to N4 just so I can run latest version of Android ASAP.
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Sorry I was probably unclear in what I meant, I know it's not Team Hacksungs fault, it's that they don't get any cooperation from Samsung mobiles devs and that ***ing Exynos crap.
Aaahh, feels good. I'll just click on "Order" now and await my beautiful Nexus in the mail next week.
Thanks guys!

If you're lucky, it may arrive the next day like mine did

Who cares about value for money when in most countries phones are free with new contracts. The Nexus ISNT cheaper than any other phone even the iPhone in the UK when taken with a normal 24 month contract.
So basically you have to ask yourself do you want to compromise on everything just to get stock Android. Because this phone is full of compromises

irzero said:
Who cares about value for money when in most countries phones are free with new contracts. The Nexus ISNT cheaper than any other phone even the iPhone in the UK when taken with a normal 24 month contract.
So basically you have to ask yourself do you want to compromise on everything just to get stock Android. Because this phone is full of compromises
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That depends;
More MP in camera and TouchWiz interface vs lesser MP in camera and updated stock Android UI? - Then definitely stock Android UI
There are countless of comparisons having to be made if I were to compare all models and I don't even know of all these "compromises" you're talking about. Some of them are more known than others and most come down to taste and preference which is why I created this thread. I want to know your opinions since you (probably) already own the N4.
So, we come back to my original question: What compromises are most significant for you and what would you choose today?

I would buy it again. Three things I love about the nexus 4
1) Stability. I have owned samsung phones and they really aren't as stable as the competition. I'm talking stock out of the box. 2) look and feel. The phone feels good and expensive. Samsung has always felt cheap
3) speed/ram. This device will easily last me two years. That's two years if no headaches with updates, lack of stability, apps being buggy on my device, etc.
I like to avoid downtime and for that reason like to avoid custom Roms.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

rage77 said:
That depends;
More MP in camera and TouchWiz interface vs lesser MP in camera and updated stock Android UI? - Then definitely stock Android UI
There are countless of comparisons having to be made if I were to compare all models and I don't even know of all these "compromises" you're talking about. Some of them are more known than others and most come down to taste and preference which is why I created this thread. I want to know your opinions since you (probably) already own the N4.
So, we come back to my original question: What compromises are most significant for you and what would you choose today?
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i wouldnt choose today.
Id wait for the S4, the M7 and the X Phone all to show me what they have before i went with the nexus.
The nexus is based on last years specs. Poor battery dodgy camera and a washed out 720p screen. Build quality is so so also and android can be lacking in many areas that the skinned versions dont.

I wouldn't get the N4. I'd say the S3 I had before it was better, more stable and better features, but the 4G version is ever faster than the Nexus 4 and of course has a slightly better camera and better software.
The LTE S3 my GF has is running fast, smooth and stable from day one, with zero updates and no need for a custom rom and I am still having day to day crashes and wifi issues with my Nexus 4.
I love the N4 but have to say that HTC, Samsung and the rest do it better than google still.
For the record, custom roms like CM have always run the same for me regardless of platform, they're no more or less stable whether on HTC Desire, GS3, N4 or GSM galaxy nexus. All these fingers pointed at Samsung for exynos drivers etc is just sour grapes as out of all of the phones I listed, the GS3 runs just as well as the rest.
I'd get an Xperia Z or wait on samsung or HTC to release something new as however they are moaned at, they're stuff is still more stable than any google pure software or custom rom.
In defense of custom roms, they do have a few more customization options than the manufacturer overlays, but do lack some of the features in manufacturer skins.

Man, now I have to cancel my order... Way too many different thoughts.
Thank you, precisely what I needed, some food for thought to digest to make a better decision.

irzero said:
Who cares about value for money when in most countries phones are free with new contracts. The Nexus ISNT cheaper than any other phone even the iPhone in the UK when taken with a normal 24 month contract.
So basically you have to ask yourself do you want to compromise on everything just to get stock Android. Because this phone is full of compromises
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'd have to be a right twat to order a N4 on contract though wouldn't you? Ordering off contract with a giffgaff SIM comes to a saving of about £120 over the cheapest viable contract for both the GS3 and N4 (assuming you use the giffgaff SIM for 24 months and get cashback on the contract).
You should also expand on the compromises you're talking about. For a fair number of people (myself included) they don't really matter. I can completely understand why someone would want something else, but none of these compromises are a definite deal breaker in any way.
irzero said:
The nexus is based on last years specs. Poor battery dodgy camera and a washed out 720p screen. Build quality is so so also and android can be lacking in many areas that the skinned versions dont.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is based on last years specs, but how bad is that? Find an app that the S4 Pro can't keep up with and I'll be amazed. I've had excellent battery life, the camera is sub par but not a deal breaker for me and the washed out screen is a myth. Unless you compare the screen directly to a competitor's, you'll think it's great. It has reasonable saturation as stock, and that can be greatly improved with a quick kernel flash. Build quality is excellent for me, I'd go so far as to say that the phone feels Apple-esque in that department. As for stock Android lacking in features, I'd agree but argue that skins are slow and ugly.
biffsmash said:
I wouldn't get the N4. I'd say the S3 I had before it was better, more stable and better features, but the 4G version is ever faster than the Nexus 4 and of course has a slightly better camera and better software.
The LTE S3 my GF has is running fast, smooth and stable from day one, with zero updates and no need for a custom rom and I am still having day to day crashes and wifi issues with my Nexus 4.
I love the N4 but have to say that HTC, Samsung and the rest do it better than google still.
For the record, custom roms like CM have always run the same for me regardless of platform, they're no more or less stable whether on HTC Desire, GS3, N4 or GSM galaxy nexus. All these fingers pointed at Samsung for exynos drivers etc is just sour grapes as out of all of the phones I listed, the GS3 runs just as well as the rest.
I'd get an Xperia Z or wait on samsung or HTC to release something new as however they are moaned at, they're stuff is still more stable than any google pure software or custom rom.
In defense of custom roms, they do have a few more customization options than the manufacturer overlays, but do lack some of the features in manufacturer skins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't just say 'better' without justification. The SGS3 is definitely not more stable than the N4, since neither has ever crashed for me. I find TouchWiz to be far less consistent in terms of performance than AOSP, and never faster. Benchmarks and reviews quite conclusively prove that the Nexus performs better. The better camera part is true, the software is down to personal preference but I find TouchWiz to be incedibly ugly (but definitely more feature rich than AOSP).
You may need to expand on '...the rest do it better than Google still'.
Custom ROM's don't run the same on all phones at all. There are varying degrees of stability and speed. You're likely to get good performance on any flagship device, but the HD2 for example doesn't run CM10 nearly as well as the SGS3.
Other OEMs' devices aren't more stable than the N4, I don't know where you got that from.
I understand that there are plenty of arguments in favour of other devices over the N4, but neither of you have made valid points here.

I have to choose between N4 and S4

Hello my fellow N4 users,
I think I need your help with this one. I bought my N4 in december last year and I am very happy with it. Since I bought my S2 more than 2 years ago, I began rooting it and since then, I wanted to have a Nexus because of the rooting scene behind it.
I live in Holland and the N4 wasn't going to be sold trough the official way. So I went to a German city close to the Dutch border (2 hours driving) and paid 400 euro for my new N4.
It's running on the newest Rasbeanjelly 4.3 rom with Purified kernel. I am using stuff like Greenify and Awesome beats, Faux sound and so on.
There is just one thing I feel bad about and that's the two scratches on the screen (one of the scratches is about 5 cm.. ) because my case was on it's way and it was New Years Eve (I was drunk lol).
I have also bought the Nexus 7 2nd generation after I sold my old N7. Simply said, I love the Nexus line of Google.
Now, the dilemma. I work in a phone shop and we won a competition and now me and my colleagues will all receive a new Galaxy S4. When I saw this phone for the first time, I immediately love the screen. But when I was comparing by N4 (with PA 4.2.2) against the stock S4 of my friend, my N4 wasn't slower, no, it was even slightly faster. But the holiday pictures my friend took and showed them to me on his beautiful amoled screen were awesome..
Second, if I check out the S4 forums, there is so little AOSP and custom roms for the S4. And I know why, CM said a while ago that they would stop making roms for Samsung phones (or something like that) but it isn't relevant why it is so.
I am a root freak, like al of us here, and I don't want to use stupid Touchwiz. And I think a rooted S4 with the right custom rom can't be worse than a N4, right?!
So here are my questions:
Does anyone have experience with a rooted S4 on a custom rom and does it work and feel as smooth as a N4? (I know, maybe it's better to ask this in a S4 forum, but still)
And what would you recommend me based on the story above and your own opinion? Please, don't give answers like 'you say you love Nexus line and rooting, then it's better for you to stay with the N4, but give me another reason to choose better option. You could also think like I never used a N4 and S4 before but I'm still using my rooted S2, what would you recommend me then...
Besides that, the chance is very very big that I will buy the next Nexus
Thanks!

S4 has a better camera and display. If you must, get a Google edition S4 [EDIT: ROM!]

Get the s4. Sell it. Use the cash to buy the new nexus (nexus 5 or whatever).
Sent from my Nexus 4

flash the google edition rom on your free s4 (I'm very very jealous) and you will (basiccally) have a nexus like device... however I'm not 100% sure it's possible
Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4

Guzanni said:
Hello my fellow N4 users,
I think I need your help with this one. I bought my N4 in december last year and I am very happy with it. Since I bought my S2 more than 2 years ago, I began rooting it and since then, I wanted to have a Nexus because of the rooting scene behind it.
I live in Holland and the N4 wasn't going to be sold trough the official way. So I went to a German city close to the Dutch border (2 hours driving) and paid 400 euro for my new N4.
It's running on the newest Rasbeanjelly 4.3 rom with Purified kernel. I am using stuff like Greenify and Awesome beats, Faux sound and so on.
There is just one thing I feel bad about and that's the two scratches on the screen (one of the scratches is about 5 cm.. ) because my case was on it's way and it was New Years Eve (I was drunk lol).
I have also bought the Nexus 7 2nd generation after I sold my old N7. Simply said, I love the Nexus line of Google.
Now, the dilemma. I work in a phone shop and we won a competition and now me and my colleagues will all receive a new Galaxy S4. When I saw this phone for the first time, I immediately love the screen. But when I was comparing by N4 (with PA 4.2.2) against the stock S4 of my friend, my N4 wasn't slower, no, it was even slightly faster. But the holiday pictures my friend took and showed them to me on his beautiful amoled screen were awesome..
Second, if I check out the S4 forums, there is so little AOSP and custom roms for the S4. And I know why, CM said a while ago that they would stop making roms for Samsung phones (or something like that) but it isn't relevant why it is so.
I am a root freak, like al of us here, and I don't want to use stupid Touchwiz. And I think a rooted S4 with the right custom rom can't be worse than a N4, right?!
So here are my questions:
Does anyone have experience with a rooted S4 on a custom rom and does it work and feel as smooth as a N4? (I know, maybe it's better to ask this in a S4 forum, but still)
And what would you recommend me based on the story above and your own opinion? Please, don't give answers like 'you say you love Nexus line and rooting, then it's better for you to stay with the N4, but give me another reason to choose better option. You could also think like I never used a N4 and S4 before but I'm still using my rooted S2, what would you recommend me then...
Besides that, the chance is very very big that I will buy the next Nexus
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, for me was the price issue. your getting it free (so go for it). You can also convert it to a S4 google edition, here are a few of the links:
http://lifehacker.com/install-google-edition-roms-on-skinned-htc-ones-and-cer-732590116
http://www.technobuffalo.com/videos/how-to-turn-a-galaxy-s4-into-a-google-edition-phone/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-make-android-phone-google-edition/
My question to you is, why would you want to get all the features out of the S4 so you can have 4.3 google version only?
If you need more space, more camera, more power and a bigger screen, well S4 is way to go, and for you is the best way to go, your getting it for FREE.
I'm a nexus owner and former galaxy nexus owner, and I will never trade my newest nexus for any other phone, but maybe that's just me.
Hope this can hep you out!!!

Get yourself N4
It's super AOSP optimized, has great support and it's generally awesome

I hate the S4's appearance and buttons, but the hardware is there. Tough choice, especially with no official word on the new Nexus. I'd get the S4 and flash the Google edition ROM.

hacksome said:
S4 has a better camera and display. If you must, get a Google edition S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I the S4 has better display and better camera. The screen is the best reason I can think of to take the S4.
But like I said, I work in a phone shop and I won this S4 and I don't get to choose between the normal and Google edition. Besides that, I saw that I can easily install the Google Edition rom on my S4 after I rooted it.
tiru.adi13 said:
Get the s4. Sell it. Use the cash to buy the new nexus (nexus 5 or whatever).
Sent from my Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was my first intention to do, sell it and wait till the new Nexus comes out and but it. But now I am thinking about using the S4 till the new Nexus comes out. The new Nexus is going to be my new phone after it comes out, no doubt about it.
Treshy said:
flash the google edition rom on your free s4 (I'm very very jealous) and you will (basiccally) have a nexus like device... however I'm not 100% sure it's possible
Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha I understand you're jealous, I would also be I quickly checked the I9505 forums and yes, I saw a couple of custom roms are available for it. So yes, that is also something that I consider.
zcucurullo said:
Look, for me was the price issue. your getting it free (so go for it). You can also convert it to a S4 google edition, here are a few of the links:
http://lifehacker.com/install-google-edition-roms-on-skinned-htc-ones-and-cer-732590116
http://www.technobuffalo.com/videos/how-to-turn-a-galaxy-s4-into-a-google-edition-phone/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-make-android-phone-google-edition/
My question to you is, why would you want to get all the features out of the S4 so you can have 4.3 google version only?
If you need more space, more camera, more power and a bigger screen, well S4 is way to go, and for you is the best way to go, your getting it for FREE.
I'm a nexus owner and former galaxy nexus owner, and I will never trade my newest nexus for any other phone, but maybe that's just me.
Hope this can hep you out!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the links! I like the fact that Google brought out Google Editions of top phones like S4 and HTC ONE.
Do you mean that you bought the N4 because of the price issue? If it was same price, you would buy the S4? I would also, but the root scene behind the N4 is bigger, you know..
Look, I like the fact that everything that has to do with root, is available for the N4. So IF I get an S4, I surely will root and would like to use AOSP stuff and custom roms, but also some mods that need root.
I don't need more space, but the bigger/better screen and camera are a plus.
I also said after I got my N4 that I would never use or buy another phone than a Nexus, but getting the S4 for free changed my mind..
maxio1998 said:
Get yourself N4
It's super AOSP optimized, has great support and it's generally awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know mate, I already own the Nexus for 10 months now it's awesome.

I just got a Nexus 4 1 week ago and I'm loving it so far. Comparing to to my sisters S4, my modded Nexus is so much better (PA 3.99 + Franco r178 + Hospital's Color Profile). By activating Pie and enabling full screen, there so little difference to the screen size of the Nexus and s4. Actually, my Nexus 4 seems to have better screen colors than the stock S4 (thanks to the color profile).

Nitemare3219 said:
I hate the S4's appearance and buttons, but the hardware is there. Tough choice, especially with no official word on the new Nexus. I'd get the S4 and flash the Google edition ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exacly my thoughts. I don't hate it appearance and the buttons, but I like the the appearance of the N4. The hardware is undoubtly better.
Well, if the new Nexus comes out, I will sell my N4 or S4 and get it as soon as I can
Yeah, though decision it is. I am very curious about an S4 running on stock android actually. But if I test it on my new S4, and try to sell it afterwards, the price will be lower, because it isn't sealed anymore.

epidemic11 said:
I just got a Nexus 4 1 week ago and I'm loving it so far. Comparing to to my sisters S4, my modded Nexus is so much better (PA 3.99 + Franco r178 + Hospital's Color Profile). By activating Pie and enabling full screen, there so little difference to the screen size of the Nexus and s4. Actually, my Nexus 4 seems to have better screen colors than the stock S4 (thanks to the color profile).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information! N4 is amazing expecially on PA with Franco. But I haven't heard about that Hospital's color profile thing, I will check it out.
But if I get the S4, I will surely root it and get a custom rom on it. I expect the S4 to outclass the N4 when they are both running on a custom rom/kernel, correct me if I'm wrong...

As a former S4 owner i can tell you that softwarewise the S4 is a total failure. It lags, stutters and opening apps and widgets takes way too long. This is soley caused by the poorly optimized software. The N4 on paper seems way less but in real life it feels much more fluid and lags are very very rare.
But that said the screen (not in direct sunlight), speaker and camera of the S4 are better.

The N4 and XDA support is a win win!

in my opinion N4 is better than S4 in performance. N4 has quad core processor and S4 has Octa core (8) processor. According to my speed tests S4 should have more benchmark score than it gets..like n4 gets about 20 to 22 thousand without overclocking in antutu benchmarks but s4 gets only 27 thousand being an octa core. It is very less for 8 core processor at least it should touch 35 to 40 thousand score without overclock.....So this directly indicates that n4 performance is better than s4...and in any way s4 is laest so it will have good screen and camera..but n4 is also awsome...I would recommend to stay with n4 and wait for n5......now its up to you...i think samsung is just a ****...making customers fools.....Thanks if helped....

Del both and get the lg g2, the first droolworthy non nexus android in ages!
------------------------------------------------------
Sent by my right hand, which is not otherwise engaged.
{Nexus ⁴ stock unrooted 4.3 with Kii Keyboard.}

Sturdy_99 said:
in my opinion N4 is better than S4 in performance. N4 has quad core processor and S4 has Octa core (8) processor. According to my speed tests S4 should have more benchmark score than it gets..like n4 gets about 20 to 22 thousand without overclocking in antutu benchmarks but s4 gets only 27 thousand being an octa core. It is very less for 8 core processor at least it should touch 35 to 40 thousand score without overclock.....So this directly indicates that n4 performance is better than s4...and in any way s4 is laest so it will have good screen and camera..but n4 is also awsome...I would recommend to stay with n4 and wait for n5......now its up to you...i think samsung is just a ****...making customers fools.....Thanks if helped....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol , FACEPALM !
The octa core does not mean all 8 cores are active. It's a combination of 4 A15 cores, and 4 low powered A7 cores, a BiG.little architecture.
And 2nd thing, don't rely on benchmarks as a real life performance measure, nexus devices are never good in that field, yet they offer the best user experience (my opinion).
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Honestly, get the s4 and sell it right away. Don't even open the box. Use the money to get the n5 in fall. I see u value community support a lot, so this would be ur number one option. Samsung's support is just crap. Even a Google edition cannot be compared to pure aosp experience of the nexus and is definitely NOT the same! A lot of sources are still closed at Samsung.
Don't forget ur loss of warranty either, once u unlock the bootloader. U need crap like triangle away, a usb dongle or so on to reset the Samsung counter. If ur screen brakes u might be screwed in case of RMA. With a nexus u just lock the bootloader and u r done!
Also, many people are running around with a Samsung device. A nexus is just rare and far more special
Hope I could help!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

tiru.adi13 said:
Get the s4. Sell it. Use the cash to buy the new nexus (nexus 5 or whatever).
Sent from my Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ding ding ding we have a winner thats what I would do, but buy the nexus 4 and pocket some money. Sell your nexus you already have. The s4 is nice and I wanted it but the phone gets returned a lot at my job. Its sold the most but returned at a higher rate. I wont lie and say the s4 didnt cross my mind but the price is crazy to me. I keep phones maybe 6 months. Also keep in mind that the screen on the s4 gets micro cracks and is known for that. Known to break randomly. Didn't know till a customer told me about it. Happened to a friend of his.
http://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/forums/forumtopicpage/board-id/Android/thread-id/19121
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4

I would say sell the gs4, they retail for up to 800$ on eBay and with that money you can buy a nexus 5 and have money left over
Sent from my Nexus 4 [NEO @1.836 GHz] on [PSX v4.1 4.3]

Jjday7 said:
but buy the nexus 4 and pocket some money. Sell your nexus you already have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would he want to do that? As far as I understood, he already owns a n4. Why should he buy another n4 and sell the old one? I'd prefer banking the money he'd make selling the s4 and wait for the n5 or whatever it'll be called.
However, I fully agree to the rest of your post!
Greetings