Samsung Galaxy S III v. Galaxy Nexus?

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night_2004

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Has anyone had a chance to try both on ICS (or JB for that matter) with Verizon? Both seem like nice phones but my initial impressions from online search results is that (1) the GNX has reception and battery issues while (2) the SGS3 has a non-vanilla UI (Motorola burned me with their crappy Motoblur UI so I am hesitant about any non-vanilla versions of the OS). I can't really use the phones for days on end at a Verizon store so any real use perspectives would be appreciated. I don't plan on installing any custom ROMs so perspectives about the out of box experience would be best.

I hope to be upgrading fairly soon; I hope to make a decision between the Android options by the time "the new iPhone" comes out.
 
Get a GSM Galaxy Nexus and go prepaid with Straight Talk or T-Mo.

An unlocked Galaxy Nexus will cost you $349.

A Straight Talk monthly plan with unlimited everything with throttling starting at 2GB (using AT&T's HSPA+ towers) will cost you $45 or less if you post for multi-months.

A T-Mo Data Plan with unlimited text and data (throttling at 5GB) and 100 minutes is $30 a month.

Both have a theoretical maximum speed of 21Mbps.
 
I'm part of a group plan at Verizon and its a pretty good deal :). Not to mention I live in an area with pretty spotty AT&T reception.
 
night_2004 said:
I hope to be upgrading fairly soon; I hope to make a decision between the Android options by the time "the new iPhone" comes out.
Click to expand...

... so by 'soon' you mean 'months'?

Anyways- I've owned both on Verizon. UI wise, vanilla ICS trumps touchwiz for sure. Jelly Bean was especially nice, although It took me two phones to get one that didn't have a radio problem. If you're ONLY going to be using the internet on your phone, you don't mind playing phone roulette, and you don't want to bother with custom ROMs to get the ICS UI, then get the Nexus. If you're actually going to be placing phone calls, get the S3- the sound quality is MUCH better. Overall the S3 has been great, and as much as I really don't like touchwiz, it's only a matter of time before the thing is unlocked and plain-ICS or JB ROMs start coming out- once this happens i'll have no reason to recommend the Nexus at all.
 
By soon I mean "as soon as my Droid X dies" which isn't going to be long from the looks of things. The GPS is already having major trouble and I use that feature a lot. If it dies before the new iPhone comes out (rumored 8/7/12), it'll be Android v. 4S. Otherwise the phone lasts until the new iPhone comes out and I upgrade to something and put the Droid X out of its misery. I'm in a contract for another four months (planning on resigning too) but I'm eligible for a new phone at a discount now.

I definitely plan on placing phone calls and using 3G/4G along with GPS navigation. Sounds like the S3 might be the better choice then even if I do have to put up with TouchWiz.
 
night_2004 said:
I definitely plan on placing phone calls and using 3G/4G along with GPS navigation. Sounds like the S3 might be the better choice then even if I do have to put up with TouchWiz.
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Any Android phone can do that if you're already navigating before placing a call since it caches the whole route. Or even with the recent update, you can save large areas of map data for use offline. Also, any LTE/4G phone can also go online during a phone call when on a 4G network. So unless you're on 3G a lot, it wouldn't be a big deal. I didn't even know this until someone called me once while I was in the middle of a traffic jam and I was looking up online why the interstate was totally stopped while I was talking to them on my Gnex. That's been the only time where I wanted to go online while talking to someone.

Just FYI though ;).
 
Oh I didn't necessarily mean calling while navigating, though I am aware of the route caching since even my Droid X does that.
 
In the end it's up to you with which phone you want. I have a GNex running Jelly Bean and my boss has a stock SGS3. The SGS3 is very fast. There's no doubt. TouchWiz isn't horrid but to me it gives the SGS3 a Fisher-Price kiddy like feel. I don't like the icons and I hate the trying to be iPhone feel that it brings.

I chose GNex over SGS3 because I wanted to be sure I was getting a phone I could unlock the bootloader on. There is a good work around with the SGS3's bootloader with kexec so no real worries there. It just makes things more interesting. ;)

I have no reception or battery issues on my GNex and my boss gets great signal and battery life on his SGS3. So honestly it's all about what you want. If you don't plan on rooting I'd get an SGS3 and just wait out the 12 months for Jelly Bean to arrive. If you want JB now get a GNex.
 
I have absolutely horrible 4G handoffs with my GNex. Basically, having 4G is pointless to me, because the only way I can get reliable service is to disable LTE. I really like the GNex, but the radios are so god awful that its a major black mark. TouchWiz is really really lame, but as soon as the VZW SGS3 gains the ability to flash some new roms, there is no reason to pick the GNex over it.. They're so similar in every way, but the SGS3 is just a step forward in every respect except the stock ROM
 
Activate: AMD said:
I have absolutely horrible 4G handoffs with my GNex. Basically, having 4G is pointless to me, because the only way I can get reliable service is to disable LTE. I really like the GNex, but the radios are so god awful that its a major black mark. TouchWiz is really really lame, but as soon as the VZW SGS3 gains the ability to flash some new roms, there is no reason to pick the GNex over it.. They're so similar in every way, but the SGS3 is just a step forward in every respect except the stock ROM
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. Handoffs are pretty inconsistent on my Gnex too and I've tried all of the 4-5 radios/basebands that are out there to try. My wife has the Rezound and usually my Gnex switches to 4G a good 1-3 mins after hers does when driving into a 4G area. It also holds onto 4G a lot better if you're on the outside edges of coverage or in a building. In terms of actual reception though, I haven't had too many issues with it not having signal where it should. You have to realize too that the way the Gnex shows its bars and reports its signal is retarded too. For some reason, it will only show 5 different numbers (that correlate directly to the number of bars it shows in the notification bar) for signal strength, so if the actual signal strength is anywhere in between those numbers, it will just show which number it's closer to. And those numbers are like 10-15 dBm's apart. So you get used to seeing 0-1 bars on the Nexus, but even with it showing that, it usually still has a decent connection. It's just annoying to see inaccurate numbers for signal strength.

But yeah, I would look at hardware first, because you can always change the software (not so much for Moto phones though, hah). I guarantee the Verizon GS3 will be blown open soon with the bounty that's on the bootloader (over $3,500 last I checked) and the amount of people that are working on it. Then you will be able to throw a vanilla ROM on there or whatever else you want.
 
the Samsung does have some battery life issues with the Stock Rom, YMMV

Custom Roms are the only way to go.

My Evo would not last half a day after a 'Sprint Update"

Rooted and Custom rom gives me about 14 hours battery life.
 
I have never tried the gnex but I did have a note, and they were pretty similar with the note being a little bit more powerful.

The note would have the standard andriod wake up lag, choppiness during transitions, etc The effects were less noticeable when flashed with a custom kernel and overclocked, but its was still there.

I just got my International S3 a few days ago and let me tell you, the transitions are absolutely flawless and is on par with iOS. The andriod lag is gone OUT OF THE BOX without even me touching anything. Normally I would hop on xda, flash a kernel, overclock, and perhaps install a custom rom, but the S3 is flawless out of the box that I don't even need to do any of these things. I can just use it.

And I'm not even on Jellybean.
 
Well it looks like I might have asked about this just in time. My Droid X started having radio issues yesterday (3G and GPS were sometimes not working) as well as some charging issues. I have it working for now but I'll be shocked if it lasts much longer. Probably going to jump on an S3 before too long.
 
I got a nexus last week, unlocked from google play of course. Updated to jelly bean 4.1.1 and this is the most slick and responsive device I have ever played with. I would have to root and flash an s3 to make it as good as this Gnex is out of the box, lmao @ touchwiz
 
I used the nexus for a couple of months and I've used the s3 for about a week now. I can definitely say the s3 is infinitely better than the nexus, I really do not like the Nexus at all. The battery life on the s3 is about double, that alone makes it worth it. There are all kind of small issues I've seen with the Nexus; Buy the Nexus if you want to flash alot of roms, if your keeping the phone stock then go with the s3.


DragonFyr said:
the Samsung does have some battery life issues with the Stock Rom, YMMV
Click to expand...

They're both samsungs???
 
DirtyB, if this were the GSM versions, I'd go with a completely opposite opinion. Since it's Verizon, and the issues with both phones are widely known, well... yeah.
 
I just got back from the Verizon store. The Galaxy Nexus was no where to be found (probably thanks to that Apple lawsuit). The S3 was big, but it also felt a little plastic-y. Not sure how that's going to stand up over time?

I ended up not upgrading though since the reps gave me different stories as to what discounts and data plans I was going to be allowed to keep. Three people, three different stories. None of them claimed I could keep my unlimited data without buying full price (so what if I only use 300MB on a dying Droid X...it isn't their place to question my data usage) while the online upgrade tool claims I can keep my unlimited data even at subsidized prices.

Don't know what's going to happen there. Anyone upgrade after June 28th that kept their unlimited data?
 
I've used both. Had a Gnex since release and just got a SGS3 a couple weeks (my job allows me to play with the new phones and I give my old phone out to new employees :D). I have to say I like the SGS3 better.

Screen size is obvious.

I get better battery life with it than the Gnex + extended battery. Or at least it seams like it, even though both batteries are 2100mah. I always find myself having about 10% more battery at the end of the day with the SGS3.

Signal has been the same for me, I have no issues with 4g with either one and they both give me the same or similar signal strength. I haven't traveled with the SGS3 yet so it's hard to say what it's like outside the area I live and work.

I like the SGS3 form factor better. I know it's not that much thinner or lighter but it definitely feels like it is. The Gnex always felt thick to me.

Only thing I prefer the Gnex for is software. I hate touchwiz. I'm currently using Nova launcher so it's not too bad. It's not enough for me to go back to the Gnex though. Once some stock ICS or JB roms come out I'll be flashing to those.
 
night_2004 said:
I just got back from the Verizon store. The Galaxy Nexus was no where to be found (probably thanks to that Apple lawsuit). The S3 was big, but it also felt a little plastic-y. Not sure how that's going to stand up over time?

I ended up not upgrading though since the reps gave me different stories as to what discounts and data plans I was going to be allowed to keep. Three people, three different stories. None of them claimed I could keep my unlimited data without buying full price (so what if I only use 300MB on a dying Droid X...it isn't their place to question my data usage) while the online upgrade tool claims I can keep my unlimited data even at subsidized prices.

Don't know what's going to happen there. Anyone upgrade after June 28th that kept their unlimited data?
Click to expand...

There is a glitch in vzw systems allowing some lines to keep unlimited. Only thing you can do is have the rep. Ring up a phone and see if itll stay on there. Its not supposed to so your better off doing it sooner rather than later in case it gets fixed for future orders.

It may be fixed already so ymmw.
 
Go with the Galaxy Nexus. An unlocked phone is so nice. My Gnex is blazing fast with a custom rom and kernel. And pure Android is the way to go. I was tempted by the GSIII, but I'll never own a locked down or bloated up phone.

Also, a new Nexus phone will probably be released around December/January if you can wait. I'm holding off and keeping my Gnex with a broken screen until the next Nexus phone comes out.
 
It's too bad Verizon did that with the GS3, but personally, I don't see the need to flash this phone. It works fine. I've tried both and I gotta say the GS3 is the best phone I've ever owned.
 
DJ Big T said:
It's too bad Verizon did that with the GS3, but personally, I don't see the need to flash this phone. It works fine. I've tried both and I gotta say the GS3 is the best phone I've ever owned.
Click to expand...

I've tried both as well. And it is the best STOCK phone I've ever used. But once you get into customizing and optimizing the Gnex, it takes it to a whole new level. The dev support for that phone is amazing.
 
officer921 said:
I've tried both as well. And it is the best STOCK phone I've ever used. But once you get into customizing and optimizing the Gnex, it takes it to a whole new level. The dev support for that phone is amazing.
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Indeed the S III is an amazing phone even in stock form. In regards to developer support, the S III is no less impressive this early in the game. With Cyanogen himself developing for the phone and tons of other talented developers, the S III will not be far behind even a Nexus device.
 
maverick777 said:
With Cyanogen himself developing for the phone and tons of other talented developers, the S III will not be far behind even a Nexus device.
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Unfortunately for the SIII, Google will most likely be releasing a new Nexus phone around December. So I foresee the SIII falling out of favor very quickly with devs. The next Nexus phone will almost definitely have better specs than the SIII, and since it's fully unlocked and the first to get updates from Google, the SIII will be forgotten pretty quickly as a dev phone or enthusiast phone. But it's still a great phone even thought it's not a Nexus.
 
officer921 said:
Unfortunately for the SIII, Google will most likely be releasing a new Nexus phone around December. So I foresee the SIII falling out of favor very quickly with devs. The next Nexus phone will almost definitely have better specs than the SIII, and since it's fully unlocked and the first to get updates from Google, the SIII will be forgotten pretty quickly as a dev phone or enthusiast phone. But it's still a great phone even thought it's not a Nexus.
Click to expand...
welcome to the club.
 
officer921 said:
Unfortunately for the SIII, Google will most likely be releasing a new Nexus phone around December. So I foresee the SIII falling out of favor very quickly with devs. The next Nexus phone will almost definitely have better specs than the SIII, and since it's fully unlocked and the first to get updates from Google, the SIII will be forgotten pretty quickly as a dev phone or enthusiast phone. But it's still a great phone even thought it's not a Nexus.
Click to expand...

If samsung makes the next nexus phone, what makes you think it will be more powerful than the GS3? just look at the previous 2 nexus phone, they are pathetic compared to the hype it was built around them.

Galaxy Nexus ended up being slower than GS2
Nexus S was the just like the Galaxy S with NFC less SD slot.
 
Greenstuffs said:
If samsung makes the next nexus phone, what makes you think it will be more powerful than the GS3? just look at the previous 2 nexus phone, they are pathetic compared to the hype it was built around them.

Galaxy Nexus ended up being slower than GS2
Nexus S was the just like the Galaxy S with NFC less SD slot.
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The lack of fm radio and an sd slot on google play store phone does not make the nexus slower lmao. Just saying.. not to mention the bigger screen resolution. 5mp cam V 8mp doesnt bother me either I came from a phone with 8mp cam... big deal.

http://geekaphone.com/compare/Samsung-GALAXY-Nexus-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-S-II
 
If the only real issue with the DroidX is the GPS, have you tried flashing a different ROM or looking for a software fix? The GPS in my GS2 acts really stupid under Gingerbread (stock AT&T ROM, rooted); it takes a long time to get a lock, for whatever reason even when it has a lock (according to GPS Status app) Google Navigation keeps looking for a signal as if it has none, and when it does finally get one it often drops minutes later for no apparent reason.

Flashing to ICS sorted all this out -- much faster, more stable locks and no issue with Navigation and GPS Status disagreeing on if I have a lock or not.
 
Rattle said:
The lack of fm radio and an sd slot on google play store phone does not make the nexus slower lmao. Just saying.. not to mention the bigger screen resolution. 5mp cam V 8mp doesnt bother me either I came from a phone with 8mp cam... big deal.

http://geekaphone.com/compare/Samsung-GALAXY-Nexus-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-S-II
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Both the CPU and GPU of the Nexus are slower though (if only slightly).
Also, the camera is worse (not only in MP, though this doesn't contribute to speed :p).
 
The gpu is actually better concerning HD however... so I guess it depends how you look at it.
 
officer921 said:
Humans and their need to justify their purchases, lol.
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I do not need to justify my purchase... I could see someone wanting a S3 over a nexus but there's no reason to want anything besides either of those. Total freedom/nexus, cutting edge/S3.
 
Rattle said:
I do not need to justify my purchase... I could see someone wanting a S3 over a nexus but there's no reason to want anything besides either of those. Total freedom/nexus, cutting edge/S3.
Click to expand...

After the amazing Nexus 7 changed the tablet playground, do you really think the next Nexus phone won't be fucking awesome? Google has stated that they want to lead the pack from now on. Best hardware, and the latest software. The Nexus phones always have the latest and greatest version of Android, and it's months before any other phones get it. They took a while to figure the hardware out, but I think you'll be suprised at what's coming out in the Nexus line.

I'm waiting for the next Nexus.
 
officer921 said:
After the amazing Nexus 7 changed the tablet playground, do you really think the next Nexus phone won't be fucking awesome?
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Well, considering the Nexus 7 was going to come out whether or not Google branded it, I wouldn't necessarily say that is true.

I also wouldn't say it's the 'best hardware' either --- Google is competing more on a price front now, and I expect that to be held up in the next Nexus as well.
 
The Nexus brand has been more about setting a standard rather than being cutting edge. I wish people would understand that
 
TMCM said:
The Nexus brand has been more about setting a standard rather than being cutting edge. I wish people would understand that
Click to expand...

Only because Google was outsourcing their phones to HTC or Samsung. They just purchased Motorola Mobility to create what THEY wanted with no restrictions and extra costs from the third party manufacturers. Google has always wanted to be in the hardware business, and now they are.

So the next Nexus phone will be Google's first in-house Nexus device. They will still let other manufacturers produce Nexus phones, but now they get to make their own as well. And I'm willing to bet the Google made Nexus will be the most cutting edge of all the Nexus devices released around the same time. It's just how Google rolls.

Mark my words, the next Google made Nexus phone is going to kick some ass. Cutting edge as well as the newest software. Why else would they have bought their own phone manufacturing company?

http://www.webpronews.com/google-teases-that-new-hardware-is-on-the-way-2012-07

Google is now officially in the hardware business. The Nexus family of products – Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus Q – show that Google is serious about competing with Apple, Amazon and others. Add on top of that the acquisition of Motorola Mobility and you have a hardware powerhouse in the making. The next question, of course, is where does Google go next?
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silent-circuit said:
If the only real issue with the DroidX is the GPS, have you tried flashing a different ROM or looking for a software fix? The GPS in my GS2 acts really stupid under Gingerbread (stock AT&T ROM, rooted); it takes a long time to get a lock, for whatever reason even when it has a lock (according to GPS Status app) Google Navigation keeps looking for a signal as if it has none, and when it does finally get one it often drops minutes later for no apparent reason.

Flashing to ICS sorted all this out -- much faster, more stable locks and no issue with Navigation and GPS Status disagreeing on if I have a lock or not.
Click to expand...

There is that and the 3G connection that keeps dropping. It randomly thinks it is connected to a car dock as well (I don't have one), and the touch screen enjoys locking up every once in a while. Some of these issues (particularly the non-radio bugs) were present in the Froyo and Gingerbread ROMs that were released for the phone. In all reality I don't really care for flashing third-party ROMs from untrusted developers and risking bricking the phone. I'd rather have stock and go with it.

I still need to reflash back to factory to see if that helps BUT the simple fact of the matter is my wife's phone went out the same way so I'm inclined to think the Droid X is just a POS. I might try a third party ROM but only as a last resort and only if I am prepared to replace the phone ASAP if it bricks. I don't think I ever heard of any stable ICS ROMs for the Droid X either and that would be important...there's a few apps I'd like to get that aren't compatible with Gingerbread.

Vermillion said:
Yep, not to mention being a guaranteed OPEN device.
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It isn't open when Verizon gets the final say-so on what firmware gets loaded onto phones on their network. Bullshit, yes. But that's how it is. The Nexus is probably months away from getting Jelly Bean on Verizon despite the fact most (all?) others carriers have the JB ROMs for their phone. The only solution? Root it and use third-party ROMs (again, something I don't care for). The Nexus branding means nothing when Verizon is involved. Just saying.
 
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officer921 said:
Only because Google was outsourcing their phones to HTC or Samsung. They just purchased Motorola Mobility to create what THEY wanted with no restrictions and extra costs from the third party manufacturers. Google has always wanted to be in the hardware business, and now they are.

So the next Nexus phone will be Google's first in-house Nexus device. They will still let other manufacturers produce Nexus phones, but now they get to make their own as well. And I'm willing to bet the Google made Nexus will be the most cutting edge of all the Nexus devices released around the same time. It's just how Google rolls.

Mark my words, the next Google made Nexus phone is going to kick some ass. Cutting edge as well as the newest software. Why else would they have bought their own phone manufacturing company?

http://www.webpronews.com/google-teases-that-new-hardware-is-on-the-way-2012-07
Click to expand...

And guess who was footing the bill and telling them what they wanted? Google.

Samsung has been getting them because they're the lowest bidder --- and that's what Google was looking for.
 
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