Nexus Phone and Samsung Galaxy Phone

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I recently got my first Android device in the Google Nexus 7 and love it. I wanted to dive in and get the Google Nexus 4 as my phone but from what I can gather, you can only buy it from Google and I've been trying for about a week and it says "sold out". Since I can't seem to buy it, I checked out the newest Samsung Galaxy phone and it has very impressive features. Would it be a good alternative to the Nexus since I can't buy it? Reviews I've read seem to be good and the Google Nexus 4 seems to be un-buyable.

I guess what I am asking is, is the Samsung Galaxy as good as the Nexus at least? Would I get Jellybean 4.2 like I have with my Nexus? Or would I have to get a Nexus phone to have the latest Android?

The Samsung features look utra impressive and it looks like a good piece of hardware.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

The Galaxy S III, you might be talking about, is a good phone, but not a Nexus device, which means, no timely updates, and only one major update in the future.

Nexus, on the other hand, will get the new software update almost at the instant it is announced, and will get three future updates, if I am correct.

Plus, it came out, the Galaxy S III, with ICS, the previous version of Android, so there is absolutely no guarantee that it will get another update after the 4.1, Jelly Beans. It already's got it, the 4.1 update.

You are better off with Nexus 4. Try some other places and see if you can find it. It'll be worth it

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I appreciate your feedback. Where else can I get a Nexus phone? I got the impression the only place to buy a nexus was from Google.

[Dinggus]

You can get one off T-Mobile.

I think Android might have a chance to take iOS spot in the cell phone market. Not trying to argue what so ever, but what Google just did I think is a smart idea.

[ashpowell]

If you're willing, it's fairly simple to flash the latest software to a Galaxy s III.. But it's also near enough the same spec as the Nexus 4 which is a lot lot cheaper.. I currently have the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4 will be my choice for upgrade with how cheap it is.

[BetaAddict]

You can get one off T-Mobile.

I think Android might have a chance to take iOS spot in the cell phone market. Not trying to argue what so ever, but what Google just did I think is a smart idea.

Just keep calling up major tmo stores in your area and see if they have stock. Might get lucky. I'm still a month away from ordering mine, so hoping the backlog clears up by then or at least comes down to 1 week shipping time.

[Dinggus]

Engadget posted it's on back order for 3 weeks.

[Noir Angel]

I'd wait personally. The Galaxy Nexus is dated. It has a pentile screen, and a GPU that was made in 2010 in the Galaxy S

[Growled Member]

Having the very latest is really over rated unless you are a geek. I find my Galaxy Tab 2 running Android 4.0.4 runs very well and does everything I want it to do. Personally I would take a S3 any day because Samsung is tops in my book. Nothing wrong with a Nexus either, of course.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

You can get one off T-Mobile.

I think Android might have a chance to take iOS spot in the cell phone market. Not trying to argue what so ever, but what Google just did I think is a smart idea.

Exactly my thoughts.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Having the very latest is really over rated unless you are a geek. I find my Galaxy Tab 2 running Android 4.0.4 runs very well and does everything I want it to do. Personally I would take a S3 any day because Samsung is tops in my book. Nothing wrong with a Nexus either, of course.

I had the Galaxy Tab before this Nexus and loved it. I got the nexus from Google and decided to keep it mainly because of the stronger CPU and newer version(s) of Android. The plus about the Samsung was the expandability of the memory. It was slower and an older version of Android which made me think it might be backwards for my first Android purchase.

As for the phone, I read the specs and features on the new Galaxy phone and was blown away. This was after trying to buy the Nexus and finding it's MIA in the whole world. The Nexus phone seems like a good choice because it will have the latest version of Android, great hardware, and great feature set. The S3 phone just seems amazing and a great 2nd choice. Are you guys saying I should hold out, meaning return it lol, until I can find the Nexus phone?

I read a review on the Nexus 4 phone and it was titled something like "great phone with one deal breaking flaw". I read it twice and couldn't figure out what the flaw was they were talking about.

EDIT: Here is another kink into the decision. How does the W8 phone like the 920 stack up to these Android phones?

[Noir Angel]

Having the very latest is really over rated unless you are a geek. I find my Galaxy Tab 2 running Android 4.0.4 runs very well and does everything I want it to do. Personally I would take a S3 any day because Samsung is tops in my book. Nothing wrong with a Nexus either, of course.

Not when the latest is both cheaper and more powerful. Spending money on dated hardware when you can get something vastly superior for a lower price is pretty foolish.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Not when the latest is both cheaper and more powerful. Spending money on dated hardware when you can get something vastly superior for a lower price is pretty foolish.

So are you saying the Samsung or Nexus is dated? The review I read said that the Nexus doesn't even support LTE.

[SharpGreen]

So are you saying the Samsung or Nexus is dated? The review I read said that the Nexus doesn't even support LTE.

The Nexus 4 isn't dated, it just doesn't have LTE supposedly because of the negative effect on battery life. I'd wait for the Nexus 4 to come back in stock simply because I (personally) can't stand devices that don't have an unmodified version of Android on them. Unless of course you want LTE.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

So are you saying the Samsung or Nexus is dated? The review I read said that the Nexus doesn't even support LTE.

Only dated thing about Nexus 4 is that it doesn't have LTE. I strongly recommend it over other Androids

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Great advice guys. I think I'll wait for the Nexus 4 to reappear.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Well, my Galaxy is due to arrive today or tomorrow and the Nexus is MIA. Google does't say anything about when it's going to be available, just out of stock every day for about 2 weeks. I'm going to be really tempted to open that Galaxy. It does have LTE and an impressive feature set. Only thing is no Jelly bean 4.2 AFAIK unless they are readying it. Does Samsung really change the whole Android experience? I like the "pure" Android I got with the Nexus 7.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Well I have the Samsung Galaxy s3 in my hands right now thanks to Amazon. I have a chance to buy a Google Nexus 4 from Paypal for a slight premium but my question is, is the Nexus that much better that I should keep the Samsun sealed up and return it tomorrow?

[MurkWorks]

The Nexus 4 isn't dated, it just doesn't have LTE supposedly because of the negative effect on battery life. I'd wait for the Nexus 4 to come back in stock simply because I (personally) can't stand devices that don't have an unmodified version of Android on them. Unless of course you want LTE.

The Nexus 4 does not have LTE because LTE is not standardized across carriers. Without LTE they can make one phone for all available markets.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

So do you guys think the Nexus 4 is still a better phone?

[AJerman]

So do you guys think the Nexus 4 is still a better phone?

Here's the basic rundown of the main differences:

Nexus 4 Pros:

Quad Core S4 Pro CPU (vs dual core S4)

Adreno 320 GPU (vs Adreno 225)

1280x768 true HD screen (vs 1280x720 pentile screen)

SGS3 Pros:

MicroSD slot

Removable Battery

LTE

So as far as horsepower, the Nexus 4 has the SGS3 beat. The SGS3 has some extra goodies though, so it depends on what's most important to you. If you were to ask me, I'd absolutely say the Nexus 4 is a better phone, but I'm pretty against the pentile screens and that alone turns me off of the SGS3. Another interesting note is that the Nexus 4 DOES have an LTE chip in it. Why it's not enabled is anyone's guess, and if it will be in the future by Google, or by third party, is also a big question mark, but I wouldn't buy it betting on that. More like a bonus if it does happen. Also, I have LTE on my One X, and while it's pretty neat and fun to show off on speed tests, HSPA+ typically got me about 10 Mbps and how fast does your phone REALLY need to be? What are you downloading on your phone that needs to come down at 30 Mbps? Besides, I have wifi at home, wifi at work, I'm only on my network's data when I'm out and about, which is even less of a time that I'd need 30 Mbps. The biggest advantage of LTE is that it lowers latency, which does make things load a bit faster, but I wouldn't say it's a MUST have feature to me.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

What do you mean when you say "pentile screen"?

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Played around with S3 and it's really nice. One big thing that will probably make me go with Nexus is having the latest Android.

Also, how do I sync so that all the apps that I got on my tablet are available on my phone? Ann all my live wallpapers?

[AJerman]

http://www.digitaltr...hould-you-care/

Some people say they can't see it on the HD SAMOLED, some people say they don't mind it. I had the SGS with a 4" 800x480 pentile screen, then the Infuse with an 4.5" 800x480 RGB stripe screen, and even the same resolution stretched out another half an inch looked better than the higher density pentile display to me. It makes text and lines look less crisp and gives an annoying slightly checkerboard look to the screen. It's not nearly as bad with a 4.8" 1280x720 screen as the 4" 800x480 of the SGS, but as someone who has used a phone with a pentile screen before, it's still noticeable to me. On the other hand, my One X with a 4.7" 1280x720 RGB stripe screen looks incredibly sharp and smooth. Some people care more about the screen than others, but this is something I won't deal with anymore. After the Galaxy Nexus with the HD SAMOLED (pentile) screen, I REALLY expected the SGS3 to have an HD SAMOLED+ with RGB stripe, but they failed to deliver. That's a big part of why I jumped ship to HTC this time around.

Played around with S3 and it's really nice. One big thing that will probably make me go with Nexus is having the latest Android.

Also, how do I sync so that all the apps that I got on my tablet are available on my phone? Ann all my live wallpapers?

If you don't mind rooting and installing custom ROMs, the SGS3 will definitely have 4.2 soon. CM10.1 will be 4.2, and it's not a huge update over 4.1, so being that the SGS3 is already CM10 official, the jump to CM10.1 will be minor and should happen in the coming weeks now that AOSP code is released. Still, it's no Nexus and the Nexus 4 will likely get updates faster still, at least for the next version or two.

I don't have a tablet to be sure about syncing between the two. I know when you reset your phone, you should get your apps resynced like you had them before, but I suspect that doesn't apply across devices. Still, try going into the Play Store, clicking menu then My Apps, and swipe from right to left to go to the "ALL" tab, and you should see all the apps you've installed and be able to pick and chose which to install again.

[tsupersonic]

Another interesting note is that the Nexus 4 DOES have an LTE chip in it. Why it's not enabled is anyone's guess, and if it will be in the future by Google, or by third party, is also a big question mark, but I wouldn't buy it betting on that. More like a bonus if it does happen.

Link. They might release a future LTE model, but not gonna happen with the current model.