Is getting a galaxy nexus now a good idea?

[nithinthomas91]

Hi guys.

With the new LG nexus coming up, do you think the Galaxy Nexus would be a good buy NOW?

While I have nothing against LG or the fact that its making the next nexus phone, I just don't find the LG nexus's design as appealing as the SGN's. The non-removable battery is also kind of a turn off.

I love the design of the SGN and was seriously hoping for Samsung to just upgrade the internals while retaining the current design. But, I guess its not happening.

Do you think it would be smart to get the SGN at a time like this, RIGHT before the next nexus phone is released? I really like this phone. But my main concern is that i'll be getting it at a time when its about to go obsolete.

 

[mightymikek83]

I just bought my unlocked Nexus a few months ago. I knew a new one was going to be coming out soon but I didn't care, and do I regret it? Absolutely not. Jelly Bean seriously makes this phone feel as snappy as any phone on the market.

The one gripe I have with the phone is the camera. I had a GSII prior to the Gnex and I seriously miss that GSII camera.

If you have Verizon or Sprint, you can enjoy LTE and 32gigs of storage along with Jelly Bean. The phone is cheap if you go unlocked but you get 16gigs and no LTE, but it's a pure Google experience.

I'd say if you don't mind signing a contract or want a great phone for 350.00, with updates for the next few years, then definitely buy the Gnex.

I'd also say, wait until these rumors go away and Google actually announces their new Nexus device and see what the true specs and designs are. Then seriously make your decision.

 

[npark2012]

Hi guys.

With the new LG nexus coming up, do you think the Galaxy Nexus would be a good buy NOW?

While I have nothing against LG or the fact that its making the next nexus phone, I just don't find the LG nexus's design as appealing as the SGN's. The non-removable battery is also kind of a turn off.

I love the design of the SGN and was seriously hoping for Samsung to just upgrade the internals while retaining the current design. But, I guess its not happening.

Do you think it would be smart to get the SGN at a time like this, RIGHT before the next nexus phone is released? I really like this phone. But my main concern is that i'll be getting it at a time when its about to go obsolete.

I bought my gnex and I have absolutely no regrets.
When you say smart, on what grounds are you referring to? Financial? Technical?
If it's financial, then yes it is smart to buy the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
If it's technical, then the answer really depends on the person. Just how much better will this new phone be compared with the gnex? If the gap is too great, then go for the new one. If not, stick with the Galaxy Nexus, it'll save you a lot of money and you will still get Jelly Bean and the latest updates straight from Google.
Remember, New doesn't always equate to better.
And since this is technology we're talking about, as soon as you get comfortable with the new nexus, another nexus would be coming out. So you will always be asking these questions for the rest of your life.

My advise?
Stick with the Galaxy Nexus. Those little difference such as the removable battery can make a big difference in real life in real scenarios.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[dakid2k6]

I bought my nexus yesterday and have no regrets for it. I DO know another nexus is coming out. I can honestly say I will not be buying the one from LG. Not liking the design for my taste, I will however buy a new nexus if htc, motorola, or samsung release, heck maybe all 3.
But as far as your post anytime is a great time to buy a Nexus. IMO. The phone is great snappy and pure google. no carrier nothing other then the sim card in it. I came from a galaxy note and I will say I miss the better camera and sd card slot of the note but I have since, in 1 day, have gotten used to not having those. I release how much junk I store on the sd card. As mightymike said you will always get updates direct from google. example is the nexus s, thats a few years old now and has jelly bean and it has specs not so great compared to the galaxy nexus. so you can count on it that when they release key lime pie chances are the galaxy nexus will get that update. and the phone would still be able to keep up with others.

 

[Derek_B]

I just got my GNex yesterday (on Sprint) and I really couldn't be happier. I'm not one to constantly chase the best specs out there, if you buy a new phone every two or three months, maybe you could keep up.

I upgraded because Motorola wouldn't upgrade the Photon 4G. In less than one hour with the GNex, I had ICS and then JB on my phone which was never going to happen with Moto. And you know the GNex will get Key Lime Pie too! This phone will last me at least the next year, I'm not tempted by the LG Nexus at this time. This phone will be running current-generation Android for at least the next year, maybe even more. It's anything but close to being obsolete.

I agree with mightymikek83: wait and see what the next Nexus actually is and then decide. Either way you'll get an awesome phone that's as "future-proofed" as you can get and an awesome vanilla android experience!

 

[jasonvvong]

Wait for after the announcement. It's entirely possible that Google will reduce the price of the Galaxy Nexus after they announce the new phone. Also, by waiting till after, you can make a choice between the Galaxy Nexus and the new Nexus.

It should be noted that when the Galaxy Nexus' price was reduced to 350, it was applied retroactively to all previous Galaxy Nexus orders that were made 2 weeks prior.

I have a Galaxy Nexus and I probably won't get the new Nexus because it suffers from the same two problems that the Galaxy Nexus suffers from: 1) the bezel on the top and bottom of the phone is huge just like the Galaxy Nexus and unnecessary and I hate wasted space; 2) screen is too small.While I may be an outlier, I don't want a phone that is smaller than 5 inches.

 

[icu]

I'm in the same situation - I've always wanted a Nexus device, but being locked into VZW for all these years I've not had the option (I'm in a Family Plan with others who don't want to leave). Even with it's issues the VZW GNex is the phone I want most. Also, I have an upgrade to burn now - my plan for a while now has been to wait till Black Friday and p/u a GNex for $.01 (I expect at least one site to have this) unless there's something else that's more tempting. I know getting locked into a contract isn't a deal, but I'm a cheap SOB and I like to wait till a phone is nearly nothing initially. I think that still at this point it's a great choice as it brings to the table the promise of updates for quite some time and even after end of life I know there will be devs keeping it alive for years to come.

I mean part of my deep love of Android has come from the fact that I've managed to take a $.01 Galaxy S 1 and have been able to keep it fresh and up to date and running quite well (considering) with the help of some awesome devs.

The camera is honestly the only thing that turns me off, but since I love flashing ROMS and having the brand new hotness I think it'll be a perfect fit. I personally see no issue with picking one up at this time because unless you're ready to throw down hundreds of dollars there's nothing else out there that turns my head.

Also - just saw that Amazon Wireless has the VZW GNex for $.01 for NEW CUSTOMERS - if this was the upgrade price I'd get it today (of course it's only $29.99 but again - cheap SOB - I need that $30 to buy an extended battery - also Wirefly has the better deal currently for upgrading customers)

 

[Gekko]

I'm in the same situation - I've always wanted a Nexus device, but being locked into VZW for all these years I've not had the option (I'm in a Family Plan with others who don't want to leave). Even with it's issues the VZW GNex is the phone I want most. Also, I have an upgrade to burn now - my plan for a while now has been to wait till Black Friday and p/u a GNex for $.01 (I expect at least one site to have this) unless there's something else that's more tempting. I know getting locked into a contract isn't a deal, but I'm a cheap SOB and I like to wait till a phone is nearly nothing initially. I think that still at this point it's a great choice as it brings to the table the promise of updates for quite some time and even after end of life I know there will be devs keeping it alive for years to come.

I mean part of my deep love of Android has come from the fact that I've managed to take a $.01 Galaxy S 1 and have been able to keep it fresh and up to date and running quite well (considering) with the help of some awesome devs.

The camera is honestly the only thing that turns me off, but since I love flashing ROMS and having the brand new hotness I think it'll be a perfect fit. I personally see no issue with picking one up at this time because unless you're ready to throw down hundreds of dollars there's nothing else out there that turns my head.

Also - just saw that Amazon Wireless has the VZW GNex for $.01 for NEW CUSTOMERS - if this was the upgrade price I'd get it today (of course it's only $29.99 but again - cheap SOB - I need that $30 to buy an extended battery - also Wirefly has the better deal currently for upgrading customers)

Check Best Buy. They had the VZW G-Nex for a penny or a dollar recently for new customers AND/OR upgrades.

 

[severinj]

I think it would be an absolutely ridiculous decision to purchase a galaxy nexus right before the new nexus comes out

Not only are a lot of people pretending the leaked info is FACT but a lot of people are pretending that the phone's hardware specs are considered 'ok.' I don't know if it's just a bunch of hasty people who don't know what they're talking about but the LG nexus hasn't even been announced yet. The couple things that can be bet on (like it having an S4 Pro) means the phone will without a doubt be the most powerful phone currently on the market with a better screen than the galaxy nexus.

Another good reason to not buy a galaxy nexus now is the probability of a drop in price following the new nexus release. There is almost no logical reason to purchase last years model a couple weeks before this years model.

 

[Ravynmagi]

If it's about money or timing, you want something cheap or just want it now. Galaxy Nexus isn't bad. And it's TI OMAP 4460 processor did get some new life thanks to Jelly Bean, it feels pretty responsive.

But I think your reasons for not getting the Nexus 4 don't sound very good. The design of the phone and lack of removable battery. They are your reasons and if those two things are showstoppers for you, then I can't change your mind. But I think the Nexus 4 does look quite a bit like the Galaxy Nexus, has the same general shape, looks identical from the front, it's the back that got changed, it's flat glass back with pattern. If you hate that pattern this much, I'm sure a skin can be easily applied to it. Personally I love the look of the Nexus 4.

The Snapdragon S4 Pro is a huge performance leap over the OMAP 4 4460. This will certainly keep the new Nexus 4 relevant a lot longer than the Galaxy Nexus.

 

[undertothenight]

I have to agree with most of the replies. I've had my gnex for almost a year and not regretting it at all. Pop an extended battery on it and Enjoy lte all day. Plus the hacker community is giving the phone lots of love.

 

[randyw]

I got my Play store Gnex about 3 months ago and love it. As far as I am concerned the LG model is just not enough of an improvement to switch. But latter this year or early next another Phone manufacturer or maybe several will have better Nexus offerings. Android Phones come out so fast that it seems as soon as you buy one you see something better. But I do not regret my Galaxy Nexus purchase one bit. Plus the Dev community at XDA for the Gnex is super if your into that kind of thing. More custom Roms than you can shake a stick at.

 

[MetalMessiah78]

I've had the Galaxy Nexus for almost a year now, and if I had to do it over again, I would still buy it, especially at the currently price! I paid almost twice that when it was new.

As far as the camera, I think it takes great pictures. I'm often complemented about how great my pictures look. Don't believe all the hype. I remember when the Galaxy Nexus first came out, all the reviewers commented about what a great camera it had. 1 (ONE) site said it was a poor camera, and ever since then, all the other sites have been jumping on the bandwagon. The only time my pictures look poor are in low light, but that's a problem all cameras have.

That said, I'm not interested in a Nexus from LG, so I'll be skipping it and keeping my Galaxy Nexus until the next one is announced.

 

[xFORTRESSx]

Getting the SGN now with intent and purpose to root it is not a terrible idea at all. It's cheaper than it was, the hardware and software isn't bad either and is a great phone. If you need to have the most current version of the Nexus hold out for another version of the Nexus to come out and skip the LG one.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[SamOliver]

It all depends if you have an upgrade available and if money is tight. If money is tight and you don't have an upgrade available it wouldn't be a bad idea, I bought my GNex off Craigslist a couple months ago for $200. The GNex is definitely a great phone for a good value. If you have an upgrade available or some money to blow, I'd at least wait until the specs of the next Nexus were confirmed. And if you do wait and end up not liking the new Nexus, then you can just buy the GNexAlso, if the LG Nexus has great battery life, then the non-removable battery shouldn't be a big deal, the GNex has one of the worst battery life's of any phone (right up there with the HTC Thunderbolt).

 

[mech1164]

Well I had to go to other means to get a GSM Nexus in Feb (Amazon). I rooted and Rommed it and have been very happy. Had a USB hardware defect that was know and Amazon did me a solid and let me return it. Then last month I paid almost have what I did earlier and got another Gnex from Google Play. So glad I didn't jump on another type(was looking at a One S). Now I have it just the way I like and I know that i'll get KLP when it comes out. I'm good till this time next year.

If you need a phone NOW and want timely updates the Current Galaxy Nexus is the way to go. If you can wait you can see what Google has for the Nexus line. Either way you can't do bad.

 

[yugnip]

I got my GSM Nexus in August. No regrets, it's a sweet phone and JB rocks. Buy one when you can, Samsung or LG, you will love it.

 

[chunkcohen]

Bought mine last month (got the GSM model and T-Mo prepaid) and no regrets here. It was a HUGE upgrade from my old Epic 4G on Sprint. It's my first smartphone without a hard keyboard, but given how big the screen is on the G-Nex, I don't really miss it much.

 

[Gorilla]

I picked my nexus up about 4 months ago, and it was the ONLY phone I have ever owned that I was completely satisfied with during my entire 2 week trial period. I never once considered returning it.

I picked it up for 1.00 from best buy and got a 50.00 gift card from best buy (Phone Freedom).. SO it was a heck of a deal.

I have to say I have been impressed.

Calls work great, screen is large and brilliant, The phone is fast, and the Camera takes really nice pictures. The Video has impressed me as well, it looks really nice in 1080p.

I have no issues with the phone and am running Cm10 Android 4.1.2

Loving it.

 

[Wicket]

I say if cost is an issue wait till the LG one comes out and then get the GNex. If money isn't a issue, wait till the LG comes out and see which you like more. The GNex is still a good phone and wouldn't be horrible to have!