Epic 4g or Nexus S 4G

[HootieMacMN]

So, I'm about to ditch my Pre minus and jump on the Android bandwagon. I think I've narrowed my decision down to the Epic 4G or the Nexus S 4G. I understand that they are very similar in most ways, but am curious about a few things. (I think/hope that these questions are different enough from other similar posts to warrant the new thread.)

I know when the Galaxy line came out, there were some problems with the GPS and some other bugs- have all those issues been resolved, either through patches or hardware modifications?

What are the LED notifications used for, and how significant is their absence on the Nexus?

Any significant difference in battery life between the two?

The Epic is obviously thicker due to the hardware keyboard, but is it still "pocketable" for a regular sized guy, or is it really just too thick to comfortably walk around with in there?

Do the differences between Froyo and Gingerbread, plus having the Samsung skin on the Epic result in significantly noticeable performance differences?

How difficult is it to get free tethering on the Epic?

On the issue of no removable memory on the Nexus- I don't plan on using the phone a whole lot as a media player (love my Zune), so I don't anticipate filling it up with music/movies/pictures. How fast would 16 gb be filled with apps? (I heard they recently have or soon will up the cap on app size to 4 gb.)

Early thanks for your help and feedback. Coming from the Pre, I don't really have much of an expectation of what my Android experience will or should be, outside of playing around a bit with my wife's Evo. I just want to get a solid phone that will serve me well for the next 2 years.

 

[scuba_steve]

Can't answer most of these questions, but my daughter has the Epic, which she loves...and I am also a Pre minus user shopping...so here are my thoughts from the same boat:

Epic's apparent advantages include the keyboard, notification LED, Gorilla Glass, and the SD card slot.

Nexus 4G advantages include that it is slim, has NFC, and is (of course) pure Google.


One significant downside for the Nexus 4G - many users are reporting significant issues with wifi and 4G...and most folks are hoping that an OTA update will fix the issues. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it until that OTA update is pushed and folks confirm that the issues are fixed.

Frankly, I think that giving up a physical keyboard would be tough after being on my Pre...and if I do it, it will probably be for the Galaxy S2...which seems to have been confirmed for Sprint this morning on Gizmodo. Of course, that might be a long wait...but my Pre is still ticking.

 

[drjb74]

My wife has an EPIC and loves it. I have to say that I have had lots of phones, including the Pre and BBs and Windows and Android; just about everything. The keyboard on the EPIC is one of the best I have ever used. I have an EVO, as I don't want a physical keyboard anymore.

It is a very nice phone, and seems to everything she needs. Only downside I have seen is her battery life is not very good. She has the stock battery, and has to charge it during the day. She is a fairly heavy user, reading books, email, web browsing.

Haven't had any hands on time with the Nexus, but is physical keyboard is important, the EPIC will definitely meet your needs.

 

[housetube]

I'll be switching from a Pre- as well. I think I'm waiting for the EVO 3D. But given the choice of an Epic or a Nexus I would go with the Nexus, because you'll get regular updates. You will get use to the onscreen keyboard, I've used my wife's android and it's a pretty quick learning curve.

 

[HootieMacMN]

Thanks to all for the input.

I'm trying to decide if I should grab one of these 2 phones now (leaning towards the Epic- I really like having a hardware keyboard, and am wary of the many complaints of dropped connections on the Nexus), or if I should wait later into the summer for the Evo 3D, Galaxy S2, or something else.

I'm sure people here can relate to the battle of instant tech gratification vs. wanting the newest, shiniest piece of hardware. I appreciate all the input!

 

[darrenf]

Also be sure to check out the Pre to Nexus S migration thread here:

http://forum.androidcentral.com/spr...hose-switching-webos-palm-pre-nexus-s-4g.html

FWIW, I switched the missus from a Pre to the Epic. I *love* the screen but it's too bulky for my taste and I don't use the phone two-handed so a landscape keyboard is little comfort.

I decided to grab the Nexus S for myself and I'm very happy. You can read my thoughts, along with the thoughts of others who made that choice, in the thread referenced above.

WiFi could be better, but I've had *zero* signal problems with voice calls, and I'm in an area with marginal coverage. It's the clearest sounding smart phone I've ever used (and I've used a lot of them).

As far as bulk, stop in at the Sprint store and take a look at both of them to see which one suits you better. Good luck with your search!

-darren

 

[BlackHawkA4]

Came from epic to nexus. Its amazing what software can do. Making 2 phones completely different as far as performance.

Go nexus. Updates. Latest version of Android. Not a hacked up messed up 2.2.

I decided not to buy into the 3d. Yea dual core nice but I'd rather have amoled over 3d and one really good camera than 2.

After switching to nexus my new.philosophy is to go with Google only phones. When Google makes dual core ill go with them.

I plan to keep this phone for 2 years as it will have updates for a long time.

Wonder what google with have then.

 

[ANDROID__JUNKIE]

Although I would like to say my EPIC is better, honestly until I rooted it and flashed a custom rom it was slow and choppy. I recently jumped ship at T-Mobile and had the same decision to make between the 4G handsets available now.

I think your decision should be made by how you use your phone. I cannot live without expandable memory so an SD card slot was essential, let alone I am not afraid to root my phone so the choice for me was clear.

The Nexus is impressive and would be more "pocket-friendly" like my old MyTouch 4G, in addition to the fact that you wont have to wait for "half-baked" OS upgrades as you can get them straight from Google.

So honestly if you are a casual user that plans to keep the phone for the long term... Nexus 4G
If you tinker and want the best of what's to come... Get the EPIC 4G and wait out the development of Ice Cream Sandwich and the phones to come with that OS (Q4-2011/Q1-2012)

Good Luck!

 

[Linkchomp]

Good lord, people still use the Pre? That being said, both phones are pretty awesome. I played with the Epic at a Sprint store along with the Galaxy S. Both phones are good, but if you want pure Android without the Crapware, then Nexus S.

 

[STL 314]

I would go with the Nexus S if I were you