PSA - Serious Flaw in the Verizon Galaxy Nexus

[Johnly]

Just wanted to jump in and add that we DO have a control here - the towers are a common fixed element.

Mine stays locked in 3G for the battery life and I'll only put it into 4G if I want a little extra speed and a lot of frustration. Most of my audio-visual purchases in the past few years have been exclusively Samsung products; needless to say, I am quite disappointed in the GNex as a consumer-product and would be embarrassed beyond belief if I was them, Google, or Verizon at this point. Too bad there's no lemon-law for cellphones.

Yes. The control can be the tower; however, a control doesn't need to be a fixed element. The control just needs to be measured unbiased. So we need a few more towers at the very least. To get an idea. Ideally we don't have a perfect control, but we need more data. A low dbm isn't a serious flaw, and isn't something to freak over.

Many phones have a low dbm, they are the low quality generic ones. This is where people go wrong, they think the Galaxy is a top shelf device with the best hardware. It is not, it is more like a fascinate or a mid range smart phone. It won't perform like the MAXX or the iPhone....LTE withheld. It isn't a serious flaw, it is a phone with an intended generic radio to save on production. Pick one up, it is a plastic mass produced Sammy. If you are looking for a phone with a good radio, get a Moto, simple.

There you have it, knowing that the galaxy performs like a fascinate, you can buy premium phones or mid range ones, I think the dbm of the nexus is tetering on the entry level phones. I say it all over the place, google needs a better product if they want to compete with the best. I think we could solidify this experiment by recreating it a million times but the same thing is revealed, the galaxy never promised to be the king of reception, and it isn't.

 

[Dreamliner330]

the galaxy never promised to be the king of reception, and it isn't.

Took you quite a few posts to polish that [deleted] nugget of a truth.

 

[Johnly]

Took you quite a few posts to polish that [deleted] nugget of a truth.

Phishing that nugget is half the fun!

 

[jefmoody]

Yes. The control can be the tower; however, a control doesn't need to be a fixed element. The control just needs to be measured unbiased. So we need a few more towers at the very least. To get an idea. Ideally we don't have a perfect control, but we need more data. A low dbm isn't a serious flaw, and isn't something to freak over.

Many phones have a low dbm, they are the low quality generic ones. This is where people go wrong, they think the Galaxy is a top shelf device with the best hardware. It is not, it is more like a fascinate or a mid range smart phone. It won't perform like the MAXX or the iPhone....LTE withheld. It isn't a serious flaw, it is a phone with an intended generic radio to save on production. Pick one up, it is a plastic mass produced Sammy. If you are looking for a phone with a good radio, get a Moto, simple.

There you have it, knowing that the galaxy performs like a fascinate, you can buy premium phones or mid range ones, I think the dbm of the nexus is tetering on the entry level phones. I say it all over the place, google needs a better product if they want to compete with the best. I think we could solidify this experiment by recreating it a million times but the same thing is revealed, the galaxy never promised to be the king of reception, and it isn't.

My GN (AXI0M | PATIENT ZERO ROM) blows the Iphone 4s out of the water on any speed related task.
Over wifi, 3g, 4g or even apps not using internet my GN motors past the 4s by a wide margin.

The Iphone 4s has a better weather widget, battery life and Siri works well for me...but that ends the list of things Iphone 4s has over GN.

 

[dmmarck]

My GN (AXI0M | PATIENT ZERO ROM) blows the Iphone 4s out of the water on any speed related task.
Over wifi, 3g, 4g or even apps not using internet my GN motors past the 4s by a wide margin.

The Iphone 4s has a better weather widget, battery life and Siri works well for me...but that ends the list of things Iphone 4s has over GN.

I agree. Once unleashed this phone is amazing.

 

[Johnly]

My GN (AXI0M | PATIENT ZERO ROM) blows the Iphone 4s out of the water on any speed related task.
Over wifi, 3g, 4g or even apps not using internet my GN motors past the 4s by a wide margin.

The Iphone 4s has a better weather widget, battery life and Siri works well for me...but that ends the list of things Iphone 4s has over GN.

I think AXIOM ROMs are the biz. I don't think, considering the proc and GPU it will ever perform better than the 4s. LTE, I am sure those download speeds blow by anything 3G.

 

[Johnly]

I agree. Once unleashed this phone is amazing.

There is no doubt about that. I bet it holds a phone call too...

 

[dmmarck]

There is no doubt about that. I bet it holds a phone call too...

It does. I'm on my 4th device, and other than once on my first, it has never dropped a call.

I've done 6 phone interviews (30-45 each), 2 phone conferences (60-90 means each), and numerous other phone calls since I have had a Nexus.

One drop, and that was going through a tunnel.

And of course the UI isn't faster, but Android on its own is a much more powerful OS out of the box. Jailbreaking can even it up a bit, but once rooted and optimized there's no comparison.

But I know nothing, particularly since my entire family aside from myself has a 4S and I've never played with it, tinkered with it, jailbroke it, compared the features side by side, etc. etc. I see you claim to own one, so perhaps your experiences differ. That's the beauty of life.

Apples to Androids man, Apples to Androids

 

[10001110101]

It does. I'm on my 4th device, and other than once on my first, it has never dropped a call.

I've done 6 phone interviews (30-45 each), 2 phone conferences (60-90 means each), and numerous other phone calls since I have had a Nexus.

One drop, and that was going through a tunnel.

And of course the UI isn't faster, but Android on its own is a much more powerful OS out of the box. Jailbreaking can even it up a bit, but once rooted and optimized there's no comparison.

But I know nothing, particularly since my entire family aside from myself has a 4S and I've never played with it, tinkered with it, jailbroke it, compared the features side by side, etc. etc.

Apples to Androids man, Apples to Androids

You sir are lucky. I am on Nexus #3. The first two suffered from the mic issue since day 1, and this one has been great. Until this morning. Mic cutout in the first two minutes of call#1, and within the first ten seconds of call #2. I love the Axiom and Liquid Roms, but that isn't enough to keep me around. My Maxx will be at the house tomorrow, and they can have this micro-tablet back.

 

[dmmarck]

You sir are lucky. I am on Nexus #3. The first two suffered from the mic issue since day 1, and this one has been great. Until this morning. Mic cutout in the first two minutes of call#1, and within the first ten seconds of call #2. I love the Axiom and Liquid Roms, but that isn't enough to keep me around. My Maxx will be at the house tomorrow, and they can have this micro-tablet back.

Were you able to flip free of charge, or did you pay outright? I would have switched to the Maxx if it were not for two things: the screen and the fact the roms/dev support are severely restricted. The materials, shape, and battery life are very appealing to me, but I buy Android because I love having complete control (which is probably why I've never owned an automatic transmission in my life ).

My past 3 devices have been documented on here. But cliffs:

First - volume rocker stopped working
Second - defective CLN replacement (screen was scratched/scuffed)
Third - dead pixels and crap between the screen/glass, again a defective CLN replacement
Fourth - perfect so far

 

[Johnly]

It does. I'm on my 4th device, and other than once on my first, it has never dropped a call.

I've done 6 phone interviews (30-45 each), 2 phone conferences (60-90 means each), and numerous other phone calls since I have had a Nexus.

One drop, and that was going through a tunnel.

And of course the UI isn't faster, but Android on its own is a much more powerful OS out of the box. Jailbreaking can even it up a bit, but once rooted and optimized there's no comparison.

But I know nothing, particularly since my entire family aside from myself has a 4S and I've never played with it, tinkered with it, jailbroke it, compared the features side by side, etc. etc. I see you claim to own one, so perhaps your experiences differ. That's the beauty of life.

Apples to Androids man, Apples to Androids

I hear ya, but there was a comparison, and I found the 4s to be the power house for my needs. Love siri, and the wicked fast response I get from apps web pages and links. I know you can disable flash on the nexus and that will help it speed up a bit, but ya, for me the 4s just did what I needed better. Androids to Apples

My Nexus never dropped a call, ever. My bionic did but I blame new LTE tech not the phone itself.

Honestly, depending how you have them set up, and what's important to you in how you operate a phone, it is easy to see why people choose one over the other. As far as either of them outclassing each other by astronomical levels, nope! I am a huge picture sharing type and that was a huge factor in my choice, and the premium voice functions. I still have a google wallet with 10 bucks should have spent that!!!

Besides, ultimately isn't it about what makes you happy and works for you.

Remember the OG droid days and how many phone wars there were spec wise. I loved it when Android blew the iPhone out of the water, hope that happens again one day!

 

[Johnly]

You sir are lucky. I am on Nexus #3. The first two suffered from the mic issue since day 1, and this one has been great. Until this morning. Mic cutout in the first two minutes of call#1, and within the first ten seconds of call #2. I love the Axiom and Liquid Roms, but that isn't enough to keep me around. My Maxx will be at the house tomorrow, and they can have this micro-tablet back.

I had multiple Nexus Galaxy phones, and always got the mic drop. Tried every OS and ROM official or not. Nothing helped. I would have a nexus if not for that reason!

 

[dmmarck]

See for me, I can care less about the camera/photos. I hate trying to take a picture and it's just not a factor for me.

Spec wise, how's it not right there? Maybe not GPU, but considering its processor is downtuned from 1.4 or 1.5ghz, the 4S has what, 1.2 or 1.0 ghz at best? Obviously the camera is better, and obviously the screen has better PPI (but not better resolution), and one could argue the chassis/body is better (I would, although the 4S design is exceptionally dated at this point). Having seen these two work side by side, especially with the GN running at a healthy OC, shows me all the proof I need that it's right there spec wise. It might not blow it out of the water, but I don't think it's far behind--if at all.

 

[jefmoody]

It does. I'm on my 4th device, and other than once on my first, it has never dropped a call.

I've done 6 phone interviews (30-45 each), 2 phone conferences (60-90 means each), and numerous other phone calls since I have had a Nexus.

One drop, and that was going through a tunnel.

And of course the UI isn't faster, but Android on its own is a much more powerful OS out of the box. Jailbreaking can even it up a bit, but once rooted and optimized there's no comparison.

But I know nothing, particularly since my entire family aside from myself has a 4S and I've never played with it, tinkered with it, jailbroke it, compared the features side by side, etc. etc. I see you claim to own one, so perhaps your experiences differ. That's the beauty of life.

Apples to Androids man, Apples to Androids

I did buy and setup the Iphone 4s (for my wife) but I did not jailbreak it -- she isn't interested.
I will assure you that it is slower over wifi and 3G than my GN. I cannot get a 4g signal at my house (too far away) and 3g is weak...so this was a hands on, side by side comparison but the GN was not stock like the 4s. For the record, I do not hate Apple and like her having one but I'm hooked on Custom ROM's from DroidTh3ory.

 

[dmmarck]

I had multiple Nexus Galaxy phones, and always got the mic drop. Tried every OS and ROM official or not. Nothing helped. I would have a nexus if not for that reason!

My latest one was made in late March. I presume a lot of these come from a bad batch or three early on in the production cycle when it was rushed (which it was, regardless of how upset we were waiting for it).

 

[Johnly]

See for me, I can care less about the camera/photos. I hate trying to take a picture and it's just not a factor for me.

Spec wise, how's it not right there? Maybe not GPU, but considering its processor is downtuned from 1.4 or 1.5ghz, the 4S has what, 1.2 or 1.0 ghz at best? Obviously the camera is better, and obviously the screen has better PPI (but not better resolution), and one could argue the chassis/body is better (I would, although the 4S design is exceptionally dated at this point). Having seen these two work side by side, especially with the GN running at a healthy OC, shows me all the proof I need that it's right there spec wise. It might not blow it out of the water, but I don't think it's far behind--if at all.

This would be fun to argue your points and I might later! Why does the battery life on the iPhone last so dang long? Yup, under clocked chips at 800 MHz. I generally under clocked all my androids to save juice. Battery is a priority for me and I get 24+ hours easy on moderated use from my iPhone. 16+ on a Axiom ROM on the nexus. Display is another story, apple just looks better to my eye, that's how I judge them. You are right though, they are fine phones and have premium features and capabilities that the others dont.

 

[jefmoody]

My latest one was made in late March. I presume a lot of these come from a bad batch or three early on in the production cycle when it was rushed (which it was, regardless of how upset we were waiting for it).

I've only had one and it has been great overall.
The only complaints I have with the GN are as follows:

1. Cheap plastic body
2. Antenna could be better
3. I like having MicroSD as an option
   
   I have never been happier with a phone/computer/watch/entertainment center...etc...

 

[Johnly]

My latest one was made in late March. I presume a lot of these come from a bad batch or three early on in the production cycle when it was rushed (which it was, regardless of how upset we were waiting for it).

I think allot of us that got the phone on launch day suffered this I am glad you have a good one and are enjoying it!!

 

[dmmarck]

This would be fun to argue your points and I might later! Why does the battery life on the iPhone last so dang long? Yup, under clocked chips at 800 MHz. I generally under clocked all my androids to save juice. Battery is a priority for me and I get 24+ hours easy on moderated use from my iPhone. 16+ on a Axiom ROM on the nexus. Display is another story, apple just looks better to my eye, that's how I judge them. You are right though, they are fine phones and have premium features and capabilities that the others dont.

I will say that I love the clarity with the 4S' display, but the GN display, for me, just looks absolutely amazing (especially when properly tuned).

I've only had one and it has been great overall.
The only complaints I have with the GN are as follows:

1. Cheap plastic body
2. Antenna could be better
3. I like having MicroSD as an option
   
   I have never been happier with a phone/computer/watch/entertainment center...etc...

1. 
   
   Same. I spent all of my "Christmas" money on it and it has been well worth it.
   
   

   I think allot of us that got the phone on launch day suffered this I am glad you have a good one and are enjoying it!!

   
   Yeah, I presume that's part of the issue, Occam's razor supports it too (at least sort of ).

 

[pauldroidr2d2]

I have the Motorola Photon and I've never dropped a call. I've had 2 Samsung phones which dropped calls constantly (Nexus S & GS2), when I started hearing reports of the Galaxy Nexus doing the same, I knew it was a Samsung problem.

You knew huh? How do you know its just not a coincidence? I have a Motorola Droid Bionic and it constantly dropped calls especially when switching between 3G and 4G LTE.