So is the Nexus 4 the best android phone?

[mcgowan398]

A lot of people say the S3 and Note2 are the best ones out there.. Is this true?

 

[Lanhoj]

I own an S3 & N4 & IMO the N4 beats the S3 hands down. Not a blow out, but it's still better. I'd say a similar comparison would be how the S3 is better than my GNex.
That said, the upcoming S4 will likely beat the N4. That's often how it goes though.

As for the Note 2, I'd say it beats the N4 but marginally. It's more about the size than specs.

If you NEED a phone right now I'd say either get the N4 or Note 2.
If you can wait, I'd say wait for either the S4 or Nexus 5.
You really can't go wrong when buying the "flagship" device from any of the major OEM's though.

 

[josegb2011]

The n4 is the better android experience but the s3 and note 2 have those nifty extra features most notably their multitasking suite they have but overall I would pick the n4 over the s3 ..don't know much about the note much so

 

[TheDonJ77]

Sold my gs3 for my nexus 4 and am loving it. No regrets what so ever

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[donm527#IM]

i think 'best' phone varies for everyone. love the n4 and love pure jellybean... but it doesnt have a sim card slot and the battery is not the greatest, limited memory, ok camera, questionable hardware with the back glass.

i think the motorola razr maxx hd would be closest to my idea of being the best because i like the hardware design (maybe more robust than the n4 rear glass?) and super battery and sim slot and heard their OS is pretty close to stock android... but it's verizon and i prefer AT&T.

I hope the rumors of the Google X phone is true because if so, I think that could be close to the perfect phone if specs true... a razr maxx hd with better camera, cpu, and running key lime pie.

A lot of people say the S3 and Note2 are the best ones out there.. Is this true?

 

[Slender Troll]

i think 'best' phone varies for everyone. love the n4 and love pure jellybean... but it doesnt have a sim card slot and the battery is not the greatest, limited memory, ok camera, questionable hardware with the back glass.

i think the motorola razr maxx hd would be closest to my idea of being the best because i like the hardware design (maybe more robust than the n4 rear glass?) and super battery and sim slot and heard their OS is pretty close to stock android... but it's verizon and i prefer AT&T.

I hope the rumors of the Google X phone is true because if so, I think that could be close to the perfect phone if specs true... a razr maxx hd with better camera, cpu, and running key lime pie.

I think you mean microSD slot, as the Sim card tray is on the left side of the N4.

Also I don't see what is so bad about the hardware in the N4. Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor is way better than a lot of the phones out there currently.

OS is the wrong word to use when talking about skins that OEMs put on their phones.

I would go on, but I don't want to sound rude.

Sent from my Nexus 4/Nexus 7

 

[Alvin Tran]

In my opinion, the Nexus 4 is the best Android experience and device I've used, and the best phone I've ever had beating out the iPhone 4, 3GS, and Lumia 900. I just love the smooth animations and the little fancy animations there are all around the OS like the tabs cards in Chrome, the cards in Google Now, and other fun animations. I have the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and I hate that thing so much. It's really slow and laggy, animations and transitions are not smooth at all, and not a lot of features,...I wanted to go back to iOS after being with Windows Phone 7, but the Nexus 4 has just been a fantastic and pleasant experience so far. Only time can tell now until when the device slows down.

 

[donm527#IM]

ah yes, microsd, thanks.
no complaints on the s4 processor... not arguing its a bad phone.... I have one.. I like it VERY much.
but we're talking if it's the best.
some could argue that the lg optimus g is the better phone...
it's got the same hardware as the nexus 4 PLUS... a microDS and also LTE...
an option I forgot to mention in my last post... but it doesnt have Jelly Bean... yet.
OS may be the wrong word... but when OEMs put their own skins and sometime they put in their own apps (messaging, browsers, etc) and you can't get OS updates from Google and have to wait on the OEMs to provide because of the changes they made to the OS... it pretty much should be considered 'their own OS'
you're not being rude... go on...

I think you mean microSD slot, as the Sim card tray is on the left side of the N4.

Also I don't see what is so bad about the hardware in the N4. Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor is way better than a lot of the phones out there currently.

OS is the wrong word to use when talking about skins that OEMs put on their phones.

I would go on, but I don't want to sound rude.

Sent from my Nexus 4/Nexus 7

 

[Citizen Coyote]

I don't think there is a "best" Android phone out there right now, because everyone has slightly different needs and all the top-tier phones have pluses and minuses. For example...

Galaxy S3: often held up as the de facto standard for what a non-Google Android phone should be, but the processors used in the various versions are no longer top of the line. The OS is heavily skinned, and the phone is almost a year old at this point.

Note 2: checks all the boxes when it comes to features, and probably has more functionality than any phone on the market (of any OS). However, it's very large, few apps outside of native apps take advantage of its capabilities, and the OS is also skinned heavily.

Nexus 4: pure Android as Google envisions it. Top of the line hardware at a crazy price, but lacks sanctioned LTE and some features that many people love, such as an SD card slot and removable battery.

Droid Razr Maxx HD: best in class battery life, supports many desired features like expandable memory and LTE, good hardware overall, but locked to a carrier with a very checkered history of updates.

These are just my observations. Some won't see the negatives as such, and some may not see the positives outweighing a particular negative. If you want a pure Android phone that will get timely, bleeding-edge updates, then the Nexus 4 is your best bet. If updates are not all that important to you, and you want LTE, then no, it's probably not your best bet. For me, it's perfect.

 

[HimOffTheTelly]

I think I agree that there is no actual "best" Android phone on the market at the moment because the current crop of flagship models do manage to cater for a range of tastes and needs. I personally am rocking the original Note and as things stand it is and so shall remain for a while longer more than good enough for me. However when it comes to its eventual replacement I shall take an extra close look at what Samsung produces at the time, and also I'll not only look at what is available from other manufacturers, I will probably check out the state of play in the world of Blackberry, iOS and WP as well. So the question is deeply subjective and dependent on one's requirements at this time. I'm sure in many ways cheaper and lesser specced Android phones are the best in class for some people. **Sony Xperia Z looks pretty tasty though ;-)**

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[omniusovermind]

This year effectively crushed my Nexus envy. I absolutely love how much the various OEMs have stepped up the quality of their devices in the 2013 lineup. On top of that there seems to be a trend of faster updates among them all, and the OEM skins are getting less and less noticeable. 2013 is looking really really awesome for Android phones. The SG4, Optimus G, xperiaZL, and M7 are all going to be incredible devices :thumbup:

 

[planoman]

Agree on the OEM's really stepping up! I had the SGSIII and sold it because it was not getting much use when I got my Note 2. I then got the Nexus 4 since I wanted to use Google Wallet and have the quickest updates.

I actually think the SGSIII is a better all around device than the N4...If the carriers (ATT) did not bloat them down and lock down google wallet. I think the Note 2 is the best all around device period. There is really nothing it does not do well and is really no compromise in terms of hardware and features. I think touch wiz has come a long way is very feature rich and useful.

Although logically I think the SGSIII is a better device for some reason I like my N4 better! Just something about having a Nexus! Come on Key Lime Pie!

 

[Aquila]

I think you mean microSD slot, as the Sim card tray is on the left side of the N4.

Also I don't see what is so bad about the hardware in the N4. Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor is way better than a lot of the phones out there currently.

OS is the wrong word to use when talking about skins that OEMs put on their phones.

I would go on, but I don't want to sound rude.

Sent from my Nexus 4/Nexus 7

I think Skins is the wrong word also. They're not putting a layer on top of Android, such as a launcher. I think that TouchWiz is more closely related to the Amazon Kindle Fire OS than to Stock. A Samsung phone, other than their previous two Nexus devices, runs Android based Samsung code, and thus is true for HTC and Sense as well. LG used to use a skin and provide both stock and their skin and launcher on the device, leaving it to the user to choose which they wanted (back in the Froyo days, such as the LG Ally); however now their version is another branch entirely as well. I think Forked is more accurate than Skinned. Phil and Jerry did a much better job at explaining the distinction on the podcast one night, sorry I'm not doing it justice. OS is definitely wrong though, even Amazon is still Android OS in mobile so far.

 

[Aquila]

I'm so sorry I just thread highjacked. I'm drunk and I'll stop posting for the night. My apologies everyone.

 

[msavic6]

I would say the note2 is the best phone overall, contains major features in the OS skin and amazing battery life. If you value fast OS updates over battery life, camera quality and removable battery/micro SD then the nexus 4 is the best device available. Although I'm not sure how much I would miss quick updates if I were to stray from the nexus line up.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

 

[ryanr509]

I would say the note2 is the best phone overall, contains major features in the OS skin and amazing battery life. If you value fast OS updates over battery life, camera quality and removable battery/micro SD then the nexus 4 is the best device available. Although I'm not sure how much I would miss quick updates if I were to stray from the nexus line up.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

U never know how much u miss the updates until the nexus is gone. I gave my gf my old gnex and bought the note and definitely missed the updates. Good thing I got the 4 now

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[ryanr509]

Also the best phone depends on the person. People value different things in a smartphone. Do u want storage, best screen, battery life? Someone might not grab a note 2 because its to big even though it has awesome specs or might not touch a DNA or n4 because of the small storage.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[Alex_Hong]

Hmm. i think as mentioned, it's really subjective. Different people have different wants and needs. I have had chances to play with both the S3 and Note 2 for a couple of days, but was never really that into it. They were great devices that packed a lot of punch, no doubt, but somehow they didn't appeal to me that much. Same goes for HTC and Sony's Android devices.

I recently got a Nexus 4 for my sister and have been playing with it for a couple of days now (thinking perhaps I should keep it for myself ). If I had the chance to choose an Android device for my own personal use, I would go for a Nexus 4, which is why i got it for my sister in the first place. I think the design looks great, and the hardware is decent. Removable battery and micro-sd expandability isn't such a big deal for me considering i did manage to live with iOS for a couple of years. The price is insane too for the hardware it's packing. The overall package seems to really do it for me, plus the fact that OS updates are fast.



Despite certain shortcomings on the phone like the camera isn't as great as compared to other top tier Android devices. The battery life isn't exactly stellar at 1800mah. But overall, I really like the device. I wouldn't go all the way to call it the best Android device, but I can call it my preferred Android device. I kinda prefer the simple looking stock UI over TouchWiz or Sense, and am willing to forgo a bit of goodies that these manufacturers are adding in to Android. On a side note, the leaked screenshots for Sense 5 did look pretty nice though...

 

[yfan]

As others said, you have to figure out what 'best' means to you. What are you looking to do with your phone? The Nexus 4 is a great phone, and it's a better value. If you want pure Android, and Android updates right away, paired with terrific hardware and superb performance, you won't find anything better than the Nexus 4 right now. But there are things it lacks that people have lamented, such as LTE connectivity, a removable battery and expandable storage. So, is it the best phone? For me, yes. For you? You tell me.

 

[Darrkman]

Nexus 4 is the best phone i've owned but it does have it's shortcomings. My Bluetooth headset is horrible on the N4, everyone i've spoken to has commented. Secondly, I REALLY miss the camera from my HTC One S.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2