Thinking of Switching from Note 3 to Nexus 5

[JAG21979]

I've had the Note 3 for a few months now and to be honest with you, I hate it! I hate it because the ergonomics suck, there are too many features I'm paying for I don't use. I don't think it's a bad phone, it's just not for me. It works flawlessly, but I can't get used to it, and I don't enjoy the experience. I'm very interested in the Nexus 5, a no non-sense phone that seems to do everything well at a good price point. I've heard rumors about the short lasting battery and average phone, so I'm reaching out to those who have the phone in their hands and use it everyday. I'm a power user...I use my phone for everything. Are these issues something I should be worried about? Will I be disappointed switching? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[paa79594]

If you hate the S3 then you shouldn't be using it. Just get a N5 and you will be 100% happy.

 

[TroyBoy30]

i just switched from a note 3 to a nexus 5. i hated the samsung touchwiz and my battery wasnt that good on it. i like the nexus 5 much better

 

[JAG21979]

If you hate the S3 then you shouldn't be using it. Just get a N5 and you will be 100% happy.

I actually have the Note 3 not the S3...I take a lot of pictures of my kids while they are playing sports and would like to have a good camera...is the camera on the Nexus 5 really as bad as they say it is? Are you 100% happy with the battery? I've heard the battery sucks, but wanted to ask actual users if they think the battery sucks, what are your impressions?

 

[Closingracer]

I've had the Note 3 for a few months now and to be honest with you, I hate it! I hate it because the ergonomics suck, there are too many features I'm paying for I don't use. I don't think it's a bad phone, it's just not for me. It works flawlessly, but I can't get used to it, and I don't enjoy the experience. I'm very interested in the Nexus 5, a no non-sense phone that seems to do everything well at a good price point. I've heard rumors about the short lasting battery and average phone, so I'm reaching out to those who have the phone in their hands and use it everyday. I'm a power user...I use my phone for everything. Are these issues something I should be worried about? Will I be disappointed switching? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Honestly the battery for me is meh ... went from 100% to 94% in 20 minutes with only light browsing and I would expect the battery if on that trend be dead in 5-8 hours... Now with except the battery problems ( Not a dealbreaker for me since I own a battery pack to recharge it ) I am a happy Samsung phone owner over the years which includes the Samung galaxy s2 skyrocket , s3 and S4 and love the s4 features but it is locked to AT&T ( I like AT&T but I want cheaper so going to T-Mobile which I hate but it saves me money so oh well) and this is cheaper and unlocked so I bought it in red ... Basing it off quadrant scores this scores worse then my Gs4( nexus scored around 6000 for me compared to my g4 12000 or so) and that is with the inferior Cpu the snapdragon 600 cpu vs the nexus 5 snapdragon 800 cpu but actual usage I find the Nexus 5 much more smooth then the Gs4. I very much miss the micro sd card slot and removable battery but I find the battery efficient enough and since I bought the 32GB one I find it enough space since I own a 64GB ipad and will now buy the big space games on that instead of my phone.

 

[Closingracer]

I actually have the Note 3 not the S3...I take a lot of pictures of my kids while they are playing sports and would like to have a good camera...is the camera on the Nexus 5 really as bad as they say it is? Are you 100% happy with the battery? I've heard the battery sucks, but wanted to ask actual users if they think the battery sucks, what are your impressions?

The battery doesn't suck ... but if your a heavy user it wont last at all and will need to recharge it around mid-day ? The camera I find the iPhone camera's one of the best in the phone category and everything is below that ... That being said I love my S4 camera and While I prefer the quality with the S4 I like the nexus 5 better because it uses OIS and that alone I quite prefer ( If you want picture quality buy a DSLR )

 

[wantabe]

Personally... battery life is disappointing!

 

[sMt73]

I am as well. I was using the Note 3 as my phone / tablet which worked well. The size was a good trade-off to have the best of both worlds. I received a Nexus 7 for the Holidays, and after using Pure Android, I am definitely leaning towards the nexus 5. The Note 3 is a great device too, but I am just torn.

 

[oberkc]

I am like most of the others...battery life is wholly adequate in my mind. Whether it lasts a whole day depends on how you use it, and how much. I find it hard to describe the battery life on the nexus 5 as "sucks". It is better than any phone that I have had so far, with each phone (at least, each smartphone) I have used being better than the last. Is it the best available? Probably not.

Regarding camera, I find it fine. Is it the best available? Probably not. Is it as good as a dedicated camera with nice size sensor? Definitely not (no phone is). Does it get a little grainy in low-light conditions? Sure. Is there some blur when shooting an object while in motion? Probably. Only you can judge the value of this feature in your life and whether the marginal gains (f any) in one phone over another justify making this the primary deciding factor. As for me, I find the camera as good as any that I have used with a phone.

 

[Relgoshan]

I was thinking about the Note 3 but after getting the Tab 3 7.0 LTE I am starting to lean toward something like the S4 mini as my next phone. Just for consistency of UI, storage and such. Same device in a much smaller package with trades in screen area and possibly battery.

 

[JAG21979]

I am as well. I was using the Note 3 as my phone / tablet which worked well. The size was a good trade-off to have the best of both worlds. I received a Nexus 7 for the Holidays, and after using Pure Android, I am definitely leaning towards the nexus 5. The Note 3 is a great device too, but I am just torn.

How would you describe the "pure android" experience on the Nexus 7? Every Android device I've used has a UI over Android, so I've never used Android the way it was intended to be used before manufacturers added their touches. This would help me decide if the Nexus 5 is the streamlined device I'm looking for.

 

[sMt73]

There is no carrier apps installed. Just Google apps. Their is no OEM skin (UI) overlays, ie: Sense, Touchwiz, etc. You are using Android the way Google intended it to be used. first thing I did when I started using my Note 3 was download Nova Launcher prime to replace Touchwiz. But all the menus, drop downs, etc are still Touchwiz. There is no lag opening apps, switching between apps, etc in my experience with a nexus thus far. My note 3 hesitates on a lot of things, and it just should not. Not with the hardware / RAM it is packing. The Nexus 7 is my first foray into a NON OEM branded device. I came from HTC devices, and now Samsung. All great phones, and really comes down to personal preference. I am just seeing more and more that I prefer nexus type devices. Everyone has different needs / wants / likes.

 

[Brian Low]

I'd figure if your coming from the note 3, the nexus 5 battery will be a disappointment to you. For my use its fine, but you said you're a heavy user while I'm a moderate user. I average around maybe 13-16 hours of battery with roughly 3 hours of on screen time.

The camera is ok. Definitely better for still shots than moving shots but acceptable.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Sock-Monkey Pete]

Just made that exact switch myself last week. Nexus is so much speedier, cleaner, and my battery tends to last approximately the same (or longer) throughout the day.

Best parts, no touchwiz and utilizes onscreen buttons.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[NexusNick123]

I had a GS4 and got the Nexus 5 couldn't be happier. I don't like touchwiz

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[sMt73]

Bought a 32gb nexus 5 off Craigslist this evening. Came with the nexus wireless charger and the bright red official bumper. Paid 400.00 for the whole package. Love the size, speed, and the screen is amazing. Gonna give this a couple weeks before selling my note 3 just to make sure I can live without the note.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[mrsmumbles]

Personally... battery life is disappointing!

View attachment 103828 View attachment 103830

9 H O U R S screentime??? :thumbup::beer:

Sent from my LG-LG870 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JAG21979]

Bought a 32gb nexus 5 off Craigslist this evening. Came with the nexus wireless charger and the bright red official bumper. Paid 400.00 for the whole package. Love the size, speed, and the screen is amazing. Gonna give this a couple weeks before selling my note 3 just to make sure I can live without the note.

Posted via Android Central App

Cool man....sounds like a good deal! How does the phone feel ergonomically in your hand? Look forward to hearing about your experience.

 

[lattemaker]

I also came from a Note 3. I really like the Nexus 5 so far. I like the vanilla android experience, it way better than touch wiz and all the other crap that carriers put on their phones to make it there own. The battery life for me is so so. I usually plug it in once a day around mid day just to top it off. The Note 3's battery is better. Other than that this has been my favorite phone to date...and I had about 5 different phones in 2013! I haven't used the camera very much but I would say the pictures are ok. Especially In HDR+ mode. I would say to give the Nexus 5 a try, if you don't like it just return it within the 14 day return window.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[sMt73]

I am a large guy, so one handed operation on the note 3 wasn't to bad, but I'm not gonna lie, I had some one handed texts that should not have been sent out, lol. Overall, the phone feel really good in the hands, the screen is not as nice as the note 3, but I knew that going in. The camera so far has been good. I snapped some action shots last night at the local watering hole that turned out better than on my note 3 IMHO. So far, really loving it.

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