A week with my Nexus S 4G, my complete thoughts.

[Dreamliner330]

I've moved on to the Photon 4G for the time being....dropping phone calls and not being able to use speaker phone because other person hears echo was simply unacceptable.

 

[AndroidOne]

If the Nexus Prime as rumored comes from Samsung and makes it to Sprint, I'd probably pass on it or at least won't be an early adopter.

Seems from my experience with Samsung Android devices that they either have weaker radios or can't get the radio drivers right.

Sent from my HTC Evo 4G using Tapatalk

 

[bear_lx]

I've moved on to the Photon 4G for the time being....dropping phone calls and not being able to use speaker phone because other person hears echo was simply unacceptable.

i had an ipod touch for about 2 years as well... it did have issues, just like any electronic device. i had 2 warranty replacments and my experience wasnt good. first time they tried telling me that it had water damage and it would cost me to replace it. keep in mind this was 3 months old at the time. that was unacceptable! so i called back and spoke with another rep who looked at the pictures on file "of the so called water damage" he assessed that it was nothing more than pocket lint in the aux port! r u kidding me, pocket lint being confused with water damage? wow. needless top say they sent me a replacement, which worked most of the time just fine. however it did have lock ups and random reboots, just like anything would. it all depends on how lucky you are really. they problems you are having with your nexus someone else may never experience. so it is all based on a user to user basis. keep in mind also, that an ipod touch doesnt have radios, and gps... its an mp3 player not a cell phone... completely different animal. as i am sure you are well aware of. my thoughts on this review are that you have had a bad experience with the nexus s 4g, which i would be pis*ed too. but from my experience so far, i love it... better signal than my htc hd7, and very fast, and very stable.

super amoled > retina display,

without any question... superamoled makes retina display look washed out and ghostly

 

[rckclmber75]

I've been searching through various threads looking for thoughts on the NS4G, both in comparison and stand-alone. I've picked this thread to ask for more direct input, because it seems like the more relevant.

I'm rolling with a VERY old HTC PPC6800. Last month I thought I had FINALLY found a phone worth upgrading to in the Photon...until it kept shutting off and calls muted. I waited for the update to come through, but I STILL experienced a "power off" situation requiring battery removal. Knowing the E4GT was due soon, I passed on the Photon and returned to my painfully slow and problematic Mogul. THEN Sprint changed the game by dropping the NS4G to $29 online. So, I scoured more reviews of the NS4G and continually came across signal issues/complaints, but most dated back to pre July 25th, before the update.

My question is this. If YOU had a 3-4 yr old phone and wanted/needed an upgrade in today's environment is the NS4G strong enough (for the price) to buy?

NS4G vs photon from ppl who've experienced both? $29 vs. $200

I've looked at the ET4G and, while the display and specs were great, it's HUGE, regardless of how light, or thin it is. I'd rather have a 4" with all that power.

I've been on Sprint for about 12yrs, so I can upgrade every year if there's a phone worth $200 out (which there rarely is).

So, I guess my real question is if the NS4G's problems are minor enough to deal with for a year, so I can evaluate next years crop, as screens and specs improve> Or would you, the buyer, simply spend the $200 now for a photon, or ET4G

Thanks...First post.

 

[AndroidOne]

...I'm rolling with a VERY old HTC PPC6800.

Wow! Used that phone about 5 or 6 phones ago... at this point, any smartphone will be a significant upgrade for you.

My question is this. If YOU had a 3-4 yr old phone and wanted/needed an upgrade in today's environment is the NS4G strong enough (for the price) to buy?

If you are willing to use your LAST yearly update on it, then the NS4G at that price point is a no brainer. Granted, there are some issues with this phone (as well as ANY OTHER smartphone) that affect some users more than others, but overall is a very capable Android phone.

I've been on Sprint for about 12yrs, so I can upgrade every year if there's a phone worth $200 out (which there rarely is).

Please be advised that Sprint is ending the Premier program so you have until 12/31/2012 to use your last yearly upgrade, after that I believe everyone will be eligible for an upgrade discount every 20 months. Also coming next month, the evaluation period for new phones will go from the current 30-days to two weeks. So you will need to factor that in your purchase decision.

 

[bear_lx]

for the money, its a winner... you dont get much more with the photon or gs2... dual core processors, better FFC, but honoestly this is the fastest single core processor on the market and the only one that competes with dual core from what ive read. i just switched to sprint from tmobile, and i went with the nexus s 4g specifically for that price difference.

 

[bear_lx]

Wow! Used that phone about 5 or 6 phones ago... at this point, any smartphone will be a significant upgrade for you.



.Also coming next month, the evaluation period for new phones will go from the current 30-days to two weeks. So you will need to factor that in your purchase decision.

already in effect, you have 14 days to try it

 

[AndroidOne]

already in effect, you have 14 days to try it

You are right, I guess I am a month behind... my bad...

 

[rckclmber75]

If you are willing to use your LAST yearly update on it, then the NS4G at that price point is a no brainer. Granted, there are some issues with this phone (as well as ANY OTHER smartphone) that affect some users more than others, but overall is a very capable Android phone.



Please be advised that Sprint is ending the Premier program so you have until 12/31/2012 to use your last yearly upgrade, after that I believe everyone will be eligible for an upgrade discount every 20 months. Also coming next month, the evaluation period for new phones will go from the current 30-days to two weeks. So you will need to factor that in your purchase decision.

THAT is news to me on both counts. Hmm. So whatever I go with now I must stay with for nearly 2 years, or pay a premium to buy off-network (to me, no phone is worth $600)? That kind of shoots my whole "buy decent phone for a year and upgrade to the next next-gen in Sep" plan full of holes.

I understand you were trying to help, but that made things more difficult.

Would you keep yours from now into 2013?

 

[rckclmber75]

for the money, its a winner... you dont get much more with the photon or gs2... dual core processors, better FFC, but honoestly this is the fastest single core processor on the market and the only one that competes with dual core from what ive read. i just switched to sprint from tmobile, and i went with the nexus s 4g specifically for that price difference.

Have you experienced the reception/call quality, signal strength (3G/4G) etc. problems I read so much about?

I'm not a "power user", and the only games I play are Chess, Backgammon, etc. All I need is something "snappy", that doesn't hang when I'm switching apps, running google maps for, has a good messaging/contact interface and would make a decent music source in my car, when wired.

Thanks for the input, btw.

 

[AndroidOne]

THAT is news to me on both counts. Hmm. So whatever I go with now I must stay with for nearly 2 years, or pay a premium to buy off-network (to me, no phone is worth $600)? That kind of shoots my whole "buy decent phone for a year and upgrade to the next next-gen in Sep" plan full of holes.

I thought so... that's why I mentioned it so you can take that into consideration.

Would you keep yours from now into 2013?

I rarely keep a phone more than a year and most often than not, buy off contract. But that is me. So if your question is: will this phone be a good device until 2013, my answer is definitely yes... unless you feel the overwhelming need to be on the bleeding edge of phone technology that is.

One thing you need to understand about Android OS is that every manufacturer loads a customized version of Android on their devices full of add ons and eye candy. This is all good and dandy until an OS update comes along and you have to wait (and wait, and in the case of Samsung, wait some more and then some) for the manufacturer to add all the customization to the new OS before it releases it to their devices - that is if they decide is worthy for them to go through the trouble of doing all that for an old device. When that happens, your only recourse is to root your phone and load a custom ROM with the update that you want.

The Nexus line of phones is a different beast. It has the pure Android OS direct from Google with no OEM customization of any kind. You can add and customize as you please of course. So when an OS update is released, the Nexus line of phones are bound to get the official OS update way before any other device on the market. So your phone is likely to be running the latest OS at any time.

Have you experienced the reception/call quality, signal strength (3G/4G) etc. problems I read so much about?

I'm not a "power user", and the only games I play are Chess, Backgammon, etc. All I need is something "snappy", that doesn't hang when I'm switching apps, running google maps for, has a good messaging/contact interface and would make a decent music source in my car, when wired.

Thanks for the input, btw.

I have experienced issues with data and phone signal on my Nexus. I believe some of those are related to issues with the Sprint network and others with the phone itself. To me, this is a major issue... I am a surgeon and can't afford to have a device that can potentially drop a call that may be of critical importance. If your needs are not that demanding, then is not a major issue - in the time I have owned the Nexus (since release) I had three dropped calls
in total... nothing major by most standards, but in my line of work is one too many. By contrast, on my Evo 4G (another very capable Android phone) I have not experienced one single dropped call in over a year plus of service.

On the other question, if you are not a power user this phone will be excellent as an Android device. And if you happen to be a power user, this is the easiest Android phone to root and customize... so there you have it.

 

[bear_lx]

Have you experienced the reception/call quality, signal strength (3G/4G) etc. problems I read so much about?

I'm not a "power user", and the only games I play are Chess, Backgammon, etc. All I need is something "snappy", that doesn't hang when I'm switching apps, running google maps for, has a good messaging/contact interface and would make a decent music source in my car, when wired.

Thanks for the input, btw.

compared to the htc hd7 i came from it is way better... however that was with tmobile not sprint... i think the call quality and 3g speeds largely depend on what area you live in... much like with any carrier. in my neck of the woods, sprint is strong. so is verizon but way too expensive. i spent 600 bucks to leave them for tmobile and i was with big red for 10 years. so if you already have good call quality and signal strength , you will be fine. radios are important, but not as important as having good coverage in an area. the thing with this phone is it is pure google, so it will always be the first to get the next big update, ( ice cream sadnwhich) so you could use it for the next 2 years and be happy. there are still people on nexus one and now running gingerbread... that was over 2 years ago. not too mention if you dont like it next year, sell it on ebay and buy another one. thats what i did with my hd7.

 

[mtndewgood]

First time post. Just registered to read up on this phone. I love what I'm reading about the screen quality. Like the sleek look. Here's where my question comes in. I'll be upgrading from a Palm Pre original (my fourth one at that) and don't want a big hunky phone. This one comes at a great price too. I'm not that familiar with app switching on Android and wonder if that is fluid and fairly fast? I think that and the notification LED is what I will miss most but already saw the sticky workaround for notifications. Lack of FB sync kinda a drawback but not a deal breaker.

Has anyone else upgraded to this phone coming from WebOS? How was the switch?

I mainly use my cell to do a lot of texting, check email occasionally, minimal web surfing, and as my only digital camera.

 

[AndroidOne]

First time post. Just registered to read up on this phone. I love what I'm reading about the screen quality. Like the sleek look. Here's where my question comes in. I'll be upgrading from a Palm Pre original (my fourth one at that) and don't want a big hunky phone. This one comes at a great price too. I'm not that familiar with app switching on Android and wonder if that is fluid and fairly fast? I think that and the notification LED is what I will miss most but already saw the sticky workaround for notifications. Lack of FB sync kinda a drawback but not a deal breaker.

Has anyone else upgraded to this phone coming from WebOS? How was the switch?

I mainly use my cell to do a lot of texting, check email occasionally, minimal web surfing, and as my only digital camera.

Check the following thread...

Support Group for those switching from WebOS (palm pre) to Nexus S 4g

For texting and email this phone is certainly fine. The camera is 5MP but has very decent quality for a phone camera. The stock camera software is a little lacking but there are several apps on the market to improve that.

 

[Dreamliner330]

super amoled > retina display

Color, yes. Clarity, no.

I'm rolling with a VERY old HTC PPC6800.

I used to have a PPC6600 & PPC6700...I feel your pain.

So, I guess my real question is if the NS4G's problems are minor enough to deal with for a year, so I can evaluate next years crop, as screens and specs improve> Or would you, the buyer, simply spend the $200 now for a photon, or ET4G

Try it for a week and see how you like it. USE it, if you don't experience issues, keep it. For me, dropping calls, speakerphone echo and weak radios broke the camels back. I'm a picky person, but I don't see how dropped calls can be acceptable to anyone...(except maybe the 2007-2010 iPhone users on AT&T, which I still find incredible...dealing with dropped calls for a phone....pfft).

So, I guess my real question is if the NS4G's problems are minor enough to deal with for a year, so I can evaluate next years crop, as screens and specs improve> Or would you, the buyer, simply spend the $200 now for a photon, or ET4G

You will always sell your phone for more $$ in 12 months than you paid for the upgrade, either way, your upgrade is 'free.' Keeping a phone for so long as you did, I sure hope you used your upgrades and sold them for profit....


The first thing every phone manufacturer should get right is the PHONE!

 

[jbizzyphone1]

What's the best NoLED app for the nexus? I've had no luck so far. Rooting was a bust too! Scared to try again...maybe I was lucky not to brick it? It said success, but root checker said no dice..go figure :'(

 

[chud]

What method did you use to root? The one click method is pretty much fool proof.

 

[Tenebrous]

Hmm, I am not sure what is going on with your phone, but some of your cons are pros in my view. The display is gorgeous, the GPS not only locks faster than my old phone, an EVO 4g, but actually keeps up much better. Also, the battery life of my Nexus lasts a lot longer than my old Evo 4g.