Possibly silly question: AT&T Nexus S or Skyrocket?

[sgroh87]

(I also posted this in the Skyrocket forum. I figured that the two forums would give me more perspective on the question. If double-posting isn't allowed, then I apologize and ask that this post be closed down. Also, for the record, I am asking about the AT&T NS. This forum seems to be much more popular, so I'm posting it here instead)

Right now I have a GS2 Skyrocket. I'm within my 30 day return policy, and while I like the phone a lot, I don't quite "love" it. Speeds are great, screen is nice and large, so on and so forth. Here are my only criticisms:

LTE makes me want to use my data a LOT faster (not really a problem with the device per se, but when I can download a 40mb podcast in 10 seconds, it's tempting to do so).
Battery life leaves something to be desired. I do live in an LTE area, so that's a big strain on the battery.
TouchWiz has gotten a lot better since I had the Captivate, but I still have the desire to get the latest updates without delays.
It was an expensive device. I forced an upgrade through early and it cost me $300.
The screen is a great size (I owned the Dell Streak for a little while; enough said), but the resolution just means that the text is larger than a smaller screen.

I'm considering returning it and using the upgrade to get an AT&T banded Nexus S. I almost never play games on my phone, and I fear that the LTE and dual-core features are just more power than I need. I want a device that I can use for calls, texting, reading RSS feeds, Facebook/G+, and listening to music/podcasts; above all, I want a phone that does all of the above SMOOTHLY. I don't expect iOS-level smoothness, but the Skyrocket/GS2 level of polish is just about right.

Would I be foolish to return the Skyrocket and get the NS?

 

[iBowToAndroid]

I don't think so. You already said you don't need the dual-core power, nor the LTE, and you want the latest updates. Nexus sounds like the way to go. ICS with hardware acceleration will really go a long way towards improving the overall experience too - make it much smoother, etc.

Not a bad decision, especially if you can save a lot of money on the deal.

 

[bloo0153]

Personally I wouldn't buy an outdated device on a two year contract. You didn't mention what your previous phone was but have you considered returning the Skyrocket and waiting for the Galaxy Nexus? Hopefully it will come to AT&T in the next few months (fingers crossed). Alternatively, if you don't want to wait you could always buy the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus S off contract. The Galaxy Nexus would cost you another $400 but you could probably grab a Nexus S from Craigslist for $200-300 easy.

Your criticisms of the SkyRocket seem to relate mostly to LTE. Have you considered just turning it off when you don?t need it?

 

[oversteer325]

Personally I wouldn't buy an outdated device on a two year contract. You didn't mention what your previous phone was but have you considered returning the Skyrocket and waiting for the Galaxy Nexus? Hopefully it will come to AT&T in the next few months (fingers crossed). Alternatively, if you don't want to wait you could always buy the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus S off contract. The Galaxy Nexus would cost you another $400 but you could probably grab a Nexus S from Craigslist for $200-300 easy.

Your criticisms of the SkyRocket seem to relate mostly to LTE. Have you considered just turning it off when you don?t need it?

I don't think AT&T or Verizon let you turn off LTE like Sprint does with WiMax.

 

[iBowToAndroid]

I don't think AT&T or Verizon let you turn off LTE like Sprint does with WiMax.

Verizon does, although it's not as simple as it is on Sprint.

Even if ATT doesn't put the option in the software (and I'd be shocked if they didn't), you'll be able to get into the phone's programming menu somehow and manually change it