GS III or Unlocked GNex?

[Last Ride]

Hey all--

I'm seriously considering a switch to T-Mobile from Verizon. Turns out making this switch can save me around $50 a month on three smartphones. If I do this, obviously there is the matter of phone selection. I think I have it narrowed down to either a GS III or Unlocked GNex. Can anyone weigh in on the pros and cons of each? I like the GNex because I'd get the updates directly from Google, but the phone is approaching a year old. The GS III appears to just be a beast. I'm not a huge TouchWiz fan, but I will probably root the device and go with an AOSP ROM, anyway. Any thoughts?

 

[cgardnervt]

S3! It's a beautiful device! Plus JB is coming soon I hope. Also you can root your device to get rid of TW if ya hate it. Gnex is just getting old...Still a cool device. But if you must be looked into a contact go with the S3!

 

[Last Ride]

I was leaning that way, but if I go with one of their "value plans", I'd be paying full retail for all my phones. This would require more of an upfront cost, but would actually end up saving me about $100 a month on my cell phone service. I can pick up an unlocked GNex at the Play store for $350 while the full retail S3 is around $600. While I know the S3 has superior hardware, the GNex will be kept relevant by Google for quite a while. I'm already satisfactorily using a Droid RAZR, so I think the GNex wouldn't disappoint in that regard. But if a new Nexus is supposed to be coming in the next few months, perhaps I should just hold out and see what happens there? Either way, it's a nice problem to have.

 

[Woosh]

You should be able to get the S3 for around $400 if you buy on classic plan then pay the $200 migration fee to go on the value plan.

That said.....I love my galaxy nexus and I would personally go with that. But it is a matter of personal opinion.

I do love the pentaband options. Let's me choose 2 carriers.

If better nexus comes out In a few months then I will likely sell this and grab that.

Love me some jelly bean.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[TrueBlueLS]

I've been debating this for the $30 prepaid plan. I'm not really seeing a huge difference as I'm looking at the two phones to justify paying an extra $250 for the SIII.

 

[craZDude]

I've been debating this for the $30 prepaid plan. I'm not really seeing a huge difference as I'm looking at the two phones to justify paying an extra $250 for the SIII.

I had the same debate going on in my head, but ended up going with the Nexus. I have been very pleased with the Nexus' capabilities, and after seeing a good friend with an S3, i can't say I'm jealous at all. 1gig of ram is plenty

 

[chunkcohen]

I'm planning on going to a prepaid T-Mo plan soon and I'm pretty convinced I'm getting the unlocked GNex from the Play Store.

But I think that in the end, it comes down to which handset appeals to YOU the most. It's best to hit up a store that carries both devices (Verizon and Sprint both do) and see for yourself. That's what I did.

Aside from the bigger screen, the US-spec S III does have a faster processor, twice the RAM and a better camera. But I thought the S III was just a wee bit too big for me. I have small hands and I found it difficult to operate the phone single-handed most of the time. Plus, at no point did I find the LTE variant of the GNex I played with sluggish or slow.

What also appeals to me with the unlocked GNex is that it's pure Google and totally void of manufacturer and carrier bloatware. The $349 price is really hard to beat, too. Unlocked S IIIs are not cheap. To me, the extra goodies hardly justify the steep price difference (typically around $250 more).