Android phone upgrade suggestions

[Maguroninja]

I have been spoiled by my Galaxy Nexus and was hoping you all could help me figure out the ideal upgrade. It is still a great phone but compared to the phones now, it has its dilemmas and delays. I have been using the 16GB Galaxy S4 for about a week. I thought it would be easy upgrading from a 2 year old phone, but I have my likes and dislikes about the S4 and I am stumped whether I should return it and wait for a different phone. I definitely like how much more powerful this new S4 is compared to my old gNex. But I don't like how it feels in my hand. I could definitely keep using my gNex for a while longer if a phone with my preferences has been, will be, or is rumored to be released.

I am on Verizon and most likely will not be switching to a different carrier. I do a family plan and upgraded to S4 at $199 for two years. Is there going to be a phone released on Verizon where I can do a two year contract for a phone between $100-$200? If I'm using it for two years I gotta like holding it.

I am in LOVE with the S4's amazing camera quality and faster processor speed. I need a phone with a better camera for those nice pictures. I need a phone with a stronger processor to play my apps smoothly.
I really preferred the simplicity of my Galaxy Nexus.

I would prefer a phone closer to stock android, I use Nova launcher anyway so I don't need the bells and whistles of Touchwiz.
I like the feel of the Galaxy Nexus. I don't really like the flimsy, plasticy feel of the Galaxy S4

I prefer a phone with an easily swappable battery; have 2 spares for my gNex and love going 0 to 100.
I noticed when I type there isn't a red underline under words that I have misspelled like in my gNex. What happen to this amazing function? Also, what happened to the WIFI toggle that appears next to the GPS, Sound, Bluetooth, now it is in a section called ongoing?
I do not like the capacitive home button. It isn't that big of a deal, just not used to pressing a button.

I don't really need a phone with an expendable memory storage (i.e. microsd), however I heard that updates are being made so APPs can be run off an external memory storage? If so.. then I guess this would be a bonus. I do need a phone that has at least storage where half the memory is not filled up with critical system files. 16gb so low!

Getting updates directly form Google instead of Verizon is also a nice consideration.
Suggestions appreciated:
Nexus 5? Is it going to be released on Verizon?
Motorola X? What is this exactly?
GE Samsung Galaxy S4? I just recently saw this. What is this Google Edition?

 

[Seronac]

The GS4 is very nice phone, unless you find something that is clearly and appreciably better, stick with it and don't second-guess yourself.
On the other hand, if you want the pure Android experience (and faster OS updates), then the Google Edition GS4 is the way to go.
Otherwise, if you were on a compatible network, I would recommend the Nexus 4.

 

[Colvin99]

If the new nexus 4 has LTE like they built into the new nexus 7 that might be worth waiting for, I'd either waiting for that, the note3, or right now get the droid maxx. My little brother has the RAZR maxx hd, and battery, SD card slot, great screen, closer to stock than touchwiz, snappy internals etc all blow away my vzw gn, I imagine the new droid is unbelievable.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[shaytoon21]

OP is on verizon....I thought nexus 4 doesnt work on verizon???
Moto X will be announced tomorrow so we will see what the hype is all about
Nexus 5 has yet to be announced by anyone

I had the s4 too, i felt the same exact way, I remedied my pain with nova launcher, made things better, then the s4 software update came out and made it MUCH better. I ended up selling the s4 because Im waiting to see what moto x is about. If I dont like what i see, then I will get the s4 again (multi window is the best feature on the s4 and i wish this was an android feature all across the board, not samsungs). I had the 16gb s4, bought a 32gb sd card from amazon for about $15, made life easier. S4 was the best phone i have ever used, but i reallllly want to see moto x and what the customizations are all about.

After dealing with the slow updates on my gnex, i stopped caring about the latest and greatest software updates and dont wish to spend more $ on a GE phone just so i can open an app .0541 seconds faster.

 

[Pollster]

Am I wrong, or will Google Edition phones not work on Verizon?
My vote is for waiting until tomorrow to decide if you must stay with Verizon
Otherwise, going with whichever phone you like on their network with a different launcher like Nova can almost fool you into feeling a vanilla Android experience.

 

[Maguroninja]

Thank you for the suggestions. I definitely will wait tomorrow to check out the Moto X.

I think GE phones do work on Verizon but you can not subsidize the cost with a two year contract.

 

[jumaei waleed]

how to upgrade software

 

[MHBlink8]

Google Play Edition phones will not work on Verizon. They are GSM unlocked for HSPA and LTE, so that means T-Mobile and AT&T.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2