Deciding between the razr and nexus

[YourMobileGuru]

You're missing the point. If Google wants the phones to sync data, rather than use an sd card, that means the phone will use more data, because it's not just going to sync over wifi. The practice, by design, uses more data and I don't see Google subsidizing more data for customer plans; that's my point.

I get your point I am just telling you there are ways around it and it is not as big a deal as you are making it out to be. Case in point, the Google Plus uploads images over Wifi only by default (first time you open it it lets you change this if you want).

 

[anon(627628)]

I know there are ways around the issues and people like you and I can figure them out (I stay on wifi when @ home). I just don't care for data-heavy changes like that, when cell data allowances are painfully low. IMO, changes like this are quasi-collusion with carriers to squeeze more money out of customers.

 

[the gig]

I'll chime in- I bought the Razr on Dec. 16. Did my research, and thought I made the right choice between it and the Nexus. I returned the Moto 2 days ago for the Gnex. After the initial glow left, I felt like I was left holding a buggy subpar phonewith the Razr. I loved the form factor, and still think the Razr wins in build quality. On to my issues:
1- The data switchover took forever. Sometimes leaving the phone with no connection for minutes at a time. I also experienced greyed out signal that only a reboot would restore.
2- Battery was horrible. Even on its initial charge I got hours longer on the Gnex.
3- Wifi was weak- much better on Gnex.
4- The camera stunk. I just had a baby and wanted to have instant access to a decent cam. The shutter speed is too slow, low light pics were horrible, and forget trying to use the flash. I know the Gnex doesn't have the best camera, but its low light performance and shutter speed make it much nicer.
5- Bluetooth to my car was sketchy- sometimes there was no audio. Couldn't live with that.

So, right out of the box impressions of the Sammy are great. I've had no data switchover issues, love the camera, and the other issues I had are resolved. Obviously the Razr is a nice phone. There are things about it that are better(sd mem, smart actions, supposed better camera, louder external speaker), but ICS is a much better experience IMO.
I won't be looking back.

 

[anon(627628)]

Your issues sound like the same ones I had when I got the OG DROID on release day... It seems like phones have tons of kinks for the first few months, especially the more complex the phone is. What matters is if they get worked out I if hey remain buggy.

 

[the gig]

Your issues sound like the same ones I had when I got the OG DROID on release day... It seems like phones have tons of kinks for the first few months, especially the more complex the phone is. What matters is if they get worked out I if hey remain buggy.

Absolutely right. But seeing that the latest OTA update did nothing to fix the data switchover issue and only marginally helped out the camera, I couldn't risk being welded to that phone for 2 years based on hopes and dreams. Had to jump ship before return policy ended.

 

[anon(627628)]

It might be just my experience, but it seems like the Moto phones have more of these issues... And they last longer. My wife's X was wonky as hell until she finally got the gb ota.

 

[jroc]

I have a G Nex and RAZR on me now. Had the RAZR since 11-11, G Nex for 2 days. On my RAZR, the Bluetooth, Wifi, Battery and data switch overs are like the opposite experience for me. I also think Verizon did some upgrades to the network, or they both have decent battery life...cuz they both lasted a good amount of time at my job. I have a lil locker they have to go in and usually my old phones will be dead or in the red by the time I leave work.

Cameras...maybe.

I have found out after having this G Nex for 2 days:

1.) We cant go by past experiences. The G Nex is surprising me with phone reception. The u740 and Omnia 1 scared me away from Samsung. I think the RAZR still has the edge for phone reception, but not by alot. Still hard to tell. I think the RAZR does better in weak reception areas for data tho. I am on 4.0.1 and am refusing an update.

2.) Its a crap shoot for getting a decent working phone. I do think tho that the RAZR and Rezound have less complaints than the G Nex so far. Or less major complaints. And I'm seriously thinking about keeping the G Nex and have em both. Initially the plan was test the G Nex, then send it back.....put my Droid 1 on my plan so I could have 2 upgrades available. Still might.

Out the box, I would recommend the RAZR to ppl between the 2 so far. Especially ppl like my kids mother. But the G Nex is surprising me. Samsung might have gotten a lil better in the phone reception dept.

 

[anon(627628)]

Did either of them come with ics? I'm on a DROID 2 GLOBAL and going to ics increased my battery life by 4x. No joke... I used to get 6-8 hours on a charge and now I'm easily getting 20 hours with the same amount of use.
Case in point... I finished charging my phone 5 hours ago and I'm still @ 90%.

 

[jsf119]

I've had the Galaxy nexus for about a week now. I am coming from an old Blackberry Curve 8330 from 3 years ago. I loved that phone for what it could do, but I needed something that could do more. Thinking about returning the nexus for the razr. The issues I have with the GN are pretty much hardware based, and it is difficult to tell without actually OWNING the razr to determine if they will be resolved with a switch, so hopefully other users can provide input.

1) Vibrate: Definitely can't feel it in my pocket if I have a case over the phone. Of course I'm coming from a blackberry that I could HEAR the vibrate across the room, but this is just pitiful, what's the point? Took the case off and although it's not as strong as I'd like, since I can set it up to persistently vibrate with lightflow I am ok with it now. Compared the vibration strength to the razr, razr seemed ever so slightly stronger. Either way, I'm gonna be living without a case. I don't care about nicks and scratches that make the phone look pretty, but I just wonder what's gonna happen when I drop this phone on the sidewalk like I have my blackberrry.... will the battery pop out and the phone recovers like the blackberry, or am I looking at a shattered screen? I'm not sure if Razr really would provide more true protection, but this may be a reason to go Razr.

2) Reception: Definitely places at work that I had reception on the blackberry where I am not getting it on the GN. My guess is that switching to the Razr MIGHT improve reception, but it would be extremely unlikely that it would be any worse.

3) Battery: yeah I miss only having to charge my phone every few days and I know I will never have that again, but I still hate having to worry about it. I think battery would likely not be worse in razr, and probably better. But how would the Razr's stock battery compare to the extended battery in the GN? Extended battery doesn't add much bulk, but it DOES add weight to a phone that is already noticeably heavier than the razr. Here is somewhere that I am kind of confused actually:
-GN stock battery is 1850, razr is 1780. The majority opinion seems to be that the razr gets better battery because of these "smart" settings in the phone. However, can't you mimic these by using an app like Tasker on the GN and then you have even better battery life because you have a bigger battery to begin with? Or is there something about the screen on the GN that just drains juice so hard.

4) Speaker: I can barely hear anything out of the GN. It makes it less pleasant to listen to media and map directions/navigation. I also can't get the notifications to play too loud, at least using the stock notification tones that came with phone. This is kind of important in a phone that has a weak vibrate, because I also can't hear the notifications in my pocket. I installed volume+ which helped at +14, but then the media/navigation quality seemed to drop quite a bit. As for notifications, that may be fixable by downloading other notification tones that are louder/more noticeable?

So, now I'm re-evaluating the Razr and have literally spent a few hours in the stores playing with them, here are some more of my thoughts:
-razr has ever so slightly smaller screen, but after making the switch to the GN from a BB, I am a screen size junky already
-razr definitely loads apps and whatnot faster than the GN, not sure how much those milliseconds will add up though.
-LED notifcation is better on GN because you can customize it to flash more rapidly, or even just stay on, lightflow says you are stuck with one setting on the razr for this which isn't awful but would be nice to have the choice
-razr is obviously thinner and lighter. Initially thought i liked the feel of the GN much more because of the curved edges, but after handling them I feel like the curved smooth edges of the GN make it more likely to slip out of my hands like a wet frog. And I am going case free, so at least a couple drops over the next couple years are inevitable. Also, initially thought the lighter weight would make it easier to slip, but now I feel the opposite: it's easier to manipulate the lighter phone around in my hand.
-ICS is nice, but I'm not obsessed and would be perfectly fine waiting for the update because from what I can tell, there isn't much that I have gotten used to on the GN that I will miss when I switch (remember, I'm coming from BB, so I am still in awe that I can install an app that doesn't make my phone crash).
-One thing I LOVE on the GN is the voice to text option on the home screen: just say "search/text/email anything" and it does an incredibly job of voice recognition. I was using this in a loud bowling alley yesterday and it understood all my commands. My understanding from the verizon rep is that the voice recognition software in razr is not quite as good, but that is software dependent and will be on par with the ICS update. Is this true?
-From what I gather, the camera on the razr may be better, but unlikely worse quality. However, shutter lag is slightly worse on the razr. Video quality sounds like the razr is the winner with a higher fps recording capability than GN, which makes a difference when little kids are running around. Disclaimer: I have not spent much personal time playing with the camera on either phone, this is just based on reading reviews.

Those are my obsessive ponderings. Of course there are other aspects to consider, but I am looking at mostly practical things like texting, web surfing, and how the phone is going to handle in my pocket. Would love to hear people's comments, or perhaps my own ramblings will help another person struggling with this decision. Should I make the switch?

 

[jroc]

For reception alone I would pick the RAZR. Phone reception is close, but data reception by a big margin goes to the RAZR. As of right now, my RAZR is actually picking up 4G in my apt by my window...which is amazing. The G Nex has yet to see 4G in my apt. Speeds tests...I am lucky to get higher than 200...kbps...down. So for me to even see 4G is amazing.

See...I actually like the notification better on the RAZR or its a wash to me. Its bigger on the G Nex, but the RAZR is more piercing, brighter on the RAZR. On the G Nex its like a build up to a brighter light than it goes back down. The RAZR...its like a hard jab with its brightness. But if it can be set to stay on for the G Nex, thats a plus.

If you are comparing the extended battery on the G Nex to stock in the RAZR, I think the G Nex wins that one..lol. Stock vs stock its harder to tell.

Out the box the speaker is louder on the RAZR. The G Nex isnt bad, but the RAZR is louder.

And yea...ICS does have some lag to it stock vs the RAZR. Rotating screen lag is what I've seen so far. Sometimes I had to tap the screen or shake the phone for it to rotate on the G Nex. Maybe thats a feature? Someone said they like the slow rotating. I do like how the menu key is in the different apps, software. Dont like some of the color choices on the G Nex.

I actually think the G Nex fits in the hand better. lol.

On both phones I would hold down the shoot button and release it when ready to take a pic instead of trying to tap the screen. To get the best out of the G Nex camera, I feel you need two hands for the G Nex in case it loses focus. You can just use one and let it auto focus on the RAZR. The G Nex does take it quicker, and in some instances it wont lose focus before you take the pic.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

A couple thoughts from someone who actually OWNS both phones not just fanboyisms or dis-satisfied "renter"s.

I've had the Galaxy nexus for about a week now. I am coming from an old Blackberry Curve 8330 from 3 years ago. I loved that phone for what it could do, but I needed something that could do more. Thinking about returning the nexus for the razr. The issues I have with the GN are pretty much hardware based, and it is difficult to tell without actually OWNING the razr to determine if they will be resolved with a switch, so hopefully other users can provide input.

I too came from Blackberry and I have to tell you I have yet to find an Android device that can do all of the things messaging and PIM wise that you can do on a "stock" BB without majorly customizing the phone with apps from the makjet.

1) Vibrate: Definitely can't feel it in my pocket if I have a case over the phone. Of course I'm coming from a blackberry that I could HEAR the vibrate across the room, but this is just pitiful, what's the point? Took the case off and although it's not as strong as I'd like, since I can set it up to persistently vibrate with lightflow I am ok with it now. Compared the vibration strength to the razr, razr seemed ever so slightly stronger. Either way, I'm gonna be living without a case. I don't care about nicks and scratches that make the phone look pretty, but I just wonder what's gonna happen when I drop this phone on the sidewalk like I have my blackberrry.... will the battery pop out and the phone recovers like the blackberry, or am I looking at a shattered screen? I'm not sure if Razr really would provide more true protection, but this may be a reason to go Razr.

I dont know that there is a phone out there that vibrates as well as the BB does but yes I think the RAZR is probably closer.

If you're going without a case then the RAZR is a good choice it has Gorilla Glass (very unlikely to shatter) screen, a layer of Kevlar on the back and the side is at least scratch resistant. Since the battery is not removable by the user you will no longer need to worry about loosing your battery door if you drop it.

2) Reception: Definitely places at work that I had reception on the blackberry where I am not getting it on the GN. My guess is that switching to the Razr MIGHT improve reception, but it would be extremely unlikely that it would be any worse.

I dont live where you do but I can almost guarantee you reception on the RAZR is better. I'm not talking about bars I am talking about the phone simply not working when the RAZR does. Reception is everything with a phone and I could never use the Nexus as my daily driver for that reason.

3) Battery: yeah I miss only having to charge my phone every few days and I know I will never have that again, but I still hate having to worry about it. I think battery would likely not be worse in razr, and probably better. But how would the Razr's stock battery compare to the extended battery in the GN? Extended battery doesn't add much bulk, but it DOES add weight to a phone that is already noticeably heavier than the razr. Here is somewhere that I am kind of confused actually:
-GN stock battery is 1850, razr is 1780. The majority opinion seems to be that the razr gets better battery because of these "smart" settings in the phone. However, can't you mimic these by using an app like Tasker on the GN and then you have even better battery life because you have a bigger battery to begin with? Or is there something about the screen on the GN that just drains juice so hard.

I was a skeptic when it cane to smart actions as well but honestly it really does help. Yes there are apps that can do the same thing more or less (ie Juice Defender) but honestly wouldn't you rather get something designed for your phone than something from he market which you not only pay for, but you may not always know what it is doing? (NOTE to Juice Defender evangelists: I know that JD does tell you what it is doing but I was speaking her of the fact that something from the OEM is designed specifically for your phone and is unlikely to do things that it s not reporting)

As for Tasker or any other form of task manager, I know you are used to manually killing tasks on your BB but that simply isn't needed on Android (contrary to what a lot of people seem to think), Android will manage the memory itself killing tasks that are no longer needed and just because something is running in the background does not mean that it is actually using memory. If you have a runaway app that you want to manually kill Motorola phones have a task manger installed but this should be used VERY SPARINGLY. Honestly the best thing I ever did for memory management is stop worrying about it.

4) Speaker: I can barely hear anything out of the GN. It makes it less pleasant to listen to media and map directions/navigation. I also can't get the notifications to play too loud, at least using the stock notification tones that came with phone. This is kind of important in a phone that has a weak vibrate, because I also can't hear the notifications in my pocket. I installed volume+ which helped at +14, but then the media/navigation quality seemed to drop quite a bit. As for notifications, that may be fixable by downloading other notification tones that are louder/more noticeable?

I dont actually use this phone to talk on so I can't really comment here but the reviews are almost all saying the same thing. The speaker on the thing sucks.

So, now I'm re-evaluating the Razr and have literally spent a few hours in the stores playing with them, here are some more of my thoughts:
-razr has ever so slightly smaller screen, but after making the switch to the GN from a BB, I am a screen size junky already
-razr definitely loads apps and whatnot faster than the GN, not sure how much those milliseconds will add up though.
-LED notifcation is better on GN because you can customize it to flash more rapidly, or even just stay on, lightflow says you are stuck with one setting on the razr for this which isn't awful but would be nice to have the choice
-razr is obviously thinner and lighter. Initially thought i liked the feel of the GN much more because of the curved edges, but after handling them I feel like the curved smooth edges of the GN make it more likely to slip out of my hands like a wet frog. And I am going case free, so at least a couple drops over the next couple years are inevitable. Also, initially thought the lighter weight would make it easier to slip, but now I feel the opposite: it's easier to manipulate the lighter phone around in my hand.
-ICS is nice, but I'm not obsessed and would be perfectly fine waiting for the update because from what I can tell, there isn't much that I have gotten used to on the GN that I will miss when I switch (remember, I'm coming from BB, so I am still in awe that I can install an app that doesn't make my phone crash).
-One thing I LOVE on the GN is the voice to text option on the home screen: just say "search/text/email anything" and it does an incredibly job of voice recognition. I was using this in a loud bowling alley yesterday and it understood all my commands. My understanding from the verizon rep is that the voice recognition software in razr is not quite as good, but that is software dependent and will be on par with the ICS update. Is this true?
-From what I gather, the camera on the razr may be better, but unlikely worse quality. However, shutter lag is slightly worse on the razr. Video quality sounds like the razr is the winner with a higher fps recording capability than GN, which makes a difference when little kids are running around. Disclaimer: I have not spent much personal time playing with the camera on either phone, this is just based on reading reviews.

Those are my obsessive pondering. Of course there are other aspects to consider, but I am looking at mostly practical things like texting, web surfing, and how the phone is going to handle in my pocket. Would love to hear people's comments, or perhaps my own ramblings will help another person struggling with this decision. Should I make the switch?

All or almost all of the things you mention above there are options in the market to get around them and add them to a stock phone and the RAZR will be one of the firs phones updated to ICS in Q1 of this year.

Based upon what you have said the RAZR is a better choice for you.

 

[anon(627628)]

Well, if the battery life on a nexus is the same as the RAZR (as I've read elsewhere and believe I saw here?), and the nexus is on ICS already, that tells me the RAZR is the better bet, because I've found insane battery life improvement with ics on my d2g. I can only assume that battery life improvement isn't limited to my phone going from gb to ics, but someone please correct me if I'm making an incorrect assumption.

 

[the gig]

I couldn't go a full work day without charging my Razr. Had it just under a month. Not having that problem with the Nexus. Though it's only been 4 days.

 

[anon(627628)]

Yes, I had the same issue with my d2g... 6 hours (maybe) on gb, but on any of the ics rims out there, I easily get 20 hours on a charge with more use. My guess is the RAZR will have a better battery life when it gets ics.

 

[BigCTM]

I have been using both for 2 days and the Razr wins hands down in my book. The reception and build quality were the 2 main reasons I chose the Razr. Plus Motocast is awesome and I use it constantly. I do not root and do not plan to and that is one of the biggest benefits of the Nexus (developer support) besides getting quick updates. If the Nexus was made by Motorola, it would have been a no brainer. Maybe next time.

 

[enorth]

Great thread. I have the Razr and my deadline to return it and swap for the GN is this coming Sunday. My biggest reason for considering doing so is the removeable battery in the GN. I travel a fair amount and may be away from a charging source all day. Meanwhile, I'd like to be able to use the device to make calls between flights and to make notes or watch videos during flights. I don't think the Razr battery can handle all of that. Also, I take my horse up to the mountains and ride all day and would like to use the GPS. Again, I don't think the Razr battery could handle that.

My second biggest reason for considering the switch to the GN is the better dock stations that I expect (hope?) will be available for the GN. The Razr has to line up and slide in to a jack on the dock, making it a two handed operation to put it in or take it out. The dock for the GN allows you to just set it in. Same with the car docks for both. That makes the GN more convenient if you're picking your phone up and putting it down multiple times a day.

However, I'm concerned about the comments here about the GN radio reception. If the phone doesn't work, everything else is pretty much irrelevant.

Also, the Razr, with its kevlar back and Gorilla glass, appears to be a little sturdier device.

I'm still on the fence.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

You do realize that the RAZR has one of the longest battery lives in the industry right ? I was skeptical too but it really is that good and yes it is better than the Nexus.

The battery issues are real and not exagweated. I'm not just talking about the signal bar issue that they will be adjusting but the phone simply not working in placed that others do. I could never use it as my daily driver phone for that reason. I know 2 corporate store reps who have returned theirs for that very reason.

 

[enorth]

I'm sorry, VZWRocks, I'm unclear: You couldn't use which as your daily driver? From your previous message I'm guessing you mean the GN, and that you do use the Razr? That's good to know.

I will say that in the beginning, I was horrified at the Razr battery life. I'm not sure why it was, but I could go to bed with it at 100% and get up six hours later with it at 30%. Turning it down to 3g helped. Frankly, I'm not sure what else happened to it, but it's much better now. But I'm still not sure it's enough; when I'm traveling or riding I can use it pretty heavily for 6-10 hours. The ability to swap batteries would be nice.

Still, from the posts here the weight of opinions seems to come down in favor of the Razr over the GN, and that's inmpressive.

 

[anon(627628)]

I think concerns about RAZR battery life should be put at ease when you get ics. My experience is battery life is far better on ICS and since GN is on it already, but the RAZR isn't, so logically it will have increased battery life when it gets ics. Of course, it's the newest phone and if the rollout of gb to the d2g is any indication(it was the last phone to get it), the RAZR won't get it for a while.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

I'm sorry, VZWRocks, I'm unclear: You couldn't use which as your daily driver? From your previous message I'm guessing you mean the GN, and that you do use the Razr? That's good to know.

I will say that in the beginning, I was horrified at the Razr battery life. I'm not sure why it was, but I could go to bed with it at 100% and get up six hours later with it at 30%. Turning it down to 3g helped. Frankly, I'm not sure what else happened to it, but it's much better now. But I'm still not sure it's enough; when I'm traveling or riding I can use it pretty heavily for 6-10 hours. The ability to swap batteries would be nice.

My daily driver (the device I actually do most of my texting and phone calls on and carry with me everywhere every day) right now is the Droid 3. I have also been carrying around the RAZR and Thunderbolt or Rezound or Nexus depending on the day. I rotate these out from day to day but the D3 is my constant companion.

There are two reasons that the D3 is my daily driver 1. Physical keyboard (old habits die hard lol) and 2 cel reception. What I was saying above is due to the fact that it has such piss poor cel reception over numerous other phones I have make it ineligible to be my daily driver. I initially had concerns with the battery life on the RAZR but found that once I started to take some of it's smart actions suggestions and the battery charged uo and down a few times I saw it improve quite a bit. I work in a place that has poor cel reception (it's managed to kill Blackberry batteries) and most stock batteries on other phones dont last the day but today I had 40% om my RAZR at the end of the day with moderate use during the day (email and internet on my lunch and breaks, updated a few apps, that kinda thing).

NOTE: I charge my phones overnight, so there is no issue in the morning. All smartphones loose a lot of battery at night to varying degrees. What you describe seems typical of the other lte smartphonrs

Still, from the posts here the weight of opinions seems to come down in favor of the Razr over the GN, and that's impressive.

Well there's a reason Phil and co chose it as the smartphone of the year despite the battery issue. It really is a great device and I know I have said it before but I will say it again, other than ICS and a no lag camera the GNexus doesn't bring anything to the table that isn't available in several other devices only on most cases better. I'm not saying it is a bad phone but to me (and remember I actually own an Nexus, RAZR, and Rezound, the GNexus) it is by far an inferior phone (hardware wise) to the other two.