Decisions, decisions...

[MRW1215]

I've had a Galaxy Nexus since it first came out, and I love it, it's a great phone, but... I'm really itching for something new. Thing is, I really don't know what phone I should buy/ wait for. The three things I care about most are good ROM support (in particular, I'm a big AOKP fan), great battery life (the GNex battery seems to leave a lot to be desired...), and availability on Verizon. And obviously, I would like something that's noticeably better/ "smoother" than the GNex.

I was interested in the S4, but people made it sound like it's not much of an upgrade over the S3 (though I don't know how it compares to my GNex), so I was iffy on that. I haven't really considered the HTC One because I figure the battery isn't that great. I was very interested in the Moto X, but it only seems okay. I'm considering getting the new Droid MAXX when that comes out, but I don't know how good the custom ROM support will be for that phone.

I dunno, what do you guys think? I'm looking to buy off contract, since I'm still on unlimited data, and that's going to be a big investment, so I want to make sure I'm going to buy something that I'll be really happy with.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I've had a Galaxy Nexus since it first came out, and I love it, it's a great phone, but... I'm really itching for something new. Thing is, I really don't know what phone I should buy/ wait for. The three things I care about most are good ROM support (in particular, I'm a big AOKP fan), great battery life (the GNex battery seems to leave a lot to be desired...), and availability on Verizon. And obviously, I would like something that's noticeably better/ "smoother" than the GNex.

I was interested in the S4, but people made it sound like it's not much of an upgrade over the S3 (though I don't know how it compares to my GNex), so I was iffy on that. I haven't really considered the HTC One because I figure the battery isn't that great. I was very interested in the Moto X, but it only seems okay. I'm considering getting the new Droid MAXX when that comes out, but I don't know how good the custom ROM support will be for that phone.

I dunno, what do you guys think? I'm looking to buy off contract, since I'm still on unlimited data, and that's going to be a big investment, so I want to make sure I'm going to buy something that I'll be really happy with.

I would just go in and play with the devices. See what you like. Almost no matter what you are going to get a better phone. However, Verizon encrypts their bootloaders, making rooting and therefore flashing ROMs more difficult. The GNex was a different story because that was overruled by Google.

 

[Gekko]

IMO wait for the Nexus 5.

LG G2 rumored to launch in Korea on August 20th; LG Nexus 5 is coming?

 

[MRW1215]

That probably won't come to Verizon, though, right? The N4 didn't. :/

 

[kantFTW]

Since every Android device has some flaw, make a decision matrix.

Rate what is most important to you based on your lifestyle and pick the device that meets all of your most important criteria. I couldn't stand the feel of the GS3/GS4 and couldn't see a difference from screens with >300ppi, so I wound up getting a N4 (Tmobile).

 

[LavallavaL]

Have you considered an Xperia Z or Xperia ZL ? Better yet, the Honami ? It's about to hit the shelves, and if the UI is in line with the other top shelf Xperia devices, people who choose it are in for a treat. On top of that Sony is apparently very good with the dev community.

 

[paul-c]

Have you considered an Xperia Z or Xperia ZL ? Better yet, the Honami ? It's about to hit the shelves, and if the UI is in line with the other top shelf Xperia devices, people who choose it are in for a treat. On top of that Sony is apparently very good with the dev community.

He's on Verizon, so Sony isn't an option for him.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ZL

 

[Gekko]

That probably won't come to Verizon, though, right? The N4 didn't. :/

have you considered leaving Verizon? i'm switching to the new AT&T prepaid plan soon and getting the Nexus 5.

 

[MRW1215]

Since every Android device has some flaw, make a decision matrix.

Rate what is most important to you based on your lifestyle and pick the device that meets all of your most important criteria. I couldn't stand the feel of the GS3/GS4 and couldn't see a difference from screens with >300ppi, so I wound up getting a N4 (Tmobile).

Well, like I said, battery life and custom ROM support are the two biggest things I'm interested in, coming from my GNex. Ideally, I'd also like the specs to be decent enough to not be laggy; lately, I notice a lot of lag on my GNex, particularly with Chrome trying to browse the Internet.

have you considered leaving Verizon? i'm switching to the new AT&T prepaid plan soon and getting the Nexus 5.

Eh. Maybe, but I really don't know what carriers have the best coverage in my area, and I'm under the impression that Verizon's LTE is faster/ better than anyone else's (whether or not that's actually true, though, I don't know).

 

[benhmadison]

Well, like I said, battery life and custom ROM support are the two biggest things I'm interested in, coming from my GNex. Ideally, I'd also like the specs to be decent enough to not be laggy; lately, I notice a lot of lag on my GNex, particularly with Chrome trying to browse the Internet.

Since you like AOKP/Stock Android I would see about possibly switching to ATT or T-Mobile. With GSM there are many other devices you can use vs Verizon where you have to use the devices they have. I wouldn't rule out the HTC ONE. My battery is on par with what it was with the S4 and they both last me well over a day with medium usage. You said dev support and ROMS were important. With The ONE the development is outstanding but that is for the GSM model. I am not sure how it will be for the Verizon model. If you stay with Verizon, I would guess that the Moto X is going to have the most support but like the new Droid line it just depends on how tightly Verizon locks them down. I would say just look at all your options and if switching to gsm is an option, I would do that since you would have more device options in the long run.



Eh. Maybe, but I really don't know what carriers have the best coverage in my area, and I'm under the impression that Verizon's LTE is faster/ better than anyone else's (whether or not that's actually true, though, I don't know).

 

[teedizz]

I went from the Nexus to the GS3 and never regretted it for one day. I say make the jump but at the same time I never rooted either phone so my perspective is just for a non rooted user.