Good dilemma, But need advice

[tayswg20]

So I'm posting this because i truly want opinions and facts (if possible) since i can't make up my own mind. Here's the deal. I currently have a T-bolt but because of returns and a incident I'm being offered the full retail price of my Bolt (699.00) towards any phone of my choice at full retail price. Since i'll only have to pay roughly a $100.00 difference, I've narrowed down my choice to the Rezound or Nexus. I intend to root either one as soon as i get it and flash a new ROM. Obviously i enjoy Sense (i know i know it's laggy etc. etc.) since it's the only brand of Android I've ever owned. I also like the feel of HTC phones in general over all the others. Now for the Nexus. I've always been intrigued by having a "mostly" pure Google phone. I also like the fact that the screen is bigger than the Rezound (which is probably a tie considering the static buttons on the GN) but i'm not so sure that i like Amoled over LCD. I like the fact that I'll more than likely be able to install the next version of Android, officially or un-officially. With the Rezound ICS will probably be the end of the line for it. I know there's a ton more developer support for the Nexus than the Rezound. I guess the biggest negative for the Nexus is the camera. But, is the Rezounds camera really a lot better? I'm also curious as to which processor's and GPU's are better. I'm also curious if theirs any Sense based ROM's available for the GN, or maybe that's not possible due to the hardware differences. I've looked for them but haven't found any, so maybe i'm not looking hard enough or its because of the reason i stated above (or i could be completely wrong lol). I guess a lot of these questions can only be answered by people who've had/have both phones but i welcome and want anyone to chime in I also realize that a lot of people will say "wait a month for the new Vzn phones" . The thing is i can't, i need a new phone yesterday and I'm going tomorrow to get my replacement, so i have to choose from what is available right now. Again I truly want to hear what people have to say (i'll more than likely base my decision on the answers i get here) BUT (not to sound mean) I'd really like if people gave me reasons as to why one is better than the other, not just, "get the GN cause Sense sucks", I like Sense remember? The more reasons the better.

Thanks in advance for everyone's thoughts.

Edit:
I'm also open to other brands, the Razr Maxx in particular but didn't think that was a good option due to it being so locked down and me wanting to root immediately. But, if anyone thinks the Maxx is a viable option, then by all means I'll take it into consideration as well.

UPDATE:
I am now the proud owner of a GN Thanks again to everyone for the advice and opinions. The discussion here definitely swayed me towards the Nexus. I did however go into the store with an open mind and I looked closely at the Razr Maxx, Rezound, and GN. I didn't mind the shape and feel of the Maxx at all but the screen just wasn't as good as the other two choices. So after going back and forth for about an hour (I'm really indecisive lol) the GN won out. As far as reception issues, I'm getting fairly close to the same signal strength as i was with my Bolt at the same spots in my house. So, either i had a bad Bolt (highly possible) or I got a good GN, and maybe its a little of both. Either way I'm pretty happy with my decision. I plan on being rooted and ROM'ed by tonight so i best get reading

 

[dmmarck]

So I'm posting this because i truly want opinions and facts (if possible) since i can't make up my own mind. Here's the deal. I currently have a T-bolt but because of returns and a incident I'm being offered the full retail price of my Bolt (699.00) towards any phone of my choice at full retail price. Since i'll only have to pay roughly a $100.00 difference, I've narrowed down my choice to the Rezound or Nexus. I intend to root either one as soon as i get it and flash a new ROM. Obviously i enjoy Sense (i know i know it's laggy etc. etc.) since it's the only brand of Android I've ever owned. I also like the feel of HTC phones in general over all the others. Now for the Nexus. I've always been intrigued by having a "mostly" pure Google phone. I also like the fact that the screen is bigger than the Rezound (which is probably a tie considering the static buttons on the GN) but i'm not so sure that i like Amoled over LCD. I like the fact that I'll more than likely be able to install the next version of Android, officially or un-officially. With the Rezound ICS will probably be the end of the line for it. I know there's a ton more developer support for the Nexus than the Rezound. I guess the biggest negative for the Nexus is the camera. But, is the Rezounds camera really a lot better? I'm also curious as to which processor's and GPU's are better. I'm also curious if theirs any Sense based ROM's available for the GN, or maybe that's not possible due to the hardware differences. I've looked for them but haven't found any, so maybe i'm not looking hard enough or its because of the reason i stated above (or i could be completely wrong lol). I guess a lot of these questions can only be answered by people who've had/have both phones but i welcome and want anyone to chime in I also realize that a lot of people will say "wait a month for the new Vzn phones" . The thing is i can't, i need a new phone yesterday and I'm going tomorrow to get my replacement, so i have to choose from what is available right now. Again I truly want to hear what people have to say (i'll more than likely base my decision on the answers i get here) BUT (not to sound mean) I'd really like if people gave me reasons as to why one is better than the other, not just, "get the GN cause Sense sucks", I like Sense remember? The more reasons the better.

Thanks in advance for everyone's thoughts.

Honestly, I think the Rezound, right now, is such an afterthought that spending good, honest money on it is a bad move.

I know there are Sense themes, but I'm not sure there are Sense roms (I presume there are, but since I'm the direct opposite of you I've never endeavored to look . I do love the soft keys, however .

If you're on Verizon, you have two options IMO--MAXX or Nexus.

 

[tayswg20]

Honestly, I think the Rezound, right now, is such an afterthought that spending good, honest money on it is a bad move.

I know there are Sense themes, but I'm not sure there are Sense roms (I presume there are, but since I'm the direct opposite of you I've never endeavored to look . I do love the soft keys, however .

If you're on Verizon, you have two options IMO--MAXX or Nexus.

lol i was just editing my post about the Maxx when you posted the same thing. So in your opinion which one of those is better and why.

 

[dmmarck]

lol i was just editing my post about the Maxx when you posted the same thing.

Honestly, if you want to root, there is no better device out there at the moment, carrier be damned, than the Galaxy Nexus.

The MAXX is a good phone; great build quality, tremendous battery, great signal/radios, but it has its faults like everything else.

I'd also suggest checking them out in person, the MAXX (when I held it) was somewhat awkward for me. Not thickness wise, b/c it's very, very thin, but the shape--sorta like a coffin lol.

Also, if you get a Nexus, join us in our development subforum. We'll get you to where you want to be with it in no time .

 

[davey11]

To get s-off (unlock bootloader) on the rezound requires taking a wire and shorting out pins.
Simple command in fastboot to unlock the gn.

Comical, ridiculous amount of roms, kernels and mods on the gn. Every other phone is pathetic in comparison.

 

[tayswg20]

I forgot to ask if anyone that has the GN misses the external SD support or is it not noticeable?

 

[dmmarck]

I forgot to ask if anyone that has the GN misses the external SD support or is it not noticeable?

With 32 gigs of space I barely use 12 of them; right now I'm sitting at like 20.6 gigs free. So I don't notice it .

 

[davey11]

I forgot to ask if anyone that has the GN misses the external SD support or is it not noticeable?

When unlocking the bootloader on the gn, everything including the virtual sd card gets wiped. So do this procedure early to avoid having to make a tedious backup of the card.

After this initial wipe of the card, I have found it to be a non issue. Totally solid. Never lost any data or act wonky in any manner. Never heard of any horror stories either of ppl complaining about the sd card. Well maybe a little about the mtp and ptp transfer protocols. I find both to be painfully slow. I use wifi to transfer stuff and have no probs.

 

[tayswg20]

With 32 gigs of space I barely use 12 of them; right now I'm sitting at like 20.6 gigs free. So I don't notice it .

Out of curiosity i just checked how much space is left on my 32gb SD and i have 7.4 gb left. Thats with all my favorite music and a bunch of pics and vids on it. But i have 8 gb of flash for the OS and apps but only a little over 2gb that i can actually use for apps. So i'd probably have enough space but it'll be close.

 

[twindragons187]

I've had the gnex since launch. Its a great device. But the radios are horrid, short battery life(even with the extended battery) and the screen by the ear piece can get get very very hot with alot of screen on use. I now have the maxx, battery is super steller, I get 4g in alot of places I didn't know had it, and my data/voice never cuts out or drops out. The screen on the maxx is decent. Blacks are really black.. the difference in screen size is negligible, the on screen buttons take up some space and really only see the difference in videos. Right now I've been off the charger with the maxx since 5am. Its currently 7:15pm, I'm a heavy user(+3hrs screen on time) and I'm at 50%. I usually carry a charger with me and a few batteries but with the maxx I don't. Plus the maxx has SD support (up to 32gb) with 16gb internal. You can root and rom the maxx, just can't unlock the bootloader. So no custom kernels but I'm pretty sure you can oc the stock kernel. Oh, I've also went through 3 gnex before I got one that I could get an OK signal. Just check them out. See what ones right for you. Good luck

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[davey11]

I'd also suggest checking them out in person, the MAXX (when I held it) was somewhat awkward for me. Not thickness wise, b/c it's very, very thin, but the shape--sorta like a coffin lol.

Feels like a pop tart. I like pop tarts for breakfast, not for my phone.

To the op:
You realize you posted in the gn subforum and you will probably mostly get biased opinions. Try posting in the rezound and maxx forums and see what you get.

 

[tayswg20]

To the op:
You realize you posted in the gn subforum and you will probably mostly get biased opinions. Try posting in the rezound and maxx forums and see what you get.

Yeah I do realize that but I was assuming that GN owners are more of a Android enthusiast breed and will probably (hopefully) give me a less biased answer than if I'd post in the Rezound forum. But just for the kicks i might post a link over there to this thread and see what i get.

 

[dmmarck]

Yeah I do realize that but I was assuming that GN owners are more of a Android enthusiast breed and will probably (hopefully) give me a less biased answer than if I'd post in the Rezound forum. But just for the kicks i might post a link over there to this thread and see what i get.

We try to be!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

 

[_JKK_]

If you enjoy Sense, then maybe you should wait for the next Incredible that was announced a month ago. It has the newest version of Sense, which is the one I personally find to be the least intrusive.

With that said... the choice is pretty easy: Galaxy Nexus, since you said you'll be rooting it.

Edit: I also think someone is working on porting Sense 4 to the Galaxy Nexus. There's a chance that the Galaxy Nexus will have a stable Sense 4 port (something it was never designed to run) before the Rezound gets an update to ICS, a six month old OS. Sounds harsh, but it's possible.

 

[dmmarck]

If you enjoy Sense, then maybe you should wait for the next Incredible that was announced a month ago. It has the newest version of Sense, which is the one I personally find to be the least intrusive.

With that said... the choice is pretty easy: Galaxy Nexus, since you said you'll be rooting it.

Edit: I also think someone is working on porting Sense 4 to the Galaxy Nexus. There's a chance that the Galaxy Nexus will have a stable Sense 4 port (something it was never designed to run) before the Rezound gets an update to ICS, a six month old OS. Sounds harsh, but it's possible.

So long as their pointless "multi-tasking" doesn't come with it .

 

[tayswg20]

If you enjoy Sense, then maybe you should wait for the next Incredible that was announced a month ago. It has the newest version of Sense, which is the one I personally find to be the least intrusive.

With that said... the choice is pretty easy: Galaxy Nexus, since you said you'll be rooting it.

Edit: I also think someone is working on porting Sense 4 to the Galaxy Nexus. There's a chance that the Galaxy Nexus will have a stable Sense 4 port (something it was never designed to run) before the Rezound gets an update to ICS, a six month old OS. Sounds harsh, but it's possible.

I probably would wait and get the new Dinc but like i said I need a phone now/yesterday since mine barely charges and works very poorly so i kinda have to pick what they have at the moment. They just emailed me today offering me the deal i stated in the first post so i have to make up my mind by tomorrow. (I'm horrible at making up my mind, hence this thread lol)

If that Sense port thing is true that would be a big plus on the GN column

 

[tayswg20]

So long as their pointless "multi-tasking" doesn't come with it .

lol

 

[dmmarck]

You check out the development forum yet?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

 

[tayswg20]

You check out the development forum yet?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

Yup. I've also scanned the Rezound and Razr forums and its pretty obvious that the choices for ROMs are much more plentiful for the GN, not to mention the incredible amount of dev support. To be honest after the feedback here and what I've been reading I'm leaning toward the GN. I still am a little concerned about the camera but that's a minor concern. Hopefully a few x/current Rez people will still chime in as well. IE is BEATS over-rated like people say. How's battery life on a rooted Rez for the "power users" etc etc.

 

[dmmarck]

Yup. I've also scanned the Rezound and Razr forums and its pretty obvious that the choices for ROMs are much more plentiful for the GN, not to mention the incredible amount of dev support. To be honest after the feedback here and what I've been reading I'm leaning toward the GN. I still am a little concerned about the camera but that's a minor concern. Hopefully a few x/current Rez people will still chime in as well. IE is BEATS over-rated like people say. How's battery life on a rooted Rez for the "power users" etc etc.

I've had Beats on my GN (through AXI0M's many roms) and honestly, it does nothing that DSP Manager can't do. It's a glorified bass booster IMO.