How long does a Nexus last?

[cnguyen0320]

So currently I'm running with the iphone 4 and I can say that it's amazing in that its lasted this long. My previous phones (all dumb phones) started to break down around the 2 year point. Regardless, I want to switch to android cause ios is crap. So how long have the previous nexus devices lasted for you? How long have you had it and is it still working as good as when you bought it? Also bonus question... is the original nexus still getting updates?

 

[anon(847090)]

So currently I'm running with the iphone 4 and I can say that it's amazing in that its lasted this long. My previous phones (all dumb phones) started to break down around the 2 year point. Regardless, I want to switch to android cause ios is crap. So how long have the previous nexus devices lasted for you? How long have you had it and is it still working as good as when you bought it? Also bonus question... is the original nexus still getting updates?

I have been using my nexus S for 1 year and 3 months now. still very good. It can easily go one more year.

Nexus S was released 2 years ago. I got Jelly Bean update.

 

[ctfrommn]

So currently I'm running with the iphone 4 and I can say that it's amazing in that its lasted this long. My previous phones (all dumb phones) started to break down around the 2 year point. Regardless, I want to switch to android cause ios is crap. So how long have the previous nexus devices lasted for you? How long have you had it and is it still working as good as when you bought it? Also bonus question... is the original nexus still getting updates?

Still using the Nexus One as my daily driver. It doesn't get "official" updates any more because of the limited internal storage, but I am running Jelly Bean "unofficially" so it makes little difference to me. HTC makes pretty amazing phones in terms of build quality so it i still in new condition. Now the nearly as old Nexus S is still officially supported and running Jelly Bean as well as the Galaxy Nexus does. If you want an Android device you cant go wrong with a Nexus. I for one wont consider any other device after having owned one.

 

[Ziptied]

It utterly depends on so many factors its a gamble, my N1 works like brand new and looks it too, same with my NS and Gnex, but im easy on them and use them for not even a year.

 

[movielover76]

I think the original nexus is no longer getting updates, but google supports nexus devices for a minimum of 2 years, and most of the time you get a little longer.
It's hard to say how long a phone will last, as how people treat their phones varies wildly. with a reasonable amount of care, or even just slapping a cheap case on the phone
you should be able to get 2 years easy out of a nexus device, especially the recent ones, the build quality on the galaxy nexus gsm and nexus 4 are great.

I have to agree with what the other reviewer said, you can't go wrong with a nexus. (With the exception of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, it had signal issues.)
Especially for someone who values updates.

 

[Winterfang]

It depends really, some phones last for a long time or die in months like the Mytouch 4G and Infuse.

 

[sinistar25]

It all varies, I had an iPhone4 that lasted a month and quit working(didn't drop it or anything, just quit working). My replacement lasted almost 2 years, no problem and battery also still good.

 

[ctfrommn]

It all varies, I had an iPhone4 that lasted a month and quit working(didn't drop it or anything, just quit working). My replacement lasted almost 2 years, no problem and battery also still good.

It's ironic the number of iPhone users on Android Central....I guess I dont understand why anyone would ever give crapple a dollar!

 

[Fairclough]

Because they are lured by long lines of people wanting the "next best thing" even though "the next best thing" was released by another company a year prior.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Software-wise, it'll last longer than any other Android device. The updates keep it relevant much longer.

Hardware-wise, sure it's well built but its all dependent on how you use it. If you're rough on your device it's not going to hold up no matter who makes it.

 

[cnguyen0320]

Software-wise, it'll last longer than any other Android device. The updates keep it relevant much longer.

Hardware-wise, sure it's well built but its all dependent on how you use it. If you're rough on your device it's not going to hold up no matter who makes it.

Yeah, I'd like to see comparisons to the iphone since im still debating the switch

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Yeah, I'd like to see comparisons to the iphone since im still debating the switch

How many comparisons can we really make? The software is completely different UI/UX wise. iPhones are updated for a couple years after they're launched, so are Nexus devices. Which one you like is going to be purely a personal choice. That's about all you can say there.

The hardware on iPhones generally holds up pretty well structurally and gets beat up cosmetically, just like any other phone. Again how the hardware fares is seriously dependent on how you use/abuse your devices. Gotta remember its hard to lump "Nexus" device's hardware together, as they've been made by HTC (Nexus One), Samsung (Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus), ASUS (if you count Nexus 7) and now LG (Nexus 4). Different manufacturers have different styles and materials used.

 

[HTMLSpinnr]

I grabbed my Nexus S on release-day. While it's still generally a capable phone, the lack of RAM with Jellybean is starting to reveal the upper-limits of the device, as is the aging single-core Hummingbird CPU. Using the phone with several background apps (Exchange mail, Facebook, Gmail, Google Now, etc.) takes a serious toll on available RAM and the ability to "quickly" swap between apps - (read: serious delay as other background apps are forced to close). I imagine if you weren't using Exchange mail or other relatively memory-heavy services, you may do a bit better with the device.

You know it's time to upgrade when you start picking your keyboard based on the memory footprint rather than overall capability. I may either sell the Nexus S, or gift it to one of my daughters who's currently on a feature-phone (and would have far-less demanding needs).