If the hardware is just so-so, why all the exitement?

[revickulous2001]

yeah they have been saying that with every new generation and yet battery hasn't gotten much better...

Speed has gotten better and battery life has been pretty much a wash despite battery tech not improving. That is a net positive.

 

[shanimal92]

As everyone knows the GN is only dual core, which will already be outdated in a few months... whereas quad core will likely persist for at LEAST a solid year, maybe two, before 6 core phones hit the market.

idk, i really dont think they are/can put a 6-core processor in a mobile phone within the next 2 years. maybe in a tablet, but not a phone. i dont think i have ever seen or heard of a 6 core laptop, not thats there isnt one, but i think they would put 6-core processors in laptops or tablets before a phone.

 

[Mapex]

The benefit is simple: It will be faster, as proven by the Transformer Prime's superior speed to its competitors. And your idea of not seeing "good' quad-core till the S3 is mere rationalizing.

You aren't going to buy a crappy device just because it has a quad-core. You are going to wait for a good device with a quad-core CPU. That won't be until SGS3 earliest (unless HTC gets their isht together or Motorola starts demonstrating Google's influence in their new 2012 devices). And the SGS3 won't be available stateside until June/July earliest.

Remember, the Nexus is basically a crazy-suped up SGS2 except with Verizon LTE and latest software. It may be slightly behind compared to the stuff coming out in the next few months, but it will be very relevant for at least another year when the Nexus 4 comes out. You can also feel free to wait for the SGS3 or an HTC using the new Snapdragons (though HTC is screwing up in terms of hackability), but you know what they say about waiting.

If you want the freedom to hack your phone, no device will beat a Nexus. No bootloader will be as easy to unlock, no device will be as easy to root, no device will have the latest AOSP builds available day 1 and as large a dev community when compared to the latest Nexus device. The hardware is pretty damn good, too. Not the ultimate specs, but definitely up there.

If you don't care about unlocking, rooting, and hacking and customizing your device, feel free to wait for something else.

 

[revickulous2001]

The Galaxy Nexus has a best-in-class screen. The screen can't get any bigger without crossing into Galaxy Note territory. It also sports a 720p screen with around 320 dpi running on Samsung's Super Amoled technology.

With root, the processor can be overclocked to 1.5 ghz or higher. The software is only hardware accelerated for two cores which means quad core will have diminishing improvements.

If you're afraid the phone isn't future-proofed (given the relatively weak graphics unit) for new games that may hit the market, look into OnLive. You'll be able to run PS3 quality games on your phone regardless of hardware.

I don't really see the problem with this phone (except that I'd love to brag about higher specs).

 

[crzycrkr]

Don't bother arguing with poopai. All he does is bash the Nexus and tout the Tegra 3 in every single post he makes trying to bait people. Ignore the troll.

 

[ragnarokx]

1) Ice Cream Sandwich will not run as well on non-Nexus phones (ICS was designed around the Galaxy Nexus)

2) First to get updates (security fixes, new features)

3) Best developer support around

 

[sushiglobster]

The Galaxy Nexus has a best-in-class screen. The screen can't get any bigger without crossing into Galaxy Note territory. It also sports a 720p screen with around 320 dpi running on Samsung's Super Amoled technology.

With root, the processor can be overclocked to 1.5 ghz or higher. The software is only hardware accelerated for two cores which means quad core will have diminishing improvements.

If you're afraid the phone isn't future-proofed (given the relatively weak graphics unit) for new games that may hit the market, look into OnLive. You'll be able to run PS3 quality games on your phone regardless of hardware.

I don't really see the problem with this phone (except that I'd love to brag about higher specs).

About overclocks....

There is an on-going thread over at the XDA forums about overclocking on the Galaxy Nexus. So far, 1.4Ghz has been achieved, however there are problems. Some people experience major slow downs and stuttering at 1.4Ghz. 1.6Ghz has also been achieved but it is far from stable. XDA members are finding that there may some very huge limitations with the hardware that will actually not allow for major overclocks.

It is unfortunate, however the good news is that the undervolting has been a great success so far. XDA members have found that the stock voltages are set extremely high. They've been able to bring the stock voltages down quite a bit, almost drastically. What does this mean? It means longer battery life. A significant increase in battery life should be achieved with lower voltage.

I'm sure in time they will be able to achieve a more stable overclock, however early attempts so far have been quite the challenge.

 

[revickulous2001]

1) Ice Cream Sandwich will not run as well on non-Nexus phones (ICS was designed around the Galaxy Nexus)

2) First to get updates (security fixes, new features)

3) Best developer support around

Point 3 is the most important here. If you're looking to root your phone and take full advantage of the developer community...The Nexus is the best route to take.

 

[Mapex]

I don't game or download much. I do surf the web a lot though.What will this dual-core 1.2 mean for me?

Sorry for leaving you hanging there. This isn't the thread for us to have pissing contests about how knowledgeable we are about device specs. This thread is about whether getting the upgrade is a good move for you or not.

If you don't game, you don't need superior specs; quad-core basically means nothing to you for another 1.5 to 2 years.

However, the reason dual-core is better than the single-core in our Thunderbolt is for the sake of better parallel processing. Parallel processing in short means better performance throughout the OS and each app, important to you because it means a more responsive device that will grant you a smoother and more natural experience. Furthermore, because of the technical aspects of having 2+ cores in your CPU, you will enjoy some bonus battery life savings.

Furthermore, you will have access to the latest software at all times, meaning you will always be getting user experience enhancements. AOSP also hosts the proprietary files for building Android builds for Nexus devices so you will be sure to have fully functional rooted ROMs if you go that route. The latest software may also provide hardware boosts for further performance, especially when using apps.

 

[greydarrah]

Last years Nexus is still one of the fastest devices out right now, and it was the first phone to run ICS. That's all I need to know.

 

[revickulous2001]

Also I do feel it important to note (in fairness to the OP's argument) that current reports show that Google may not be updating this device. I've seen in a couple locations that Samsung is passing on the updates for most versions of the Nexus.

Assuming these reports are accurate (I'm holding out hope they aren't), there's a a good chance that Samsung or even Verizon would be responsible for the updates on the Nexus. After all, if Google is willing to let a manufacturer handle the updates, who's to say they wouldn't let a carrier?

Has anybody heard any debunks to these reports yet? Or is this still a concern?

 

[Premium1]

Also I do feel it important to note (in fairness to the OP's argument) that current reports show that Google may not be updating this device. I've seen in a couple locations that Samsung is passing on the updates for most versions of the Nexus.

Assuming these reports are accurate (I'm holding out hope they aren't), there's a a good chance that Samsung or even Verizon would be responsible for the updates on the Nexus. After all, if Google is willing to let a manufacturer handle the updates, who's to say they wouldn't let a carrier?

Has anybody heard any debunks to these reports yet? Or is this still a concern?

Come from google.

 

[edoublediz]

why in the hell cant one of those 3 HUGE companies fill us (their paychecks) in on the details of this phone?

 

[revickulous2001]

Come from google.

Source? To my knowledge, neither Google nor any other source has reported that Google will be updating all versions of this phone. As I've said in other threads, nothing that applies to a previous Nexus applies to this one. This release is, obviously, different than any other.

But if Google (or another reputable source) has reported officially that Google will update Verizon's version of the Nexus directly, I'd love to check out that report.

 

[sushiglobster]

Come from google.

Yes. As it has been stated before, updates will come straight from Google. NOT from Verizon.

 

[revickulous2001]

Yes. As it has been stated before, updates will come straight from Google. NOT from Verizon.

I repeat..."Source?" Where has this been reported?

 

[ragnarokx]

About overclocks....

There is an on-going thread over at the XDA forums about overclocking on the Galaxy Nexus. So far, 1.4Ghz has been achieved, however there are problems. Some people experience major slow downs and stuttering at 1.4Ghz. 1.6Ghz has also been achieved but it is far from stable. XDA members are finding that there may some very huge limitations with the hardware that will actually not allow for major overclocks.

It is unfortunate, however the good news is that the undervolting has been a great success so far. XDA members have found that the stock voltages are set extremely high. They've been able to bring the stock voltages down quite a bit, almost drastically. What does this mean? It means longer battery life. A significant increase in battery life should be achieved with lower voltage.

I'm sure in time they will be able to achieve a more stable overclock, however early attempts so far have been quite the challenge.

I haven't been following development on XDA for the GN. Have they been able to overclock the GPU yet? Since hardware acceleration took such a big jump from GB to ICS, the GPU plays a more important roll than it used to in performance. I find that overclocking my GPU gives better gains in ICS than overclocking my CPU.

I repeat..."Source?" Where has this been reported?

This is how it has worked for every Nexus phone in the past, so updates coming from Verizon would be unprecedented. Not saying it's impossible, just unlikely.

 

[Mapex]

Source? To my knowledge, neither Google nor any other source has reported that Google will be updating all versions of this phone. As I've said in other threads, nothing that applies to a previous Nexus applies to this one. This release is, obviously, different than any other.

But if Google (or another reputable source) has reported officially that Google will update Verizon's version of the Nexus directly, I'd love to check out that report.

The source is the name: Nexus. The entire reason the Nexus line exists at all is because Google wants to control every aspect of the device as best as it can, the software especially.

 

[revickulous2001]

This is how it has worked for every Nexus phone in the past, so updates coming from Verizon would be unprecedented. Not saying it's impossible, just unlikely.

I understand the logic that there is a trend going with Nexus devices in the past. My problem with this is the fact that Verizon's version of this nexus shows that there are two bloatware apps preloaded on it. While that's not a huge deal, it is proof that this is the FIRST ever nexus to break the trend. So why would anybody be surprised about other trend-breaking tidbits?

Furthermore, some sources have already reported that non-Verizon branded Galaxy Nexus devices have gotten their updates from Samsung instead of Google so far. If these reports are accurate, why would ANYBODY believe that Verizon of all carriers would choose Google to release updates?

But if anybody has heard any reports from reputable resources (not talking about these forums) that Google is solely responsible for the updates to the Verizon Nexus, I would love to read that report.

 

[revickulous2001]

The source is the name: Nexus. The entire reason the Nexus line exists at all is because Google wants to control every aspect of the device as best as it can, the software especially.

Clearly you didn't read that Verizon includes bloatware on the Verizon Nexus and that Google Wallet isn't included.