New to Android Question

[VicVinegar]

Hate to be this guy, but have to start somewhere.

I've held off on upgrading for a long time, and now with the end of unlimited data I am forced to move to lock in an unlimited LTE plan.

I'm waiting for verification that the SG3 pre-order will lock me in, but in the mean time I am trying to figure out if the SG3 or the GN is the way to go.

Correct me if I am wrong, but here is my thinking. The SG3 will be preferable to the GN. Upgraded hardware, potentially a better radio to solve reception issues (I am in the DC Metro area, so reception should be OK either way), potentially better battery, and a SD slot.

The advantage of the Nexus is the stock Android, earliest software upgrades, and the dev support, but I'm guessing the SG3 will have plenty of dev support and isn't any "slow" software updates overcome by the dev community? Can't I root and remove TouchWiz or put a build of "Jelly Bean" on when it comes before Samsung or VZW allow it to go out for the SG3?

Thanks in advance for the help. I just want to make sure I am understanding the Android world correctly. Looking forward to diving into all of this no matter what device I get, although to be honest, I was perfectly happy with WebOS still.

 

[mclarryjr]

I have the Gnex and I would recommend that you wait for the SG3 mainly because the hardware is a little better and hopefully the radio reception will be much better. I love my Gnex and couldn't be happier with the development support it gets but I'm sure the SG3 will get some great developers too.

If you don't care for TouchWiz you could simple use a custom launcher like Nova or Apex to give the SG3 a stock look and I'm sure there will be stock roms at some point and eventually even Jelly Bean.

 

[davidnc]

To add to what Larry mentioned I already heard CM9 already has a Rom made for S3 and AOKP was going to support S3 to.IM sure there will be other developers as well.

I love my GN too but am getting the S3 as an upgrade for another phone while I can still have unlimited data as my email when ordering S3 confirmed I would.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[VicVinegar]

Thanks guys. I just wanted to make sure I was correct in understanding that any "downside" to the SG3 could probably be overcome by loading another ROM. I'd rather not have such a large phone, but if I am getting into a contract for the first time in 2 years, I want the top of the line hardware.

I'm also assuming I'll need to be on a LTE data plan before the 28th. I don't really mind paying full price, but I'm pretty sure VZW differentiates between 3G and LTE data plans. If you aren't on LTE by the 28th, I am guessing you won't be able to switch from unlimited 3G to unlimited LTE afterward, even if you pay full price or buy a used phone online. I'm sure their goal is to catch all the iPhone users when the iPhone 5 comes out, as they won't be able to stay unlimited switching to LTE, even if they shell out the $700 for a retail iPhone.

 

[mpower13]

What kind of phone do you have now?

 

[VicVinegar]

What kind of phone do you have now?

Rocking a Palm Pixi. I like the keyboard, liked that it was small, and has the apps I'd use the most like Pandora and Slacker. It can't multi-task worth anything and I wish it had some more advanced features, but I wasn't in any hurry to get rid of it. I picked it up for $50 without a contract to try it out and have just kept waiting for the one new phone that made me say "Wow". I thought that was going to be the Galaxy Nexus, but I was disappointed in some of the early reviews. If Verizon wasn't forcing my hand here, I'd probably wait for the S3 to come out and see what users had to say instead of pre-ordering.