Samsung Devices vs. Nexus Devices: Need Help Choosing

[Fishfam4]

Hi! I'm an all Apple user, but my interest in their products is getting stale. I've decided that once my phone contract is up, I'm gonna trade in the old iPhone 4 for one of the phones in the line-ups below. I'm completly new to Android, and have no idea what to buy, HEEEEELP!

I've decided that I want a 5"+ phone (not for calling, I've had my current phone for well over a year now and only have 1 hour and 11 minutes of call usage), a 7"-8" tablet (for when my phone is too small, but I don't feel like lugging around my bigger tablet) and a 10"-12" tablet (for home use, school, gaming and the such). I've narrowed it down to six great devices from 3 manufacturers. All devices in both the line-ups will be black, 32GB Wi-Fi only (except phones, which would be on 2-year contract) models. (Prices in USD)

Nexus Line-Up:
Nexus 5: $399.99
Nexus 7: $269.99
Nexus 10: $499.99
Total: $1,169.97

Pros: Stock Android means no bloatware, carrier apps.

Cons: In my own words, I understand the Nexus line to be next year's software on last year's hardware, which is made of this year's best quality plastic.

Samsung Line-Up:
Galaxy Note 3: $299.99
Galaxy Note 8.0: $399.99
Galaxy NotePRO 12.2: $749.99
Total: $1,449.97

Pros: Awesome multiwindow mode, stylus (whish I already use for my iDevices), Galaxy Gear.

Cons: Bloatware, cartoonish (*coughcoughiOS7ishcoughcough*) look to Touchwiz.

Well, what do you think of my line-up? Do you have any better phone/tablet line-ups that are better? Am I rash for wanting to jump from a 3.5" screen to a 5.7" one when 4.5" feels a bit big in my hands?

 

[longsock123]

I would go with the Nexus 5 instead of the Note 3 because its interface is cleaner and simpler, and it will receive updates much quicker. It's also just as fast.
As for the tablets, if you have to buy right now, I would go with the Samsung line up (or the Nexus 7, it's still awesome) because it is simply a lot newer than the Nexus tablet lineup. However, if you can wait a few weeks, months or whenever, I would go with the Nexus line. You won't be disappointed.

**edit: I would definitely go with the Nexus 7 over the Note 8.0; it's faster and is running a newer version of Android. The Note 8.0 seems to lag a lot.

 

[ffejjj]

Phone - LG G2
Tablet - LG G-Pad 8.3 with Qpair

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I hope you enjoy your new Android purchases. Personally, I much prefer Nexus devices over Samsung because of the pure Android experience that I can customize to my own preferences with the many 3rd party apps available on Google Play. I wouldn't agree that it's "yesterday's hardware"--the Nexus 5's specs are pretty darn good, with the exception of the average battery, but it still gives me more than plenty of juice for the whole day. You could always consider the Google Play Edition of the Galaxy S4, which is essentially the S4 without TouchWiz.

I think metal phones are somewhat overrated--they may look spiffy, but remember back to the iPhone 5's scuffing problems with the aluminum? Plastic can look or feel cheap, or it can look or feel high quality--I think the Nexus 5's soft-touch plastic back is the latter.

 

[Fishfam4]

I would go with the Nexus 5 instead of the Note 3 because its interface is cleaner and simpler, and it will receive updates much quicker. It's also just as fast.
As for the tablets, if you have to buy right now, I would go with the Samsung line up (or the Nexus 7, it's still awesome) because it is simply a lot newer than the Nexus tablet lineup. However, if you can wait a few weeks, months or whenever, I would go with the Nexus line. You won't be disappointed.

**edit: I would definitely go with the Nexus 7 over the Note 8.0; it's faster and is running a newer version of Android. The Note 8.0 seems to lag a lot.

See, I'm big into aethetics. I really like the design of the Nexus 5 (actually, make that the whole Nexus line). BUT, I also like the fact that all the Samsung devices match!

One one hand, Touchwiz seems like a bit like there's too many features, while stock Android doesn't appear to have enough! (I guess I could just buy off of the Play/Amazon stores) The S Pen is a feature I'd use every day, and is a major selling point for me.

About the N7 vs. Note 8.0, I've decided that the TabPRO 8.4 would do better in this line-up, edited out the 8.0.

 

[Fishfam4]

Phone - LG G2
Tablet - LG G-Pad 8.3 with Qpair

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

I'm not a fan of the G2's buttons being on the back of the device. If I was going for any LG phone (other than the N5) I'd be the Flex.

As for the G Pad, I haven't really investigated. TO GOOGLE!

Edit: The G Pad only comes in a 16GB model, I need 32GB without having to buy microSD. Also only running Jelly Bean 4.2.2, so I'd buy the GPE.

 

[Fishfam4]

Welcome to Android Central! I hope you enjoy your new Android purchases. Personally, I much prefer Nexus devices over Samsung because of the pure Android experience that I can customize to my own preferences with the many 3rd party apps available on Google Play. I wouldn't agree that it's "yesterday's hardware"--the Nexus 5's specs are pretty darn good, with the exception of the average battery, but it still gives me more than plenty of juice for the whole day. You could always consider the Google Play Edition of the Galaxy S4, which is essentially the S4 without TouchWiz.

I think metal phones are somewhat overrated--they may look spiffy, but remember back to the iPhone 5's scuffing problems with the aluminum? Plastic can look or feel cheap, or it can look or feel high quality--I think the Nexus 5's soft-touch plastic back is the latter.

Hold your horses, I haven't made any Android purchases yet.

Vanilla Android is certainly one of the major selling points I will consider, as the absence of bloatware will be ideal...

I'm not a fan of the S4, with or without Touchwiz.

While I haven't had the chance to handle the N5, the soft touch sounds great. I wonder how it feels compared to the faux leather of the Note series...

 

[someguy01234]

There are still misconception you are having that you will only figure out once you have more experience with Android and use a phone like Nexus or Moto X for a while.

When you said S4 have more features, most of them are not practical like the features on Moto X for example. You can emulate many of the features or get better alternatives with 3rd party apps. It's all down the apps for Android, just like iOS. Nexus devices have complete freedom, you can do anything with it if you know how, but this is more attractive to people who like to tinker and customize. If you want a more integrated solution, then Samsung or HTC maybe a better choice.

S4 is a great phone, it's probably better for you if you prefer manufacturer to set things up for you and have it ready to use out of the box. The S4 have better camera, bigger battery, microsd support and IR blaster. If camera is important to you, go for S4.

Judging from your comment, I think you won't be happy with Nexus devices, since even if you do enjoy the software, you will eventually find something lacking. This admittingly is always the case with Nexus devices, they are made to showcase Google apps and PlayStore. Google don't manufacturer them, its sold at low price, you get what you pay for. It's not meant to be top of the line.

My suggestion is wait for the Galaxy S5 and HTC One v2 to be released and get one of those. I think you may prefer HTC phones if you don't like cheap plastic. You may prefer their set of softwares, HTC Sense UI it isn't as bloated as they used to be, I find it much more tolerable than Touchwiz. They have some useful features coupled with nice hardware, they also always tend to have excellent display.

I can't help you with tablet. I was about to suggest LG GPad Google Edition. But looks like Galaxy Note tablets may be ideal for your case, they are unbeatable when it come to stylus.

If you want your phone and tablets to look all alike, probably just get all Samsung.

 

[B. Diddy]

While I haven't had the chance to handle the N5, the soft touch sounds great

Keep in mind that only the black N5 has the soft touch. The white N5 is more of a smooth plastic finish. Not sure about the new red one.

 

[Drew1200]

I have to agree with B. Diddy about the Nexus. I would not suggest getting any Samsung tablets, but I would also not suggest getting a Nexus tablet right now. You would probably be fine getting a Nexus 7, but you'd be best off waiting a couple of months until the 2014 version is released (assuming there will be a 2014 version). The Nexus 10 you should definitely wait for. It would probably perform fine, but the fact that it's almost a year and a half old is not good. That means support could be dropped sooner, and that the hardware is generally just more outdated. I think it would perform fine, the specs are great, even for being pretty old. But still, since it's so old, you'd probably be best off waiting.

For the phones, the Nexus 5 would be the best choice right now, I think. If you still have a couple months on your contract, you could wait to see what Motorola does next. If they release an updated version of the Moto X, it may very well be significantly awesomer than the Nexus 5.

If you're concerned about the Nexus' hardware, then don't be. It's true that the tablets don't have the most amazing hardware, but they're certainly good enough to compete with other tablets. The Nexus 5, on the other hand, is the best. If I'm not mistaken, it's the #1 phone on most benchmarks. That'll probably change as soon as Samsung and HTC release their new flagships, but I suspect the Nexus 5 will still be able to hold its own.

If you had to choose from the two lineups that you posted, I would definitely say Nexus, even with the somewhat outdated tablets. Samsung does pretty well with their phones, but they've never managed to impress me with a tablet. The Note does pretty well, but I think the Nexus 5 is every bit as good. Overall, I've just had a more positive experience with Nexus devices than I've had with Samsung devices.

 

[Jay Sacks]

Too bad Nexus is not offered on Verizon and still has limited storage.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Rukbat]

Nexus. From what I understand - internal battery. That eliminates anything with a lithium Ion battery for me. I don't look good in asbestos slacks.

Big M. My go-to phone, for years (I was in the business) was Motorola. ST7868 - best modern (read: you don't need a briefcase to carry one) phone ever made. Probably would have worked in a lead mine. Mine still works. (It's illegal - analog, no GPS - but it still works.

V551. Still my "go to when my daily driver isn't available" phone. 12 or 13 years old, OEM battery, and I still just stick it in my pocket and go. Motonovo? We'll see. but I don't see the next innovation coming from that direction. Great copy machine, no inspiration.

Samsung. Looks cartoonish? TouchWiz? You like it that much? The first thing I do to my Samsung phones is put a Nova launcher on them. I think TW was designed as a cartoon to put on the plastic protector on the screen. The plastic looks better than TW.

But I just put my money where my Note 3s are - both of them. I wanted something that I'll be happy with for at least a couple of years. Then we'll see who bought whom and who puts out decent product. My money's on Sammy - or someone we haven't heard from yet. But if Sammy keeps playing "Yes, Master" to the carriers, they get scratched off the list too. AT&T is the penultimate customer - they have to convince ME to pay for the phone. And Fort Knox with armed guards isn't going to do it. At least give us the choice of "regular" or "developer edition" at the same price, in the same store, with the same availability. I want root, or a full backup program that comes with the phone. It's a pain to manually back up all my changes every night. (Don't back up my phone? What are you, some kind of Commie?)

 

[Fishfam]

There are still misconception you are having that you will only figure out once you have more experience with Android and use a phone like Nexus or Moto X for a while.

That's not how I want to come across, I just want a little help deciding between the two manufacturers.

When you said S4 have more features, most of them are not practical like the features on Moto X for example. You can emulate many of the features or get better alternatives with 3rd party apps. It's all down the apps for Android, just like iOS. Nexus devices have complete freedom, you can do anything with it if you know how, but this is more attractive to people who like to tinker and customize. If you want a more integrated solution, then Samsung or HTC maybe a better choice.

I understand completely about the apps part. I wouldn't want to do major tweaking (definitely another keyboard, launcher, widgets etc., but no rooting), so that's not a major stand-out feature.

S4 is a great phone, it's probably better for you if you prefer manufacturer to set things up for you and have it ready to use out of the box. The S4 have better camera, bigger battery, microsd support and IR blaster. If camera is important to you, go for S4.

I'm not looking at the S4, if I'm buying a 5" phone, it'd be the N5. But since the Note 3 is pretty much a larger S4 with slightly better battery life, camera specs, and a stylus, I think this paragraph is relevant.

Judging from your comment, I think you won't be happy with Nexus devices, since even if you do enjoy the software, you will eventually find something lacking. This admittingly is always the case with Nexus devices, they are made to showcase Google apps and PlayStore. Google don't manufacturer them, its sold at low price, you get what you pay for. It's not meant to be top of the line.

Okay, this is very informative. Thank you.

My suggestion is wait for the Galaxy S5 and HTC One v2 to be released and get one of those. I think you may prefer HTC phones if you don't like cheap plastic. You may prefer their set of softwares, HTC Sense UI it isn't as bloated as they used to be, I find it much more tolerable than Touchwiz. They have some useful features coupled with nice hardware, they also always tend to have excellent display.

I don't really like the HTC line, but I'll wait for the Note 4. (Still have a couple months on contract)

I can't help you with tablet. I was about to suggest LG GPad Google Edition. But looks like Galaxy Note tablets may be ideal for your case, they are unbeatable when it come to stylus.

Can you see a refresh on the Note 8.X line anytime soon?

If you want your phone and tablets to look all alike, probably just get all Samsung.

Yep, I do.

 

[Fishfam4]

Keep in mind that only the black N5 has the soft touch. The white N5 is more of a smooth plastic finish. Not sure about the new red one.

Red has the smooth plastic of the white N5.

 

[Fishfam4]

I have to agree with B. Diddy about the Nexus. I would not suggest getting any Samsung tablets, but I would also not suggest getting a Nexus tablet right now. You would probably be fine getting a Nexus 7, but you'd be best off waiting a couple of months until the 2014 version is released (assuming there will be a 2014 version).

Ok, any rumors on when it'll come out?

Edit: Nexus 8 replaces Nexus 7?: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/537874/20140208/nexus-7-8-release-date-april-2014.html

The Nexus 10 you should definitely wait for. It would probably perform fine, but the fact that it's almost a year and a half old is not good. That means support could be dropped sooner, and that the hardware is generally just more outdated. I think it would perform fine, the specs are great, even for being pretty old. But still, since it's so old, you'd probably be best off waiting.

My still has a few months left, and I'll buy all three devices within 2 months of each other. By then, a N10 successor should have been released.

For the phones, the Nexus 5 would be the best choice right now, I think.

I've heard alot of people say that the stock Android experience is great at first, but then it feels lacking later. Have you experienced this?

If you still have a couple months on your contract, you could wait to see what Motorola does next. If they release an updated version of the Moto X, it may very well be significantly awesomer than the Nexus 5.

I'm not a huge fan of the sub-par specs and low resale value (due to all the colors, unless you get all black/white). Plus, I feels that Lenovo might not continue the Moto X line, but you never know.

If you're concerned about the Nexus' hardware, then don't be. It's true that the tablets don't have the most amazing hardware, but they're certainly good enough to compete with other tablets. The Nexus 5, on the other hand, is the best. If I'm not mistaken, it's the #1 phone on most benchmarks. That'll probably change as soon as Samsung and HTC release their new flagships, but I suspect the Nexus 5 will still be able to hold its own.

This is nice to know.

(Doesn't Samsung alter their benchmarks?)

If you had to choose from the two lineups that you posted, I would definitely say Nexus, even with the somewhat outdated tablets. Samsung does pretty well with their phones, but they've never managed to impress me with a tablet. The Note does pretty well, but I think the Nexus 5 is every bit as good. Overall, I've just had a more positive experience with Nexus devices than I've had with Samsung devices.

Taking this into account.

Thanks for your opinions!

 

[Fishfam4]

Too bad Nexus is not offered on Verizon and still has limited storage.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

I'm on AT&T, and 32GB is good enough for me.

 

[Fishfam4]

Nexus. From what I understand - internal battery. That eliminates anything with a lithium Ion battery for me. I don't look good in asbestos slacks.

XD But really, the Note's easily accessible battery is one of the things I like the most.

Big M. My go-to phone, for years (I was in the business) was Motorola. ST7868 - best modern (read: you don't need a briefcase to carry one) phone ever made. Probably would have worked in a lead mine. Mine still works. (It's illegal - analog, no GPS - but it still works.

Your StarTAC still works? :O

I don't like the current Moto X or G. :/

Great copy machine, no inspiration.

^This^

Samsung. Looks cartoonish? TouchWiz? You like it that much? The first thing I do to my Samsung phones is put a Nova launcher on them. I think TW was designed as a cartoon to put on the plastic protector on the screen. The plastic looks better than TW.

I would definintely put a new launcher on the Notes.

But I just put my money where my Note 3s are - both of them. I wanted something that I'll be happy with for at least a couple of years.

How do they work for you? Better than the StarTAC?

Then we'll see who bought whom and who puts out decent product. My money's on Sammy - or someone we haven't heard from yet. But if Sammy keeps playing "Yes, Master" to the carriers, they get scratched off the list too. AT&T is the penultimate customer - they have to convince ME to pay for the phone.

But their established 4G LTE service outweighs the bloatware IMO.

Fort Knox

Was that a reference to Samsung's KNOX feature?

At least give us the choice of "regular" or "developer edition" at the same price, in the same store, with the same availability. I want root, or a full backup program that comes with the phone. It's a pain to manually back up all my changes every night. (Don't back up my phone? What are you, some kind of Commie?)

The Devo Edition idea sounds really cool, as (even though I'm not a developer) it would give developers a better enviroment to create apps in.

And backups are essential. Anyone who thinks otherwise is na?ve.

 

[Fishfam4]

Ok, so I used Numbers (Apple's version of Excel) to make a few spreadsheets comparing the specs of the aforementioned devices. I found that, on paper, Samsung beat Nexus every time.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4YEA46IHPSUjZHUjdRYVkyWDg/edit?usp=docslist_api

(Ask for permission first. )

 

[dancing-bass]

@Fishfam4, just requested permission to view. I'll be buying a new phone in spring and i'm already doing preliminary research based on what's currently available on my carrier (of course, not counting anything they'll add to the lineup after MWC in Barcelona).

Right now, I like the Note 3 for hardware spec/performance/features. (I plan on disabling a good portion of them, after trying them out). But not sold on the screen size. Would be nice when I want to view stuff - but on the large side to pocket. Not impossible, but still.

MotoX Sounds great, good battery life, more compact size. BUT after the last 2.5 years with my Gnex I want something more then just bone-stock Android. And that's about what I'd be getting with the MotoX.

Undecided:G2. Have to do hand's on to see if I could handle the buttons on the back. Thinking it could be either an easy switch, or something that would bug me forever. Good thing I've got another couple months to research and decide!!

 

[Rukbat]

Your StarTAC still works? :O

My Motorola Bricks still work. (One of the batteries still hold a charge for an hour or so.)

I don't like the current Moto X or G. :/

You and me both.

How do they work for you? Better than the StarTAC?

The Notes? Depends. Put me up in the mountains nowhere near a cell tower and the StarTac will probably still get a signal through. (600mw of analog.) But to have a computer in my shirt pocket more powerful than the first network server I administered? Airliners had propellers when I was a kid. Payphone calls (potato masher against your ear, talk into the mouthpiece mounted on a swivel on the phone) cost a nickle. We've come light years, baby.

Fort Knox

Was that a reference to Samsung's KNOX feature?

Sort of. Locked bootloader. Hold the phone in the wrong hand and it self-destructs. Sammy's gotten into bed with the carriers (who were never my favorite people to begin with) and if they get any further under the sheets, I own the last Samsung I'll ever own.

The Devo Edition idea sounds really cool, as (even though I'm not a developer) it would give developers a better enviromment to create apps in.

And a better environment to write ROMs in. And a better environment, period.

And backups are essential. Anyone who thinks otherwise is na?ve.

Okay, I'll give you "naive" - this is a family forum. Only reason I'm not backing up tonight is that I didn't do anything to the phone all day. The one "we can save you money on your mortgage" email I got isn't a keeper - I paid cash for the house. Give me a mortgage for less than 0% and we'll talk.