Trade 4S for a Galaxy Nexus?

[slvrevoix]

I just traded my 4s for a gsm nexus and all I can say is thank you google. Apple makes a really nice phone, but I just couldn't stand it. I had it for one week and it was too much. I even jailbroke it to try and ease the pain. It doesn't help that I have had 7 android phones before the 4s

"I am never satisfied, it's a curse" Will Ferrel

 

[Coleus]

Ok, for about 4 years now I have owned an iPhone from 3G to recent 4s, I love the iPod feature on the phone and love jailbreaking it. Now I actually work for sprint and we recently announced the galaxy nexus on sprint. I have been trained on the android phones and they seem interesting, I won a galaxy s 2 at work and sold it to my tech because I upgraded to the iPhone 4s. Frankly I'm not a fan of what apple has done from the 4 to the 4s, it's very minimum. I was thinking about trading for 4s for a galaxy nexus. What do you think? Take a year off and try out an android?

I have a GNex and my mom has an iPhone 4s on VZW network. This is my comparison of the 2 phones.

iPhone 4s Cons - doesn't have 4G, ugly UI, smaller screen, less customization options, battery not removable

iPhone 4s Pros - better camera, better 3G data connection, better speaker, better mic, Siri is better than ICS Voice Actions


In the end I chose the GNex because it is a 4G phone, has a larger screen and I prefer the way the AMOLED screen looks compared to the iPhone screen. For making phone calls or taking pictures, the iPhone is better but the iPhone 4s is not a 4G phone and that is a deal breaker for me.

 

[SteveISU]

Giving my wife my 4s and picking up a Gnex GSM from Negri.

 

[mattbourge]

I have a GNex and my mom has an iPhone 4s on VZW network. This is my comparison of the 2 phones.

iPhone 4s Cons - doesn't have 4G, ugly UI, smaller screen, less customization options, battery not removable

iPhone 4s Pros - better camera, better 3G data connection, better speaker, better mic, Siri is better than ICS Voice Actions


In the end I chose the GNex because it is a 4G phone, has a larger screen and I prefer the way the AMOLED screen looks compared to the iPhone screen. For making phone calls or taking pictures, the iPhone is better but the iPhone 4s is not a 4G phone and that is a deal breaker for me.

I have to disagree with you on siri vs. ICS voice commands. I have been surprised by the accuracy of ICS VC and the co-founder of Apple did too. I read an article where he said he has more success with google VC than he does with siri. Just thought I'd point that out.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[anthony81586]

I'm in the same boat. I've been going through my local craigslist ads today and looking for people who will trade.

 

[anthony81586]

Update: so I traded my 4s for the gnex and love it so far. Their are some stupid issues with SMS/mms that I miss on iOS and the signal/battery isn't all that great but the screen and customization make up for it....this thing is awesome.

Thanks for the responses

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[Kaoxt]

The thing I miss from my iPhone 4s is the speed. ICS seems still pretty laggy on a lot of areas, which is pretty annoying. I think the main issue so far is the browsers. Stock browser scroll is pretty bad in terms of lag, and the Chrome Beta browser is just a snail typing in the URL. Don't like the typing speed on ICS so far on any parts of keyboard other then the messaging app, which seems to be up to speed.

 

[3ibs]

I've just bought the Galaxy Nexus after owning an iPhone 4 and 4S since launch. I love the phone but the 2 times I've picked up my 4S since getting the GNex I wish I hadn't picked it up. I really miss iOS and I'm a bit underwhelmed with ICS. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I'm debating whether I should keep my 4S around in case I decide to go back to it or give it to my sister. I don't like using two phones. I think I just need more time to adjust and discover more things that will make me love Android and ICS.

 

[Gekko]

familiarity bias. you tend to like what you know even if it's not better. wears off in time.

 

[GNex Girl]

I really miss iOS

What specifically do you miss about it?

 

[Wildo6882]

I traded my Nexus for a 4S and here are my thoughts on it, and the things I miss and don't miss:

Things I miss about the Nexus -

I miss 4G (sometimes when 3G is lagging, it's not an everyday thing), I miss the big screen for watching videos and surfing the web, I miss the customization. Customization and widgets are my biggest gripe. I really miss not being able to make my phone mine. I also miss having app settings in the app.

Things I don't miss about the Nexus -

The mic cutting out, the screeching sound in your ears during calls, the occasional random reboot or frozen phone, the screen banding in lower level brightness, and the multitouch issue during certain games.

Things I like about the 4S -

I like the smaller form factor most of the time. I will never never never use a belt clip. It won't happen. And sometimes the Nexus was a little uncomfortable in pants pockets. The smaller 4S is a little less noticeable. I like the notification lock screen. I also really like how everything looks the same, notifications and apps. This is kind of a double edged sword. I miss the customization on the Nexus, but at the same time, my OCD sometimes didn't like how everything looked different. But I still miss the ability to do some of the customization. I like the music integration. This is a great music playing device, and that's important to me.

I kinda covered what I don't like about the 4S in my ramblings. But for me, it does work a little better. I always had the feeling that the Nexus wouldn't work when I needed it. Whether this was justified or not, I don't know. But it does have its issues. If these get fixed, I'd probably go back. But for right now I need the more reliable phone. This is in no way meant to flame the Nexus. I do love the phone. But I wanted to give some insight on what I thought. I think they're the best two phones on the market, and I wouldn't blame you for using either one.

Hope this ramble helped a little. And I'd be happy to answer some more questions about my switch.

 

[GNex Girl]

The mic cutting out

Did you try exchanging it for another phone?

the screeching sound in your ears during calls

This is the worst thing about the GNex. It has not happened much to me, but the rare times that it did, wow, what a bummer.

the occasional random reboot or frozen phone

In the 2 months I have had the phone, this has happened twice. I think it is a problem with ICS that will be fixed with the update.

the screen banding in lower level brightness

Mine doesn't do this. Sounds like you got a bad phone.

and the multitouch issue during certain games.

That sounds like a software issue that can be fixed with an update.

I also really like how everything looks the same, notifications and apps. This is kind of a double edged sword. I miss the customization on the Nexus, but at the same time, my OCD sometimes didn't like how everything looked different. But I still miss the ability to do some of the customization.

Not sure what to say about that. I LOVE the customizations you can do with Android. iOS is plain-old ugly.

I always had the feeling that the Nexus wouldn't work when I needed it. Whether this was justified or not, I don't know. But it does have its issues. If these get fixed, I'd probably go back. But for right now I need the more reliable phone.

I have had dropped calls but this seems to be an issue when I use 4G, so it seems to me that it could be a 4G network issue but it could also be the handoff between 3G and 4G, which hopefully will improve with the update in March.

 

[Wildo6882]

Did you try exchanging it for another phone?

This is the worst thing about the GNex. It has not happened much to me, but the rare times that it did, wow, what a bummer.

In the 2 months I have had the phone, this has happened twice. I think it is a problem with ICS that will be fixed with the update.

Mine doesn't do this. Sounds like you got a bad phone.

That sounds like a software issue that can be fixed with an update.

Not sure what to say about that. I LOVE the customizations you can do with Android. iOS is plain-old ugly.

I have had dropped calls but this seems to be an issue when I use 4G, so it seems to me that it could be a 4G network issue but it could also be the handoff between 3G and 4G, which hopefully will improve with the update in March.

I never tried exchanging it for another phone. I thought I could live with the issues it had until an update, but the update never came. And that screeching sound in my ears (although it did only happen 3 times) was enough to send me away. It actually hurt. My primary issue with the phone was its inability to function as a phone. I LOVED it other than that.

And I was really trying to just compare some of the differences between the two to the OP. I am not a fanboi. I'm not really a fan of any platform. Hell, I'd give WP a shot if VZW got some decent WP phones in. I do think that iOS is boring and can be considered ugly. Every other day I'm ready to swap back to Android. But until the call/mic issues of the GNex are fixed, I can't do it. Each platform has its advantages. I personally think Android fits me better overall. But I need a phone that works as a phone, and my GNex didn't. And now that I've had a taste of beautiful stock ICS, I don't think I could go to a Razr or Rezound. So IF I go back, it will be to the Nexus, once I know the issues I had are fixed.

And what I was saying about my OCD is just that. I tended to mess with my phone, moving stuff around to try to get it perfect, and I never could. I do miss widgets, especially weather and calendar widgets that are so easy to just glance at to see what you have coming up. But what I don't like is how every icon is sized and shaped differently. And every app has it's own notification. Nothing is the same. Some notifications are in color, some are in black and white, some are big, some are small. Some you can set to vibrate only in vibrate, some it's vibrate all the time or nothing. That's more of what I was meaning about my OCD. The iOS ecosystem is so locked down that everything looks and works the same, and for those of us with a hint of OCD, it can be kind of refreshing.

I hope this helps some people out there considering one or the other. I'd gladly explain and try to help out where I can.

 

[timberga]

I traded my Nexus for a 4S

I just did the same thing this past Friday after using a Gnex for 6 weeks......Here are my thoughts:

Miss:

- Large screen, although for me I think 4.0 - 4.3" is the sweet spot....still miss having the extra real estate
- Swype: I really got used to swyping my text, pecking away isn't very fun and I know I'm slower
- Chrome Beta: The stock ICS browser still didn't "get it right".....Chrome beta gets it very very very close to right, even if it's missing dying flash

Don't Miss:

- GPS performance: I might have had a bad GSM Nexus, but indoors without wifi on my nexus could barely ever get a lock, outdoor performance was okay. I tested with a few VzW Nexus' @ a few VzW stores and they exhibited the same problem as me. But I've heard people say they can use GPS Test with airplane mode on and they get a lock in 5 seconds indoors or out....Foursquare became a chore because my Nexus couldn't find me.
- Camera: The camera takes "okay" outdoor photos but indoors with variable lighting its not all that great.

Other Don't Miss (not the phone's fault):

- Facebook Application: Not sure why but it's slow as dirt on Android.....would get "black screen" and nothing would load, crashes, etc. Not to say that the iphone version doesn't have problems, but it certainly has less.

Overall, I like stock over any skin....its too bad Google doesn't have more of a influence on that...or if handset manufacturers allowed a choice between a "stock" experience vs a skin. Who knows, I might be back....I think snagging one with a perfect GPS might do the trick.

 

[3ibs]

I'm not really sure. I thought Android was more customizable but I was able to do more with my iPhone when it was jailbroken. I just don't know what to do or how to do much on my GNex. Do I have to root?