I upgraded from an original Droid and am loving my new Nexus. The display is gorgeous! I've had it for about a week and haven't found much not to like. I leave wifi and sync on, but don't like auto-brightness (too dim for me). I'm able to keep it mostly plugged in during office hours, so bat life hasn't become an issue. I just ordered a multi-media dock. Installed Google Wallet (the un-rooted process) this evening and can't wait to try this out. I've moved my favorite apps over, but so far I like the original launcher and am enjoying the pure Google experience. It also plays nice with all my Blue Tooth gadgets. I can't believe the responsiveness and internet speed on this phone! Significant upgrade from the old Droid, which had a tendency to go to sleep and lock up.
Verizon Galaxy Nexus First Impressions/Reviews
- Thread starter Cyber Warrior
- Start date
I fully understand this sentiment. I did the same with the iPhone 4S and ended up walking from it. But these forums are for tech people. You should also consider the extraordinary reviews the phone is getting on the Verizon forum, where the not-so tech heavies hang out. And you can always take it back . . .
Set Your Location
P.S.My phone has no bugs. (knock on wood).
Curious...what about the iphone 4s turned you off? For me it was between that and the galaxy nexus. Bought the later. But with battery issues and dropping data connection, I've been pondering the iphone again. But I'm a pc user, not a mac, because I like "controlling" my phones and computers. Yes iphones are solid to use...but worried I'd miss that "control"...like when stuck using a mac computer. I love that my nexus plays different ringtones for different peeps even when they text and blinks different colors and at different blinking speeds. Lol hey...its the little things, people. Lol iphones cant do that.
Re: Galaxy Nexus- First THoughts/ Opinions/Bugs
Anyone know how to fix this bug? I just installed the sanford and son ringtone last night. And much to my surprise, it plays through the external speaker even when headphones are connected. This caused quite a bit of prairie dogging in my cube farm at work. My original droid would work just as you'd expect when headphones are connected, ALL sound is routed through headphones. For now, I'm stuck running in silent mode at work, which means I miss calls and notifications.
This issue needs to be fixed for this galaxy nexus to be usable at work.
-me
Anyone know how to fix this bug? I just installed the sanford and son ringtone last night. And much to my surprise, it plays through the external speaker even when headphones are connected. This caused quite a bit of prairie dogging in my cube farm at work. My original droid would work just as you'd expect when headphones are connected, ALL sound is routed through headphones. For now, I'm stuck running in silent mode at work, which means I miss calls and notifications.
This issue needs to be fixed for this galaxy nexus to be usable at work.
-me
My third full day with the Nexus and overall Im really happy. I came from the iPhone4 so this is a big change but phone for phone its no comparison.
The screen size is awesome and the clarity IMO isn't far off the iPhone. I think the iPhone takes better pics but for a phone this one works well. The overall speed of the phone is just mind boggling. The Nexus is so much faster than the iPhone. At my house where my iPhone would lag and fight to receive 3g, my Nexus gets 2 bars of 4g and rips! I cannot tell you how many times I got the blue circle of death on the iPhone, for you people that ask what that means it means I can't get 3 g service!
I love the phone-book on the Nexus as opposed to the iPhone. I cant tell you how many times I went to look for a name on the iPhone and didn't remember if I had the name in as first and last or first only etc. The Nexus is simple, alphabetical no last name or first and last name problems.
Overall I am extremely happy with the Nexus, the technology honestly is so far ahead of Apple its not even close. And trust me I was hoping for Apple to release a 4g bigger screen iPhone and when it didn't come I made the choice to go Nexus and Im thrilled I did!
The screen size is awesome and the clarity IMO isn't far off the iPhone. I think the iPhone takes better pics but for a phone this one works well. The overall speed of the phone is just mind boggling. The Nexus is so much faster than the iPhone. At my house where my iPhone would lag and fight to receive 3g, my Nexus gets 2 bars of 4g and rips! I cannot tell you how many times I got the blue circle of death on the iPhone, for you people that ask what that means it means I can't get 3 g service!
I love the phone-book on the Nexus as opposed to the iPhone. I cant tell you how many times I went to look for a name on the iPhone and didn't remember if I had the name in as first and last or first only etc. The Nexus is simple, alphabetical no last name or first and last name problems.
Overall I am extremely happy with the Nexus, the technology honestly is so far ahead of Apple its not even close. And trust me I was hoping for Apple to release a 4g bigger screen iPhone and when it didn't come I made the choice to go Nexus and Im thrilled I did!
I'm gonna have to agree about the dolphin crashing. It crashed so many times on my gn that I uninstalled and am now using xscope.
ive had mine for six days now and here is my thoughts. The last two phones that ive had were the Droid X and Droid 3. Those were very good phones. Im not going into great detail about the phone but i will try and give you some different look at it. So this is my impression of it as of six days of use.
The phone feels really good in my hand. Yes its made of plastic but that not a bad thing. Its really light and it is well made. I never think that its cheap. I like lighter phones over heavy ones any way. My droid 3 feels like a brick now when i pick it up.
The 4.6 inch sceen is great. Using my d3 with the 4 inch screen alway felt small to me.
The screen resolution is absolutely insaine. Its a plessure to look at this screen evey time i use my phone.
Camera is way better then the d3 by far but still is not what i had hoped for from Samy. Out side pics look real good and in doors looks good but could be better.
No touch capasitive buttons on the front makes this phone look great. Its nice and sleek looking.
Ics is buy far the best android experiance ive had on any phone. I feel android is all grown up. Yes its still buggy but that just the way it is. Even ios for the Iphone is buggy. Nothing is perfect.
Im used to dual core phones so this is not a big leap for me even to a 1.2ghz prossesor. Its fast and ive never felt that it was slow doing anything.
The battery life is what i thought it would be not great. I new that and im good with it. First 4g phone and its crazy fast. Im loving that. Just got an extended batt so we will see how that does. As long as i get through a full day at work im good. Ive been down to 25% on the first day of use on 4g and about 30% the second day with just 3g and about 38% over the last few days with light to moderate use. So getting better evey day. Take time for the battery to adjust. So im getting close to 10 hours a day before im forced to pug in. Im good with that.
Its done what i want it to do during my day and ive ran into nothing that i fell is an issue. Its been a great phone to use.
Now for the only thing that i can think of that i wish could be better and thats the screen displaying the color white. Ive compared it to my d3 and the color white is very yellow looking. But the blacks are pitch black and way better then the d3's black. But it is what it is and im good with it.
Also there is some lag when using some live wallpaper which is kind of a bummer but i think its because they are not optimized to the phone or Ics.
I am also have some issues with the data once in awhile but not that much. I know that they are working on it and so im cool with it. I know that it has bugs and that they too will get fixed. You just need to be paitent. Its what happens to all phones when they come out it nothing new. I dont like when someone get the phone then complians that its got issues . My advise to those people is wait a few months then get the phone. But dont compain when you get the phone the first day. You need to give Google some time to fix it. As long a they are working on it that good for me. Not eveyone will like it and thats cool to. Some of you take that way to serious and need to relax. Geuss what i dont like Corvettes and the color puple does that make them bad no it does not. If you dont like this phone there are a bunch of really great ones out there. I can understand why some people dont like the fact that its plastic and light. I like that and that all that matters. Every forum on every phone has people that dont like that phone even the iphone forum. No phone is perfect.
ok im all done ranting now. So this phone is a really good phone and im loveing every minute with it.
The phone feels really good in my hand. Yes its made of plastic but that not a bad thing. Its really light and it is well made. I never think that its cheap. I like lighter phones over heavy ones any way. My droid 3 feels like a brick now when i pick it up.
The 4.6 inch sceen is great. Using my d3 with the 4 inch screen alway felt small to me.
The screen resolution is absolutely insaine. Its a plessure to look at this screen evey time i use my phone.
Camera is way better then the d3 by far but still is not what i had hoped for from Samy. Out side pics look real good and in doors looks good but could be better.
No touch capasitive buttons on the front makes this phone look great. Its nice and sleek looking.
Ics is buy far the best android experiance ive had on any phone. I feel android is all grown up. Yes its still buggy but that just the way it is. Even ios for the Iphone is buggy. Nothing is perfect.
Im used to dual core phones so this is not a big leap for me even to a 1.2ghz prossesor. Its fast and ive never felt that it was slow doing anything.
The battery life is what i thought it would be not great. I new that and im good with it. First 4g phone and its crazy fast. Im loving that. Just got an extended batt so we will see how that does. As long as i get through a full day at work im good. Ive been down to 25% on the first day of use on 4g and about 30% the second day with just 3g and about 38% over the last few days with light to moderate use. So getting better evey day. Take time for the battery to adjust. So im getting close to 10 hours a day before im forced to pug in. Im good with that.
Its done what i want it to do during my day and ive ran into nothing that i fell is an issue. Its been a great phone to use.
Now for the only thing that i can think of that i wish could be better and thats the screen displaying the color white. Ive compared it to my d3 and the color white is very yellow looking. But the blacks are pitch black and way better then the d3's black. But it is what it is and im good with it.
Also there is some lag when using some live wallpaper which is kind of a bummer but i think its because they are not optimized to the phone or Ics.
I am also have some issues with the data once in awhile but not that much. I know that they are working on it and so im cool with it. I know that it has bugs and that they too will get fixed. You just need to be paitent. Its what happens to all phones when they come out it nothing new. I dont like when someone get the phone then complians that its got issues . My advise to those people is wait a few months then get the phone. But dont compain when you get the phone the first day. You need to give Google some time to fix it. As long a they are working on it that good for me. Not eveyone will like it and thats cool to. Some of you take that way to serious and need to relax. Geuss what i dont like Corvettes and the color puple does that make them bad no it does not. If you dont like this phone there are a bunch of really great ones out there. I can understand why some people dont like the fact that its plastic and light. I like that and that all that matters. Every forum on every phone has people that dont like that phone even the iphone forum. No phone is perfect.
ok im all done ranting now. So this phone is a really good phone and im loveing every minute with it.
I bought the phone first thing on Dec. 15. I had an HTC Evo with Sprint, which was my first smart phone. I was happy with it but as I read about the GN I decided I wanted the better hardware, the new OS, and the better 4G network. I have been very pleased.
As everyone observes, the display is incredible -- both its sharpness and its size. The phone is also lightening quick, no lag time. My battery life has been at least as good as my last phone, with faster hardware; I think the size and power of the standard and extended batteries on this phone are quite good.
ICS is a very clean look; I like the blue icons, for example, at the top of each screen. The improvements in both Gmail and the regular email programs are very nice, e.g. scrolling between emails in Gmail, one-click delete capability in the regular email programs, reading 2 lines of content in each email in the Inbox in both programs, etc. I also love the synchronization of favorites from other Chrome accounts I have on other computers, and the general ease and quickness of web surfing. Finally, the 4g LTE network on Verizon is indeed much faster, and has much broader coverage, than I experienced with Sprint.
Things I don't like: 1) no speed dialing (which even non-smart phones have had for years), tho you can use favorites in contacts to use a 2-step (rather than one) for more than, say, just 10 contacts; 2) the back cover is tacky or worse (it brittle feel leaves me to wonder when it will crack with accidental use); 3) my last phone predicted phone numbers more quickly than this one seems to do; 4) I really don't like the fact that you can't turn off alert sounds while allowing someone to call (both sounds are either off or on; I may want to take a phone call from a family member without having a beep every time anyone sends me a single email); and 5) as many have noted, the rotation from portrait to landscape is very slow compared to prior phones.
Notwithstanding the above, I think I have the best phone, the best OS, and the best network, and I am...
A Very Happy Camper
As everyone observes, the display is incredible -- both its sharpness and its size. The phone is also lightening quick, no lag time. My battery life has been at least as good as my last phone, with faster hardware; I think the size and power of the standard and extended batteries on this phone are quite good.
ICS is a very clean look; I like the blue icons, for example, at the top of each screen. The improvements in both Gmail and the regular email programs are very nice, e.g. scrolling between emails in Gmail, one-click delete capability in the regular email programs, reading 2 lines of content in each email in the Inbox in both programs, etc. I also love the synchronization of favorites from other Chrome accounts I have on other computers, and the general ease and quickness of web surfing. Finally, the 4g LTE network on Verizon is indeed much faster, and has much broader coverage, than I experienced with Sprint.
Things I don't like: 1) no speed dialing (which even non-smart phones have had for years), tho you can use favorites in contacts to use a 2-step (rather than one) for more than, say, just 10 contacts; 2) the back cover is tacky or worse (it brittle feel leaves me to wonder when it will crack with accidental use); 3) my last phone predicted phone numbers more quickly than this one seems to do; 4) I really don't like the fact that you can't turn off alert sounds while allowing someone to call (both sounds are either off or on; I may want to take a phone call from a family member without having a beep every time anyone sends me a single email); and 5) as many have noted, the rotation from portrait to landscape is very slow compared to prior phones.
Notwithstanding the above, I think I have the best phone, the best OS, and the best network, and I am...
A Very Happy Camper
Thanks for this perspective. It's always interesting to hear what people have to say who go from Android to iOS and vice-versa.
Brandon
EggoEspada
Well-known member
- Jul 17, 2010
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Galaxy Nexus Review
Intro
I am no stranger to the world of Android. The Galaxy Nexus is marked as my fourth Android device -- one being a tablet. I first ventured into the smartphone market back in March of 2010. I had never been that interested in technology; that changed with Motorola Droid. A year later I had then upgraded to the HTC Thunderbolt -- I mostly settled with it as my Droid had taken a major beating. And now, December 2011, I picked up the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon the second sales went live. All I can say is that I?ve never been so thrilled with a purchase since my iPad and even more so my Motorola Droid. I was afraid that this phone and Android 4.0 ? Ice Cream Sandwich ? were all hype. Well, I?m proud to say I was wrong.
Software
Google has really done a great job with this update. Everything has been totally revamped. All of Google?s core applications have been tweaked one way or another. Apps like the People app, offer up a ?hub? for connecting with all your contacts and plugs in all their social information and network contacts you?ve had with them ? much like WP7. Other core apps such as Gmail and Calendar have gotten revamped as well. Gmail looks cleaner and spacious and now includes the action bar in the bottom of the app. When viewing an email, you don?t have to click around too much to get things done like labeling the particular email or replying or deleting. Also, with just a swipe, you can switch between emails. Makes the process or speedier so you can just get in and out. Switching between labels an accounts are easy as well with just a press on the top of the app where it?s labeled Inbox (or whichever label you?re on) and has your email listed. The calander looks the same with just some UI tweaks. It now supports pinch-to-zoom to spread out your agenda to get different views on it. Very useful if you have a lot of appointments sync?d up in there. Other apps such as Messaging, Camera, Youtube, Maps and all the other core Gapps have gotten a facelift as well to match the new experience.
The overall UI has taken on a futuristic-like look and feel; or as many refer to it as ? Tron-like. Gone is the clunky black/green/orange interface and with the Tron neon blue and solid black with shades of dark grey here and there. It feels cleaner and it really speaks in terms of design. Martias Durate definitely led the Android UX team in the right direction in ICS. It?s not too flashy -- no fake shadows and glossy-ness everywhere.
The big tweak in ICS that I love is the lock screen. You can access your notifications on the lock screen, unlock directly into the camera app and control your music (when playing).
Another huge thing in ICS is how all the information and options that were previously hidden in multiple menus, are all in plain sight in what Google calls the Action Bar. Basic options are right there for you to access and understand and three vertical dots in the action bar as a menu option. Not many third-party apps support the bar, but hopefully they do soon to add Google in transitioning into a simpler UI and ridding Android phones of all the complicated buttons arrangements.
That brings to another thing Google has done with ICS. They have gotten rid of all physical and capacitive navigation buttons. They now live in the software as: Back, Home, and a Multitasking button. The multitasking button brings up a visual menu of open apps in which you can click to open, or swipe to dismiss. It?s possibly the best implementation of multitasking since WebOS.
The other big upgrade in software is the keyboard. It?s much more responsive and has a much more sophisticated auto-correct system. The copy/cut/paste system has also been fixed and is actually usable and easier to handle now. The keyboard also has a much improved voice dictation. You just press the mic on the keyboard and talk. It clearly understands what you?re saying, including punctuation. It?s also very easy to fix to any misunderstood words ? thought I haven?t had to do so very often. I found myself using this feature quite a bit and I applaud Google on how well it works.
The OS just feels very modern and offers tons of neat features that work very well. It?s much more understandable to the user now and much enjoyable with virtually no lag and a consistent UI. It could be a little more user friendly, but it?s defiently a major improvement over previous versions of Android.
Hardware
There?s nothing mind blowing about the hardware, but it sure is gorgeous. It?s slim, sleek and curved. It feels very light and durable in the hand, regardless of the fact it?s made of plastic. The hyper skin in the back gives the phone a very nice grip and the curve of the display makes the device more bearable in the hands. It also helps that the phone is about 9.5mm thin. It?s one of the thinnest LTE devices out there behind the DROID RAZR by Motorola. Coming from an HTC Thunderbolt ? which was a tank ? the thin profile is a big selling point for me.
Passed the aesthetics, you get some pretty decent spec?s for Google?s flagship device. The phone sports a 4.65? Super AMOLED HD display, a 1.2GHz OMAP processor, 1.3MP/5MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB memory, and an 1850mAh battery ? all on Verizon?s 4GLTE network.
Going back to the display, it?s a very beautiful display. There is some bandings down the device at its lowest brightness and offers a purple-ish tint, but passed that, it?s absolutely jaw-dropping.
The 1.2GHz processor and 1gig of RAM really make this thing fly and have yet to see any real lag or delay with this device. It handles 3D games like a champ and can have a dozen applications open and it will not make a stutter.
Battery Life
As expected from a 4G LTE device, the phone hasn?t been exactly the most reliable in terms of surviving a whole day. I find myself an hour in already at 72% most times after taking it off the charger around 9AM and need to put it back on the charger around 3PM. My Thunderbolt wasn?t all that great with battery, but it lasted a little longer than that. I hoped that the 1850mAh battery in this thing would chug along a little longer, but apparently not.
Of course, I don?t want to pin this all on the radio, as I found most times that the display was the culprit for battery drain. I guess battery life is one of the trade-offs you have 4GLTE and a 4.65? 720p display. I advise that if you are having bad battery life like me, to get the extended battery from Verizon. Its $49.99, but they should give you half off if you ask them. It apparently offers a few more hours of life for your phone and adds virtually no bulk.
Camera
So coming from an HTC Thunderbolt, I?m honestly disappointed with the performance of the camera. My Thunderbolt?s nine month old eight-megapixel camera performances slightly better than the Galaxy Nexus?s five-megapixel camera. My issue does not lie with the megapixel count, but rather the quality it produces ? or lack of. It performs terribly in low light settings and pictures don?t come out as vibrant as I?d like them to. The phone does have a pretty nifty ?zero shutter lag?. Essentially the phone can take a photo almost instantly. I can take ten shots in five seconds ? of course more than half of those were out of focus. It did perform well outdoors when I was able to get it to focus, but passed that, it has been a bit disappointing. By no means a deal breaker though.
Video recording on the other hand was pretty good. The back camera is capable of 1080p HD and the front 720p HD. The back offers a rich video experience with vibrant colors and sound quality and even the front camera performs well. You can actually make out the video recorded with the FFC as opposed to every other phone I?ve used. Also, the software supports live effects and time-lapse. They are fun to use time to time, but nothing that really adds much of a purpose.
Of course, the camera software is stupendous. Google did a great job with this there are lots of controls that are easily accessible. They?ve included a panorama mode where you take multiple side by side pictures and it stitches them together into one big picture. It?s very neat. You also get some editing tools in the Gallery app which covers basic things like red-eye reduction, cropping, straightening and such and offers filters, or as like Google refers to them, ?Hipster Filters?.
Wrap Up
The Galaxy Nexus is easily one of the greatest pieces of technology I?ve ever owned. Sure the battery and the camera are the best in my experience, but the pros outweigh the cons. It?s fast, sleek, and durable and the software is a major improvement and I truly enjoy using. Furthermore, the screen is astonishing and really is something you have to see in person to appreciate. Regardless of any flaws the device has, at the end of the day, I could not find myself giving up this phone. I personally think that if you?re on Verizon, you?re crazy if you pass this phone up. It exceeds my expectations and I couldn?t be more content with this device. Well worth the wait.
Intro
I am no stranger to the world of Android. The Galaxy Nexus is marked as my fourth Android device -- one being a tablet. I first ventured into the smartphone market back in March of 2010. I had never been that interested in technology; that changed with Motorola Droid. A year later I had then upgraded to the HTC Thunderbolt -- I mostly settled with it as my Droid had taken a major beating. And now, December 2011, I picked up the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon the second sales went live. All I can say is that I?ve never been so thrilled with a purchase since my iPad and even more so my Motorola Droid. I was afraid that this phone and Android 4.0 ? Ice Cream Sandwich ? were all hype. Well, I?m proud to say I was wrong.
Software
Google has really done a great job with this update. Everything has been totally revamped. All of Google?s core applications have been tweaked one way or another. Apps like the People app, offer up a ?hub? for connecting with all your contacts and plugs in all their social information and network contacts you?ve had with them ? much like WP7. Other core apps such as Gmail and Calendar have gotten revamped as well. Gmail looks cleaner and spacious and now includes the action bar in the bottom of the app. When viewing an email, you don?t have to click around too much to get things done like labeling the particular email or replying or deleting. Also, with just a swipe, you can switch between emails. Makes the process or speedier so you can just get in and out. Switching between labels an accounts are easy as well with just a press on the top of the app where it?s labeled Inbox (or whichever label you?re on) and has your email listed. The calander looks the same with just some UI tweaks. It now supports pinch-to-zoom to spread out your agenda to get different views on it. Very useful if you have a lot of appointments sync?d up in there. Other apps such as Messaging, Camera, Youtube, Maps and all the other core Gapps have gotten a facelift as well to match the new experience.
The overall UI has taken on a futuristic-like look and feel; or as many refer to it as ? Tron-like. Gone is the clunky black/green/orange interface and with the Tron neon blue and solid black with shades of dark grey here and there. It feels cleaner and it really speaks in terms of design. Martias Durate definitely led the Android UX team in the right direction in ICS. It?s not too flashy -- no fake shadows and glossy-ness everywhere.
The big tweak in ICS that I love is the lock screen. You can access your notifications on the lock screen, unlock directly into the camera app and control your music (when playing).
Another huge thing in ICS is how all the information and options that were previously hidden in multiple menus, are all in plain sight in what Google calls the Action Bar. Basic options are right there for you to access and understand and three vertical dots in the action bar as a menu option. Not many third-party apps support the bar, but hopefully they do soon to add Google in transitioning into a simpler UI and ridding Android phones of all the complicated buttons arrangements.
That brings to another thing Google has done with ICS. They have gotten rid of all physical and capacitive navigation buttons. They now live in the software as: Back, Home, and a Multitasking button. The multitasking button brings up a visual menu of open apps in which you can click to open, or swipe to dismiss. It?s possibly the best implementation of multitasking since WebOS.
The other big upgrade in software is the keyboard. It?s much more responsive and has a much more sophisticated auto-correct system. The copy/cut/paste system has also been fixed and is actually usable and easier to handle now. The keyboard also has a much improved voice dictation. You just press the mic on the keyboard and talk. It clearly understands what you?re saying, including punctuation. It?s also very easy to fix to any misunderstood words ? thought I haven?t had to do so very often. I found myself using this feature quite a bit and I applaud Google on how well it works.
The OS just feels very modern and offers tons of neat features that work very well. It?s much more understandable to the user now and much enjoyable with virtually no lag and a consistent UI. It could be a little more user friendly, but it?s defiently a major improvement over previous versions of Android.
Hardware
There?s nothing mind blowing about the hardware, but it sure is gorgeous. It?s slim, sleek and curved. It feels very light and durable in the hand, regardless of the fact it?s made of plastic. The hyper skin in the back gives the phone a very nice grip and the curve of the display makes the device more bearable in the hands. It also helps that the phone is about 9.5mm thin. It?s one of the thinnest LTE devices out there behind the DROID RAZR by Motorola. Coming from an HTC Thunderbolt ? which was a tank ? the thin profile is a big selling point for me.
Passed the aesthetics, you get some pretty decent spec?s for Google?s flagship device. The phone sports a 4.65? Super AMOLED HD display, a 1.2GHz OMAP processor, 1.3MP/5MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB memory, and an 1850mAh battery ? all on Verizon?s 4GLTE network.
Going back to the display, it?s a very beautiful display. There is some bandings down the device at its lowest brightness and offers a purple-ish tint, but passed that, it?s absolutely jaw-dropping.
The 1.2GHz processor and 1gig of RAM really make this thing fly and have yet to see any real lag or delay with this device. It handles 3D games like a champ and can have a dozen applications open and it will not make a stutter.
Battery Life
As expected from a 4G LTE device, the phone hasn?t been exactly the most reliable in terms of surviving a whole day. I find myself an hour in already at 72% most times after taking it off the charger around 9AM and need to put it back on the charger around 3PM. My Thunderbolt wasn?t all that great with battery, but it lasted a little longer than that. I hoped that the 1850mAh battery in this thing would chug along a little longer, but apparently not.
Of course, I don?t want to pin this all on the radio, as I found most times that the display was the culprit for battery drain. I guess battery life is one of the trade-offs you have 4GLTE and a 4.65? 720p display. I advise that if you are having bad battery life like me, to get the extended battery from Verizon. Its $49.99, but they should give you half off if you ask them. It apparently offers a few more hours of life for your phone and adds virtually no bulk.
Camera
So coming from an HTC Thunderbolt, I?m honestly disappointed with the performance of the camera. My Thunderbolt?s nine month old eight-megapixel camera performances slightly better than the Galaxy Nexus?s five-megapixel camera. My issue does not lie with the megapixel count, but rather the quality it produces ? or lack of. It performs terribly in low light settings and pictures don?t come out as vibrant as I?d like them to. The phone does have a pretty nifty ?zero shutter lag?. Essentially the phone can take a photo almost instantly. I can take ten shots in five seconds ? of course more than half of those were out of focus. It did perform well outdoors when I was able to get it to focus, but passed that, it has been a bit disappointing. By no means a deal breaker though.
Video recording on the other hand was pretty good. The back camera is capable of 1080p HD and the front 720p HD. The back offers a rich video experience with vibrant colors and sound quality and even the front camera performs well. You can actually make out the video recorded with the FFC as opposed to every other phone I?ve used. Also, the software supports live effects and time-lapse. They are fun to use time to time, but nothing that really adds much of a purpose.
Of course, the camera software is stupendous. Google did a great job with this there are lots of controls that are easily accessible. They?ve included a panorama mode where you take multiple side by side pictures and it stitches them together into one big picture. It?s very neat. You also get some editing tools in the Gallery app which covers basic things like red-eye reduction, cropping, straightening and such and offers filters, or as like Google refers to them, ?Hipster Filters?.
Wrap Up
The Galaxy Nexus is easily one of the greatest pieces of technology I?ve ever owned. Sure the battery and the camera are the best in my experience, but the pros outweigh the cons. It?s fast, sleek, and durable and the software is a major improvement and I truly enjoy using. Furthermore, the screen is astonishing and really is something you have to see in person to appreciate. Regardless of any flaws the device has, at the end of the day, I could not find myself giving up this phone. I personally think that if you?re on Verizon, you?re crazy if you pass this phone up. It exceeds my expectations and I couldn?t be more content with this device. Well worth the wait.
TL;DR Its amazing, go buy it now. 
DroidRat
Member
- Oct 11, 2010
- 12
- 2
- 0
This is my second Android phone, my first being the Droid X. While I loved my X, there's just something about the Galaxy Nexus that really gets me tinkering and it's great! Absolutely fantastic phone!
But, I gotta ask, how many other DX to GN converts are constantly picking the phone up upside-down?
But, I gotta ask, how many other DX to GN converts are constantly picking the phone up upside-down?
Actually it was the battery thing for the iPhone that did it. I don't have battery issues with my GNex. But in addition to the battery, I already have an iPod touch, so was familiar with the app store and really wanted something new and different. I just wasn't excited about having an iPhone, whereas I see the GNex is cutting edge.
Ultimately...I'm right there with ya. I have an iTouch and I ended my decision and went with the gn because I was just too worried that an iPhone was going to bore me :-/ I, too, just wanted something "new"...never seen before.
Stock browser really crushes the competition in speed/rendering/scrolling:
Razr and iPhone4s come the closest, although Anandtech hasn't tested the Rezound yet: AnandTech - Motorola Droid RAZR Review - A Better Clad Bionic
Brandon
Razr and iPhone4s come the closest, although Anandtech hasn't tested the Rezound yet: AnandTech - Motorola Droid RAZR Review - A Better Clad Bionic
Brandon
This is my second Android phone, my first being the Droid X. While I loved my X, there's just something about the Galaxy Nexus that really gets me tinkering and it's great! Absolutely fantastic phone!
But, I gotta ask, how many other DX to GN converts are constantly picking the phone up upside-down?
Hahaha, ME!
This is also my second Android phone. I also had the Droid X before I got the Nexus. Are you also accidentally pressing the power button thinking that's where the volume buttons are? I was, for the first few days.
This is a great phone.
What are the advertised LTE speeds we should be seeing? I'm only getting around 6-9mbps down and around 3-10 up, I thought it was maybe just my phone but I went up to VZW today and put my GNEX right next to the display one. Both had full bars and got the same low speed, around 7mbps down and 8 up. When I'm at home I only get 2 bars but get around that same speed. How is that possible? I wasn't able to compare it to the Rezound(VZW rep couldnt figure how to turn 4G on properly) but it seems like most of the 4G devices there where getting the same 4G speeds.
When doing a speedtest are you suppose to pick the server closest to you? The farther away I go, the better speeds I get. I'll click on one server close to me(Pittsburgh) and get 8/5mbps then ill click on a server in Aalabama and get 25/10mbps. How can it jump like that.
I like the GNEX and I also like the Rezound but I don't want to return my GNEX unless it's definitely a problem with the phone.
When doing a speedtest are you suppose to pick the server closest to you? The farther away I go, the better speeds I get. I'll click on one server close to me(Pittsburgh) and get 8/5mbps then ill click on a server in Aalabama and get 25/10mbps. How can it jump like that.
I like the GNEX and I also like the Rezound but I don't want to return my GNEX unless it's definitely a problem with the phone.
jwsnj3rd
Active member
- Jan 9, 2011
- 44
- 1
- 0
Okay, so I got my Galaxy Nexus yesterday, and spent pretty much the entire day setting it up and tweaking it to my liking. Today, I had my first day of actual use, and I think it did pretty well.
First and foremost, the battery life held up pretty well. I keep 4G on, use auto-brightness, turn off syncing (I'm perfectly fine with apps updating when I open them), and also use Juice Defender Ultimate. I had the phone off the charger for about six hours, with 20-30 minutes of web browsing, e-mail, etc. By the end of that six hours, I was only down to 90%. Pretty much the same kind of battery life I was getting out of my rooted Thunderbolt, so I can't complain. There will be days when my actual usage is a bit higher, but I suspect battery life will still hold up pretty well.
The stock launcher is pretty solid. I don't mind the permanent search bar, nor do I mind the lack of a scrolling dock. The only thing that kind of irks me is that folders limit the amount of items you can put in there. I suppose I've been spoiled by Go Launcher and their much higher folder size. I have tons of games, and I was hoping to make one "games" folder with all of them in it, but now I have to make a "Games 1", "Games 2", etc. setup. I also wish they'd allow you to use custom icons for apps, but I guess I can understand why they wouldn't allow that in stock.
Thus far, I haven't made or received any calls, so I don't know how well that works. I also haven't done much to use the speaker to have a valid opinion on that.
My biggest negative is the amount of trouble I'm having with connecting it to my computer to transfer media files to it. I managed to transfer over 50+ custom ringtones, but every time I try to transfer pictures to the appropriate folder, the transfer process just hangs and crashes my Windows Explorer. I did manage to also get 200+ wallpapers transferred over fine, but I can't seem to get my pictures from my old Thunderbolt to copy over to my Pictures folder on my Nexus.
One thing that has surprised me is that wifi seems to be much faster on my Nexus than it was on my Thunderbolt. I don't quite understand why that seems to be the case, though. For instance, I have a selection of songs in Google Music downloading to my phone over wifi (about two gigs worth). When I did this on my Thunderbolt, the download took over six hours. On my Nexus, it's only taken about half that.
sounds like a great media device ,but how does it function as a phone?
I doubt it's the phone. It depends on what region you are in, but in general I'd say if you are in an area with good coverage, you should be getting better speeds. There is some guy in NY who was posting speeds of 60-70Mbps, which I have never come close to. With 3-4 bars, I average around 25Mbps, which is pretty good.
Brandon
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