nexus s- still a good phone?

salaamq · July 5th, 2012, 01:00 PM

I'm new to the forums. Hello everyone

So my iPhone 3gs is dying on me. I'm thinking about getting a nexus s, but i'm not sure if it is still a good phone. When updated to ice cream sandwich, does it run fast, or does it lag etc? I could get a used nexus s for 200 off ebay, galaxy nexus is a bit out of my budget now.

I used to have an lg optimus. Worst phone ever. It was soooo slow and had so many bugs. I'm hoping for a good android experience. Fast with little or no lag and a good browser. Would the nexus s be a good phone for me?

The_Gnome_ · July 5th, 2012, 01:23 PM

I've had my Nexus S since it launched in Canada (a little over a year or so) and I still love it.

I find it still performs well with ICS, and currently I'm running the CM9 release candidate with no performance issues.

Jelly Bean is coming for the Nexus S in July as well so if the GALAXY Nexus is out of your budget I think the Nexus S is still a good buy.

droiddecar · July 5th, 2012, 08:09 PM

It works very well for me, still moves pretty fast. I actually like it better than the Galaxy Nexus in that I find the size to be much better. I do a lot of one hand operations with the Nexus S, but the Galaxy Nexus is so big it makes it a lot harder to one hand it and increases the chances I will drop it.

quantumrand · July 6th, 2012, 03:30 AM

It really depends HOW you use your phone. If you load up your home screen with a ton of process intensive widgets, the Nexus S will be a bit laggy. But as long as you don't go overboard it's still a worthwhile phone.

As far as affordable phones go, The Galaxy Nexus is probably one of the best deals out there, but the Nexus S is definitely a close second, especially if you can find one new for around $200.

The Nexus S can get a little choppy when web browsing, but it's certainly tolerable. It's getting a bit long in the tooth for some of the new 3D games, but it'll still run things like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and a PlayStation emulator just fine.

One thing to consider, if you do get the Nexus S, is that you'll probably want to replace it within a year or so.

salaamq · July 6th, 2012, 08:53 AM

My tmobile contract will be over next summer. (Worst service ever)
If it's going to have choppy web browsing, maybe I should look at a different phone. Web is one of my main uses for my phone. My iphone still has a smooth browser, but no flash

Are there any other phones at a good price that are fast on ice cream sandwich with a fast browser?
Also, any difference between the nexus s and the nexus s 4g, other than the obvious?

quantumrand · July 6th, 2012, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salaamq

My tmobile contract will be over next summer. (Worst service ever)
If it's going to have choppy web browsing, maybe I should look at a different phone. Web is one of my main uses for my phone. My iphone still has a smooth browser, but no flash

Are there any other phones at a good price that are fast on ice cream sandwich with a fast browser?
Also, any difference between the nexus s and the nexus s 4g, other than the obvious?

The Nexus S 4G is just Sprint's Nexus S which works on WiMAX.

When I say the Nexus S browser was a little chopping, I don't mean it's unusable in any way. Scrolling stutters a little when the page is still loading, and sometimes sites with a lot of photo/video content slow down scrolling too.

There are also a lot of other browser apps to choose from. This article might help: The Great Android Browser Face-Off 2012 : The Browsers are Back for a Rematch

I personally have no problems with T-Mobile, and I like that they cost literally half compared to their competitors. Though I know their service can be a bit weak in certain (particularly more rural) areas.

salaamq · July 6th, 2012, 04:56 PM

Ok, also any other alternatives to the stock android keyboard? I hated the one on my old android phone; the iphone keyboard is like 99999999x better. Less typos and the phone can keep up with what i'm typing.
Ice cream sandwich-how to update? Is jellybean coming to the nexus s?
Jellybean also is supposed to have a refined keyboard.

quantumrand · July 6th, 2012, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salaamq

Ok, also any other alternatives to the stock android keyboard? I hated the one on my old android phone; the iphone keyboard is like 99999999x better. Less typos and the phone can keep up with what i'm typing.
Ice cream sandwich-how to update? Is jellybean coming to the nexus s?
Jellybean also is supposed to have a refined keyboard.

There are a lot of keyboard apps on Android, though I have no idea which ones are better than others. I hear Swype and Swiftkey are both pretty good.

According to Google, Jelly Bean will be coming to the Nexus S, supposedly by the end of July for the I9020A and I9023. Considering Apple's recent legal action, it might not be for a few months. It should help a bit with performance thanks to better hardware acceleration and what not ("Project Butter").

tobyyoda · July 8th, 2012, 01:05 AM

I think the Nexus S is still a good phone, my only issue is the battery performance in ICS but this is a trade I can live with given the low cost of the handset and the highly customisable interface of ICS.

candroid11 · July 8th, 2012, 08:18 PM

The Nexus S is my first and currently only android device (getting the N7 soon). It runs great after a year of owning it. It is still one of the better android phones available on the market. It would be a step up from your iphone.

candroid11 · July 8th, 2012, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salaamq

Ok, also any other alternatives to the stock android keyboard? I hated the one on my old android phone; the iphone keyboard is like 99999999x better. Less typos and the phone can keep up with what i'm typing.
Ice cream sandwich-how to update? Is jellybean coming to the nexus s?
Jellybean also is supposed to have a refined keyboard.

The stock keyboard from gingerbread and ICS is perfectly fine, but I bought swiftkey. That is an amazing keyboard with very accurate predictions and a customizable interface. Your phone should update to ICS automatically. If not, type in *#*#checkin#*#* in your dialler and it will force the phone to update. And yes, Jellybean is coming some time soon. The keyboard in jellybean looks like a copy of swiftkey.