Anyone switch from the Rezound?

[rcyphermd]

Just curious if anyone switched from the Rezound, and their thoughts, pro and con.

 

[TheXFactor]

Not yet. Thinking about it. Actually had a chance to check out the Nexus about an hour ago. It's thin and all, but there is way to much plastic. The Rezound has a nice feel to it, the Nexus feels really cheap.

 

[Crayon]

Had the Rezound for two and a half weeks, Nexus for an hour. Nexus wins. I can't discern any difference between the screens and that was the Rezound selling point. I haven't noticed any lag in the Nexus, and there was a bit in the Rezound to be honest.

 

[landolakes]

Videos! Watching on the full screen with out those dumb pink buttons shining is priceless. I love the resound enough to keep it and put it on my wife's account.

 

[Androidcurious]

I switched. Screens are a wash, with the exception of getting rid of the buttons while watching something. That is very cool. Beyond that, I actually prefer the build on the Nexus over the Rezound. I do wish Samsung would use a wee bit higher end materials but I think their bad rap is a bit overhyped. THe phone feels really high end in my opinion, and it's just sleek enough that I think it's nicer to hold than the Rezound.

As for any other comparison, it really comes down to ICS. That's what the Nexus is all about, and in my estimation ICS is leaps better than Gingerbread. It's slick, fast, polished, and feels like a human OS. Gingerbread, espeically wiht SEnse, looks like a cluttered car wreck compared to it now. Seriously, I thought I liked Sense but after using ICS I can't imagine going back.

 

[crankerchick]

Curious of more answers on this myself. Was going to post a thread, so I'm glad to see someone beat me to it. Can anyone comment on speaker quality/volume and earpiece quality/volume? What about reception and data speeds. People are reporting in other threads worse reception in the same location, which translates of course to poorer data speeds and even worse battery life.

I really like the Rezound and really am only interested in switching for the unlocked bootloader which matters a lot to me for peace of mind (I worry that the Rezound won't be unlocked) and for the thinner phone, as the Rezound does just feel a bit big like a brick.

 

[trophynuts]

i traded my rental in yesterday. So far i like it but really its too early to tell. A couple of things that stand out right now

ICS is buttery smooth
Zero Lag in the keyboard

 

[Colchicine]

I honestly can't decide between these two models, my inclinations seem to change on a daily basis. I'll be watching this thread closely.

 

[Lomallin]

I was curious on the learning curve for the buttons on the GNex. I played around in the store, not for long, but kept on turning off the phone when I tried to up the volume. It almost felt like they designed the phone to be held upside down (with ports on the top)

So, anyways, curious to know how it went. I'm still leaning more on Rezound side because the GNex is so wide - everything else is about equal with one phone or the other beating each other on individual features, but I like the idea behind the GNex.

 

[Laxstar785]

as always people will assume plastic = cheap, not true if designed correctly and i don't think the nexus feels cheap at all personally. Is it plastic yes, but when something is .050" thick and you drop it 6ft on to concrete its really not going to matter if its plastic or stainless steel its going to break.

 

[BubbaNexus]

i think it looks cheap, but doesn't feel cheap lol

i read somewhere it has a metal skeleton so there's no creaking during use.

i do agree they should have fancied up the look a bit, maybe used some metal on the outside, but it's far from a deal killer. i don't buy phones to make a fashion statement lol

 

[kishin14]

I'm considering the switch. Almost pulled the trigger yesterday but glad the stores were sold out. I need to read more reviews and opinions. So far the only things I really like about the GNex is the new implementation of the soft keys and the fact that it's rootable right now.

Root is really the key though. If the rezound was also rootable, I wouldn't consider switching. I guess I didn't realize how much I'd miss being a superuser. It's even cool just to say.

 

[OfTheDamned]

I had the Rezound for two weeks before switching to the Nexus. The things I notice:

Speed: Both phones are very smooth and fast.
Signal and connection: The Rezound gave me much better signal readings than what I have been seeing on the Nexus. The 4G speeds are about the same though and I've yet to drop a call.
Wifi: While both connect to my network the Nexus is getting better speeds than either my netbook or laptop get.
Screen: Both phones have great screens, but the size and amoled on the Nexus are a winner for me.
OS: ICS has to win this. It is really really nice. Did I say ICS is nice?
Apps: Obviously with a new OS there are some compatibility issues with some apps. I've had some apps that are just not performing well or not at all with ICS that were great on Gingerbread. I think this will be resolved for most when the developers get off their lazy bu......ummmm....I mean take the time out of their incredibly busy schedules to do updates.
Sound: Even with Beats I would call this a draw. Beats always seemed like an updated Loudness button to me. The EQ in the new Google Music app does a better job IMHO.

 

[Ninjak]

Had my Rezound for a month before switching it out for the Nexus yesterday. Loved the phone, although as a first time HTC user then, I learned I'm not a huge Sense fan having come from a Droid 1, 2, and briefly a Bionic. Watching HD videos seemed to be a bit sharper on the Rezound, particularly live HD football on NFL Mobile. I also preferred the less slick hyperskin backing compared to the slick one on the Nexus. My Nexus tends to want to slide off of things when I put it down. Overall, I do love the Nexus, but do agree with others than the Rezound had a more solid build quality and was easier to hold in the hand. I have large hands, however, so navigating the Nexus isn't bad for me either. All that said, it's WAY easier to quickly type and access apps, screens, etc for me on the nexus than on the Rezound. Sense seemed like it was in my way at times. That being said, despite my happy ravings about the Nexus, I'm not yet certain I'm going to keep it. Two of my primary issues:

1) As many others have said, the rear speaker max volume is way too low. In a quiet environment it sounds fine (albeit a bit robotic/tinny at times). The 4.0.2 patch was supposed to increase volume a bit for Google Maps navigation, but I've not had a chance to test that yet. I refuse to go the route of installing an app like Volume+ to try to address something that shouldn't have been an issue to begin with.

2) The LED notification is all but useless. This may be my biggest complaint and lead me to return the phone if not fixed soon. The blink rate is way too slow, for starters. I need to be able to tell at a glance if i have a text, vmail, or email. Staring at the phone for 8 seconds in hopes of seeing a soft white light doesn't cut it. Light Flow doesn't yet work completely, but the developer has announced he's working in it. Again, however this isn't something I should have to install an app to fix. This stuff just worked by default out of the box on my other devices. I'm hoping when I install Handcent SMS again tonight that it will be able to change the color of the lights and blink frequency, but I'm not holding my breath.

3) (More like "2a") There are no other LEDs on this phone whatsoever. Thus, when charging the phone while it's powered off, there's no way to tell your charge is complete unless you click the power button and examine the white battery icon. Inefficient. If the charging cable had an embedded LED that went off when charging were complete, even that would be a good workaround. The LED notification on the phone itself doesn't even pulse red or anything when your battery is dying. These may seem like niggles to some, but this is coming from someone who was going to skip the Galaxy SII completely had it come to Verizon for lacking a LED notification in the first place. The Nexus' light is leaning into that useless stage, but I have to give it a chance.

At this point, my ideal phone (assuming the screen had improved on it) would have been the HD version of the RAZR that China received. With ICS' native resolution being 720p, I won't purchase a phone without that res. I have til January 15th to return the Nexus if I'm not satisfied. I love the OS, but if at least the LED can't be set to blink quickly and correctly in the colors I need it to at the appropriate times, then I will likely end up going back to the Rezound. As it is, mine needed to be swapped out anyhow since I was getting the pink glowing softkeys the first releases had rather than the proper crimson color, but it's not as if that affected functionality. I don't trust htc will be able to make their eventual ICS upgrade as tidy as the stock experience, but I can always flash a vanilla ICS rom onto it whenever S-OFF and perm root is achieved. I'm holding off, as I did with the Rezound, buying any accessories until I'm sure this will be my final phone. There is supposed to be a 4.1 OTA coming at some point that the testers got a brief look at while we're all at 4.0.2. Perhaps that will address my concerns.

Bottom line: I don't want to have to return this phone, but all the glitz and glamor aside, it has to function for me as a phone first. I can live without an SD slot, and I'm sure USB-OTG support will come soon for plugging in external SD readers. But if I can't hear my phone ringing at max volume from another room (or from within a pocket since vibrate is too soft) and can't quickly tell if I've missed a call, then it's back to the Rezound unless something unexpected is released by mid-January.

 

[grl4boy1]

Had the Rezound for two and a half weeks, Nexus for an hour. Nexus wins. I can't discern any difference between the screens and that was the Rezound selling point. I haven't noticed any lag in the Nexus, and there was a bit in the Rezound to be honest.

I concur. I had my Rezound since Nov 19th and the screen was the big deal. I've had the nexus for less than a day and it is far superior to the rezound in many ways. ICS of course but the screen difference is not discernible to my eyes. The Nexus screen is beautiful. Sound quality from my limited time is equal and it is thinner and lighter.

 

[Manny212]

I had the Rezound for two weeks before switching to the Nexus. The things I notice:

Speed: Both phones are very smooth and fast.
Signal and connection: The Rezound gave me much better signal readings than what I have been seeing on the Nexus. The 4G speeds are about the same though and I've yet to drop a call.
Wifi: While both connect to my network the Nexus is getting better speeds than either my netbook or laptop get.
Screen: Both phones have great screens, but the size and amoled on the Nexus are a winner for me.
OS: ICS has to win this. It is really really nice. Did I say ICS is nice?
Apps: Obviously with a new OS there are some compatibility issues with some apps. I've had some apps that are just not performing well or not at all with ICS that were great on Gingerbread. I think this will be resolved for most when the developers get off their lazy bu......ummmm....I mean take the time out of their incredibly busy schedules to do updates.
Sound: Even with Beats I would call this a draw. Beats always seemed like an updated Loudness button to me. The EQ in the new Google Music app does a better job IMHO.

I agree with all of this besides the speed part. The nexus just feels all around faster. Everything is buttery smooth which can also be attributed to ics. The app drawer on the rezound was very laggy and it slowed down quickly after having an app or two running in the background. The keyboard was one of my biggest gripes with the rezound. It was just slow and inaccurate.

Another thing to consider is that while both phones are made of plastic, the nexus is much more solid. My rezound was already creaking after a week. Mostly due to the battey cover but it was still annoying to me.

There's honestly no category where the rezound beats the nexus. I have both phones but will be selling the rezound soon. Better overall hardware and design for the nexus and the inclusion of ics puts the nexus well ahead of the rezound imo.

 

[red66charger]

On the display, has anyone noticed slight off-angle viewing on the Nexus turns white backgrounds blue-green? This bothers me and I'm trying to figure out if it is just my device or if they all display like this. The LCD on my TBolt looked the same no matter what angle I was viewing from. I'm guessing the Rezound is the same. I looked at a co-worker's Nexus and I didn't notice it on his, but he had a screen protector that looked to have a matte type of surface. My screen is naked for the time being. This is my first AMOLED so maybe blue-green hue shifting is inherent in these screens.

 

[jrob007]

I "rented" a ReZound from the first day that the extended return was available. And I would have kept the ReZound and been happy with it if the Nexus had been a wash.

That said I LOVE the Nexus.

* The screen is just beautiful. I was super paranoid about the pentile layout. The bottom line is that I can see the pentile effects if I look close enough, but it does not get in the way. And it's a little bit bigger.

* Ice Cream Sandwich is super sweet. No skin getting in the way. No third party apps installed and eating processor and memory.

* Getting updates straight from Google is a huge benefit.

* At first blush, it seemed like a big step down on the audio. (I used the Beats headphones and I used my 50$ Sennheiser earbuds and they are about the same.) However, with about an hour playing with an equalizer, I can say the audio is about the same.

* Support for modding. Factory images have already been released by Google. Boot is unlockable by default. ReZound has temp root and will probably get full root, but when is still a question.

 

[crankerchick]

I had the Rezound for two weeks before switching to the Nexus. The things I notice:

Speed: Both phones are very smooth and fast.
Signal and connection: The Rezound gave me much better signal readings than what I have been seeing on the Nexus. The 4G speeds are about the same though and I've yet to drop a call.
Wifi: While both connect to my network the Nexus is getting better speeds than either my netbook or laptop get.
Screen: Both phones have great screens, but the size and amoled on the Nexus are a winner for me.
OS: ICS has to win this. It is really really nice. Did I say ICS is nice?
Apps: Obviously with a new OS there are some compatibility issues with some apps. I've had some apps that are just not performing well or not at all with ICS that were great on Gingerbread. I think this will be resolved for most when the developers get off their lazy bu......ummmm....I mean take the time out of their incredibly busy schedules to do updates.
Sound: Even with Beats I would call this a draw. Beats always seemed like an updated Loudness button to me. The EQ in the new Google Music app does a better job IMHO.

I went and played with the Nexus in the store. I tested same orientation side by side the Rezound and Nexus and observed the same--that the signal reading was worse on the Nexus, but the data speeds were similar, the Rezound winning by 1 Mbps both up and down. The Nexus was showing 1-2 bars and reporting signal strength of -102 dBm while the Rezound was showing 3 bars and a signal strength reporting -70 dBm. SpeedTest results, though, showed both pulling around 5 Mbps down and 7 Mbps up, but the Rezound just a bit better. Ping was the same at ~100 ms.

The speaker volume was disappointing. Played the same YouTube videos on both and the Rezound was much louder and at least audible in the loud Verizon store.

The Nexus didn't "wow" me at all and my biggest lasting impression upon leaving the store is how much I prefer vanilla Android to Sense, MotoBlur, TouchWiz, etc. Of all the things that distinguish the two phones, that was my takeaway, that I really don't care for the Sense theme and changes to all of the applications.

I do feel the Rezound takes a better photo on auto and to my eye, the screen on the Rezound is just nicer. I did find myself hitting the volume button a lot when trying to hit the power button, and vice versa hitting the power button when trying to toggle the volume.

I really wish the phone had released sooner because I really was 100% gung ho on the Nexus, but the wait with my Droid was excruciating and I ended up going the Rezound a month ago so I could at least have a functional phone. Now I can't decide which one I want. It would have helped if I was wow-ed by the Nexus, but in the end it was just another phone--a nice one, and a fast one too, but so is the Rezound. *sigh

 

[dguy]

I had the Bionic, Rezound, and Razr all recently. The Galaxy Nexus blows them all away. I actually liked the Rezound less than any of the other 3. I'm too lazy to go into detail but that's my $0.02.

Okay maybe a little bit. Compared with the Rezound, the Galaxy Nexus feels better, looks better, is faster, has better battery life, and I have not really encountered any bugs while I did with all of the aforementioned phones pretty quickly after getting them.

 

[lightsout]

How about battery life on the rezound? I used my Nex for like 5 texts today and at 330 it had 20%. Went on it for 2 minutes and was getting battery warnings. If I had used like I normally do my phone it would have been dead by noon.

 

[michaelkahl]

I owned the Rezound from 11/23 till 12/15 so I had some good time with it. I can't say as much about the Nexus. There are key things you need to know about yourself.
1. Do you like sense?
2. Are you fine with waiting on HTC updates?
3. Would you be more likely install an AOSP ROM on the Rezound?
4. Do you want the option to use Micro-SD storage?

My thoughts on the Rezound...
-It's a step forward in the world of Sense.
-The screen is gorgeous but feels smaller than most 4.3" phones because of the aspect.
-Gingerbread is an improvement but it's also old.
-The Beats experience is deminished by the hissing issue, but was surprisingly good....which I've had in every HTC device I've owned. I never heard it on iPhones. However, my Nexus does this to some degree.
-Heat, my first Rezound was horrible, the warranty replace,ent was better. I never feel the Nexus get warm under the same or any conditions yet.
-Battery life seems very similar to me to be honest. I got 12-18 hours on Normal power mode with 4g on.
-I didn't feel like HTC allowed me to experience much of the Google experience. Who wants to use Google Music if Beats doesn't work with it? HTC has their own video service. HTC widgets only work with the Sense home screen. These aren't deal breakers but preferences. Until ICS I personally believe that HTC had the best and most functional widgets around.
-The HTC email app is hands down the best I've used on Android. Stock Android gives you enough but HTC has some nice functionality. I'll admit I haven't played with the new Email app to much just yet. Either way HTC has done good things there.
-Standby battery is greatly improved sipping 1-2% an hour as I observed.

Galaxy Nexus...in the short time I've had it.
-ICS is awesome! It is a joy to use and is the smoothest I've seen Android.
-standby battery is excellent. My phone was in standby for 3 hours and didn't show any drop in battery.
-the phone is thin and feels solid yet light
-the AMOLED screen is gorgeous. The Rezound is good but blacks can't compare.
-No HUGE extended battery option like the Rezound, more of a preference. I don't like the bulk.
-Still photos don't seem as nice as my Rezound
-The kicker for me is getting the Google experience without worrying about s-off, broken capabilities, feeling like I need to swap stock components with market alternatives. Everything just flows well. I like the Keyboard, styling, messaging app, and all native components.
-App compatibility...I saw issues with the Rezound and the Dish Network slingplayer app. The Nexus can't get HBO Go, but Dish works.

Overall I'm much more excited and happy with the Nexus. It's not perfect, neither is the Rezound. You just have to weigh your preferences and pick the phone you enjoy using the most.

 

[michaelkahl]

How about battery life on the rezound? I used my Nex for like 5 texts today and at 330 it had 20%. Went on it for 2 minutes and was getting battery warnings. If I had used like I normally do my phone it would have been dead by noon.

I believe they are similar but HTC is including Power Modes that you configure. Not as robust as Smart Actions but similar functionality. Select a profile for either increased battery or increased performance/capabilities.

I went 12 hours on the Nexus today and was at 12% battery.

 

[z28fun]

I also rented the rezond before jumping to the Gnex. Here's what i noticed.

Battery sucks on the Gnex. Fully charged my battery only lasts 8 hours. On the rezound i could get a day and half out of it.

On the rezound i liked the email and weather part of sense...nothing else thou. On the Gnex I have yet to figure out how to get the email icon to show me how many emails/texts i haven't read yet.

The rezound takes better pictures then the Gnex.

I don't notice a difference in the screens.

I wish ICS gave me the ability to change the color of the fonts on the top menu bar and change the type of clock. I had to buy a widget to get the type of clock i wanted

4g signal strenght is terrable on the Gnex compared to the Rezond. Ever where i went with the rezond i had 4g. On the Gnex it keeps dropping down to 3g and i'm not going anywhere i didn't take my rezond.

I like how thin the Gnex is, but i feel the rezound is built better. I also liked the back of the rezond because the rupper had some grip to it so it would not slide on most surfaces. Since the Gnex is all hard plastic it slides everywhere!!!

Over all i'm some what happy with the gnex. My biggest disappointments are the battery and the signal strenght.

 

[kishin14]

I also have a rezound and was considering switching. The first time I saw the GNex, I was more impressed than I thought I'd be. But I only got to play with it for about 10 minutes since the store was so busy. I've gone to see it two more times since then, spending more time with it each time, and I've been less impressed each time.

I thought I could get used to the pentile matrix. But the more I looked at the screen, the more I noticed it and the more I'm bothered by it. Heck you can even see it in the soft keys. I also can't get used to how cheap the phone feels. The store unit had like 6 pieces of masking tape on the back to keep the back cover in place. First time I've ever seen that on a display phone, much less one that was less than a day old. That could suggests that the cover isn't the most secure. My rezound is rock solid.

The two things I really liked about the GNex is its speed and that fact it is rootable out the box. But after debloating/desensing earlier today, I can honestly say that my rezound absolutely flies. The fact that it doesn't have perm root is a bigger issue to deal with. But I just can't give up what I consider to be a nicer screen, better build, better overall size, better camera, the beats tech, removable storage, and better signal. The last point is based more on GNex owner feedback right here on this forum than any testing on my part, but even if that doesn't hold true, it's still too much for me to sacrifice for root. Besides, I still have faith that the rezound will see S-off and perm root soon enough.