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TBolt to GNex back to TBolt and now Rezound...

csbarnhill

Newbie
Mar 19, 2011
19
8
I was waiting for this phone to finally come come out just like everyone else. I really wanted to like the GNex but for the money I spent it should have been better. I had the phone for about a week and a half. This write up is meant to enlighten anyone on the fence trying to decide like I was.

Speaker Phone- I kept missing calls as the speaker wasn't very loud and also trying to hear it while driving (I hate ear pieces).

Camera- I'm a Semi-Pro Photographer and know that mp's are not what make a good camera. A combination of things, Lens, sensor and processor are what make the difference. The camera had no focus priority so it just fired whether focused or not. Even when focused, the image quality was sub-par.

Call Quality- This is what killed it for me. I don't make that many calls but 4 out of about 15 calls I made, had some horrible ear piercing noises. It sounded like R2D2 on steroids.

Battery- I found that the battery when given a chance to break in wasn't all that bad. I was used to the battery on the TBolt and the GNex was the same or even a little better.

Software- I liked ICS, but by the time I loaded the apps I wanted it seemed to get bogged down and showed a little lag. So I didn't see the point in the stripped OS. Some of the things I miss are the ability to swipe off apps to close and the LED notifier. I also liked the SAMOLED screen a bit better. I wanted a phone that I will be happy with for at least a year, so anything that bugs me that most likely will not be fixed with an update, (ie -the camera, speaker phone and LTE radio), would drive me nuts.,

Build Quality- I was happy with the build quality of the GNex but HTC phones seem a bit better. I never had the cover come off as some have said, in fact it seems more secure than the Rezound.

Web Browsing- Okay, I admit the GNex is pretty great here, thats where ICS shines except the lack of flash. I don't browse on my phone that much unless I really need to so that wasn't to big of a deal for me.

After returning it and going back to my Tbolt for a bit made me realize I missed "Sense". Who wants a boring stripped OS, I like the cool UI of "Sense". Some people want to remove it to make it faster but it runs just fine for me. Don't get me wrong ICS was cool too but some of the stock apps were a bit bland such as calendar and messaging. The email app overlapped text when set to a larger font, on the inbox list, I'm sure that would be fixed. I had to spend some $ to finally find a calendar app worth while which ended up being free, although not as nice as the Sense calendar. I use reminders daily.

I decided to go with the Rezound and haven't regretted it so far. The camera is awesome. Sense 3.5 is much better with customizable lock screens, revolving home screens and many more cool features. It's not any more laggy than ICS after loading the apps I needed. Battery life is better especially with the 2750 extended battery for going on trips away from a charger. The screen is great but I did like the GNex screen better, easier to read in day light, but the Resound is not bad in that department. So far after about a week I haven't had any issues with call quality or signal strength. I also don't miss the bigger screen of the GNex as I don't watch movies on my phone.

I even thought about getting the iPhone 4s but don't care too much about the icon littered IOS 5 on a phone, and the screen is way too small for my 40+ yr old eyes.

I seem more at home with Sense and HTC and am looking forward to the ICS update.

So now I guess I have to switch camps over to the Rezound forum.

Thanks Samsung, love your TV's. Your phones are getting better and better.
 
You do know that flash is available for the GNEX? Sorry, but in terms of quality, HTC can't touch Samsung. Maybe it's the poor battery life, screen separation issues, or dust under the screen that left a bad taste. That being said, if you're happy with the Rezound, more props to you. It's not about what device is better, but what works for you.
 
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@ the OP...
I know this thread will most likely be closed due to a lot of negative comments. But here it goes anyway...

Seriously? The Nexus has Amazing call quality ...And I'm pretty nit picky when it comes to call quality! Out of every phone I've had in 2011...TB, Charge, Bionic, Razr, and the Rezound...The Nexus Trumped them all on call quality! Did you ever entertain the fact that your R2D2 on Steroids phone was in fact a dud?

Loudness? I haven't missed one call yet! My ringer volume is only about halfway up, and that's plenty loud for me! And I also have Vibrate tools loaded on my Nexus which allows me to create my own Vibrate patterns. Again, Seriously?

Now the external speaker when playing Videos could have indeed been made to be louder, that I would agree on 100%...But as far as occasionally talking on the speaker phone while ironing my clothes, its OK at best. Hopefully an update can help on that topic.

The Camera? Your a Semi Pro when it comes to taking pictures? So does that mean you like to take pictures, but you don't actually get paid to take them? I like to drive really fast, does that make me a semi pro race car driver?... lmaoooo, just kidding and poking at you because I've just about heard enuff of the Camera debate, listen OP, the camera on the Nexus is not the best, its not even the second best, or third best...But its pretty dam good, and gets the job done....This phones claim to fame is the fact that its the 1st phone optimized to run ICS with no over lay...Case Closed....If you want an amazing camera that National Geographic would pass of as trust worthy for taking pics of wild animals...look to Nokia, or Sony.

Battery? Really now? Are we seriously going to talk about 4G batteries...They are all are downright terrible...Welcome to the need for Speed era...it is what it is! You want to drive fast, be prepared to fill up on gas...This is like arguing that a brand new Mercedes S63 is bad on Gas... Lmaooo!

OK....That's enuff poking! IMHO, the Galaxy Nexus is a great device...does everything that I need my phone to do, some things it does perfect, some it does almost perfect...No one phone is perfect! But at the end of the day you have to be happy. And if the Nexus doesn't make you happy, then the right thing to do is switch phones and try something else, which you have done....So all in all, I hope you are happy with your decision.
 
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only valid claim would be volulme and battery.. especially on websurfing (large AMOLED screen with white pages is no good).
but in other areas, rezound is worse than GNex when it comes to battery.

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Why do people always flock to the defense of a phone just because someone says they had problems with it?

To say the OP's comments are not valid is ridiculous. Why? Because you didn't use the same device the OP used, so you can't say the problems were invalid just because your device doesn't have the same issues, the exception of course being flash since it is available.
 
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I'm not going to dispute that the OP experienced issues that caused him/her to decide to not stay with the Nexus. I can say however, that I never experienced any of the issues. Sure, the speakerphone isn't as loud as say, the Tbolt. But it does it's job as it should, unless you're in a really noisy environment. And in that case, it really shouldn't be on speaker to start with. Ringtones, I've not had an issue with at all, either stock ones, or music tones.

I've also had no issues with call quality, and camera-wise....ugh. Again, as has been said over and over, this phone was never touted to be the savior of all things pictures. It takes perfectly fine pictures for what it is. Yes, there are better cameras on other phones, and if you really need it to be the best for taking pictures, then look elsewhere. But sub-par compared to what? I've had no complaints with taking pictures, either auto-focused or manual. But I'm also not looking for it to beat out an SLR somewhere. People have to stop thinking that this phone is supposed to be the best camera out there.

There are other personal preference issues that the OP has outlined, and that is well within anyone's right to not like particular features, etc. Doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with it, just that they prefer something else.

However, the only thing I can say, is that perhaps the OP might have had something more wrong with the phone than what normally should've shown. Perhaps a replacement might have resolved many complaints. But, glad you're happy with the Rezound, another solid device. To be honest, I almost went with that when it came out, but it was so similar to my Thunderbolt (just better processors and little things), that I didn't feel like the investment just yet. The Nexus got my vote after the ICS playings I did. But grats, and good luck with your new phone!
 
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I was waiting for this phone to finally come come out just like everyone else. I really wanted to like the GNex but for the money I spent it should have been better. I had the phone for about a week and a half. This write up is meant to enlighten anyone on the fence trying to decide like I was.

'For the money', you should probably have just stuck with the TBolt. I've said this in another forum...when you are paying top dollar for something you expect it to be flawless with unicorns appearing everytime you use it.

I was leaning towards the Rezound for a while, a lot of that came from reading all of the negative comments on this forum about the Gnex. But you know what, I've had the Nex since the 17th and I'm glad that I spent my top dollar on a forward looking device, despite some of its short term annyoances.

Being in NYC, my call quality, reception, and speed has been bad ass. The extended battery (10x slimmer than the Rezound extended battery) gets me through a full commuting day with a lot of use. The vibrate could be much stronger and the camera is sufficient, but software updates and the lack of Vz bloat will make this puppy continue to humm like the rock star that it is.

Good luck with the Rezound...still Android all the way.
 
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As the wise man once wrote "Android is all about choice!"

Apparently the OP has made his choice... as have all the members who contributed to this thread. Since we all make our own choices it's prudent to not bash others who do not share that choice. ;)
Yeah... Except the OP decided to come to the GNEX FORUM and BASH THE GNEX?
 
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I came from the Thunderbolt as well - and I'm a happy Gnex owner at this point.

I also appreciate the simplicity and elegance of ICS. Yes, I'm also a "Sense Fan" - in fact, I rolled my Tbolt to a custom rom just so I could have some Sense 3.5 love. That being said - I don't miss Sense anymore (hmmm... maybe the People widget).

The camera initially gave me some issue - but I'm at peace with the fact that it is a cell phone camera and it works remarkably well as one. Thunderbolt was no SLR either. Plus, the fast shutter speed helps me ensure I get what I want.

One thing that people have to understand is the Android is NOT a closed, rock garden system like iPhone. You can take 2 iPhone people from 2000 miles away - and they are going to report an almost identical experience. You can take 2 Android people using the SAME PHONE and get an almost completely OPPOSITE experience. It's just the way it is.

This is why I tell ANYONE looking to go Android ... Go down to an actual store. Put your hands on WORKING models (not dummies). Take pictures. Try the internet. Don't take online reports, blog write ups or word of mouth as gospel. Buy an Android you know you can return if you don't like it (Verizon offers 30 days I believe).

iPhone == iPhone == iPhone
Android != Android != Android

... and that is NOT necessarily a bad thing.
 
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Yeah... Except the OP decided to come to the GNEX FORUM and BASH THE GNEX?

The GNex gets a boatload of crap both here and on xda I noticed. Oh well, their loss. For those of us who own and love it we know how good this phone is and could be.

The only thing I have major issue with the OP is the comment on HTC build quality. When I had a Rezound I had to convince myself that the light leakage around the entire bottom edge (of both phones I had) was "normal". The GNex build quality is solid, AMOLED display quirks aside.
 
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Yeah... Except the OP decided to come to the GNEX FORUM and BASH THE GNEX?

I'm glad he did. As someone sitting on the fence with a Droid X, I want all the negative, positive, comparisons and exchange I can get. I'm glad the OP said what he did, and I'm glad others have pointed out how their experience has been different or where the OP got something wrong.

I'm really itching to buy this phone. I want someone to talk me out of it or into it.
 
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Yeah... Except the OP decided to come to the GNEX FORUM and BASH THE GNEX?

First of all, I didn't come here to bash the phone because I did like the phone so maybe you should read the post again as I pointed out some nice features on the phone that I will miss. The Rezound has some negatives also but it just fits my liking. I've been with HTC since the Droid Eris which was one of their first Android devices, so I guess I'm bias to HTC and Sense, maybe I'm just used to it.

I was just stating my experiences with the phone as I noted in the beginning of the original post to "enlighten people on the fence trying to decide". Thank you to the few people that could understand that

It sounds like maybe I had a defective device and should have tried a replacement. So maybe this post is not valid.

As for the camera, um yea I don't expect DSLR quality but it's nice to be able to take a quick usable picture without carrying around an actual camera. For a phone, yes the GNex camera is great but it's nice to have a camera thats almost as good as a decent P&S. For example, I went to visit my Sis-in Law in the ICU and my Nieces wanted a picture with their Dad, my brother, so I offered to take their picture with their iphone 4. I was surprised it wasn't turning out. I offered to take it with mine (Rezound), and it turned out perfect for them to post on FB. I'm sure the GNex would have been fine as well but that's what I'm talking about.

Sorry if I offended some GNex users (not my intent) and props to you all that the phone is working stellar. I'm actually still torn after reading how well the phone is working for you.
 
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Yeah... Except the OP decided to come to the GNEX FORUM and BASH THE GNEX?

The OP came to the forum to report his less-than-ideal experience with a device, and I'm sure their intent wasn't just to bash the phone, but rather to detail his/hers personal reasons for not sticking with it. Even though there are many of us with trouble-free phones, not everyone has been so fortunate, and I know there are other potential Nexus-ers that might come here, and look for experiences. It might be more that they just want know possible issues to keep an eye out for, more than saying "oh, I read about this one guy who didn't like the curve of the screen so it must be junk".

They detailed what they experienced, their feelings about shortcomings of the phone, and let us know their choice. I don't really qualify what they said as bashing, even if some of the issues may or may not have been shortcomings with that particular phone itself.
 
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As for the camera, um yea I don't expect DSLR quality but it's nice to be able to take a quick usable picture without carrying around an actual camera. For a phone, yes the GNex camera is great but it's nice to have a camera thats almost as good as a decent P&S. For example, I went to visit my Sis-in Law in the ICU and my Nieces wanted a picture with their Dad, my brother, so I offered to take their picture with their iphone 4. I was surprised it wasn't turning out. I offered to take it with mine (Rezound), and it turned out perfect for them to post on FB. I'm sure the GNex would have been fine as well but that's what I'm talking about.

Sorry if I offended some GNex users (not my intent) and props to you all that the phone is working stellar. I'm actually still torn after reading how well the phone is working for you.

BTW, I just remembered, my Uncle showed up at the ICU as well and was raving about his new phone. Yes it was the GNex, and his call quality was fine, so yea maybe I had a dud.
 
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BTW, I just remembered, my Uncle showed up at the ICU as well and was raving about his new phone. Yes it was the GNex, and his call quality was fine, so yea maybe I had a dud.

Even if you're second guessing, keep in mind that the Rezound is still a great phone as well. If memory serves, it'll also be treated to ICS in the (hopefully near?) future, so that should give you hope too :) I'm actually seeing that for one of the few times in recent times, that there are a few devices right up there and comparatively close in what you're getting. It isn't like there's only 1 truly great phone and the rest are so-so. There are a few really good phones (Nexus, Razr, Bionic, Rezound). Each will have it's pros and cons, but are all very decent out of the box, and anyone that chooses either should be pretty happy with their choice (given a problem-free phone, of course. No model has had every single device come out of the box perfect).
 
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The OP came to the forum to report his less-than-ideal experience with a device, and I'm sure their intent wasn't just to bash the phone, but rather to detail his/hers personal reasons for not sticking with it. Even though there are many of us with trouble-free phones, not everyone has been so fortunate, and I know there are other potential Nexus-ers that might come here, and look for experiences. It might be more that they just want know possible issues to keep an eye out for, more than saying "oh, I read about this one guy who didn't like the curve of the screen so it must be junk".

They detailed what they experienced, their feelings about shortcomings of the phone, and let us know their choice. I don't really qualify what they said as bashing, even if some of the issues may or may not have been shortcomings with that particular phone itself.

i seriously doubt some of those poster even had the device.
i read their post and if their claim is way off from FACTS, that gets rid of validation of their post.

he claims he's semi pro photographer and he mentioned focus priority on GNex????? LMAO.
its a feature on autofocus that prevent u from taking picture when its out of focus when u press shutter release until its focused.

its good that he knows that feature exist but seriously.. is there any smartphone with such feature?
or even high end digital cameras beside DSLR? (even some DSLR dont have it)

as far as I know, all smartphones, digital cameras (except some DSLR) have release priority.
 
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I love how everyone defends the nexus and makes it seem perfect because its the phone your holding.

Sound like apple fanboys...

I wonder how many of you have used the rezound for weeks.

I wonder who has had 4g phones before.

The nexus camera sucks compared to rezound. Plain and simple. You can say its decent its okay its not bad but to some people they want their phone to have best camera available.

You talk about bloat. Thats funny that my wifes rezound has an unlocked bootloader FROM HTC and has zero bloat on it. Omgmg you can even remove sense completely.

The external speaker sucks on the nexus. Loud and clear on rezound.

4g is better on rezound as well. Dont kid yourself.

The only thing the nexus has is sexy front with no logos or buttons and ics.

Faster updates? With root and roms that becomes null.

Get off your high horses thinking the nexus is the alpha male.

The rezound has a better hardware package then the nexus.

And dont hate, im keeping my nexus. I just speak the truth.
 
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I love how everyone defends the nexus and makes it seem perfect because its the phone your holding.

Sound like apple fanboys...

I wonder how many of you have used the rezound for weeks.

I wonder who has had 4g phones before.

The nexus camera sucks compared to rezound. Plain and simple. You can say its decent its okay its not bad but to some people they want their phone to have best camera available.

You talk about bloat. Thats funny that my wifes rezound has an unlocked bootloader FROM HTC and has zero bloat on it. Omgmg you can even remove sense completely.

The external speaker sucks on the nexus. Loud and clear on rezound.

4g is better on rezound as well. Dont kid yourself.

The only thing the nexus has is sexy front with no logos or buttons and ics.

Faster updates? With root and roms that becomes null.

Get off your high horses thinking the nexus is the alpha male.

The rezound has a better hardware package then the nexus.

And dont hate, im keeping my nexus. I just speak the truth.

Yes my Nexus is perfect.... For me.
 
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I love how everyone defends the nexus and makes it seem perfect because its the phone your holding.

Sound like apple fanboys...

I wonder how many of you have used the rezound for weeks.

I wonder who has had 4g phones before.

The nexus camera sucks compared to rezound. Plain and simple. You can say its decent its okay its not bad but to some people they want their phone to have best camera available.

You talk about bloat. Thats funny that my wifes rezound has an unlocked bootloader FROM HTC and has zero bloat on it. Omgmg you can even remove sense completely.

The external speaker sucks on the nexus. Loud and clear on rezound.

4g is better on rezound as well. Dont kid yourself.

The only thing the nexus has is sexy front with no logos or buttons and ics.

Faster updates? With root and roms that becomes null.

Get off your high horses thinking the nexus is the alpha male.

The rezound has a better hardware package then the nexus.

And dont hate, im keeping my nexus. I just speak the truth.

love those ppl who claims something without any facts to prove themselves.
better hardware package????

Motorola Droid RAZR vs HTC Rezound - Benchmark Tests (Verizon) - YouTube watch this..

antutu benchmark
droid razr 6042
rezound 4996
my GNex 6105

screenshot2012010214421.png


better audio?
http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-nexus/463278-beats-dre-software.html#post3746246

better display?
rezound s-lcd and GNex's HD SAMOLED are both made by samsung. (its brand might be sony's s-lcd but that company is owned by samsung also the tech is same as samsung s-lcd.. weird isnt it? both have same name)
when it comes to display id put IPS-lcd >= HD SAMOLED>s-TFT-LCD.

like I said above, only thing rezound have over Gnex is volume and battery.
if u wanna prove me wrong, u gotta bring real solid fact to convince me. laters fanboy
 
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he claims he's semi pro photographer and he mentioned focus priority on GNex????? LMAO.
its a feature on autofocus that prevent u from taking picture when its out of focus when u press shutter release until its focused.

its good that he knows that feature exist but seriously.. is there any smartphone with such feature?
or even high end digital cameras beside DSLR? (even some DSLR dont have it)

as far as I know, all smartphones, digital cameras (except some DSLR) have release priority.

Wow!... Really?!
You're going to question my knowledge of cameras on a phone forum?
Sounds like a fanboy on the defensive. I wasn't using "focus priority" as a camera term but merely stating that the camera didn't care if it was focussed or not, so yes the definition you googled was correct on focus priority. I'm just used to using camera terms.

~googled~
FOCUS PRIORITY -means that your camera will refuse to take a picture until it can reasonably focus on something.

RELEASE PRIORITY means that the camera will take a picture when you decide to take it, WHETHER ANYTHING IS IN FOCUS OR NOT!

If other camera phones don't have this option then they sure act like it. This is why they are all so slow such as the TBolt. The Rezound is almost as fast as the GNex in shutter lag but oh wait... it focusses before firing. If your "release priority" definition is correct in that only DSLR's can use focus priority then there must be a lot of unfocused images out there from all of the uncountable point and shoot camera.

BTW, since we're on the subject, some people are complaining about a yellow tinge in the Rezound pics. Try setting the white balance to incondescent lighting when indoors. Evidently the "auto" white balance for indoors is not so great.
 
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