***Official G-Nex first impressions thread*** Love it? Hate it?

My GNex signal is reading -83 dBm 4 asu
My DInc signal is reading -67 dBm 0 asu

replica9000 said:

My reception on the GNex wasn't as good as my Incredible, and 3G wasn't as fast. Suddenly since last night, both have been great.

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4G is remarkably better today from work than before. And speeds are quite a bit faster here. I'll have to check again at home.

I don't have 4G in my area yet, so I have 4G disabled for now.

I'm having major transition issues coming from BB, but here's one major complaint for me. What were they thinking when they put the charger on the bottom of the phone? It's not ergonomically efficient, considering that many charging environments have the cord coming from the back of a desk or wall and if space is limited, the tendency is for the phone to turn. My .02- there are other issues that come with this one.

^^^^ IMO I love the charger at the bottom especially if you want to use the phone while it is charging

ndwgolf said:

^^^^ IMO I love the charger at the bottom especially if you want to use the phone while it is charging

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I generally like the charger at the bottom except it can be a little annoying if you have it plugged in while reading or playing games in landscape mode.

I remember going from a straight cell phone to my first smart phone (Palm Pre). It was eye-opening. I didn't think I'd need/want a smart phone, but once I got it, it changed how I did many things. I'm sure we all went through the same experience.

Then I moved from the Palm Pre to the Droid X. The Pre's plastic body degraded over time, the screen was small, the promised flash and apps just weren't coming. The Droid X was great in those respects (flash support, apps, bigger screen), but I frequently missed the functionality of WebOS. Even rooted, the Droid X had room for improvement.

Now, the Galaxy Nexus is my third smart phone, and I'm really enjoying the phone. I got it on Friday the 16th and have had it for 5 days. The display is sharp, the colors are amazing, and the screen size is wonderful. I tried Netflix on my Droid X once and then promptly deleted the app from the phone. On Gnex, it's beautiful, and I can easily see myself using this over my ipad occasionally to view Netflix. The camera is wonderful, and will be perfectly perfect for capturing moments when i don't have my camera. Focuses well, especially in good light, video is amazing, and the shutter speed is absolutely wonderful. Night and day compared to taking pictures with my Droid X.

Speed (both with CPU and LTE) has been wonderful. I haven't done any speed tests, but I'm not a reporter so I don't care about that. At work and at home and at a few other places, the phone did what I asked it to do, without lagging. Youtube, maps, music, web browsing were instant. Emails, words with friends, texting, phone calls - no annoying lags.

I have wifi at work and at home, and it connects fine. For the battery, when I use it heavy, I have to connect it earlier in the evenings, and when I use it light, it can go for a little over a day. It's definitely an improvement from my Droid X.

The phone is light, sleek, and beautiful. If anything, it's perhaps a bit TOO light and sleek. I can see myself dropping this. I wasn't going to get a case, but I might pick up a TPU case, just to help me grip it. The Gnex isn't too big either, it's not noticeably different to the Droid X in terms of size. I was worried the little bump at the bottom would be ridiculous, but it's really not an issue.

And I'm loving ICS. I disabled all three Verizon apps, and some of the Google apps. Resizable widgets, fantastic! Recent apps and swipable notifications/apps. Wonderful. I was worried about the lack of physical keys, but the Back and Menu are available whenever I need it, so all good!

I do wish the headphone jack was at the top, but that's a minor issue. I also wish the stock calendar app would allow you to move an event from one calendar to another (from work to personal, for example) like I used to be able to do with WebOS, but no problem here too. I just downloaded Business Calendar for free, and it works just like I want it to.
And my last minor "thing" is that, due to the lack of physical keys, I occasionally will hit the advertisement banner at the bottom of the screen on some apps (like words with friends). But, that's not a huge deal either.

So, for now, I'm very very very pleased with this phone.

Well, I returned my Nexus today. But it was replaced with an all new Nexus.

I started having a microphone problem with my first Nexus. It would cut out mid conversation with people and while I could hear them loud and clear they couldn't hear a word from me. After this happened on my third call today I figured it was time to return the phone. So I headed back to Best Buy and after a short conversation (+1,000 cool points for the poor guy that had to deal with me for a third time with this phone) we decided to swap out phones.

So I fired my new Nexus up and let it get down with its funky syncing self. After everything was done I went to take a look at signal and the OS version. Guess what I saw? The signal was a solid 15 dBm better than my old Nexus was in the same spot. -95 dBm was now -80 dBm of solid 4G connection. A quick test before I walked in gave me 6 Mbps down on my old Nexus, but new Nexus was now getting 17.6 Mbps down. Made a quick test call and everything was even clearer than it was before. I was even asked where I was calling from and received a shocked response when I said, "My replacement Nexus."

Over all the phone feels about the same. Still very fast and smooth. Same performance I was used to before, but I have not dropped 4G since it was activated and the old one was in and out of 4G all over the place.

I was impressed with the first one I bought, but this one is even better.

So when I check the signal on the Nexus, it reads -83 dBm 4 asu. It doesn't change much. When I check on the Incredible, the number updates frequently. When I put the Incredible in airplane mode, it drops to -120 dBm 0 asu. So is -120 basically mean no signal?

When I got to work, my Incredible read -101 dBm 0 asu. The Nexus read -120 dBm 99 asu. So it's apparent the Incredible gets a better signal, but I'm not sure what asu is.

If -120 is no signal then dam I sit about -117 in the middle of a 4g area

I wonder if the difference is because of this:

Incredible: CDMA - EvDo rev. a
Nexus: CDMA - eHRPD

Edit: Someone shared this like with me
Verizon confirms Galaxy Nexus 'signal strength issue,' says a fix is in the works

OfTheDamned said:

So I fired my new Nexus up and let it get down with its funky syncing self. After everything was done I went to take a look at signal and the OS version. Guess what I saw? The signal was a solid 15 dBm better than my old Nexus was in the same spot. -95 dBm was now -80 dBm of solid 4G connection. A quick test before I walked in gave me 6 Mbps down on my old Nexus, but new Nexus was now getting 17.6 Mbps down. Made a quick test call and everything was even clearer than it was before. I was even asked where I was calling from and received a shocked response when I said, "My replacement Nexus."

Over all the phone feels about the same. Still very fast and smooth. Same performance I was used to before, but I have not dropped 4G since it was activated and the old one was in and out of 4G all over the place.

I was impressed with the first one I bought, but this one is even better.

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Good for you! This makes me wonder if there was bad batch in the first Nexus
shipment and gave some folks reception trouble? I hope mine will be like yours.

After owning the Nexus for nearly a week I know that it's not the phone that I thought it would be.

I thought I was going to be blown away. I couldn't imagine a 720P amoled screen coming from an iPhone 4... but I was not stunned. I actually believe and still think that the retina display looks better when viewing basically anything except black since the LCD on the iPhone can't replicate blacks as well. The screen would have to be ATLEAST halfway on the brightness settings to make the "newspaper" look go away, and this would take a pretty big toll on the battery...

ICS is still laggy, and choppy. Try browsing around compared to an iPhone and any slow down is noticeable, and compared to a 4S it's actually very evident. For example hitting the home screen after texting takes awhile. The snappiest part of the phone is the camera, pun intended. But having it take pictures so fast often makes the pictures blurry. Holding the camera very still does work, but then you cannot take pictures as fast so its a mute point. I would compare the OS speed to an iPhone 4 but much worse and choppy with the browser / facebook / movies app or anything that involved scrolling.

Battery life was pretty bad. I was able to get about 6 hours of usage or so before it dieing -- supposedly there is a fix coming.

Camera is not even as good as the iPhone 4, and the 4S just takes it up another level. The galaxy nexus's pics made brown wooden objects have a green tint and was not a true to life color most of the time.

Those are the things that I particularly didn't enjoy about ICS. Now before you all say that I am an Apple fan boy and blah blah blah, that's not necessarily so. I am a tech guy. I like trying the newest best stuff.

I waited 2 months with you guys in the pre launch thread checking every hour to see new information often times constantly hitting F5. I was super excited for this to come out! I was in the store at 9am launch day and I uploaded all of my songs from iTunes to Google Music and tried to semi convert to the Google ecosystem.

I did like the way widgets worked, the openness and being able to customize various parts of the OS that iOS cannot. I liked the form factor, although even with my semi-large hands had to stretch my thumb to reach and pull down the notification bar a few times. 4G was sick fast when I got good signal, which was most of the time here in Chicago-- but I realize now that for the most part 4G is only needed when actually downloading a movie, or large files or tethering. Otherwise side by side to my iPhone 4 it would load webpages within 2-3 seconds of the Gnex.

Throw a better camera like from the GSII, update fix's the battery, better speaker (tried volume+) make Android somehow scroll smoothly (supposedly impossible with what Android is programmed from) and use a screen that doesn't show the pixelation / newspaper as much and I think I would have stayed.

That is why I went and picked up the 4S. After all the hype is gone from the air, I still think that currently Apple makes the best product. Better screen, although smaller, better camera and video recorder, best eco-system and better battery life and the best apps.

Apple are able to control the design, and OS and I thought that is the closest I could get to a pure Google experience with the Nexus but it just isn't up to par. At the end of the day I truly WANTED to keep and like this phone, but Android / Google just aren't quite there yet.

Horses for courses, glad you could test drive it and figure out what you really want.

Gl with the 4s it's a great device

there's no way i could ever go back to the unpleasant experience of using a phone with a screen the size of the iphone's. that's just me though.

internet surfing is actually a pleasure on the GN, rather than a chore.

My wife has a 4S on AT&T paid for by her work. In side by side tests the 4S loses in every category. My screen is bigger, the colors more vibrant, the network speed not even in the ballpark. Not to say the 4S isnt a great phone, but it cannot hold a candle to the Gnex and I can credibly say that as I have both phones in my house to compare.

Many of us have the same signal/speed issues. When it work, it is great. When it doesn't it pisses you off. I keep going back and forth with this phone.

4G LTE: When it works, I love it. When it doesn't and I need it, I hate it.

Volume: Love it when I can hear a call coming in. I hate that I had to install a 3rd party app to get the volume to the proper level.

Size: I love the screen size and the phone size. It fits perfectly in my hand for operation. The screen size is great for watching movies and games. I hate it because I cannot carry the damn thing. It is TOO BIG to carry on a holster. It is TOO BIG for the pocket.


I still have not decided on whether I am keeping the phone. Right now, the biggest issue is the case and carrying it. The Otterbox case is great, but the size of the phone makes it too much to carry. If the SGP screen protector is as expected, the Otterbox will be returned and the phone kept nekkid.

Hahaha... almost same sort of thing happened to me when I posted in the Bionic forum about selling it and moving on to either the GNex or 4S. Just about every response was all pissy and defensive. Though this thread is not nearly as bad.

Not at all surprised though. People have a need to justify their purchases, and when someone comes a long and says anything to discredit it... well then you know.

Anyway, I bought a 4S several weeks ago after losing patience waiting for the GNex. Reading the threads, I feel a little glad I didn't wait. One thing I hated about Android was the bugginess, which my Bionic was atrocious at. I've not had to simulate a battery pull or had a single app shut down on me since the moment I laid my hands on the 4S. Granted yes, I gave up 4G and customizability, but I don't regret it one bit.

OP, enjoy the 4S, it's an awesome phone. For you GNex owners, enjoy yours as well and quit hating on the dude for posting his opinion on something he actually purchased.

yeah i had the iphone 2g for several years. i can honestly say the GN's in superior in every way. not "night and day" superior, but better non the less.

I've got a crazy thought.

The title of this thread says "Returned for a 4S." This might lead me to believe that the original post probably contains a list of problems with the GNex, and how the 4S mitigates those problems.

Bear with me here, I know that's a pretty huge leap. I'll give you a second to catch your breath.

Now, taking that one step further, if you don't want to hear why the OP thinks the 4S is better than the Nexus, you could logically conclude that you should not click on the thread. At all. Just skim on past it.


CRAZY TALK, I TELL YOU. CRAZY.

x25064 said:

You obviously not comparing the smoothness of each phone, nor the camera quality.

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Nothing beats the smoothness of the can opener in my kitchen drawer. It cuts through can tops like butter. That being said, I wouldn't return my phone for it. If smoothness is all that matters or is your A1 priority, the iPhone is a good choice. Moving on from that, things aren't so black and white.

binary visions said:

I've got a crazy thought.

The title of this thread says "Returned for a 4S." This might lead me to believe that the original post probably contains a list of problems with the GNex, and how the 4S mitigates those problems.

Bear with me here, I know that's a pretty huge leap. I'll give you a second to catch your breath.

Now, taking that one step further, if you don't want to hear why the OP thinks the 4S is better than the Nexus, you could logically conclude that you should not click on the thread. At all. Just skim on past it.


CRAZY TALK, I TELL YOU. CRAZY.

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Like me take it one step further beyond that. Why do I see a thread with 4S in the title in the Galaxy Nexus subforum of Android forums? There are many ways this information could have been conveyed, but to start it as an iphone comparison thread and title it as such is senseless. Regardless of the intention of the OP, it's poor judgement at best and inciteful at worst, and deserves to be subjected to the mod DELETE key no less than any one post that includes any sort of comment about the iphone.

Edit: Haha, and no sooner do I post this and it appears in a totally different thread...that the original thread was merged into. Well played, mods! (and good move!)

I encourage everyone to reread the title of this thread.

If you happen to find that the Rezound, Razr, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, OG Droid, LG Env, Star tac or anything else is better for you then feel free to mention that in your impressions post. However, arguing back and forth about your choice of phone vs another person's choice of phone is not ok. Insulting anyone because they didn't stay with the Nexus is not ok. This thread is about your first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and not the bash anyone who decided not to buy and/or keep one. At the same time, the people who like their Galaxy Nexus are not blind fanyboy/girls and there is no need to attack them. If you have a problem with your phone it does not mean that everyone and anyone else with the same phone has the same problem. Owning the Galaxy Nexus does not make you L33T, special or in anyway better than anyone else on this forum. Not owning the Galaxy Nexus does not make anyone who does a bad person or somehow stupid for keeping the phone.

People that cannot post without attacking or being rude will not be welcome to stay on this forum and participate.

I've had my Gnex for about four days, and my first impression is that I love it. I went from four consecutive iPhones (including a 4 and 4S) to the Nexus. Overall, I have mostly positive things to say about the Nexus. I like how quick ICS is compared to how clunky iOS 5.0.1 felt on my iPhone 4. The screen is incredible, both in size and in picture. My complaints with the phone lie with the battery life and the volume of the external speaker. Watching videos, I constantly have to cup my hand behind the phone so I'm able to hear, and when I receive texts I never hear the tone or feel the vibration.

well ... i have nothing earth shattering to report about my GN .. other than I LOVE IT!!!

Speeds (all of 'em, cpu, radios, etc) are great. I've disabled various apps, keep an eye on what is running ... and the thing outright flies. a few widgets, custom launcher (nova), custom icons, etc.. Zero lag.

even the speaker doesn't bother me. as long as I can hear a phonecall, I'm good. everything else related to audio is done with headphones on.

I work in a 4G area .. check out these speeds.

3g, wifi is good as well. at first I was vervous about the radios, basically because of all the talk, but based on my use of the phone, it's been all good.

anyway ... love the phone.