Greetings all,
I have both the SGSII and the GN,
HARDWARE -
To start with the GN is a great piece of hardware.
design, battery, size, screen, specs, you name it... so is the SGSII
However...
-
Storage
the lack of MicroSD Slot and only 16GB is a complete fail for me,
when I purchased the phone I ASSUMED it had MicroSD slot,
major fail on my behalf, it reminded me of the iPhone 3 i ASSUMED had many standard features available at the time
I just didnt think to check if it had these STANDARD, available features.
I mean, WTF?
For this I give the SGSII the prize.
-
Display
Great size and still practical, great res, but barely noticeable with general mobile usage....
...obviously one over the SGSII
-
Camera
SGSII 8MP... GN 5MP... and a noticeable difference when displayed on a PC, especially after crop and editing to compose image.... this may not be a necessity for some.
but....
....SGSII again.
Even though the GN hardware specs are brilliant, no MicroSD card slot and only 16GB.... SGSII takes the cake, even though the screen is slightly smaller and lower res, the noticeable difference is negligible, and the ability to expand memory for movies and music is invaluable.
SGSII wins
OS-
SGSII Android 2.3 Gingerbread
NG Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Well to be honest this has been the biggest factor in my judgement of the GN, other then the obvious aesthetic and system performance improvements, which will soon be available to the SGSII, I have found NG ICS some what... empty, like the apps draw. Obviously this is Google providing a platform for developers to create data and economic remuneration for themselves, But i feel like I have some what of an empty canvas. The outrageous and unnecessary permissions required on many apps are totally unacceptable, and to provide them to some obscure nobody developer to do who knows what with, is just rude. ICS is an app platform, requiring many installs to get standard functionality, where as the SGSII comes raring to go.
If this is what is to be expected from ICS on the SGSII, there is no chance of me upgrading.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
GN ICS has FAILED to provide many features, out of the box, that I had become a custom to and use regularly with SGSII Ginger Bread, with out providing an alternative.
I will begin with the fails....
NO...
-default FILE MANAGER/BROWSER, SGSII has.
-default TASK MANAGER/KILLER, SGSII has.
-'Set As' ringtone, from file manager/browser or music player, must copy file to ringtone folder, SGSII has.
-Swype keyboard, SGSII has, and SlideIT sucks comparatively.
-Default NAVIGON, Google maps is great, but NAVIGON does NOT require internet access, SGSII has.
-Notification Bar Switch at top, SGSII does.
- Equilizer, features or settings in Music Player, SGSII has.
I have no doubt, having had the phone such a short time and finding many practical and functional deficiencies in the Galaxy Nexus, I will find more issues to address and post about.
If the SGS3 is an improvement upon the SGSII using ICS, and still including many of the practical and functional features, then holding out for the SGS3 is my suggestion.
When comparing the 2 and considering the overall feel and functionality of the unit, I have to make a tough decision and say the SGSII is an overall more practical and functional phone, out of the box.
Before all you tech heads start sprooking to ROOT the phone or promoting an endless list of suitable apps, I would like to remind you that i am talking about 'out of the box' condition here. ROOT is not suitable, practical or even recommended to many many users, and as my phones are still under warranty, and having had to replace my SGSII once, due to a random dead pixel, must remain factory until the warranty period has ceased.
To all you that have managed to complete this post, thank you and I hope to hear any comments
