Help! About to buy GNEX

AZA311 · May 25, 2012

I plan on buying a phone beginning of next month and thought I had it all figured out in buying a Nexus. So, I started looking for all the cool setups and ROMS I would use. But then I came across all these threads and reports on bad signals/radios.

The thing is, I don't even call people much. Heck, no one really even calls me too for that matter. I just want a information and the latest news in the palm of my hand while I'm on the subway and stuff. And of course a nice juicy screen aaaand customization.

Theeeen I remembered playing with a demo GNEX at a shop a while ago and it showed full bars but wouldn't load up youtube. Then the guy logged in or whatever and it would load youtube page but could not and would not stream for me to test the HD screen.

After reading various forums, it all makes sense now why it was acting strange.

1) Does the GNEX really have bad reception 3G//Wifi/radios?
2) If not the $EX, then what? HTC One X, Xperia S or other?
3) Couldn't I just root any other phone out there? Or get Apex Lanucher?

Oh man, I thought I had it all figured out. I even forwent a Lady Gaga concert to save a little extra money and now I don't know what to buy.

BTW, I live in Thailand and there is only 3G and Wi-Fi here.

Thanks for any replies! I'm torn

rivera02 · May 25, 2012

Unless you get a defective unit your 3g and wifi should work just fine. The wifi radio actually has better range than my last two HTC phones and the Droid RAZR i had before the gnex. The one x is a great alternative too though, and it was recently rooted via a very simple method, so look for a huge amount of roms coming for that phone...also I'm assuming the one x in your country will have the quad core tegra 3, so it has a lot more under the hood than the nexus

HyperM3 · May 25, 2012

I had the HOX for about 2 weeks and has nothing but issues with it. I loved the phone but I couldnt stand the wifi and bluetooth dropouts. Have had the GN for a few days now and I love it. Its truly an awesome phone. I highly recommend it to anyone.

trophynuts · May 25, 2012

95% of the bad signal reception problems are related to the VZW model G Nex. I haven't heard as many complaints from the GSM crowd.

HyperM3 · May 25, 2012

trophynuts said:
95% of the bad signal reception problems are related to the VZW model G Nex. I haven't heard as many complaints from the GSM crowd.

Forgot to mention in my previous post that my phone is a GSM version.

AZA311 · May 25, 2012

trophynuts said:
95% of the bad signal reception problems are related to the VZW model G Nex. I haven't heard as many complaints from the GSM crowd.

What does this mean because over here, we just buy the phone and pop in a sim card. Wouldn't that be VZW signal tower power problem?

Someone said to expect a load of ROMS to come in for HOX. I just wish its design was as sleek as the Nexus's. Would you all agree the screen is better on the HOX?

I'm still not convinced about signal strength. sighhhhh...

kool kat2 · May 25, 2012

Trophynuts is right. And no it isn't a tower problem, my RAZR works fine compared to the GNex. I wouldn't worry about the gsm version.

LoyalServant · May 26, 2012

kool kat2 said:
Trophynuts is right. And no it isn't a tower problem, my RAZR works fine compared to the GNex. I wouldn't worry about the gsm version.

This.
My GSM version is rocking along a lot better than my LTE one was.
All I did is what your planning on doing... bought the phone, tossed my sim card in and kept moving.

At $400 for an off contract device you cannot beat it.

AZA311 · May 26, 2012

LoyalServant said:
This.
My GSM version is rocking along a lot better than my LTE one was.
All I did is what your planning on doing... bought the phone, tossed my sim card in and kept moving.

At $400 for an off contract device you cannot beat it.

Okay. I did a little reading and it looks like GSM versions don't get the signal failing problem that much and GSM is mainly used in Asia. And I am in Asia! lolll

So that means it shouldn't be a problem. I was reading GNEX forums in Australia and there are no 'bad radio/signal' threads there like the dozens that are here.

Okay, so my confidence is returning a bit.

The HOX is pretty hardware beastly and unlocks now. Are there any redeeming factors for the GNEX? For me it's that it's lower priced and the smaller design.

What are your guys opinions on the Xperia S? It's too heavy which is mine but I saw HD video on it and it was amazing looking.

lmarranzino · May 27, 2012

I just recieved my phone on Friday. I popped in a TMobile SIM I had extra and it worked great. Yesterday I transfered my ATT sim to regular and it rocks.

I was using ATT LTE in OC and have to say on HSPA this phone still rocks.

It locked into my home WIFI without a problem and signal is also great.

I am personally not impressed with any carrier yet Sprint and Verizon to me are the worst out there.

quantumrand · May 27, 2012

AZA311 said:
Okay. I did a little reading and it looks like GSM versions don't get the signal failing problem that much and GSM is mainly used in Asia. And I am in Asia! lolll

So that means it shouldn't be a problem. I was reading GNEX forums in Australia and there are no 'bad radio/signal' threads there like the dozens that are here.

Okay, so my confidence is returning a bit.

The HOX is pretty hardware beastly and unlocks now. Are there any redeeming factors for the GNEX? For me it's that it's lower priced and the smaller design.

What are your guys opinions on the Xperia S? It's too heavy which is mine but I saw HD video on it and it was amazing looking.

The GNex is a slightly (emphasis on slightly) older device and features some of the most recent last generation hardware. For instance, its GPU is fairly dated and is basically an overclocked version of the Nexus S's GPU. It's more than capable of pulling up web pages and streaming HD content, but if you like playing some of the latest high-def games, the GNex will start to be a bit limiting after a year or so.

On the plus side, it's still considered a developer device and gets all of the latest Android updates first (the Google Play version does anyway), so app developers often target the Nexus phones specifically, which is definitely in its advantage.

The GNex is also a phenomenal deal right now. $400 off contract is a great price. Since the One X is so new, its price is pretty inflated. Unless you can find it for around $500, it probably isn't worth it.

The One X's updates will be very hindered by HTC Sense, so if you don't want to wait 6+ months for each major Android update, you'll definitely be relying on the ROM community. On a stock One X, replacement launchers will work, but they won't remove the bloat of HTC Sense. Custom ROMs, on the other hand, can get rid of the bloat and give you that more customizable experience you're looking for.

Bottom line, the GNex is at a great price and should fairly easily last you about two years, so long as you aren't into those fancy games. Plus as a Nexus device, it should stay current for the foreseeable future. It'll also have a stronger modding community than the One X.

The One X won't give you that customization right out of the box, but it's in a much better position to last you 2+ years while keeping up with high-end apps.

Since you're already interested in the ROM scene, I'd vote for the GNex. For someone on the less tech-savvy side, I'd probably lean toward the One X just because it has that extra performance to help it keep up with devices a year or two down the line.

AZA311 · May 27, 2012

quantumrand said:
The GNex is a slightly (emphasis on slightly) older device and features some of the most recent last generation hardware. For instance, its GPU is fairly dated and is basically an overclocked version of the Nexus S's GPU. It's more than capable of pulling up web pages and streaming HD content, but if you like playing some of the latest high-def games, the GNex will start to be a bit limiting after a year or so.

On the plus side, it's still considered a developer device and gets all of the latest Android updates first (the Google Play version does anyway), so app developers often target the Nexus phones specifically, which is definitely in its advantage.

The GNex is also a phenomenal deal right now. $400 off contract is a great price. Since the One X is so new, its price is pretty inflated. Unless you can find it for around $500, it probably isn't worth it.

The One X's updates will be very hindered by HTC Sense, so if you don't want to wait 6+ months for each major Android update, you'll definitely be relying on the ROM community. On a stock One X, replacement launchers will work, but they won't remove the bloat of HTC Sense. Custom ROMs, on the other hand, can get rid of the bloat and give you that more customizable experience you're looking for.

Bottom line, the GNex is at a great price and should fairly easily last you about two years, so long as you aren't into those fancy games. Plus as a Nexus device, it should stay current for the foreseeable future. It'll also have a stronger modding community than the One X.

The One X won't give you that customization right out of the box, but it's in a much better position to last you 2+ years while keeping up with high-end apps.

Since you're already interested in the ROM scene, I'd vote for the GNex. For someone on the less tech-savvy side, I'd probably lean toward the One X just because it has that extra performance to help it keep up with devices a year or two down the line.

Thanks very much for that reply.

Ya, I think I will get the GNex. I heard a few times in here that the GSM version doesn't have weak 3G/Wi-Fi/signal issues. That was really my main concern because of my usage style. If people could come in here and re-confirm this again that would be cool

Stronger Mod Community is the advantage of GNex over One X since it can now be rooted you say. Ya, I guess that's enough.......and price. Plus the soft keys I think are nice.

I do my gaming on computer. Monopoly and Chess are the likes that will make it to my phone so I should be good, I guess. Yup

quantumrand · May 27, 2012

AZA311 said:
Thanks very much for that reply.

Ya, I think I will get the GNex. I heard a few times in here that the GSM version doesn't have weak 3G/Wi-Fi/signal issues. That was really my main concern because of my usage style. If people could come in here and re-confirm this again that would be cool

Stronger Mod Community is the advantage of GNex over One X since it can now be rooted you say. Ya, I guess that's enough.......and price. Plus the soft keys I think are nice.

I do my gaming on computer. Monopoly and Chess are the likes that will make it to my phone so I should be good, I guess. Yup

I've got the GSM version (from the Google Play Store) and have not had any issues with signal quality. I kept up with GNex news since it was announced, and all the stories say that the signal issues are only prevalent on the LTE version (both Verizon and Sprint apparently) are affected.

Help! About to buy GNEX

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