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Help me pick a phone.

varaonaid

Android Enthusiast
Sep 4, 2009
621
128
VT!
Hello,

Hubby and I are eligible for an upgrade. I have a Rezound and hubby's Rezound was stolen so he's currently using a dying original Droid X.

We kind of have it down to a few options, the CPO $99 Razr, the $99 Galaxy Nexus, possibly the Samsung GS3 but we recently tried it with Sprint and weren't impressed with the service. Although the service with Sprint was so abysmal we can't tell if it's the phone or the service...or both. & dont know that it's worth the $100-$150 upgrade, etc. Open to other suggestions.too.

Dislikes is the RAZR any upgrade for me? Like the expandable memory, not sure about the fixed battery.

Galazy Nexus. Pure Google. Except for VZW delays. Love the 32gb. Dislike no expandable memory. Is the battery fixed?

SGS3. $150 more...is it worth it? Love the larger screen though.

I want to root and ROM my phone. Did it a lot with my original DX and loved that. With my medical issues, it's something that I can do and enjoy playing around with. The Rezound isn't the easiest to delve into rooting hence waiting (and waiting) on the ICS update that I'm not sure will ever come. What do you peeps know about the dev world of the other phones? Do any have Jelly Bean other than the Nexus? Will they?

Also, we're planning to pay the extra $50 and make it a 1 year contract instead of two. I enjoy switching phones and this will let me sell the phones before they're completely too old, I'll get more of my money out of them and move onto a newer model.

Please any thoughts would be extremely helpful! Can't wait to hear opinions. If I've missed a phone, please add it to the list.
 
Few things:
-Razr can take expandable memory via an SD card. Maxx also and has great battery life.
-I love my Galaxy Nexus. It doesn't have the best battery life but it is removable so if you want to swap in a new one or expandable one you can.
-Development on the Nexus is incredible. We already have several Jelly Bean ROMs out. I'm running one right now.
-I didn't realize Verizon was still offering 1 year contracts, is this true?
There are some great back and forths from users in the Device Comparison forum you can check out here for the ones you're looking at:
Device/Carrier Comparisons - Android Forums
 
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Yeah 1 year contracts are no longer an option, unfortunately.

Since you mentioned rooting and ROMing, that narrows it down to the Galaxy Nexus IMO. Its so easy, everything is un-encrypted, and factory images are posted, so there is no worries about getting yourself in a bind you can't get out of. Plus, especially with a Jelly Bean ROM, this phone is soo much smoother than any other.
 
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I have a Galaxy Nexus and I love the phone. Yes, the updates are slow but that's why I turned to the third-party ROM scene and I loaded a custom ROM.

Combine the Nexus with the unlockable bootloader and you have the ultimate in customization. Plus, pure AOSP Android blows all of that added garbage away that others foist onto you, things like Motorola Blur, HTC Sense, or Samsung TouchWis.
 
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My only concern is the radio/antenna on the GN. I may hang onto my Rezound a bit longer until some of the fall phones come out but DH still needs one. He's not much into the hacking stuff and just wants a smooth non buggy phone that works. We both loved Nova launcher when we used it on GSG3's recently so that's what he'll use no matter what bloatware UI is on the phone. He loves that the UI is always the same with Nova and it's fast and smooth.

If the 1 year is no longer an option...isn't there an option to upgrade early at 1 year for an extra fee? Maybe that's what I was thinking of...because I was sure there were early upgrades at 1 year...even though it cost like $30 extra or something.
 
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The Razr Maxx has incredible battery life, so a removable battery is a moot point.

The Galaxy Nexus is a great phone for customization, but the battery life and reception are pretty poor. It was quite the deal breaker.

The GSIII has great battery life - easily getting a day's use of heavy activity - and good reception (not great like Moto phones). The bootloader is locked, but there's already been a working workaround made, and amazing developers continue to work on a efficient method of bypassing it. CM10 and AOKP are already being developed, among other ROMs, and I've heard MIUI may soon begin porting.
 
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