If you are not a developer, this phone is quite bad

polonord · Jan 19, 2013

I know I'm not the only one thinking this, but looks like I'm the only one who has the courage to admit this:

I thought that people who were calling this device a developer phone were exagerating.... Before buying it I was thinking: "Come on, those adds google put on youtube about the gnex are definitely not targeted towards developers"
I thought: "Wow a phone with stock android, future updates ensured, and those high end specs!..... Bought"

The thing is that hardware wise this device sucks.
And I'm not talking about the CPU and the ram (that's the hardware that matters for the developers, and the nexus is fast, we know it).
But i'm talking about the important hardware! The one that matters on a smartphone for normal people like me.

..as I said: I'm not trying to troll. I just want to talk with people who have my same thoughts

BUILD QUALITY: feels too cheap and it definitely doesn't give you that "built to last" feeling in your hand that Nokia or Motorola phones give you. But hey: you get a curved glass and super thin body...

ANTENNAS (GPS, WIFI, CELLULAR): while on my gsm galaxy nexus the 2g and 3g antennas are quite decent ( still not comparable to Motorolas or Nokia though) The Wi-Fi and the GPS are super weak in comparison to even low end smartphones made by Nokia Moto or Htc.

DISPLAY: worst 720p screen on a smartphone ever. First being a pentile display, ON YOUR EYES it's not a true 720p. Take a look to an IPS 720p display, THAT is sharpness. Though on paper it is 720p, so its perfect for developers who need to test apps on 720p screen. White color tone usually looks perfectly white on every phone, until you compare it to another phone side by side that has better whites. On the galaxy nexus you find yourself constantly thinking that what you are looking at, is not pure while.

SPEAKER: probably a very cheap speaker, just like all the "hidden parts" on this phone and all the hidden parts on Samsung phones in general. Don't ever compare it to a Nokia side by side or you'll cry.
(Why is the volume so lower on notifications and on YouTube? LOL Google)

VIBRATION: if you are used to the amazing vibration feedback that Nokia and HTC devices give you, hearing and feeling the galaxy nexus vibrate will be a pain. It just looks like Samsung didn't spend a penny on the vibration system on this device.
[Small story: I had a GS2 some months ago, one day I came back home and threw it on the bed, it did even had a case on... From that day the vibration became much weaker, almost nonexisting]... just for the lols

That said let's come to the part where we all agree:
Stock android is awesome and developers are probably having a much easier time working with this device
Its also really cheap now. Let's not forget that.

Liamo_210 · Jan 20, 2013

Mate then I would suggest a nexus 4 and you will never have these thoughts again.

D-U-R-X · Jan 20, 2013

Couple of posts deleted...

Please, let's all keep our cool, discuss things politely and respectfully (per our Site Rules/Guidelines).

Thanks

Liamo_210 · Jan 20, 2013

D-U-R-X said:
Couple of posts deleted...

Please, let's all keep our cool, discuss things politely and respectfully (per our Site Rules/Guidelines).

Thanks

:ditto:

jhawkkw · Jan 20, 2013

polonord said:
I know I'm not the only one thinking this, but looks like I'm the only one who has the courage to admit this:

I thought that people who were calling this device a developer phone were exagerating.... Before buying it I was thinking: "Come on, those adds google put on youtube about the gnex are definitely not targeted towards developers"
I thought: "Wow a phone with stock android, future updates ensured, and those high end specs!..... Bought"

The thing is that hardware wise this device sucks.
And I'm not talking about the CPU and the ram (that's the hardware that matters for the developers, and the nexus is fast, we know it).
But i'm talking about the important hardware! The one that matters on a smartphone for normal people like me.

..as I said: I'm not trying to troll. I just want to talk with people who have my same thoughts

BUILD QUALITY: feels too cheap and it definitely doesn't give you that "built to last" feeling in your hand that Nokia or Motorola phones give you. But hey: you get a curved glass and super thin body...

ANTENNAS (GPS, WIFI, CELLULAR): while on my gsm galaxy nexus the 2g and 3g antennas are quite decent ( still not comparable to Motorolas or Nokia though) The Wi-Fi and the GPS are super weak in comparison to even low end smartphones made by Nokia Moto or Htc.

DISPLAY: worst 720p screen on a smartphone ever. First being a pentile display, ON YOUR EYES it's not a true 720p. Take a look to an IPS 720p display, THAT is sharpness. Though on paper it is 720p, so its perfect for developers who need to test apps on 720p screen. White color tone usually looks perfectly white on every phone, until you compare it to another phone side by side that has better whites. On the galaxy nexus you find yourself constantly thinking that what you are looking at, is not pure while.

SPEAKER: probably a very cheap speaker, just like all the "hidden parts" on this phone and all the hidden parts on Samsung phones in general. Don't ever compare it to a Nokia side by side or you'll cry.
(Why is the volume so lower on notifications and on YouTube? LOL Google)

VIBRATION: if you are used to the amazing vibration feedback that Nokia and HTC devices give you, hearing and feeling the galaxy nexus vibrate will be a pain. It just looks like Samsung didn't spend a penny on the vibration system on this device.
[Small story: I had a GS2 some months ago, one day I came back home and threw it on the bed, it did even had a case on... From that day the vibration became much weaker, almost nonexisting]... just for the lols

That said let's come to the part where we all agree:
Stock android is awesome and developers are probably having a much easier time working with this device
Its also really cheap now. Let's not forget that.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your device. Most of the things you don't like about it seem to pretty consistent with what many people had problems with, and in general a lot of early Samsung android devices had. I actually really like the display, but then again I love the AMOLED displays. Some people like it, some people prefer the ips. It's all a matter a choice, and the beauty of android is choice.

Hopefully the rumored Motorola X phone turns out to be a real winner.

chrlswltrs · Jan 20, 2013

I had a Nexus S and a Galaxy S2, both of which had the same antenna problems. I liked the build quality of those phones and also the Galaxy Nexus, I also liked the screen, both of those are very subjective.

Everything you are describing says that you do not like Samsung phones. It is a matter of preference. I personally don't care for them either due solely to the antenna issues (GPS is HUGE for me).

Don't give up on the Nexus brand though. The Nexus 4 is by far the best device I have ever used in every aspect.

iowabowtech · Jan 20, 2013

Agree with some of what the OP said, not so much on other stuff. I think the screen looks fine, speaker is ok and the vibe works great imo being a former user of htc's even. But you need to be on custom roms where there are longer vibe options built in. Otherwise yeah, you can barely even feel it. So instead of needing to be a developer, I'd say its advantageous to be rooted and rommed. Maybe that's what the OP meant in the title idk.

I do agree about the build quality being less than ideal. Battery door is way cheap in particular. And yeah the radios are subpar. But its received awesome dev support and has been a good phone overall. I hope the Nexus brand continues to improve because for root fans, its a great way to go.

Demache · Jan 21, 2013

BUILD: I'll give them a pass on this, but only because the device is so cheap for what you get otherwise.

ANTENNA: Mostly agree. If you thought the GSM ones were sub-par, you haven't tried the LTE ones (which are pretty lol-worthy).

DISPLAY: Pentile display. Pretty much all you have to say about it. You either hate it or like it seems. If anything, the GNexus, has one of the better pentile screens since it is 720p. Unless you have amazing eyesight, you shouldn't see the pixels when your holding the phone at a reasonable distance. On qHD screens, it is far worse. Its definitely noticeable on my friend's RAZR.

SPEAKER: Not horribly loud, and not exactly high quality when compared to my E63. Although this is where ROMs come in, as the volume seems to be limited in the stock firmware.

VIBRATE: Longer or pattern vibrate. Its definitely far more noticeable.

Fuzzy13 · Jan 21, 2013

I'm just curious about something. And this is a serious question, not a smart ass one. The problems you mentioned could have easily been seen or heard before you bought the phone. I for one don't buy a phone unless I've had it in my hand and at least played with it. So it seems that you could have easily avoided buying the phone all together due to the issues you brought up by using the phone for 5 minutes or so. Granted, unless the place your buying from has it connected you cant test the GSM capabilities but everything else could have been found out with no connection.

Just curious is all.

My personal opinion about the phone....Being that technology is constantly changing, it's only fair to judge the phone against phones from the same time period when the Gnex came out. I for have very little issues with the Gnex. The Cons I do have are easily outweighed by the Pros. I love the display. It's much brighter and clearer than 90% of the phones that came out at the same time. The design is amazing. I do wish it was a little thicker though. This whole thin war is stupid IMO. I need something to hold on to. 2-3MM thicker would be perfect thickness for a phone IMO. Plus the fact that you get all the latest and greatest straight from the source is a huge plus and should be for any "Regular" user. All in all the Nexus is a great phone and continues to dominate even a year after it's release. Phones these days aren't meant to be kept for 5 or 6 years. The Nexus is simply a stepping stone for me. After the N4 has been out a year, I'll scoop it up and move on.

Turdbogls · Jan 21, 2013

maybe i am just not picky....but my only complaint about this phone, is the screen.
while it was AMAZING when i first got it, it has been over a year, and everything that comes out just ups this screen. i can see the grainyness, and the off whites ect. but it is only when i see a phone side by side that the screen REALLY bothers me. for most of the time, its not a huge deal.

speaker volume could be louder, but i dont watch youtube videos in loud surroundings much.

camera, i am actually happy with.

radios. i get LTE where ever i am...yeah it is usually 1 bar less than my thunderbolt was, but i still get it. Wi-fi, BT and GPS are all working fine for me. no complaints at all.

vibration...while i turn it off (except when i get a call) i find it very powerful and much better than my wifes HTC incredible 2. again, no complaints.

build quality....i have had the phone for a year, no case, no screen protector, and the phone is still9/10 condition. no creaks or anything, one light scratch on the screen that JUST happened

and some minor scratches around the headphone and USB ports. i have actually been pretty pleased with my first samsung phone purchase. and i would buy again in a heart beat.

aurora40 · Jan 21, 2013

The only thing I'd agree with is the speaker, it's terrible. I think the screen is great, though the vividness is pretty artificial. And it was a $350-400 phone when many phones were $300 on-contract (Verizon Charge, Bionic, Razr were all $300 on contract initially).

Phones have obviously gotten better, but I've found no reason to upgrade mine yet.

Also, you keep making comparisons to Nokia phones. But what Nokia Android phones are there? Maybe they make the best speaker, the best antenna, etc. But if they don't put all that stuff into a phone you want to buy, who cares? Personally I have no interest in middleing hardware specs or license fees to use a Windows phone, no matter how great the speaker might be.

jhawkkw · Jan 21, 2013

aurora40 said:
The only thing I'd agree with is the speaker, it's terrible. I think the screen is great, though the vividness is pretty artificial. And it was a $350-400 phone when many phones were $300 on-contract (Verizon Charge, Bionic, Razr were all $300 on contract initially).

Phones have obviously gotten better, but I've found no reason to upgrade mine yet.

Also, you keep making comparisons to Nokia phones. But what Nokia Android phones are there? Maybe they make the best speaker, the best antenna, etc. But if they don't put all that stuff into a phone you want to buy, who cares? Personally I have no interest in middleing hardware specs or license fees to use a Windows phone, no matter how great the speaker might be.

I keep hoping that Nokia will swallow their pride and wise up that android is the cash cow. I really want to see what they can bring to the table because the Lumia 920 is a great device, but it just runs the wrong mobile os.

VoidedSaint · Jan 21, 2013

im not a fan of this phone anymore, i have had it about a month or so after launch, and have lost complete interest in the phone. i have romed, themed, and modded, find other issues where it ticked me off and i went back to stock about 2 months ago, and now do not have many issues aside from the horrible reception the phone will get in some areas of my house. as well as in general period where my gf has great reception with her bionic... moto quality is indeed the best. and i believe i will ultimately get a moto device next and may shy away from these unlocked devices as they are becoming scarcer each and every month.... (most companies are now going with that locked down approach... thank you moto) so ultimately it will not bother me as much.

but i can understand the OP's concerns however i love the screen on this phone. absolutely amazing at times. speaker wise... unless you mod then it is crap.

all in all this phone has issues, but then again almost all of them do.

jhawkkw · Jan 21, 2013

If you don't mind paying full retail, Moto's last two phones (Razr M & Razr HD) have developer editions that you can buy and unlock the bootloader on. Though I honestly don't know how much developer love there is for them.

darkodroid · Jan 21, 2013

I agree about the speaker being low I have had this since the day it came out like another poster said you have to compare this phone to the phones that came out at the same time period. To the OP all the issues you were talking about would have popped up within a week of using it you could have exchanged it for something or sold it on ebay or craigslist a long time ago

polonord · Jan 23, 2013

Fuzzy13 said:
I'm just curious about something. And this is a serious question, not a smart ass one. The problems you mentioned could have easily been seen or heard before you bought the phone. I for one don't buy a phone unless I've had it in my hand and at least played with it. So it seems that you could have easily avoided buying the phone all together due to the issues you brought up by using the phone for 5 minutes or so. Granted, unless the place your buying from has it connected you cant test the GSM capabilities but everything else could have been found out with no connection.

Just curious is all.

My personal opinion about the phone....Being that technology is constantly changing, it's only fair to judge the phone against phones from the same time period when the Gnex came out. I for have very little issues with the Gnex. The Cons I do have are easily outweighed by the Pros. I love the display. It's much brighter and clearer than 90% of the phones that came out at the same time. The design is amazing. I do wish it was a little thicker though. This whole thin war is stupid IMO. I need something to hold on to. 2-3MM thicker would be perfect thickness for a phone IMO. Plus the fact that you get all the latest and greatest straight from the source is a huge plus and should be for any "Regular" user. All in all the Nexus is a great phone and continues to dominate even a year after it's release. Phones these days aren't meant to be kept for 5 or 6 years. The Nexus is simply a stepping stone for me. After the N4 has been out a year, I'll scoop it up and move on.

Let me make it clear: Do you understand that antennas, speaker, build quality and camera are better on a 3-4 years old High-end Nokia??

No matter how many years will pass, what Samsung phones will gain will be just more screen size and more glossy painting. Samsung has no plan at all to start making devices that feel well built.

Why make a phone with expensive parts when you can just cover it will glossy paint and spend millions on publicity.

TritonDroid · Jan 23, 2013

Not sure if I am just lucky but outside of VZ's lack of system updates I have had zero problems/concerns with this phone.

The call clarity is outstanding, screen resolution is clear and crisp with really nice deep blacks and the screen response has zero lag.

However, outside of call clarity the others weren't as good before going root and adding a custom ROM.

I have changed some gamma settings to really bring out the dark colors and by adding the Seeder app I have zero and I mean zero lag.

This is by far the best phone I have owned.

I agree the camera isn't the best for stills but the video side is quite good. Personally I am not that picky on the pictured because I use a DSLR for my event camera. Speaker isn't great but really what phone has a great speaker? It gets the job down when I am on conference calls.

NaterTots · Jan 23, 2013

Weird that you would post this in two places.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107843

If you really don't like the phone then move on. If you have then why keep coming back to argue?

I like the Gnex. Great for updates and with the Seidio rubber case on it I don't have to look at what many call cheap build quality.
Personally, I've had no issue with the reception and I love the amount of development that this phone gets which is probably the biggest reason so many people bought it.

Naters

Edit: It also seems like you created an account here just to complain about this phone. The bickering at XDA wasn't enough?

UBRocked · Jan 23, 2013

Hmmm...I'm not a developer and I love mine

I wish it at least had an S4 processor...but this phone is solid IMO.

Some points the OP made are valid but this IS a developer phone. Unlock it and ROM it...you'd be much happier. I really don't understand non-rooted nexus phones. Isn't the community development the reason to buy this phone? Otherwise, there are a ton of alternatives made from several other manufacturers.

Fuzzy13 · Jan 23, 2013

NaterTots said:
Weird that you would post this in two places.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107843

If you really don't like the phone then move on. If you have then why keep coming back to argue?

I like the Gnex. Great for updates and with the Seidio rubber case on it I don't have to look at what many call cheap build quality.
Personally, I've had no issue with the reception and I love the amount of development that this phone gets which is probably the biggest reason so many people bought it.

Naters

Edit: It also seems like you created an account here just to complain about this phone. The bickering at XDA wasn't enough?

Plot thickens.

chrlswltrs · Jan 24, 2013

UBRocked said:
Hmmm...I'm not a developer and I love mine

I wish it at least had an S4 processor...but this phone is solid IMO.

Some points the OP made are valid but this IS a developer phone. Unlock it and ROM it...you'd be much happier. I really don't understand non-rooted nexus phones. Isn't the community development the reason to buy this phone? Otherwise, there are a ton of alternatives made from several other manufacturers.

I disagree. The Nexus S was a solid phone on par with everything else at the time. The Galaxy Nexus was a solid phone on par with everything else at the time. The Nexus 4 is a solid phone on par or ahead of everything else right now. The difference is they all run a better operating system stock than a Touchwiz, Sense, etc phone.

There are plenty of Nexus owners that love their phones and have zero desire to root them (like my wife who wouldn't let me root her Nexus S she had for 2 years and won't let me root her Nexus 4)

UBRocked · Jan 24, 2013

chrlswltrs said:
I disagree. The Nexus S was a solid phone on par with everything else at the time. The Galaxy Nexus was a solid phone on par with everything else at the time. The Nexus 4 is a solid phone on par or ahead of everything else right now. The difference is they all run a better operating system stock than a Touchwiz, Sense, etc phone.

There are plenty of Nexus owners that love their phones and have zero desire to root them (like my wife who wouldn't let me root her Nexus S she had for 2 years and won't let me root her Nexus 4)

The Nexus phones have never been ahead of other phones on the market... Well, not since the Nexus One. The Nexus S was a rebranded Galaxy S, the Galaxy Nexus was in between the Galaxy SII and the Galaxy SIII (and very similar to the Droid Razr in terms or specs), and the Nexus 4 is a rebranded Optimus G with very similar specs to many other phones being announced or released at the same time (minus LTE which is why I don't own one).

I understand that not everyone who has a nexus device actually roots it but I just don't understand why. The Nexus line is all about the stock Google experience and timely updates. We all knew that Verizon would delay updates (maybe not to this extent). But I honestly don't know what software version the GNex on Verizon has because the developer community is going to support the Nexus line and updates come much faster. An unrooted GNex on Verizon seems tragic... But to each their own. I just think that someone who doesn't care about having the latest stock version of Android probably doesn't have a hatred for manufacturer skins. The GSIII is superior to the GNex in terms of specs so I didn't recommend the GNex to many people because there were better phones available or coming soon if stock Android wasn't a priority.

Just my 2 cents on the matter... But I love my GNex even though it doesn't appeal to everyone... It's not supposed to.

Fuzzy13 · Jan 24, 2013

UBRocked said:
The Nexus phones have never been ahead of other phones on the market... Well, not since the Nexus One. The Nexus S was a rebranded Galaxy S, the Galaxy Nexus was in between the Galaxy SII and the Galaxy SIII (and very similar to the Droid Razr in terms or specs), and the Nexus 4 is a rebranded Optimus G with very similar specs to many other phones being announced or released at the same time (minus LTE which is why I don't own one).

I understand that not everyone who has a nexus device actually roots it but I just don't understand why. The Nexus line is all about the stock Google experience and timely updates. We all knew that Verizon would delay updates (maybe not to this extent). But I honestly don't know what software version the GNex on Verizon has because the developer community is going to support the Nexus line and updates come much faster. An unrooted GNex on Verizon seems tragic... But to each their own. I just think that someone who doesn't care about having the latest stock version of Android probably doesn't have a hatred for manufacturer skins. The GSIII is superior to the GNex in terms of specs so I didn't recommend the GNex to many people because there were better phones available or coming soon if stock Android wasn't a priority.

Just my 2 cents on the matter... But I love my GNex even though it doesn't appeal to everyone... It's not supposed to.

I saw another post not too long ago where someone brought up the S3 and Gnex so I actually looked for myself, the differences between the 2. To my surprise the differences are very minimal. Minimal also in the sense that roughly a year passed between the 2. So either the Nexus was ahead of it's time when it came out or the S3 could have been so much more.

When I uprooted from Metro PCS right before the S3 was released from them, my intentions were to get an S3 and use it on Straight Talk, T mobile, etc.... The reasons why I didn't choose the S3 was price first off. $300 vs $550 plus tax. Negative. Especially when I'm not getting that much more for my money, especially not getting $250 worth. A few more megapixels, a oucple hundred more Mhz, etc... wasn't enough for me. Plus the fact I would have to remove all the Samsung garbage that they put on the phone, Touch Wiz, when I can use the Gnex right out of the box and be prefectly happy with it. In no way saying the S3 is a bad phone, but when the 2 are REALLY compared, the Gnex is by far the better option. Now if the S3 was around $400 off contract then it would be a different story.

Just my views on things when I bought mine. Not engaging or enticing an arguement

Petrah · Jan 29, 2013

Polonord,

Sounds like you just don't like the phone. Look on Ebay for the white housing for the type of Nexus you have. Takes 15 minutes to replace it, then slap the phone on Ebay for $575 bucks. You'll make a nice little profit and can buy another phone that you really want and will be happy with.

Petrah · Jan 29, 2013

NaterTots said:
I like the Gnex. Great for updates and with the Seidio rubber case on it I don't have to look at what many call cheap build quality.
Personally, I've had no issue with the reception and I love the amount of development that this phone gets which is probably the biggest reason so many people bought it.

Same. I also have a Seidio case, and I love the phone and will continue to use it till it just doesn't work anymore.

If you are not a developer, this phone is quite bad

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