Debating On iPhone 4 Or Nexus S.......Few Question

[NeverBePeace]

First of all....Hi! I am kind of new to Android. I did have the G1 when it first came out I think in 2008 but it was a short ride. So, I am thinking of returning.

I played with the iPhone 4 and I checked out the NS a little. While both phones are nice, the iPhone sticks out for me since I'm use to it. However, I have tmobile and was thinking of buying an unlocked iPhone 4 and use it T-mobile. Now, I know I will get 2G speeds which is ok I guess. The nexus s is a nice phone that will give me 3G speeds and many other features. My questions are the following:

iPhone 4 battery life is great. What do I expect from the NS? Better? Same? Worse? This is a big factor for me. I would say I'm moderate to heavy user. Keep in mind that: Locations, 3G, wifi, were all on when i had the iPhone 4.

That is basically it...I would like to hear from former iPhone 4 user who turn Nexus S or Vice Versa.....Thanks Guys.......

 

[tylerdurdin]

I am a fan of the iphone my wife has one, having said that, iphone battery is not as great as everyone thinks it is, the display is ridiculous blows any other phone out of the water, but there is no freedom. Once you have to start messing with itunes to backup contacts and using itunes for transferring music it just becomes a chore. I like the phone itself but android is freedom, ease of use, tons of free goodies in the market,......... go with the android.
Btw the nexus battery will last all day just like the iphone.

 

[NeverBePeace]

Thanks.......one other question....since the NS is mostly platic, does it creak at all? Has there been any creaking going on since the phone came out?

Dealing with plastic...it tends to creak in some places and that is a bit annoying.

 

[moordown66]

Mine doesn't creak

 

[quantumrand]

The Nexus S is made from plastic, but it isn't exactly a cheap thin plastic. It's not quite as nice as the composite plastics HTC uses, but it still feels like a perfectly sturdy phone. As for creaking, if I torque it a bit, it does give of very subtle creaks; however, pressing it against my ear and other normal use activities don't give off any creaking sounds. After handling my girlfriend's Vibrant, the build quality was something I was concerned about too, but once I got the Nexus S, I realized it's an entirely different casing. The weight to it is really ideal, and it's all fit together nicely.

Be careful committing yourself to EDGE though. I was on an EDGE only phone before this, and it really is limiting. When loading certain webpages, I often just turned off the screen and put the phone in my pocket to let it finish loading so that I could check later. Youtube videos were essentially impossible since the buffering was so slow; it would take several minutes just for it to be able to start playing a short clip. Streaming radio, like Pandora, was OK though. Keep in mind, too, that with things like 4G coming around, apps are going to start becoming much more liberal on their data needs. Something to consider in terms of future proofing.

 

[NeverBePeace]

The Nexus S is made from plastic, but it's exactly a cheap thin plastic. It's not quite as nice as the composite plastics HTC uses, but it still feels like a perfectly sturdy phone. As for creaking, if I torque it a bit, it does give of very subtle creaks; however, pressing it against my ear and other normal use activities don't give off any creaking sounds. After handling my girlfriend's Vibrant, the build quality was something I was concerned about too, but once I got the Nexus S, I realized it's an entirely different casing. The weight to it is really ideal, and it's all fit together nicely.

Be careful committing yourself to EDGE though. I was on an EDGE only phone before this, and it really is limiting. When loading certain webpages, I often just turned off the screen and put the phone in my pocket to let it finish loading so that I could check later. Youtube videos were essentially impossible since the buffering was so slow; it would take several minutes just for it to be able to start playing a short clip. Streaming radio, like Pandora, was OK though. Keep in mind, too, that with things like 4G coming around, apps are going to start becoming much more liberal on their data needs. Something to consider in terms of future proofing.

Sounds good......I just read today that the galaxy s 4g coming out this month.....now i have a 3rd option....Hmmmmm

 

[skillz1318]

I love my iPhone 4 and I am considering switching to a Nexus S (once it's on ATT) or Motorola Atrix.

I love my iPhone and have had every generation since they came out. The iPhone app store is great...the UI is fast and simple...and the phone is quick with great battery! It also has the highest resolution of any phone and the clearest display (ppi).

I am considering switching to try something new...however I'm worried I may regret my decision. I am jailbroken so I have full access to my phone and have done a lot of tweaking. I'm kind of just getting bored with the OS.

 

[NeverBePeace]

What about meebo or beejive? How is that in terms of battery life and connectivity? Can you send files and pictures though meebo?

 

[quantumrand]

What about meebo or beejive? How is that in terms of battery life and connectivity? Can you send files and pictures though meebo?

I know Trillian allows file transfers, but I don't use it regularly enough to know how much it affects battery life.

 

[MartinS]

I had an iPhone 3G and would never go back.

Yes iPhone is smooth but it's so booooooooooring!

Nexus S is smooth, customisable and more importantly you won't get bored with it!

The new Android Market is now online. Browse on your computer, find an app, hit install and it's downloading on your phone in seconds - classy! Android Market is catching up and those who say there are no good apps are talking rubbish. Possibly apps have been harder to find but the new market should sort that out.

iPhone's "retina display" may have every other phone on the market beaten in terms of resolution - but - have you seen the NS in the flesh? The screen is beautiful - the colours are amazing and the blacks are black - no nasty greys when you crank the brightness up!

The Nexus S is plastic. It's a good weight and personally I think it looks fantastic. It's certainly sleek. I was playing with a friend's iPhone 4 last night (not for very long before I got bored) and remembered just how heavy it is, it's like a lead weight. And also I find it uncomfortable to hold just because the edges are so sharp.

Anyway that's my

 

[Aria807]

Personally I think iPhone's are overrated. Same with the iPod. I only use an iPod because it is easier to integrate into a car with those AUX Modules that give steering wheel controls.

My cousin had an iphone 3g before too and he sold that and jumped over to android.

I prefer my Nexus S because it's a Google phone and there's no bloatware. My friend has the EVO and his phone comes w/ a lot of Sprint junk and same with my friend's Verizon Droid X. I just think of it as buying a laptop from like HP or Dell that comes w/ preloaded crap or you can build your own comp and have a fresh copy of windows with nothing on it. Also the Android system can be heavily modded as well, though I am still very new to it all so I havn't done too much other than rooting the phone. Also the android phones have batteries you can reach so incase it ever goes out, you can swap it out easier than an iPhone.

And my Nexus S's battery I am pretty certain I can get 1-2 days with moderate use. Not sure how well the iPhones are though. All I know is it is heck of a lot better than the EVO lol. My friend has to charge his phone throughout the day.

But then again, you are asking us on the Nexus S and an Android forum so opinions are going to be biased.

 

[MartinS]

I'm the same in terms of the iPod. Because we have a couple of docks and the car kit etc I still use my iPod Touch. I hate it! I use it only for music and films, because I don't want to do anything else with that OS!

 

[phillevy]

My wife and daughter both have iPhone 4's so I have plenty of opportunities to play with them alongside Android (versions 1.5 -2.2) on my now ageing HTC Hero. My next phone withought a doubt will be running Android - enough said?

 

[B2L]

I had an iPhone 3G and would never go back.

Yes iPhone is smooth but it's so booooooooooring!

Nexus S is smooth, customisable and more importantly you won't get bored with it!

The new Android Market is now online. Browse on your computer, find an app, hit install and it's downloading on your phone in seconds - classy! Android Market is catching up and those who say there are no good apps are talking rubbish. Possibly apps have been harder to find but the new market should sort that out.

iPhone's "retina display" may have every other phone on the market beaten in terms of resolution - but - have you seen the NS in the flesh? The screen is beautiful - the colours are amazing and the blacks are black - no nasty greys when you crank the brightness up!

The Nexus S is plastic. It's a good weight and personally I think it looks fantastic. It's certainly sleek. I was playing with a friend's iPhone 4 last night (not for very long before I got bored) and remembered just how heavy it is, it's like a lead weight. And also I find it uncomfortable to hold just because the edges are so sharp.

Anyway that's my £0.02 - I guess you know which side of the fence I sit on!!!

P.S. I downloaded ADW Launcher EX. All my mates at the pub last night wanted to see the icons and widgets spin into the screen as I thumbed across home screens.

You couldn't have said it better. I would take my nice 4 inch super amoled screen over the retina display any day.

And Btw ADW Ex is awesome. I have been using it as my launcher for a couple weeks now. With ADW and the lg Optimus 2x widget my phone looks sexy as hell.

 

[frenzy757]

Id say Nexus S.

Nexus S off contract...get Gvoice for free texting...pay $55/month Tmobile Even More Plus plan unlimited data = win.

I agree, I got one of the new Ipod Touches and have played a lot with the IP4, and its just boring. The hardware is really nice I'll admit, but I really do like the look of the NS. I love the way that it is all black when the phone is turned off (capacitive buttons turn off). It does feel good in the hand and I love the screen.

I'll also echo that the battery life on mine has been great. Today I unplugged at 8:45 AM, it is 7:05 PM here and I am sitting at 61% battery life.

IP4 is a great phone for most people, the problem is I am not "most people." I really wanted something different. Plus it got annoying when the Verizon IP4 commercial came on a bunch of my buddies I was watching the superbowl with were yelling THATS IT THE DROID IS DEAD...not going to be me sorry.

Same with the Ipad...ive owned two, returned them both, boring as hell.

 

[frankkduf]

I had a iphone 4 and nexus s now... The only why the iphone 4 miss me is the great he game... anyway android is gonna get all game soon tough. Now the only advise I can give you is that if you take the nexus S you will get a better Health because the iphone produce 2.5x more sar (radiation) than the nexus s so if you want to get less chance of getting brain cancer or any shit like that

 

[Lovenexus]

I had a iphone 4 and nexus s now... The only why the iphone 4 miss me is the great he game... anyway android is gonna get all game soon tough. Now the only advise I can give you is that if you take the nexus S you will get a better Health because the iphone produce 2.5x more sar (radiation) than the nexus s so if you want to get less chance of getting brain cancer or any shit like that

Huh?

 

[kawasaki69]

iPhone 4 battery life is great. What do I expect from the NS? Better? Same? Worse? This is a big factor for me. I would say I'm moderate to heavy user. Keep in mind that: Locations, 3G, wifi, were all on when i had the iPhone 4.

I've had my phone for 2 weeks and can reassure you about battery life.

If i have GPS turned on then i get 24-30 hours between charges (depending on use)....which isnt too bad, particularly when i read the horror stories of Desire HD owners struggling to get 12 hours between charges.

However, if i turn GPS off (which i did before my last charge) i am currently at 41 hours use and down to 40% charge...it is easliy going to break the 48 hour barrier this time...which is excellent news i reckon.

I have 3G and Wi-Fi turned on constantly and consider myself a moderate user...some texts, a few calls, some web browsing etc....in-call volume is set to maximum, notifications volume is set to half way and screen brightness is set to auto.

I have laboured the point on this forum but a huge reason why people dont get good battery life from their smart phones is because they dont know how to charge a battery from new and make it as strong as possible.
I never charge the phone unless it is showing less than 10%....i then charge it fully....i've done this from day one and (apart from the initial charge which only returned a frightening 12 hours use) have noticed my time between charges gradually increasing over my two weeks ownership.

A friend with the Desire HD is paranoid about having a flat battery....the phone is constantly on charge...in the car its on charge, at work its plugged into the USB on charge, at home...its on charge.
Once its off charge she gets terrible battery life and i'm convinced its because the battery has never had the chance to discharge properly and build up its strength over several good long charges...i'm no expert but i think she has managed to ruin her battery with poor management.

In short the Nexus S is the best phone i've owned, the design is gorgeous and doesnt feel flimsy...it certainly doesnt creak. The display is stunning, the OS seems stable...i've had no freezes or crashes during my first two weeks and the thing is fast....web browsing is a dream, videos play faultlessly and i can even stream live TV without buffering and juddering....its like having my laptop in my pocket.

I have no problems recommending it to other people.

 

[Stuart P]

I have laboured the point on this forum but a huge reason why people dont get good battery life from their smart phones is because they dont know how to charge a battery from new and make it as strong as possible.
I never charge the phone unless it is showing less than 10%....i then charge it fully....i've done this from day one and (apart from the initial charge which only returned a frightening 12 hours use) have noticed my time between charges gradually increasing over my two weeks ownership.

can you elaborate. when doing your charges as above, do you leave the phone on or power off completely? also do you unplug as soon as you see 5 bars or 100% or let it trickle charge a bit longer?

 

[kawasaki69]

I leave the phone turned on when it charges....it hasnt been turned off since i bought it.

If the charging is done overnight then obviously the phone is going to be left plugged in way longer than necessary but i'm not going to get up in the middle of the night to take it off charge!

If its charging during the day then i periodically check its progress and take it off charge when its full....sometimes it gets left for a varying amount of time beyond being fully charged, like i said it depends on how often i check on its progress and how busy i am at work.

Seidio (who manufacture a slightly larger battery for the Nexus S) state on their website that in order to obtain full capacity from their batteries that you should leave the phone on charge for an additonal 2-3 hours after the indicator has shown full.

A little tip.
I turned off navigation, maps, latitude etc as the battery menu on the phone told me these processes were using a huge amount of power....but the time between charges still wasnt great and on the battery menu it still stated that 'maps' were using most of the charge...i checked and double checked that i didnt have any navigation type apps running and that i had signed out of latitiude....the problem still persisted.

Then i realised that i had installed a widget that tells you the time and weather in your location....a bit like the homepage display on most HTCs....then it dawned on me that GPS had to be working in some form or another for the location to always be updating and correct!

I uninstalled that widget and everything has been cool since....even fairly innocent looking apps or widgets that you wouldnt think of as being a battery killer can be sucking juice at an alarming rate....it means i've had to sacrifice the nice looking HTC-esque home page widget but if i want to know what the weather is like at my current location i'll look out the window!

....the welcome trade off is that as i type this my phone has now been 48hrs and 10mins since its last charge and has 29% of its battery left....go through your phone and close down any apps, widgets and processes that you dont use very often, they drain the battery and its really no hassle to turn them on again manually when you do want to use sat-nav or similar.

I could get really anal about this and lower the screen brightness, turn all volumes down, turn vibrate off, turn Wi-Fi off etc...but that would be to entirely miss the point of having a smart phone....i've now got the phone pretty much how i want it, there have obviously been compromises in that i've switched off live wallpaper and shut down any apps or widgets that require a GPS feed for them to work and update but its made for a less stressful life as i'm not constantly panicking about my phone's battery life....

....and i would absolutely hate to have to resort to using one those aftermarket longer life batteries that look like an ugly plastic wart on the back of the phone....i saw a thread recently where somebody had a battery twice the power of the original fitment, something like 2600-3000 mAh...and it looked ridiculous, what kind of case or cover is going to fit a phone that (in my opinion) has been ruined by the addition of a battery that looks like it would power a laptop?!....would it still fit in a pocket?...how long would a monster like that take to fully charge?

If you think you may have ruined the battery in your phone then buy a new battery, start again and charge the battery properly from the start, they are cheap enough...retail is around

 

[frankkduf]

with the nexus s, If you use a app that kill apn and wifi while the screen is off and use auto screen luminosity and you logout from google map, then I promise you that the battery will easily old 2 days