Narrowed it to 2

[Papasmurf]

So me and my wife are due for an upgrade and I have narrowed it down to the Top 2 Nexus and Rezound. Coming from the D1 I will appreciate the dev of the Nexus, but my wife would care less. She just needs something to work all the time. I'm torn between these two and would like some feedback. Again I like to Root and customize my phone so I think the Nexus is the winner, but if there is anything to sway me away I'd like to hear about. thanks in advance!

 

[t35rk]

It's up to you at this point, but if you decide on the Nexus, perhaps wait for the updated CPU that may come to Verizon.

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[Nealius]

Nexus for you. Razor maxx for her.
The rooting procedure for the nexus is really simple. I used a one click (wugs) work flawless. I have only tried 1 rom since it is stable.
The maxx for her cause its sexy! The rezound is a nice phone but the UI killed it for me.
Good luck!

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[Papasmurf]

Yeah but that updated one might just be for sprint. And if the camera and battery aren't upgraded too its not that big a deal.

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[Quicksilver7714]

There is no updated CPU for the Nexus. Furthermore they will not release a Nexus with an updated CPU. What you are probably seeing is a development model which is just used to test new chipsets.

Since the Nexus is pure Google and a Dev phone it stands to reason that there will not be a new model released with an updated CPU. But expect a new Nexus at the end of the year.
@ OP, chose what you think will suit you the best. Go to Verizon and take some time to get acquainted with each phone, Nexus and Rezound. That will help you make your decision.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[Papasmurf]

Thanks I didn't even consider the RAZR for her since she has become a pro at battery pulling with the d1. Thought she might be interested in the purple RAZR

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[JeffDenver]

So me and my wife are due for an upgrade and I have narrowed it down to the Top 2 Nexus and Rezound. Coming from the D1 I will appreciate the dev of the Nexus, but my wife would care less. She just needs something to work all the time. I'm torn between these two and would like some feedback. Again I like to Root and customize my phone so I think the Nexus is the winner, but if there is anything to sway me away I'd like to hear about. thanks in advance!

It depends on what you care about most.

The Galaxy Nexus has no hardware Nav buttons (I really dont like Nav buttons taking up my display) and no SD slot (this was the deal killer for me). Its camera isnt as good as the Rezounds either. It is known to have (sometimes severe) 4G issues. But it does have Vanilla Android and ICS, embedded NFC, and it does have a nice display (AMOLED deep blacks are awesome). It is the easiest phone to root.

The Rezound has an awesome camera, both SD and removable battery, the best pixel density of any phone right now (beats the Retina display even). Color reproduction looks better on the Rezound IMO. It comes with a pair of expensive earbuds. HTC allows you to unlock the bootloader legitimately now. 64 gig SD cards have been confirmed to work with it, so you could have potentially well over double the storage of even a 32 gig Nexus.

IMO, the Rezound is better. But if you dont care about SD or the camera, and can live with the radio issues or get a phone that doesnt have them (not everyone has them), the Nexus is better.

 

[JeffDenver]

Thanks I didn't even consider the RAZR for her since she has become a pro at battery pulling with the d1. Thought she might be interested in the purple RAZR

The awesome battery life is definitely a plus with the Razr. It is also the thinnest and lightest and probably the most durable without a case. It probably has the fastest CPU IMO.

But it is Motorola, so it will be the hardest to root and you cannot "legitimately" unlock the bootloader. It has the worst display ("worst" being relative...it's display would kick ass compared to anything other than the Rezound or Galaxy nexus). Replacing the battery could be a concern if the battery goes out. In theory, the warranty should cover it, but...

 

[Papasmurf]

Thanks Jeff, that is a great suggestion. I've heard that the Rezound is just as easy to Root and mod so I was wondering. It's really a mixed bag on this forum and others as to the pros and cons of both. I will be going to VZ store soon to actually check them out.

-The fact that the Nexus has NFC seems like a plus. I don't use it right now, but if I did I don't know how much I'd use it.
-SD card. I have 16Gb with my Droid and I have around 8 free so would I really use that much? Don't know. I stream alot
-Since I stream alot, I would require a reliable signal
-I don't care about the quality difference of the camera as long as its better than my D1. Which from what I've seen they all are.

I want to have 4.0 and I have searched and found that there are stable ROMS now from scottsroms that run 4.0 on stock and with sense. I've never used sense obviously so don't know about that.

Thanks for all the feedback. this is really helping me out.

 

[JeffDenver]

Thanks Jeff, that is a great suggestion. I've heard that the Rezound is just as easy to Root and mod

It isnt. The Galaxy Nexus is definitely better for that. HTC does allow you to unlock it, and it can be rooted, but it will never be as easy on the Rezound as it is on the Nexus. HTC has demonstrated that they will still try to prevent rooting even if you are unlocked. The OTA update unrooted me and I cannot re-root using the same method (though there is already another method of doing it...so it is really just an inconvenience).

The fact that the Nexus has NFC seems like a plus. I don't use it right now, but if I did I don't know how much I'd use it.

I doubt I would use it, but if I had a choice, I'd rather have it.

SD card. I have 16Gb with my Droid and I have around 8 free so would I really use that much? Don't know. I stream alot

I have hard that argument a lot. But here is the thing:
1) Streaming will depend on access to the internet. Verizon's 4G has already gone down twice since I have had my phone, and both times for around a day. The Cloud is far from 100% reliable. Local media is always 100% reliable.
2) That data will stack up, and even if you have unlimited data now, that might not always be the case.
3) The galaxy nexus is known to have radio issues...so even if the network is working perfectly, that does not mean you will have access to it (or fast access if you have access at all).
4) Moving stuff is much easier on SD. Transferring 32 gigs of stuff to and from your phone is NOT fast. Taking an SD card out of one phone and putting it in another IS fast.
5) The prices you see are for the 16 gig version...the 32 gig Nexus is going to cost you more.

I have never really been a fan of streaming. All the times I have used it, it has seemed clumsier and slower than just using local media. I do use it, but only as a backup.

I don't care about the quality difference of the camera as long as its better than my D1. Which from what I've seen they all are.

The Droid 1 had an awesome camera. In bright light I would say it is comparable to modern phones. Its main weakness was low light. The Rezound is better in low light than the Galaxy Nexus. But even in bright light the Rezound takes better pictures IMO. And it is also higher resolution (on both the front and back cameras).

 

[dezymond]

Thanks Jeff, that is a great suggestion. I've heard that the Rezound is just as easy to Root and mod so I was wondering. It's really a mixed bag on this forum and others as to the pros and cons of both. I will be going to VZ store soon to actually check them out.

-The fact that the Nexus has NFC seems like a plus. I don't use it right now, but if I did I don't know how much I'd use it.
-SD card. I have 16Gb with my Droid and I have around 8 free so would I really use that much? Don't know. I stream alot
-Since I stream alot, I would require a reliable signal
-I don't care about the quality difference of the camera as long as its better than my D1. Which from what I've seen they all are.

I want to have 4.0 and I have searched and found that there are stable ROMS now from scottsroms that run 4.0 on stock and with sense. I've never used sense obviously so don't know about that.

Thanks for all the feedback. this is really helping me out.

-For NFC, the really cool feature I think is you can "beam" pages/links/maps to other Nexus owners, problem is you need to know someone with a Nexus. Google Wallet is pretty slick too, but I don't use it.
-You have about 28gb free on the Nexus iirc, plenty of space imo, especially if you stream
-How's 4g in Rochester? The Nexus tends to have a hit or miss signal among alot of people, I live where I get pretty much 3 or 4 bars all the time. I definitely use wifi whenever I can even though I'm on unlimited 4g, save some battery.
-This camera is amazing to me, the no shutterlag is a huge plus. The quality in the dark/inside is a good, but disappointing if you compare it to a phone like the Rezound. It far exceeds what I need in a camera so I think it's a great camera.

As for Sense, I really liked it when I had my Incredible. I messed around with the Rezound for a bit and was impressed with it still thought the animations are beginning to be too much for me.

 

[JeffDenver]

I dont like any Vendor UI. The first thing I did when I got the Rezound was install GoLauncher. The nicest thing I can say about Sense is that it is better than any OTHER vendor UI, but I would rather just have Vanilla Android.

 

[Papasmurf]

I too prefer vanilla Android. I also use Go Launcher. What I don't right now is the 4G here. I know Rochester was a launch city so it should be really good. My friend ha the bionic and loves it so must be OK service wise here..

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[Syraz]

I have narrowed it to 2 many times, then just end up stuck with 3, though after playing with all phones in store its more Gnex with Rezound and Razr behind it. Everything about the Gnex says its the phone for me, looks, feel, unlocked..still worried about radios which is the hard part for me on deciding

 

[Papasmurf]

Agreed

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