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Hello, I have been on sprint with an Evo 4g for a while now, but due to sprints recent coverage change for my area, I might be switching to verizon. so my question is, which would you all suggest i get? galaxy nexus? or Droid razr Maxx? any big devs going for the razr? easy root process? moto going to unlock the bootloader on it? any and all help is greatly appreciated, thanks - Matt
When I was on the same boat as you 2 days ago, I have to admit it was the toughest choice I have done in a LONG time.
As it stands your looking at this:
Galaxy Nexus Verizon
-Unlocked Bootloader bust that **** open and destroy it with mods
-Nexus phone, quicker to get updates
-Good battery life. Nothing compared to the Maxx though. But check out the battery life on the 4.0.4 leaked update, it's AWESOME.
Droid Razr Maxx
-Great battery life
-No ICS
-Locked bootloader
-To me it's a Nexus with a crazy battery & motoblur skin.
Now, IF the Razr Maxx gets ICS and an unlocked bootloader it will be: Everything pretty much equal except for these:
Great dev modding community, Nexus updates, good battery life vs. Maxx battery (best battery), great dev modding community
There, I put it in a nutshell for you.
I had the Maxx and returned and decided to return it because I didn't need all the battery it supplied and I can adjust the battery on my Nexus to fit my needs perfectly and spare. Lastly, I don't risk Moto not unlocking the bootloader, but ICS it will definitetly get. It would hurt Moto way too much to not give ICS to the Razr Maxx it's tied for the best phones on the market now the other being the GNex. My personal opinion though ICS won't matter since it's not gonna really look AOSP, Motoblur isn't ugly but it's not the nicest when AOSP ICS is on the GNex.
So it's up to you, can you have some patience with the Nexus and adjust it's battery till you get it right to your usage and make it last 18-20 hours? (More with ext. battery)? I'm in that process now. And not risk Moto not making a fully moddable phone? Take your pick, both are excellent choices. WHATEVER you do if you go GNex don't give up on the battery it's really easy to make it last without limiting yourself to 5% brightness and 2G signal. Just have to pinpoint everything and what's the problem.
Lastly, most and all radio/battery problems are easily fixed (if you have them on stock) by not even rooting. Just unlock bootloader and flash 4.0.4. Best update ever.
**I did not consider Camera and other features because both are just fine for a PHONE camera.***
Good Luck.
It all depends on what your requirements are. Personally, I'm on my phone nonstop all, so anything less than enormous battery won't work for me. Plus I have a prejudice against Samsung phones in general.
Worth noting that the Nexus doesn't have a micro SD slot (although it's NAND flash memory is very fast), and the Razr Maxx's battery is not replaceable (according to Motorola -- I've heard from some VZW reps that it can be done).
Either way, it's a gamble.
Sent from my Droid Razr Maxx
Had the Nexus for 3 days then returned it for a razr. That should tell you my opinion.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
Adauth said:
Had the Nexus for 3 days then returned it for a razr. That should tell you my opinion.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Same here. Got a Nexus demo at work for 2 weeks and did not fall in love with it. I hear 4.0.4 fixes battery but twice it went from 80% to 0% overnight doing nothing but 2 email accounts. Also, the Nexus just felt strange in my hand (I have large hands). I did not like where the power button was because i hold it in my left hand to read email and my index finger kept pressing the button and blanking the screen. The Droid Razr Maxx is in similar place but my index finger ends up well below the button when holding. The Maxx feels more secure in my hand and not like it's going to fall out like with the Nexus.
I rooted and did ROMS on all my previous phones (OG Droid, Droid 2, Droid Incredible) and enjoyed doing away with BLUR on my Motorola's but I'm sure I will do the same with the MAXX. I did like the idea of having the NExus with all the latest updates and development but the Samsung phone just didn't seem as well put together as the Maxx.
My speed tests showed the Maxx faster on WIFI and 4G. The 4G fringe areas work much better after the latest update (this past week), and I was having some issues with the Nexus getting 3G network in some light areas and not with the MAXX.
had the nexus for a week. returned it.
Not sure why anyone would want an AOSP phone. It's like having generic frosted flakes.
Battery life is not an issue for me so even though i knew about the maxx, i got the razr. The nexus is just awkward, buggy and just plain. you NEED a custom rom if you get the nexus.
I prefer the HTC sense UI's over anything else. If HTC would just make a thinner, better looking phone, i would jump all over that. You gotta see a ROM with HTC 3.6 and ICS. it will blow you away. I gave my kid the Sensation XL and loaded this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1429953
The greatest ROM i've ever seen. If you want a UI that will just make you smile everytime you use the phone, this is it. But for the RAZR, i'll take motoblur over AOSP anytime.
I don't know how you people like skins over aosp, gross
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
MrDrumngun said:
I don't know how you people like skins over aosp, gross
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
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For the same reason that there are tons of launchers, widgets, etcc on the market. Because AOSP means, As Obviously Super Plain as possible. Just kidding of course, but AOSP really is out of the box google. It's meant to offend no one, not step on apple toes (like samsung), and not dazzle anybody. It really reminds me of APPLE iOS.
call someone you know on both phones and ask them which sounds better. then call a voicemail with both phones and listen to playback and listen to the difference in how you sound. if everyone did this Samsung couldn't sell a single phone.
mmrox117 said:
Hello, I have been on sprint with an Evo 4g for a while now, but due to sprints recent coverage change for my area, I might be switching to verizon. so my question is, which would you all suggest i get? galaxy nexus? or Droid razr Maxx? any big devs going for the razr? easy root process? moto going to unlock the bootloader on it? any and all help is greatly appreciated, thanks - Matt
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Click to collapse
You do realize this is a Razr forum right? Then you cant possibly expect an objective voice. Those 80% overnight drop to 0% on Nexus is simply untrue or not true for all. Maybe on that unit yes. 4G speed? I don't know. I had a test on two phones side by side and GNEx beat Razr 4 G speed EVERY time buy at least 1mb. This is based on 20ish tests.
Battery life on Razr Maxx is just KING . So original razr is simply out of this competition PERIOD .
Except it is thinnest which you can't really USE that 7.1mm to do anything . Except cutting a cheese.
Gnex is for dev. Its openness is best. Razr Max is for regular user . So depends on which type you are
Disclaimer. I own both phones.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
The 5MP cam on the Nexus is an Absolut deal breaker for me. If it wasn’t for that, if the Nexus had an 8MP cam, it would be a fairly hard choice. But i use my phone cam like crazy so it completely ruled the Nexus out for me.
Hi all-
I ended up getting both. I got spoiled very quickly with ICS on my Xoom tablet. I have to admit that I also love ICS on the Nexus as well... However, and this is just my humble opinion.. The battery life is considerably better on the Razr than on the Nexus. Yes I have removed all of the battery draining apps. Tried several roms, Blah blah. On and on it goes. I've spent many an hour doing things that others claim to be the 'solution' to achieving great battery life on the Nexus. Well, I'm here to tell you that as far as I'm concerned, Samsung desperately needs to return to the drawing board and practice up on their battery design as that has been my number one issue with their device to date. Believe me, I got really SPOILED with the Razr's supreme battery performance. I easily achieved two days with it, yet with the Nexus I have not been able to make a full 12 hour day, and this is even with the extended battery. It isn't an ICS issue either as my Xoom plays for hours on end with little concern over battery life. I have also found that RF-wise the Razr wins hands down. I am aware of radio software improvements in ICS 4.0.4 and above. Perhaps with those updates coming down the pike some positives will be made in that area and I'm good with that.
No doubt other Nexus owners will disagree with me and that's fine. I'm only commenting on what *I* have experienced with the Nexus. Even though I have the freedom of running stock Android on the thing which truly is very very nice, I still have to confess that from a hardware standpoint my experience so far has been less than stellar.
I want to wait and see what Moto has up their sleeve with ICS once they implement it on the Razr. I may well take the leap back to it once that happens, but even with the mediocre battery life and RF performance on the Nexus, I plan on retaining it afterward if nothing else as a developer unit as I don't expect Moto to ever release the bootloader on the Razr.
The developers who are cranking out the roms for the Nexus (as well as the Xoom) are incredibly talented. It fascinates me to sit back and watch all of this in action. It makes me wonder where did all of this creativity come from prior to the emergence of smart phones.
Bottom line is that I firmly believe both handsets are worthy of ownership in their own right but I still lean towards the Razr. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
skoone68 said:
Hi all-
I ended up getting both. I got spoiled very quickly with ICS on my Xoom tablet. I have to admit that I also love ICS on the Nexus as well... However, and this is just my humble opinion.. The battery life is considerably better on the Razr than on the Nexus. Yes I have removed all of the battery draining apps. Tried several roms, Blah blah. On and on it goes. I've spent many an hour doing things that others claim to be the 'solution' to achieving great battery life on the Nexus. Well, I'm here to tell you that as far as I'm concerned, Samsung desperately needs to return to the drawing board and practice up on their battery design as that has been my number one issue with their device to date. Believe me, I got really SPOILED with the Razr's supreme battery performance. I easily achieved two days with it, yet with the Nexus I have not been able to make a full 12 hour day, and this is even with the extended battery. It isn't an ICS issue either as my Xoom plays for hours on end with little concern over battery life. I have also found that RF-wise the Razr wins hands down. I am aware of radio software improvements in ICS 4.0.4 and above. Perhaps with those updates coming down the pike some positives will be made in that area and I'm good with that.
No doubt other Nexus owners will disagree with me and that's fine. I'm only commenting on what *I* have experienced with the Nexus. Even though I have the freedom of running stock Android on the thing which truly is very very nice, I still have to confess that from a hardware standpoint my experience so far has been less than stellar.
I want to wait and see what Moto has up their sleeve with ICS once they implement it on the Razr. I may well take the leap back to it once that happens, but even with the mediocre battery life and RF performance on the Nexus, I plan on retaining it afterward if nothing else as a developer unit as I don't expect Moto to ever release the bootloader on the Razr.
The developers who are cranking out the roms for the Nexus (as well as the Xoom) are incredibly talented. It fascinates me to sit back and watch all of this in action. It makes me wonder where did all of this creativity come from prior to the emergence of smart phones.
Bottom line is that I firmly believe both handsets are worthy of ownership in their own right but I still lean towards the Razr. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
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Can you comment on the quality of *outgoing* voice quality when comparing the two handsets?
So what kind of future will a Maxx have if I buy one?
I love the things I can do with my Thunderbolt, but want the battery. Will ROM's be as diverse as my TB? I love the CM7 ROM's I have. I am just unclear as to what the bootloader will stop me from doing in the future.
Is it possible that CM9 could eventually work on it?
Are there any ROM's that have the hotspot enabled without the carrier option?
Sorry for newb questions. Just want to make sure I dont buy a phone I hate.
iolinux333 said:
Can you comment on the quality of *outgoing* voice quality when comparing the two handsets?
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Click to collapse
Having had both, didn't notice any difference
jiwengang said:
You do realize this is a Razr forum right? Then you cant possibly expect an objective voice. Those 80% overnight drop to 0% on Nexus is simply untrue or not true for all. Maybe on that unit yes. 4G speed? I don't know. I had a test on two phones side by side and GNEx beat Razr 4 G speed EVERY time buy at least 1mb. This is based on 20ish tests.
Battery life on Razr Maxx is just KING . So original razr is simply out of this competition PERIOD .
Except it is thinnest which you can't really USE that 7.1mm to do anything . Except cutting a cheese.
Gnex is for dev. Its openness is best. Razr Max is for regular user . So depends on which type you are
Disclaimer. I own both phones.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I also own both phones! I have the Razr Maxx because for work I need to have good call and sound quality and the Razr is awesome in both areas but for the inner geek I have the Nexus which can't be beat for Dev support and updates and pure fun but the sound quality is poor on calls and speaker phone. I have also had many calls where the person I am talking to can no longer hear me.
My advice! Get both!
reimerj
I had the RAZR for 2 months now.
One thing I don't like about it, is the display. The colors looks beautiful, but the text doesn't play nice with my eyes. I've heard it's because Motorola uses Pentil display. Other than the display the phone is great, with solid and premium build quality.
Get the Maxx. I got the Nexus when it came out, and I have had nothing but disappointment from it. I really wanted to love it. I wanted to have a *true* google phone... but they just skimped out too much on the hardware.
The cell antenna in it downright blows. It's unusable at my house, where the Maxx works just fine (other people with Verizon phones in my house also work fine).
The camera on the Nexus also blows. It's fine outside, or in really really well lit rooms during the day, but don't even bother trying to take pictures in any kind of low light, they just look terrible. I don't care about megapixels, but I do care about whether or not the pictures look like junk.
The battery on the Nexus blows (seeing a pattern here?). It lasts 12 hours, with very minimal use. It's aggravating to have to run and drop it on the charger as soon as I get home.
There's no SD slot on the Nexus... which didn't matter to me, but some people care. You can still copy files on and off it from windows, and 32 gigs is a lot of space for most people.
The only good thing about the Nexus is the screen, which is admittedly awesome. The Maxx's screen looks pretty good though, even side by side with the Maxx. And don't let the dimensions of the screens fool you, they're very very close in usable size - the Nexus loses a bunch of pixels for its on-screen buttons, which seem to only disappear when watching videos. The height of the screens are just about the same, the Nexus is just slightly wider.
ICS is also SO much better than gingerbread... but if you're here, you can install a ROM and do just fine with the Maxx.
Im waiting on a razr maxx to arrive fed ex tomorrow. I am coming from a samsung charge with a total bad experience. Signal,battery and gps issues. Hope this is all solved with the new phone as Im sick of hearing it from the wife. She now swears samsung off and wants a motorola because when she had the dx2 gps was never a problem.
blueis300 said:
Im waiting on a razr maxx to arrive fed ex tomorrow. I am coming from a samsung charge with a total bad experience. Signal,battery and gps issues. Hope this is all solved with the new phone as Im sick of hearing it from the wife. She now swears samsung off and wants a motorola because when she had the dx2 gps was never a problem.
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Click to collapse
Had the Droid charge too. After the lousy development, went to the Nexus Galaxy to get the A++ development. It was there, but too much plain ol AOSP for my liking. Saw a co-worker with the razr and instantly loved the blur and exchanged my phone. The 7mm thiness of the phone is just aluring to me. i love handling such a light and thin phone. The little bump on the top backside also helps to give it an angle when i lay it down. Its like the designers thought of everything.
I'm thinking about doing it. Anyone else make the plunge? What do you think of the incredible vs the 4s?
I haven't but I guess it just depends on what you like or dislike about your operating system and the phone looks.
I've never owned an apple anything much less an Iphone. I will say this though, I do have friends that have Iphones and I watch them power it up, zip right to an app or go right to the phone and start dialing away, seems pretty fast to me. My Dinc is somewhat laggy compared to their speeds of hitting buttons, like waiting for my dialer to come up or say the market to load or other stuff.
Now I realize I got apps I've downloaded etc, but so have they. I'm not pitching a sales for Iphone because I am not an Apple fan however, I personally think the Iphone is a hell of a lot sexier than most any other makers phones available. That aluminum housing is just badass looking.
Also realize this is just my thoughts compared to an OG Dinc, I would imagine the Inc 4g should be a crapload faster than my Dinc....
My gf just got this phone from the iPhone 4 yesterday. She loves it so far and is absolutely amazed how much you can customize. She was a little overwhelmed from everything but that's just because the iPhone had literally nothing to customize. Screen is soo crisp, an phone is fast.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
ohredwood said:
I would imagine the Inc 4g should be a crapload faster than my Dinc....
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Yes. This phone is a world of difference from the original Incredible. I loved the original Incredible but there was never any question that the iPhone was smoother--just completely impossible to customize without jailbreaking. With the Incredible 4G and Ice Cream Sandwich optimizations, the difference is negligible. So now it's really just a question of whether you want customizability or not, and which UI design you prefer. I think Sense 4 is much more beautiful than iOS, but that's a matter of taste.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using xda app-developers app
Polarimetric, that's good to hear, and what I was hoping to hear myself. One question though, I know I've heard of jailbreaking, and my interpretation of this was the same thing as rooting? If that's the case wouldn't the Iphone peeps have the same level as customizing their Iphones as we do our Androids?
I had a 4s prior. Yes pretty customizable if jailbroken, had nice themes. However I find myself preferring android, because of more options, connectivity, and 4G service, of course on Verizon.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
ohredwood said:
Polarimetric, that's good to hear, and what I was hoping to hear myself. One question though, I know I've heard of jailbreaking, and my interpretation of this was the same thing as rooting? If that's the case wouldn't the Iphone peeps have the same level as customizing their Iphones as we do our Androids?
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Click to collapse
Theoretically, yes. Jailbreaking and rooting are pretty much the same thing (they're both just essentially using an exploit to remove the restrictions placed on the phone by the carrier/manufacturer/OS developer), so iPhones and Android phones in theory should be customizable to the same degree. However, one of the reasons the Android dev community is so much more robust (and thus Android phones are considerably more customizable) is the difference between Google's attitude toward the dev community and Apple's attitude. While Google has largely taken a look-the-other-way approach (the only way in which they've really ever put their foot down is disallowing Google-branded apps from being distributed with custom ROMs, but they've never done anything about the Gapps packages that float around the internet), Apple has devoted hours upon hours of development toward addling or completely getting rid of the iPhone dev community. Although they've been unsuccessful and jailbreaking still exists, Apple's adamant anti-development, closed-source policy has turned many developers toward Android. While almost all Android phones are customizable all the way down to the system level (installing a custom ROM can completely change the user experience), iPhones are mostly just tweakable. An iPhone is always going to be an iPhone. If you like iPhones, that may not be a problem for you, but if you like being part of a community that pretty much guarantees choice, Android will always be the way to go.
im on the verge of switching from my 4s to the inc 4g lte due to the fact that i miss android. this is my 3rd time switching from the iphone to android due to the fact that i miss lte and the community :silly:
My dad just traded in 2 old iphones and got the inc4
i think he will like the switch from crapple to android.
esp once i steal and root his phone,
IMO the only thing this phone needs is an Amoled screen and it would be absolutely perfect. Battery life is excellent even in low signal areas like my home. I really don't have anything to complain about with this phone...and I'm pretty picky. I'm just not a fan of the larger screen phones...battery life suffers tremendously. My wife was playing with it all weekend, she has the iphone 4s and wants the Inc 4G immediately. And she is a die-hard iphone junky. Let's see how she feels when the iphone 5 comes out...hehe.
*Madmoose* said:
IMO the only thing this phone needs is an Amoled screen and it would be absolutely perfect. Battery life is excellent even in low signal areas like my home. I really don't have anything to complain about with this phone...and I'm pretty picky. I'm just not a fan of the larger screen phones...battery life suffers tremendously. My wife was playing with it all weekend, she has the iphone 4s and wants the Inc 4G immediately. And she is a die-hard iphone junky. Let's see how she feels when the iphone 5 comes out...hehe.
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I think even once icrap5 comes out inc4 will still be on top, crapple just sucks, what are they gunna do make it a 3.8' screen. lol, iphone4s was the biggest joke in scmartphone history.
andybones said:
I think even once icrap5 comes out inc4 will still be on top, crapple just sucks, what are they gunna do make it a 3.8' screen. lol, iphone4s was the biggest joke in scmartphone history.
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I don't see how that can be said. I went from a DINC 1 to the iPhone 4S and was amazed with how smooth it is. I miss Android and flashing stuff some, so I'm looking back into it a bit. Just don't understand the statements like this. The thing is stupid fast, takes some amazing pictures, and the battery life has been killer.
Not a fanboy at all, just can respect things. If the DINC 4G LTE came out before the 28th, I'd have snagged one and kept my unlimited. Now I think I'll have to buy phones outright. :crying:
If you have been sticking with iPhone or at least iPod or iPad, I strongly recommend you to move over to Android world. I had iPhone 4S before (although it's not my previous phone), it's dramatic but more fun to discover. iPhone was just too bring for me, and I didn't like jailbreaking because the system got unstable. If you like customizing stuff, I'm pretty sure you would like the phone!
Squeaky192 said:
I don't see how that can be said. I went from a DINC 1 to the iPhone 4S and was amazed with how smooth it is. I miss Android and flashing stuff some, so I'm looking back into it a bit. Just don't understand the statements like this. The thing is stupid fast, takes some amazing pictures, and the battery life has been killer.
Not a fanboy at all, just can respect things. If the DINC 4G LTE came out before the 28th, I'd have snagged one and kept my unlimited. Now I think I'll have to buy phones outright. :crying:
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While I agree his statement was childish...
You went from the dinc 1 to the iPhone 4s... That's like going from a tube tv to a 1080 Samsung flat screen. I owned the dinc 1 before but that was like 10 tech years ago...
Comparing the latest incredible 4g to the iphone 4s would be more fair. I am stunned how far android has evolved and HTC Sense becoming an actual benefit rather than a burden.
So far the incredible has a great camera, killer OS, and is smooth as butter. I just wish manufactures really did spend more time coming out with quality 4 inchers.
HTC is the maker. Cmon google! Give them the nexus.
PhillyCheez said:
While I agree his statement was childish...
You went from the dinc 1 to the iPhone 4s... That's like going from a tube tv to a 1080 Samsung flat screen. I owned the dinc 1 before but that was like 10 tech years ago...
Comparing the latest incredible 4g to the iphone 4s would be more fair. I am stunned how far android has evolved and HTC Sense becoming an actual benefit rather than a burden.
So far the incredible has a great camera, killer OS, and is smooth as butter. I just wish manufactures really did spend more time coming out with quality 4 inchers.
HTC is the maker. Cmon google! Give them the nexus.
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Click to collapse
According to the rumor mill, Google is giving everyone the Nexus. http://www.redmondpie.com/google-wi...h-november-to-commemorate-5-years-of-android/
So HTC getting the Nexus? How is that going to work?
polarimetric said:
According to the rumor mill, Google is giving everyone the Nexus. http://www.redmondpie.com/google-wi...h-november-to-commemorate-5-years-of-android/
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If I read that right it says, "Google looks to be going all-out in an attempt to appease consumers in both software and hardware, the latter of which will likely be all provided by Samsung."
I really hope those 5 devices aren't Samsung!
PhillyCheez said:
If I read that right it says, "Google looks to be going all-out in an attempt to appease consumers in both software and hardware, the latter of which will likely be all provided by Samsung."
I really hope those 5 devices aren't Samsung!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooh. Should have read the specific article I linked to before I linked you to it.
That article seems to theorize they'll all be Samsung, but most other articles I've read have said that the 5 incoming Nexus devices will come from all different manufacturers, bringing more diversity to the Nexus phone brand. Here's a better article on the same subject that lines up better with what I wanted to say: http://androidandme.com/2012/05/new...from-different-manufacturers-by-thanksgiving/
So, essentially, if the rumor is true, the major manufacturers (presumably HTC and Samsung, obviously the Google-owned Motorola; the other two depend on who they can get--I'd bet Asus will be one of them) would all contribute a phone to the Nexus brand, making Google's Nexus store kind of like a carrier of its own.
I am down for that!
Considering I'm stuck buying phones at retail I'm in for sure. Very exciting news.
motionUS said:
I'm thinking about doing it. Anyone else make the plunge? What do you think of the incredible vs the 4s?
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The incredible is a way better choice, u will be happy with ur decision, considering ur going to root it, only get it if ur planning on rooting. I am purchasing this phone tomorrow, upgrading from the HTC Thunderbolt and I'm very exited.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium
Hello ya'll for starters I was a Android user for 2 years before I switched to iOS 2 months ago. Why? Well I had to pull the battery on my S3 everyday for 4 weeks. I never rooted the phone or used ROMs or anything like that. I had purchased it new, and I was very angry. You can say the S3 left a bad taste in my mouth with Android. So I went for a 64GB iPhone 5 on Verizon, and I've been kinda bored with it. In fact reception on it is just as bad as my S3 was. I heard the DNA is better since it has a quad core processor, and that HTC phones have great cellular radios. Can someone help guide me the right way? I don't know if the DNA is for me, and unfortunately I cannot go in store and try one out.
I've been looking at the Note 2, HTC/Droid DNA and keeping my iPhone 5. I really like the customization of Android, but again that damn S3 left me with a really bad taste. So when people claim the S3 is better due to removable battery, and Micro SD storage I worry that I'm going to have the pull the battery out daily and have poor cellular reception. When I had my S3 I had poor reception even with Verizon! It was as bad as the Galaxy Nexus!
So what do you guys think I should do? I'll most likely be listing my iPhone 5 tonight.
Thank you,
Thomas
vampire5003 said:
Hello ya'll for starters I was a Android user for 2 years before I switched to iOS 2 months ago. Why? Well I had to pull the battery on my S3 everyday for 4 weeks. I never rooted the phone or used ROMs or anything like that. I had purchased it new, and I was very angry. You can say the S3 left a bad taste in my mouth with Android. So I went for a 64GB iPhone 5 on Verizon, and I've been kinda bored with it. In fact reception on it is just as bad as my S3 was. I heard the DNA is better since it has a quad core processor, and that HTC phones have great cellular radios. Can someone help guide me the right way? I don't know if the DNA is for me, and unfortunately I cannot go in store and try one out.
I've been looking at the Note 2, HTC/Droid DNA and keeping my iPhone 5. I really like the customization of Android, but again that damn S3 left me with a really bad taste. So when people claim the S3 is better due to removable battery, and Micro SD storage I worry that I'm going to have the pull the battery out daily and have poor cellular reception. When I had my S3 I had poor reception even with Verizon! It was as bad as the Galaxy Nexus!
So what do you guys think I should do? I'll most likely be listing my iPhone 5 tonight.
Thank you,
Thomas
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Click to collapse
stinks that you had S3 problems..mine was through hell and still worked perfectly fine.
i've got a DNA now as well, though, and i love it! i don't mind the 16 gigs, as i'm starting to use the cloud more..however, i still have unlimited data.
earthrocker said:
stinks that you had S3 problems..mine was through hell and still worked perfectly fine.
i've got a DNA now as well, though, and i love it! i don't mind the 16 gigs, as i'm starting to use the cloud more..however, i still have unlimited data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So would you recommend the DNA to me?
yeah man. the radios/antenna are great in HTC phones; this is my 3rd HTC and they all rock. call quality is great, too..people say it sounds like i'm calling from a landline.
I've had nothing but good reports of the DNA from people who usually give sort of negative feedback, so o was pleasantly surprised. I like HTC's build quality and I really like the sense interface. Your post grabbed my attention as I carry both an iPhone and a Rezound currently. My girlfriend is into the Android community with me, is a member of the Team BAMF forums, and has been learning to decompile and theme APK's. But her daily driver has been an iPhone because she still uses her phone for a phone and just wants it to work.
I have been hesitant to take her iPhone even when she asked for Android because I didn't want her to be disappointed and turn against android.
The DNA is the first phone I like well enough to let her take the leap and try an Android phone. Battery life is amazing, and its got a beautiful display and the nice sense interface that she's already fallen in love with.
I bought an iPhone 5 for our daughter for Christmas, and while it's really nice and I'm not anti apple, it just doesn't wow me or make me jealous that I only have a 4S.
I think trying the DNA is a good decision, the only negative I've seen from people giving me feedback is some of their apps which they are addicted too (games) hadn't been updated to run well on the 1080p resolution. But that was back when only test phones were out, I don't know if it's still an issue as I'm not a big gamer especially with my phone.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
Long as the battery and 16gb doesn't bother u then yes besides that this phone is amazing. It's all that and a bag of skittles :thumbup:
sent from my beastly powered DNA using Tapatalk 2
Thank you everyone for all your replies! I'll go ahead and list the iPhone 5 and order my Droid DNA! Worst case scenario, I return the DNA for something else! Thanks everyone!
vampire5003 said:
Thank you everyone for all your replies! I'll go ahead and list the iPhone 5 and order my Droid DNA! Worst case scenario, I return the DNA for something else! Thanks everyone!
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Click to collapse
I also had the s3 great device except it's reception. Was offered this as an alternative replacement and devotion is light years ahead of it. You should be happy!
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda premium
Not for me. Battery doesn't last long and no external memory slot. ...
Since this is my first smartphone and I only got it a little while ago, I'm no authority on reception and how antennae compare, but my DNA gets moderate reception in most places, although it's pretty low at home. Maybe all the lead paint that's still in my house has something to do with it.
As a phone and a computing device, though, it's great. The large screen is nice, and when you combine that with a 1.5 GHz processor (pretty good, for a phone) and 2 gigs of RAM, you have an awesome piece of hardware.
One complaint I've seen in most reviews on it is about the battery life. I guess if you only watch movies and play games on it, the battery will drain in a few hours, but as for me I get 1-2 days of battery on a charge.
I'm really not sure why people are complaining about battery life on this phone. It gets about the dame brttery life as the s3. The only phones with better battery life are the note 2 and the razr maxx.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
Bigandrewgold said:
I'm really not sure why people are complaining about battery life on this phone. It gets about the dame brttery life as the s3. The only phones with better battery life are the note 2 and the razr maxx.
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I find this pretty perplexing as well. I suspect most people making such claims never had the phone or had it very poorly set-up causing unusually poor battery life.
Sent from my SCH-I605
You will always see people complain the dumbest defects. The phone battery is good, on moderate use.
I normally don't play games on my phone but I browse the Web and text a **** load so that's where all my battery goes hehe.
Sent from my HTC DROID DNA.
I'm currently debating whether to pick up the Galaxy Note 2 or the HTC DNA. I love the form factor of the DNA and it's 1080p, sense has always been of interest as well. I currently own a Galaxy Nexus, the new Nexus 4 is kind of underwhelming so I think I'm gonna take a break from the google line of devices.
what do you guys say?
I looked at both before I got the DNA. The Galaxy Note 2 was just to big for me. The screen on the DNA is much better. The also I prefer Sense over Touchwiz and Sense 4+ is the best yet. The biggest problem people have with DNA is the 16gb of space on the phone. You can easily get around this since the phone has usb-otg built in. With an adapter you plug in any size USB device. I have a dongle with a 64gb microsd card. It also works with TWRP recovery so you can backup your phone to it if you choose to unlock your phone.
The DNA is also a world phone, correct? I live in Pakistan (where all the networks are GSM) and plan on having a friend of mine bring a DNA over from the states. I've read that they're unlocked out of the box and can be used on virtually any network.
iArtisan said:
The DNA is also a world phone, correct? I live in Pakistan (where all the networks are GSM) and plan on having a friend of mine bring a DNA over from the states. I've read that they're unlocked out of the box and can be used on virtually any network.
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Click to collapse
Yups, u should be able to use it in Pakistan. All GSM frequency/band are UNLOCKED in this phone.
Iam using mine in India
My previous phone was also a GNex.
DNA is at another level to GNex. Quad-core, Bigger and better screen , better sound quality, better camera, better battery life.
The only thing GNex has over DNA is custom ROMs. But you should try out ViperDNA. It kicks ass !!
We should be getting AOSP pretty soon :fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
The thing that sold me was the 1080p screen... Everything looks phenomenal on this thing. I was nervous about the battery life but that had ended up impressing me also. This has honestly be the best phone I have ever owned
man you guys are getting me pumped. I might have the phone by the 3rd week of march.
The only thing that bothers me is the Verizon logo tbqh.
I bought the note 2 but after two weeks it was just too big. Swapped it for this and never looked back!
For what it's worth I came from galaxy nexus and get easily double the battery life on this phone.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2
I was on a gnex before I got my DNA I'm happy as hell with mines. Unlocked,rooted,s-off,viper Rom, can't go wrong with that
sent from my beastly powered viper DNA using Tapatalk 2
I could not be happier leaving the gnex
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2
AW: Galaxy Nexus to HTC Droid DNA
I have the Note 2 before Dna,Dna is better for me!
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letschky said:
I have the Note 2 before Dna,Dna is better for me!
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
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lol cool .
I'm surprised to see so many gnex owners made the switch to DNA. That says a lot about the quality of the phone in my opinion. I'm not surprised you guys love the phone though, I guess its just that I've seen so much (unnecessary in my opinion) debate about all the things wrong with sense and HTC from gnex users.
I'm one of the rare people that loves both, but if I wasn't allowed more than one interface it would definitely be sense.
In regards to the OP, how serious of a hardcore android gamer are you?
Sent from my DNA... S-Off like a baws
I came from a GNEX and haven't looked back. I miss the roms but it is honestly a relief to be able to sit on one rom for a month with no issues and stellar battery life.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda premium
I'm going to provide a somewhat tenuous dissenting opinion. I'm coming from a Gnex, and picked up a DNA last night, which I'm considering switching to full time. After 24 hours with it, I'm quite pleased by the hardware, and utterly horrified by the software.
Sense is, in my opinion, complete and utter crap. There's no other way for me to put it, I hate almost everything about it. It's as if they locked several caffeinated adolescent boys in a room and told them to design a skin while watching episodes of Transformers. Viper is making it somewhat tolerable, but man am I anxiously awaiting AOSP. That said... the hardware, oh the hardware. The screen is simply gorgeous, and the battery life is easily twice what I got with my Gnex. In addition, I have 2-3 bars of 4G at work where I had 0-1 bars of 3G before.
The hardware advantages this has over the Gnex are sufficient to keep me from selling this thing in the hopes that AOSP is coming soon. If anyone reading is on the fence, and isn't sure how they'll feel about Sense, I'd advise waiting for prices to come down. I'll probably still pop my SIM into the Gnex here and there to experience Android as it was intended to be.
I too came from the gnex and while I loved the phone itself and devolopment. I couldnt stand the poor reception and battery life. I got the DNA on launch day and have never regreted it. battery life is great and so is the radio reception! As far as development goes you cant beat Viper rom been running it for a good while now and dont even miss AOKP anymore .I am sure you will love this phone!
TheJ0hnman said:
I'm going to provide a somewhat tenuous dissenting opinion. I'm coming from a Gnex, and picked up a DNA last night, which I'm considering switching to full time. After 24 hours with it, I'm quite pleased by the hardware, and utterly horrified by the software.
Sense is, in my opinion, complete and utter crap. There's no other way for me to put it, I hate almost everything about it. It's as if they locked several caffeinated adolescent boys in a room and told them to design a skin while watching episodes of Transformers. Viper is making it somewhat tolerable, but man am I anxiously awaiting AOSP. That said... the hardware, oh the hardware. The screen is simply gorgeous, and the battery life is easily twice what I got with my Gnex. In addition, I have 2-3 bars of 4G at work where I had 0-1 bars of 3G before.
The hardware advantages this has over the Gnex are sufficient to keep me from selling this thing in the hopes that AOSP is coming soon. If anyone reading is on the fence, and isn't sure how they'll feel about Sense, I'd advise waiting for prices to come down. I'll probably still pop my SIM into the Gnex here and there to experience Android as it was intended to be.
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Click to collapse
As much as I hated it when I first switched, I actually kind of like sense now.... But maybe because every phone I have had before this one I ran CM or some form of aosp and the "newness" of sense keeps me interested. I really LOVE sense camera especially with the mod to make compression next to minimal. I get amazing pictures that the aosp (bless its soul) could never produce.
CharliesTheMan said:
I'm surprised to see so many gnex owners made the switch to DNA. That says a lot about the quality of the phone in my opinion. I'm not surprised you guys love the phone though, I guess its just that I've seen so much (unnecessary in my opinion) debate about all the things wrong with sense and HTC from gnex users.
I'm one of the rare people that loves both, but if I wasn't allowed more than one interface it would definitely be sense.
In regards to the OP, how serious of a hardcore android gamer are you?
Sent from my DNA... S-Off like a baws
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Click to collapse
I actually don't game all that much, I might start though with that beautiful 1080p 5" screen. That said, I'm aware that many games don't work just yet, if that's the point you're insinuating.
sn1p3r6992 said:
As much as I hated it when I first switched, I actually kind of like sense now.... But maybe because every phone I have had before this one I ran CM or some form of aosp and the "newness" of sense keeps me interested. I really LOVE sense camera especially with the mod to make compression next to minimal. I get amazing pictures that the aosp (bless its soul) could never produce.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly how I feel. Having first owned a G2x and then a Galaxy Nexus, the untainted google experience is starting to get a little stale. This is why I hope the DNA and sense will distract me for at least a year or longer... especially if Sense 5 is on the way.
Can only add to what others have said. I also came from the Nexus. Before that I had the incredible and sense.
The piss poor reception is what ultimately made me pay full retail for the DNA. Only downfall is the 16GB memory and annoying WiFi notification.
This phone is amazing though.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
I just recently made the jump from the Galaxy Nexus to the Droid DNA. I resisted Sense at first being so used to the Stock UI but have come to really enjoy it. This phone is amazing though. Beautiful screen and very snappy performance. Anyone know how easily the back cover scratches? I prefer the naked feel and don't really want a case. In short it was a good move to go to the DNA.
BS
The process
so my question is what is the process of unlocking and turning s-off on this bad boy, i have never owned a htc device before
Anyone else jumping ship? Very attached to my iPhone and it's extremely fluid simplicity.
I can't deal with the battery life anymore, drives me up a wall so I have been looking around.
I worry about the new camera technology featured here where as I am a proud father and rare urban explorer and enjoy snapping and editing in my downtime.
Any advice or suggestions?
I'm not new to Android in any sense, typically favor the Galaxy series and CM nighties for that Vanilla fix but I haven't been around lately to be in the loop with development.
Thanks guys. - Harry
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just got the M8...came from an iphone 5. Been using iphones since 3g. I got tired of itunes dictating everything I could do with my phone. I like the freedom of plugging my phone into any pc and adding pics...and music. That wasn't a luxury with the iphone. I also like the fact that you don't have to restore your phone whenever your storage space gets to low, because the mysterious "other" is taking up the extra space.
I also felt like the iphone's are being left behind. If you look at the 3g to the 5s...there isn't a whole lot of difference with the features they have. I will admit that it's going to take some getting used to the M8 coming from the iphone...mainly the touchscreen...I like the Samsung touchscreen a lot better. But I still feel good about my decision to switch phones.
bdpyo said:
Anyone else jumping ship? Very attached to my iPhone and it's extremely fluid simplicity.
I can't deal with the battery life anymore, drives me up a wall so I have been looking around.
I worry about the new camera technology featured here where as I am a proud father and rare urban explorer and enjoy snapping and editing in my downtime.
Any advice or suggestions?
I'm not new to Android in any sense, typically favor the Galaxy series and CM nighties for that Vanilla fix but I haven't been around lately to be in the loop with development.
Thanks guys. - Harry
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Battery life was great until 7.1, things went down hill really fast after that.
I might be jumping ship, still deciding.
I jumped ship from iPhone 4 to the HTC One X back about a year and a half ago. Was an excellent decision for me. If you like tinkering and more freedom with customizing your phone AND you want a quality built device I think the M8 would be a great choice. I have had the HTC One (M7) and Galaxy s4 and HTC is superior.
designgears said:
Battery life was great until 7.1, things went down hill really fast after that.
I might be jumping ship, still deciding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers old friend! Now I will have to see what you decide on!
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TheEmpyre said:
I jumped ship from iPhone 4 to the HTC One X back about a year and a half ago. Was an excellent decision for me. If you like tinkering and more freedom with customizing your phone AND you want a quality built device I think the M8 would be a great choice. I have had the HTC One (M7) and Galaxy s4 and HTC is superior.
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Click to collapse
I did own the S3 for a while then upgraded to the S4 and paid cash and was simply disappointed.I didn't feel it was a true upgrade and returned it within 24 hours. The Note 3 seems more appealing then the S5 at this point due to it's larger battery size but I read reports they last about just the same.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Came from using a 5S as my daily driver. The hardware and even software polish on this device does rival Apple. I don't feel bad about using this Android phone at all.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
bdpyo said:
I did own the S3 for a while then upgraded to the S4 and paid cash and was simply disappointed.I didn't feel it was a true upgrade and returned it within 24 hours. The Note 3 seems more appealing then the S5 at this point due to it's larger battery size but I read reports they last about just the same.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I think a lot of it is also personal preference. I know plenty of people who love Samsung TouchWiz and people that hate HTC sense. I just happen to dislike TouchWiz quite a bit and found that I enjoyed Sense especially after switching away from it. Likewise some people enjoy the simplicity of iOS. Ultimately just depends what kind of user you are. But I do think that the hardware is comparing apples to apples at this point. Just depends what you like! But I suggest taking the jump from iOS to android and trying it. I don't think I'll be getting an iPhone again any time soon!
TheEmpyre said:
I think a lot of it is also personal preference. I know plenty of people who love Samsung TouchWiz and people that hate HTC sense. I just happen to dislike TouchWiz quite a bit and found that I enjoyed Sense especially after switching away from it. Likewise some people enjoy the simplicity of iOS. Ultimately just depends what kind of user you are. But I do think that the hardware is comparing apples to apples at this point. Just depends what you like! But I suggest taking the jump from iOS to android and trying it. I don't think I'll be getting an iPhone again any time soon!
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Click to collapse
I'll get another iPhone when apple makes one with a larger screen and better battery life.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
acPIZZA said:
I'll get another iPhone when apple makes one with a larger screen and better battery life.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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How do you like the m8 so far?
Honestly it's pretty much the only option they have left at this point. That and a trimming iOS 8 or how ever they decide to phase out their old products to force feed their loyal sheep. Lol
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bdpyo said:
How do you like the m8 so far?
Honestly it's pretty much the only option they have left at this point. That and a trimming iOS 8 or how ever they decide to phase out their old products to force feed their loyal sheep. Lol
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Click to collapse
I really like the m8. I was using a note 3 a good bit, but kept on falling back to the iPhone even though the two phones couldn't be any more different.
I liked the screen and great battery life on the samsung, but the device on a whole user experience level never hit that high note of polished software and polished hardware. Don't get me wrong, spec wise the note is great. But like apple has been saying for a long time, the marriage between hardware and software is really important and it matters to me. Samsung software works, but it's ugly to look at. Combine that with a plastic phone and there leaves a lot to be desired.
Which brings me to the m8, which to me, is really the only phone I have used that can be directly compared to and compete with the iPhone. I happen to like htc's sense because it is flat, consistent and useful without trying to simply pack in useless features. This combined with the design of the phone make it truly enjoyable to use. The things that raise the m8 above the latest iPhone for me are the screen quality and size, and the battery life. So far I have had battery life comparable to the note 3. My standard for assessing battery life are simple: if I need to, or want to use the phone heavily throughout the day - does it last? Or do I need to plug in at some point during the day? The note 3 and the m8 pass this test. I can use the phone as much as I want at work and after work and will only need to plug in at night. The iPhone can not do this. It needs to be plugged in during my commute to make it through the evening. To be fair, it does charge quickly and it is usually not an issue, but I would prefer to be completely untethered throughout the day because everyone knows there are days that take you away from chargers completely.
Anyway that's my long rant of why I like the m8 more than my beloved iPhone. If apple puts out a bigger screen around 5 inches and increases the battery life to match other flagship like the m8 and note 3, I might buy another iPhone. Until September or so when they do their next reveal, I'm set on the m8.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
I too am considering a jump again. I was on an S3 for a while then went back to a 5s
Honetly, Im considering a switch again Im just bored (again) with Apple. I jailbreak everything but its still the same boring IOS. I will miss imessage though.
Im on the fence between the M8 Nexus 5 or the SG5. I just dont know which way to go
Same here, I'll honestly just miss iMessage, but iOS is just boring.
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cashyftw said:
Same here, I'll honestly just miss iMessage, but iOS is just boring.
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Click to collapse
iMessage makes it really hard for me to get off the apple ecosystem. There's no way I could ever convince my buddies to use whatsapp or hangouts etc. I'm really loving this M8 though lol.
same here. I remember it taking a few days for my number to switch from IOS to android
I'm leaving the iPhone 5 for the M8. Had a couple droids before; the most recent being the galaxy 1. It left a bad taste in my mouth with it's toyish feel, and the back button that liked to activate all by itself. I switched from it to a 4s and really liked it for a while. Jailbroke both the 4s and the 5, but it still didn't really feel the same as a rooted droid. That and always having to wait for jailbreak to come out for various IOS versions.
Now I gotta get back up to speed on what all is involved in rooting this thing. Back on the galaxy it was super 1 click, clockwork, don't remember if there was anything else; been a while!
I came from so many androids from droid x to bionic galaxy s4 to htc one I switched to iPhone an not looking back yeah you can root android and customize them but development is old nothing really fresh same stuff with different tweaks ..not going back I seen the htc M8 hands on yes it's good but everyone has there opinions
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I switched from a 4s to the One m7, and just upgraded to the m8. Best decision for me. As said before, even jailbroken, iOS just got boring to me. I tried a few ROMS on for size on the m7, before settling on the ViperONE, which added a bunch of new functionality to a Sense based ROM. Made the phone great in my opinion, and I eagerly await to see what the Viper Team comes up with for the m8.
If you like to tweak and play around with new ROMS, then android is where you want to be. If that is not a big deal for you then iOS will probably suit you well.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I still have my iPhone 5s, but I can tell you that every time I try to use it for any length of time, the small screen makes me want to ragequit life. The phone is nice overall and the camera is a benchmark for quality and speed, but I just can't stand using a phone screen that small anymore. It's literally my only real beef besides the lack of customizability.
I have an M8 now and I have 5 other Android phones and I can tell you that the M8 is a very nice device. The speed and fluidity are unparalleled and the camera is just as fast. I like all the camera features. It may not take pictures that look as good as the iPhone, but at least I can set a different SMS app as default or the look of my launcher, etc. I also actually like Blinkfeed. I use it to keep up with Twitter/Facebook, etc. Great overall device. It's too bad that it will be overshadowed by the GS5 when it launches.
greyhulk said:
I still have my iPhone 5s, but I can tell you that every time I try to use it for any length of time, the small screen makes me want to ragequit life. The phone is nice overall and the camera is a benchmark for quality and speed, but I just can't stand using a phone screen that small anymore. It's literally my only real beef besides the lack of customizability.
I have an M8 now and I have 5 other Android phones and I can tell you that the M8 is a very nice device. The speed and fluidity are unparalleled and the camera is just as fast. I like all the camera features. It may not take pictures that look as good as the iPhone, but at least I can set a different SMS app as default or the look of my launcher, etc. I also actually like Blinkfeed. I use it to keep up with Twitter/Facebook, etc. Great overall device. It's too bad that it will be overshadowed by the GS5 when it launches.
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Agreed I have an iPhone 5s and boot it up from time to time and I simply cannot use it for more then 5 minutes. The screen is so tiny I wondered how I used iPhone in the first place. It really feels like a toy. The only thing I could do with an iPhone is make calls due to screen size. No way you can use it for browsing, games or even typing it feels so cramped.
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