mrvirginia
Android Expert
i've been playing around with my new Galaxy Nexus for about 2hrs now so i'm not going to have a whole lot to say at first. i did want to go ahead and get some stuff out of the way though for anyone who might be sitting on the fence because they own an SGS2.
Software
i'm not going to speak much on software. i was running MIUI 2.3.7 on the SGS2 and i can tell you that i still love that ROM. if it was out today for the Galaxy Nexus, i'd be hard pressed not to try it out. ICS in comparison to TouchWiz is another story. i thought TouchWiz was better than Gingerbread AOSP, but this isn't the case for ICS. this may be because it's so new to me. to be honest i love the new menus of ICS. for now that's about all i can say really stands out.
edit: i just noticed Gmail is different. i love the new Gmail app in comparison. when you select the check box of a message, new options appear at the bottom. this is evident of more polish on the app itself and i'm sure the same can be said about various other apps. i don't like how the contact photo was removed from the Google Voice widget. also, i don't like how the widgets are setup now. instead of long pressing on the screen, you have to open your app drawer and go to your widgets there.
edit: transitions are all over the place on ICS. example, there's a lot within even the messaging app. very smooth looking! slick, if you will.
Hardware
now this is where the Galaxy Nexus trumps my SGS2 in many ways. the first thing i did was hold both devices in both hands. you won't be able to tell a difference in weight of the two. the only reason i know the GNex is heavier is because of it's spec sheet.
overall feel of the device in the hand is much nicer than my rectangular SGS2. it's not awkward to hit the sleep/wake button or reach anywhere on the screen. i also love the clean face of the GNex. nothing on the front except an earpiece. no writing or anything else like that. i was a little disappointed that the outer part of the GNex is some sort of plastic, whereas part of the SGS2 is some sort of metal and then plastic.
one of the most disappointing things about the GNex in comparison to the SGS2 is the screen. everyone can swear up and down that it's beautiful, every review, but believe me, the SGS2 has the better screen even at such a lower res. to me it seems more washed out, and i can tell the Pentile Matrix is present. the on screen back/home/running apps button gives it away immediately, as does the lock on the lockscreen. if you are used to a Super AMOLED Plus screen and it's your favorite thing about your phone out of anything else, don't get a GNex. if you're a previous owner of a Super AMOLED screen, have some kind of phone with a Pentile Matrix, or the screen isn't all that important then you'll be fine. it isn't that bad, and i'm not sending mine back because of this.
why am i not sending this back over my SGS2? i wanted a pure Google phone and i stand by that decision. the feel of the phone in my hand is better than any phone i've ever held before. ICS software is killer thus far. no complaints here. Gingerbread + Honeycomb on speed? i'd say yup.
if anyone has any questions regarding anything i've said above, please feel free to ask. cheers!
edit:
Sound (speaker)
some were curious about this in another thread and i assumed that the speaker would be just as loud since both devices are from Samsung. wrong! the SGS2 has a louder speaker. i've always thought it was too loud on the SGS2 though, so much so that i thought i was going to blow it. i always turned the volume down a notch or two. the GNex has a lower one, but it seems to be where i would always turn mine down to. (i've updated this since playing old sounds on the new device).
Software
i'm not going to speak much on software. i was running MIUI 2.3.7 on the SGS2 and i can tell you that i still love that ROM. if it was out today for the Galaxy Nexus, i'd be hard pressed not to try it out. ICS in comparison to TouchWiz is another story. i thought TouchWiz was better than Gingerbread AOSP, but this isn't the case for ICS. this may be because it's so new to me. to be honest i love the new menus of ICS. for now that's about all i can say really stands out.
edit: i just noticed Gmail is different. i love the new Gmail app in comparison. when you select the check box of a message, new options appear at the bottom. this is evident of more polish on the app itself and i'm sure the same can be said about various other apps. i don't like how the contact photo was removed from the Google Voice widget. also, i don't like how the widgets are setup now. instead of long pressing on the screen, you have to open your app drawer and go to your widgets there.
edit: transitions are all over the place on ICS. example, there's a lot within even the messaging app. very smooth looking! slick, if you will.
Hardware
now this is where the Galaxy Nexus trumps my SGS2 in many ways. the first thing i did was hold both devices in both hands. you won't be able to tell a difference in weight of the two. the only reason i know the GNex is heavier is because of it's spec sheet.
overall feel of the device in the hand is much nicer than my rectangular SGS2. it's not awkward to hit the sleep/wake button or reach anywhere on the screen. i also love the clean face of the GNex. nothing on the front except an earpiece. no writing or anything else like that. i was a little disappointed that the outer part of the GNex is some sort of plastic, whereas part of the SGS2 is some sort of metal and then plastic.
one of the most disappointing things about the GNex in comparison to the SGS2 is the screen. everyone can swear up and down that it's beautiful, every review, but believe me, the SGS2 has the better screen even at such a lower res. to me it seems more washed out, and i can tell the Pentile Matrix is present. the on screen back/home/running apps button gives it away immediately, as does the lock on the lockscreen. if you are used to a Super AMOLED Plus screen and it's your favorite thing about your phone out of anything else, don't get a GNex. if you're a previous owner of a Super AMOLED screen, have some kind of phone with a Pentile Matrix, or the screen isn't all that important then you'll be fine. it isn't that bad, and i'm not sending mine back because of this.
why am i not sending this back over my SGS2? i wanted a pure Google phone and i stand by that decision. the feel of the phone in my hand is better than any phone i've ever held before. ICS software is killer thus far. no complaints here. Gingerbread + Honeycomb on speed? i'd say yup.
if anyone has any questions regarding anything i've said above, please feel free to ask. cheers!
edit:
Sound (speaker)
some were curious about this in another thread and i assumed that the speaker would be just as loud since both devices are from Samsung. wrong! the SGS2 has a louder speaker. i've always thought it was too loud on the SGS2 though, so much so that i thought i was going to blow it. i always turned the volume down a notch or two. the GNex has a lower one, but it seems to be where i would always turn mine down to. (i've updated this since playing old sounds on the new device).
haha