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Help GNex 4 replacement

jhonb

jhonb

Android Enthusiast
I am thinking about replacing my Gnex 4 with the Samsung S5. The only two Android phones I have owned were the original galaxy nexus and the GNex 4. The thing that I am hesitent about is the Samsung interface they call Touch Wiz.
How different will this be from the pure Google experience?
 
Touchwiz takes up a lot of internal memory and processing power. I've even heard reports of noticeable lag on routine transitions. I would not even consider a top of the line flagship with reports like that but I'm referencing reports and not first hand experience.
I recommend examining the comparisons between HTC one m8 and Samsung s5. They seem to be the two hot phones right now.
I am still happy with my nexus 4 (have not heard it called gnex4 before) and like to buy phones off contract, so I'm not considering a flagship.
 
pauljr4205 said:
Touchwiz takes up a lot of internal memory and processing power. I've even heard reports of noticeable lag on routine transitions. I would not even consider a top of the line flagship with reports like that but I'm referencing reports and not first hand experience.
I recommend examining the comparisons between HTC one m8 and Samsung s5. They seem to be the two hot phones right now.
I am still happy with my nexus 4 (have not heard it called gnex4 before) and like to buy phones off contract, so I'm not considering a flagship.
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Funny, those are the two phones I was looking at. My last two phones were off contract, but my wife gets her iPhone with a contract so I am locked in for two years anyway. So why not take advantage of the discount. I am very pleased with AT&T. I know that's rare, but TMobil has too many dead spots in my area and When I had Verizon some years back I kept getting these echo calls. Drove my wife nuts. (Short Trip)
GNex 4, That's what I call it for short. They (Or somewhere I use to go) used to refer to my original as GNex so I add the 4 for simplicity.

I really don't know anything about the phone makers skins. If I was to route the phone, would that get rid of touch wiz, or am I stuck with it. I never found the need to route my two GN's but I did jail break my iPhone when I had it. (I came over from the dark side) I think if I did not like the phone, I could probably sell it

I thought about the GN 5, but 6 is probably right around the corner, and I don't want last years tech nor do I want to pay what they want for it. My battery life has become somewhat diminished and I want to move on.

Thanks for your help.
 
Rooting doesn't remove the skin, but it does make it so that you can install a custom ROM without the skin. I installed CM 10 on my Galaxy S and got rid of touchwiz. The same could be done with the S5.

The usual abbreviation for the Nexus 4 is N4, and GNex refers to the Galaxy Nexus.

I plan to keep my Nexus 4 for another year at least, as I've only had it for about 10 months. Since I replaced my Galaxy S after only a year, I promised myself I'd hang onto this one for longer. My next phone might be the next Nexus, unless it is cancelled. I've also been looking at the HTC One(probably whatever replaces the M8, as I'm still a long ways off from buying). It is tempting to return to Samsung, but I don't want all the bloat. The Note would be handy though for writing out emails and whatnot for work.
 
Might want to wait to see what happens with the next Nexus. Could be worth the wait. Or the One Plus One should be available soon. If you can't wait, consider the Google Play Edition version of the SG5 or HTC M8. They run vanilla Android and are a good alternative to the Nexus.
 
Honestly, for an ON-CONTRACT phone, like the OP was asking about, I would recommend the LG G2, or wait for the G3 if you can... The battery life is amazing, hardware is top notch, and the "skin" is pretty resource light.

As always, I recommend going to the corporate store and playing with all the options to make a decision.

Honestly though, I will never buy another Samsung device... After having 3 and all being total failures plus the rumored plans that Samsung wants to get more proprietary like Apple with there own app store and their own locked down, custom Android builds just makes me want to avoid them more and more everyday.

My two cents worth... Take it with a grain of salt I guess.
 
Crashdamage said:
Might want to wait to see what happens with the next Nexus. Could be worth the wait. Or the One Plus One should be available soon. If you can't wait, consider the Google Play Edition version of the SG5 or HTC M8. They run vanilla Android and are a good alternative to the Nexus.
Click to expand...

I entered the lottery for the free one plus one's, but I guess I lost.
$800.00 for a play edition of the other phones is too much for me.
 
acejavelin said:
Honestly, for an ON-CONTRACT phone, like the OP was asking about, I would recommend the LG G2, or wait for the G3 if you can... The battery life is amazing, hardware is top notch, and the "skin" is pretty resource light.

As always, I recommend going to the corporate store and playing with all the options to make a decision.

Honestly though, I will never buy another Samsung device... After having 3 and all being total failures plus the rumored plans that Samsung wants to get more proprietary like Apple with there own app store and their own locked down, custom Android builds just makes me want to avoid them more and more everyday.

My two cents worth... Take it with a grain of salt I guess.
Click to expand...

I hear you on the Samsung products. My GNex fell apart and I botched the surgery to repair it. Hence purchasing the Nexus 4. My Samsung refrigerator failed in less than a year... But MY Samsung TV is going strong, but one pair of the 3-D glasses were DOA.
 
The GPE HTC M8 is actually $700, not $800, but still a lotta cash. Too much for me to justify spending, either. I'm keeping my trusty N4, at the very least until I see the new Nexus.
 
Get a Moto G GPE, it's practically a Nexus 4 with slight differences plus that whole update window is refreshed so its like getting another 2 years of the latest android :)
 
I read an article about how long it takes manufacturers to update Android. Once the latest version had been released Moto took about 15 days, HTC 100, Samsung 120 and LG 130!!!

I was thinking of an LG phone before I read this, thats far too long for me. One of the reasons I got the Nexus 4 was for quick updates, so that will be a factor when getting my next phone.
 
ooberandy said:
I read an article about how long it takes manufacturers to update Android. Once the latest version had been released Moto took about 15 days, HTC 100, Samsung 120 and LG 130!!!

I was thinking of an LG phone before I read this, thats far too long for me. One of the reasons I got the Nexus 4 was for quick updates, so that will be a factor when getting my next phone.
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And unless you're like me and you sideloaded Kitkat, you didn't even get it before Motorola did. So Google lied about that. I may take that into consideration on my next purchase.

The OnePlus One looks good, but their exclusive sales model is kind of insulting given the community nature of Android.
 
bjacks12 said:
And unless you're like me and you sideloaded Kitkat, you didn't even get it before Motorola did. So Google lied about that. I may take that into consideration on my next purchase.

The OnePlus One looks good, but their exclusive sales model is kind of insulting given the community nature of Android.
Click to expand...

Do you know how long cyanogenmod take to release their android updates?
 
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