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***Official G-Nex first impressions thread*** Love it? Hate it?

I miss the menu button and the recent task button is utterly useless to me. I hope they might let us customize those someday.

I also find the browser buggy with forums like these and i cant seem to find anyway to organize my bookmarks how i want.

Other than those minor annoyances i love the phone.
 
Will throw in my impression from a 15 minute demo for those with other phones thinking about getting the Nexus can compare. Its a great phone if you are coming from a BB or some ancient Android phone like a Hero or G1. If you already have/had an Evo or an S2 (what I have) your impression will be more, meh. The good of it is the screen is nice and pops, phone is light and it does have ICS. The not so great is it lags in pinch to zoom in the browser, when texting in either orientation (even lags when you use speech to text) no Swype preinstalled, the camera is a step back for Samsung and there is no removable memory.

Signal strength was just fine in the store and the 4G speed on a Speakeasy test killed my Epic on Sprint's network. However, loading up websites didn't show that difference in speed. I tried 5 different sites including Phonedog and other graphics heavy sites. Both phones loaded each site within a second of each other and the Epic was actually faster loading one of them. So I am not sure how useful these speed tests are when it comes to real world things like browsing, emailing, texting...wont notice it really.

Verizon's plans are outrageous to be honest. $50 for 5GB of data and then another $100 for unlimited talk and text..$150? Really? I pay $85 for unlimited everything without a cap on my data from Sprint. So do your research before choosing a plan. Bottom line IMO is this. If you are already on Verizon and have a BB and want to switch to Android or an older (2 year old) Android phone, the GNex is for sure worth a look. If you are on another carrier with a newer Android phone but want ICS, not really worth the increase in price and switching IMO unless you hate your current carrier.


1. Verizon is now offering Double Data for 4G phones - $30.
2. As far as texting goes Google Voice goes through your data plan - no text plan required.
3. Unlimited voice (single line) - 69.99.

So you're at $99.99 for unlimited voice and 4Gb data on best voice network and best LTE network (and most reliable, while slow, 3G network). And, there are a lot of companies/organizations that will give you some kind of discount. There service and coverage beats the other carriers hands down.
 
Welcome to the party! I guess my three weeks of being one of the few guys in the USA with a Gnex are over...but still one of the only on GSM.

Anyone looking for the unlocked GNex version it is on NewEgg for $649 for
16 GB version (sounds quite a bit less expensive than importing).

Good Luck.
 
24 hours in here's my take...

-Battery life is shite compared to the Rezound.
-Screen is amazing
-Does not feel as good in the hand as the Rezound
-Thin and light but solid
-Signal strength is not as good as it should be and I don't go by what the bars tell me
-ICS is cool but does take a little getting use to.. Not game changing.
-Speaker volume is awful even with Volume+

I give it a 7 of 10 at this point. If updates correct simple issues it's golden.


SIGNAL TEST: I test signal strength in our master bath. It is the one place in our house that signal is borderline 4g/3g and 1x.
Thunderbolt = 1x most of the time
Charge = 4g quickly changed to 3g. 1x was usually what I walked out of the bathroom with.
iPhone 4s = between 3g and 1x
Nexus = 1x instantly.

We all have until Jan 15th to test the phone and see if things get better. Feedback to the Google might help things along.
 
the camera is a step back for Samsung and there is no removable memory.

No disrespect, but are you talking about the "quality"of the pictures, or the megapixels? They have been playing this MP game with point and shoot cameras for the past 10 years. IMO, more MPs with the same size sensor translates into more noise. I would rather have less MPs on the same size sensor, with a decrease in noise.

The other thing, the battery IS removable. It comes packaged prewrapped and you have to install before powering up the phone. :)
 
So far, I love the phone overall. I keep having two issues that annoy me:

First, my wifi connection is really inconsistent. I will be sitting in my office, 5ft from my router and the connection will just randomly stop working. I'll be browsing the market and get "no connection" messages a lot. Other times downloads will start and just stop half way. I don't think it's my router because my Macbook works perfectly, as dad my OG Droid.

The other issue is the earpiece on mine gets distorted very easily. I've actually only made two calls on the phone so far - the first one was a little while ago. I couldn't hear the person very well so I turned the volume up. When I did I started getting a lot of "buzzing" in my ear when they were talking, it sounded almost like a "busted" speaker. I had to keep the volume pretty low to keep that from happening. I never had that issue with my Droid. Anyone else have any issues with this? I'm wondering if it could be my particular unit.

I would have to agree, after 24 hours of using my GN my only real complaint would be call clarity. This means a lot to me. My LG phones in the past would have so so quaility like the GN. My past Motorola phones would typically have superior call quality. My brother picked up the Razr yesterday and loves the call quality, I will see him tomorrow and compare. I have found that the GN sounds a bit muddy with a slight tinnyness to the sound and it gets worse as you turn up the volume level. I should set the stage and let you know that I'm picky about this feature since I'm an audiophile. Now I understand that a phone is not a superior speaker however my past Motorola phones were very clear and far superior when it came to call quality.

Overall you can hear the person just fine, some may not even notice or have an issue with this, however if you're picky like me, this may be an issue.
 
Soooo much better than my og and my rental Bionic that i just returned two day ago. Speed and signal strength are faster both on wifi and 4g. Just got 26.08 mbs dl and 16.5 mbs upload. Battery is honestly better than the Bionic and almost as good as the OG before it took a dump. Over all I am sooo happy with the GNex.
 
...I'll probably buy the extended battery anyway....

I bought the extended battery when I got the Gnex, but it gave me maybe an extra 45 minutes. Not worth it, in my opinion, so I took it back.

Just FYI, Verizon is selling a bundle for $30 that includes an extra standard battery, Y cable, and charging station. I picked this up in the store last night, and it will be an easy fix to simply throw the battery in my jacket pocket and swap it out when the time comes, if need be. I didn't want to do that with the extended because then I'd have to swap out the cover as well.

The charging station also serves as a horizontal dock when you plug the phone into the Y cable. (You can also charge the second battery while docking/charging the phone).

I miss the menu button .....
It's still there, in the form of 3 dots on the right side of the software buttons on the bottom.

I just wanted to comment on the battery cover, I would not worry about that one bit.

Seems very solid to me as well. And if I break the tabs or something, they go for like $5, so no big deal.
 
Bought the extra battery with charging dock Great deal! I thought about the extended battery as well and didnt like the idea of carring around the extra back.

I bought the extended battery when I got the Gnex, but it gave me maybe an extra 45 minutes. Not worth it, in my opinion, so I took it back.

Just FYI, Verizon is selling a bundle for $30 that includes an extra standard battery, Y cable, and charging station. I picked this up in the store last night, and it will be an easy fix to simply throw the battery in my jacket pocket and swap it out when the time comes, if need be. I didn't want to do that with the extended because then I'd have to swap out the cover as well.

The charging station also serves as a horizontal dock when you plug the phone into the Y cable. (You can also charge the second battery while docking/charging the phone).
 
I have had the phone for three days now. I do not live in a 4G area, but travel and work within the 4G boundries, so the phone is using a 4G signal about 40% of the time.

I am fine with the build quality. I am coming from a Incredible with a AMOLED screen and I agree, there is not a whole lot of difference, which I expected. I would not have upgraded except I wanted a larger screen for reading. I do LOVE the screen, colors, and sharpness are a step up if you look closly. For reading,this fits the bill for me!

No offense, but for me, the Motorola designs are just too sharp edged for me, so I was holding out for the first HTC or Samsung phone that hit 4.5" inches. I never had an issue with my Incredible's plastic case after over two years of ownership. Sade note: My buddie at work cracks me up with his statement, "I just have a hard time getting past the cheap plastic build". My response to him is "I can see you are enjoying your iPhone 4 build quality with that huge case made of the same cheap plastic covering up the nice build quality?" He broke his screen after two months and a drop. I dropped my Incredible probably 30+ times over the two + years I owned it. Cheap case and a screen protector is all I had on it.

I think the battery usage is just fine, (59% after 11.5 hours of moderate to heavy usage, with partial 4G). Of course, coming from an Incredible, that is heaven! :)

ICS, I like it, but am not blown away by it. Again, coming from the Incredible, I don't think it is an overwelming improvement over Sense, but the Incredible was my first Android phone, and the only other Android I ever had was the Dx which I took back. So, I will give ICS some time before passing judgment on the version of the OS.

The size of the phone is just fine for me, but I have large hands, so one handed operation is not a problem. In comparison, I struggled a little with my Dx using it with one hand. I like the size, and LOVE the screen size. I will say this; I find myself doing more on this phone and less on my 10" tablet as the browsing is very acceptable.

Performance is outstanding. I'm not seeing the any lag at all.

What do I miss? The buttons on my Incredible, especially the menu button, but this is an ICS thing not the phone. While the in-call volume is loud enough, the speaker volume is very low, even with volume +. I used the speakerphone with my Inc a lot, so I will need to find a solution for this.

Overall, my experience results in a 8 out of 10. Very nice phone, and I will be very happy with it for the next two years before I upgrade to the latest 32 core monster.:)
 
I must say this is the best phone I have ever owned and will actuall own it for at least a year. This is my 5th phone this calander year and am looking forward to having it a lont time....in my own measurement of time....
The only thing i had to do to make it perfect was install the new launcher mod that removed the search bar at the top...now it is perfect.
I did go with the extended battery but that is a no brainer. I really dont even have a need to install any roms at this point. i love stock ICS, folder options and all. I only wish it could run the old version of Google Voice. Anyways, like most have said, it was deff worth the wait.
 
24 hours in here's my take...

-Battery life is shite compared to the Rezound.
-Screen is amazing
-Does not feel as good in the hand as the Rezound
-Thin and light but solid
-Signal strength is not as good as it should be and I don't go by what the bars tell me
-ICS is cool but does take a little getting use to.. Not game changing.
-Speaker volume is awful even with Volume+

I give it a 7 of 10 at this point. If updates correct simple issues it's golden.


SIGNAL TEST: I test signal strength in our master bath. It is the one place in our house that signal is borderline 4g/3g and 1x.
Thunderbolt = 1x most of the time
Charge = 4g quickly changed to 3g. 1x was usually what I walked out of the bathroom with.
iPhone 4s = between 3g and 1x
Nexus = 1x instantly.

We all have until Jan 15th to test the phone and see if things get better. Feedback to the Google might help things along.

My experience has been:

-Battery life is unfathomably better than my DINC.
-Screen is amazing
-In my mits, it is OK, a bit large, but I got a phone with this form factor to suit my main usage as a network adim. I can SSH and actually see what I'm doing.
-Thin and light but solid
-Signal strength is not registering properly.... @ 1 bar 4G I get 11mbps average both u and d at the worst in Tampa, FL.
-ICS is almost taken out of the equation on my part. $0.10 ADW Launcher Pro
-Speaker volume is awful even with Volume+ (@+9 it is totally loud... Volume+ paid edition is free on the dev's site)

Battery life is flipping GREAT in my neck of the woods too. This is my phone for a year and a half.

My MAIN +
-Charges while using navigation
-Charges QUICKLY when on a wall socket
-Is very and I mean very nominally different in size than a Samsung Galaxy S II
-The best display I've ever seen on a flappin phone
-Extremely good battery life out of the box.
-VZW gave my $125 off because I have politely ribbed every CSR I spoke with and didn't call corporate more than 1 time a week, They had "notes" regarding how polite I was. (Thanks, Dad)
 
I bought the extended battery when I got the Gnex, but it gave me maybe an extra 45 minutes. Not worth it, in my opinion, so I took it back.

Just FYI, Verizon is selling a bundle for $30 that includes an extra standard battery, Y cable, and charging station. I picked this up in the store last night, and it will be an easy fix to simply throw the battery in my jacket pocket and swap it out when the time comes, if need be. I didn't want to do that with the extended because then I'd have to swap out the cover as well.

The charging station also serves as a horizontal dock when you plug the phone into the Y cable. (You can also charge the second battery while docking/charging the phone).


It's still there, in the form of 3 dots on the right side of the software buttons on the bottom.



Seems very solid to me as well. And if I break the tabs or something, they go for like $5, so no big deal.

It's not always there.
 
Are you talking about the menu button? If it's not at the bottom, it's at the top, like in the market. Same with the search key.

I know, I just find it annoying. I liked it where it was, and the recent apps button thingy is useless to me. I'd rather have the menu button where it was.

But, like I said in my OP about this, it is a minor annoyance. Nothing deal breaking and certainly something I can get used to. Just right now, 48 hours after getting it, it is still a little annoying because when it is located at the top, it is a two handed operation for me to use it.
 
Loves:

Left swipe to open camera directly from locked state
Fast!
Automatically switches to wifi when you have it set up to save on data usage
Plays video without problem
Great screen resolution
Subtle but effective haptic feedback
Camera opens quickly
Good sound on phone calls

Adjustments:

Still trying to set it up all my old apps. I wish the Android Market saved the free apps you downloaded for easier updating to a new device.
Not thrilled with the color quality on the camera images. Will need to play around with the settings and other camera apps.
 
I miss the power button on top of my DX. I'm not really thrilled with the placement of the power and volume buttons on the Nexus. I'll have to get used to it I guess.
 
well, the signal some of you are receiving scared me abit, but im getting over 31Mbps and 22Mbps on speedtest app at my home. At work yesterday (in a concrete/glass building) i had only 3G, outside the building I had 4G again but only 2 bars i think.

I dunno, to me I'm very satisfied with the Nexus, I rarely drop below 3G in SoCal; This is easily the BEST phone I have ever used.

Now I just want a nice sleeve to go with it, I have no screen protector or case, and my og Droid was treated the same and fared very well

also, signal strength at -80 dBm; and a side note, camera unlock is working flawlessly, had to add an extra photo of me with a hat, the hat threw it off, but after that, with or without a hat, low light or high, its working great!
 
OK? Well it isn't always there for me. Just saying.


I worded my reply wrong. I'm not good at writing what i mean. I'm on your side is how i meant it. I'm scared now. I haven't had it not show up yet and i don't know what I'll do when it doesn't.

do you remember which one or one's it didn't? And, what did you do? did it make the app useless???


and i meant "just asking" not just saying. I'm an idiot
 
I worded my reply wrong. I'm not good at writing what i mean. I'm on your side is how i meant it. I'm scared now. I haven't had it not show up yet and i don't know what I'll do when it doesn't.

do you remember which one or one's it didn't? And, what did you do? did it make the app useless???


and i meant "just asking" not just saying. I'm an idiot

Oh no worries, you're not an idiot.

When there isn't a menu button on the bottom, there IS the menu dots up top, like someone said.

I was just saying that I find that a little annoying. Right now, I'd rather have a dedicated menu button on the bottom.

But, it isn't a big deal. I'll get used to it. Heck, many moons ago I came from blackberry to Android 1.something, and I had to get used to things then.

I was just commenting that I find the lack of a dedicated menu button, and menu buttons that move around depending on the app, a little annoying. Not deal breaking or anything like that.

Just part of my 48 hours "initial impression." I'm sure I'll get used to it and it will be a non issue.
 
Oh no worries, you're not an idiot.

When there isn't a menu button on the bottom, there IS the menu dots up top, like someone said.

I was just saying that I find that a little annoying. Right now, I'd rather have a dedicated menu button on the bottom.

But, it isn't a big deal. I'll get used to it. Heck, many moons ago I came from blackberry to Android 1.something, and I had to get used to things then.

I was just commenting that I find the lack of a dedicated menu button, and menu buttons that move around depending on the app, a little annoying. Not deal breaking or anything like that.

Just part of my 48 hours "initial impression." I'm sure I'll get used to it and it will be a non issue.


Good. I'm going a little nuts setting up things and was worried what would happen if i ran into that. I don't like the amount of options so far. It took me days to go through my Dinc's settings and i have seen everyone in this thing already ten times. But i am loving it. I was a little upset day two but now i'm back to being in FULL love again.

thanks
 
Took a look at some phones today with the parents. Went right over to the Nexus. Very easy to get overwhelmed with others replies. The phone while big is not big. Liked the interace, just still hate the fact that you have a 4.3" screen 90% of the time.

Screen looked pretty nice. The UI was pretty snappy and smooth. Some lag but nothing to cry about.

Tempting almost bought it. Will wait to see what HTC does with the Edge.
 
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