Pros/Cons of HTC Rezound vs. Galaxy Nexus

[TxGoat]

It would be nice if HTC reads these posts, but here's what I'd like to see from HTC. What if HTC offered an "ICS upgrade KIT"? That's right a KIT that you can order from HTC that comes with a replacement screen that does away with the soft buttons at the bottom of the phone and converts it into more screen real estate. You can order the upgrade and install the screen yourself (but void your warranty) or send your phone into HTC so they can update the screen size (for an extra charge and retain your warranty). That would pretty much trump most if not all of the Nexus' advantages over the Rezound.

 

[fitzrobbi]

I keep debating between these phones. Yes, I know they aren't out yet, but like many here I want to pounce the minute they appear. So, I'm doing my homework now so I'm ready on November 10 or (hopefully) sooner.

Much of my decision will be based on the look, feel and handling of the phone when I can see it in person. Each phone has their good points. The Rezound has a faster processor (1.5 vs 1.2) but how big of deal is this? The Prime will have ICS right away, but we don't know when Rezound will have it. I'm disappointed that HTC will launch a phone after ICS is available without it. I always hate having yesterday's technology. If I thought that ICS was coming to Rezound soon, that will help me lean toward it, but we don't really know, do we?

I like sense and am looking forward to 3.5, but would I rather have ICS now as opposed to waiting for it just to have sense 3.5?

So, like many, I am torn between these two. I invite your thoughts and personal opinions. I don't expect anyone to make this decision for me, but am interested in hearing how others are making this decision and their thought process.

Thanks.

First of all, they

 

[TxGoat]

First of all, they

 

[schimm]

I agree with Fitz till the very last sentence. You can't get everything in one package. Thinness is nice but but a poor screen is not.

Droid RAZR Review

'I can't help but agree with The Verge's Nilay Patel about the crappy screen on the RAZR. It's sad, really. It's a 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display after all​

 

[BlueBiker]

Oh no, that image again? The two phone images were not photographed at the same magnification, so they can not be legitimately compared to each other.

I really wish the Verge would fix that in their review. The Razr is indeed more pixelated than the Rezound, but not nearly as much as that poorly done comparison suggests.

I agree with Fitz till the very last sentence. You can't get everything in one package. Thinness is nice but but a poor screen is not.

Droid RAZR Review

'I can't help but agree with The Verge's Nilay Patel about the crappy screen on the RAZR. It's sad, really. It's a 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display after all​

 

[mustardtiger]

Granted signal reception is an important part of smart-phone, but that's not the only thing when considering my choice. OS, UI, processor, Display, camera, battery life, form factor are in play as well.

I wonder what percentage of smartphone users this sentiment is shared by; i.e. usability as an actual phone versus other specs.

For me, if the thing can't make a phone call and/or connect to data services when I need it to, all the bleeding edge, nerd-core specs in the world simply do not matter.

"Sorry honey, couldn't make that call to tell you I would be late picking up the kids...but hey! Check out the resolution on this screen, huh?"

At the end of the day, it has to work as a phone. No amount of fancy packaging would keep me from worrying if I was going to be able to make a call at a given moment or if I'd be able to re-connect to the data network. Plus, these things are far too spendy to have to excuse unreliability as part and parcel to the experience. I mean, there are entire forum threads in just this one Android community chronicling "how many Nexuses have you gone through?".

Also, displayed dBm readings are meaningless if you can't make a call or connect to data services. Regardless of what's displayed...there's a problem.

I really hope Samsung and/or Verizon 1. acknoweldges the issue for what it is and 2. does something to actually try and remedy it rather than dodge complaints and sweep it under the rug. Otherwise, what an enormous missed opportunity. The Nexus could have been king, (for awhile anyway). I know I would have loudly evangelized on its behalf within my circle of influence...instead, I'm left to begrudgingly acknowledge that it just wasn't a reliable device.

 

[Sandroidfan]

Go read the Thunderbolt forums. Everyone wanted to believe that new radios and OTA updates would fix the phone but they never did. If anything all the OTA updates did was pacify the owners by having the phone interpret how it attempted to pull in the signal. The phone never got better at pulling in the signal, it just stopped trying as hard (thus helping the battery).

I'm aware of that story on Tbolt. But Nexus is not Tbolt, so it doesn't necessarily apply the same way. Unlike HTC design using battery cover, Nexus (and Razr too) uses antenna layout built onto IC board. So voltage output of antenna can be better controlled by software probably. Besides the GPS on origianl Galaxy S, historically samsung radios performance depend a lot on software and any glitches were fixed eventually. So it remains to be seen for Nexus with updates. But I get that they should have done better job for out of box experience from get go.

 

[Sandroidfan]

I wonder what percentage of smartphone users this sentiment is shared by; i.e. usability as an actual phone versus other specs.

For me, if the thing can't make a phone call and/or connect to data services when I need it to, all the bleeding edge, nerd-core specs in the world simply do not matter.

I didn't imply that it's ok to ignore usability as phone. Just saying smart-phone is a lot more than just a phone. Mine doesn't drop calls or lose phone signal at all. And I'm sure that majority of Gnex owners who don't bother to chime in forums like this are too. I really think this issue on forum is amplified more than what it is by VZW outages, low signal bars and possibly some bad batches.

 

[TxGoat]

I didn't imply that it's ok to ignore usability as phone. Just saying smart-phone is a lot more than just a phone. Mine doesn't drop calls or lose phone signal at all. And I'm sure that majority of Gnex owners who don't bother to chime in forums like this are too. I really think this issue on forum is amplified more than what it is by VZW outages, low signal bars and possibly some bad batches.

I know a guide that bought one and is perfectly fine with his, granted he doesn't get 4G signal at home, but confesses that he never got signal at home with his Thunderbolt either. Where he does get good 4G signal is at his place of work, which he's perfectly fine with. If you live in a city that has a great 4G footprint then you'll more than likely be happy with your phone, it's those consumers that don't necessarily have access to full blast 4G that will notice a difference. I actually live in an area that had 4G when it launched through Verizon, but there are some areas that don't get the best 4G coverage. In those areas my Thunderbolt might as well had been a 3G phone, my Rezound was still humming along on 4G. I'll take that over a 10 core, 2160p display, phone running pineapple upside down ninja cake that has difficulty with network connectivity any day of the week.

Like I posted before, the Nexus is like this super exotic Italian sports car that's outfitted with snow tires, it's slick but not real practical.

 

[schimm]

Oh no, that image again? The two phone images were not photographed at the same magnification, so they can not be legitimately compared to each other.

I really wish the Verge would fix that in their review. The Razr is indeed more pixelated than the Rezound, but not nearly as much as that poorly done comparison suggests.

I've seen it in person.....it's bad. Badddddddd.

 

[andr01d]

I'm aware of that story on Tbolt. But Nexus is not Tbolt, so it doesn't necessarily apply the same way. Unlike HTC design using battery cover, Nexus (and Razr too) uses antenna layout built onto IC board. So voltage output of antenna can be better controlled by software probably. Besides the GPS on origianl Galaxy S, historically samsung radios performance depend a lot on software and any glitches were fixed eventually. So it remains to be seen for Nexus with updates. But I get that they should have done better job for out of box experience from get go.

hmm... that might be over-reaching. If it can be done by software, they would have solved the problem 3 weeks, 500 hours or 50 softwares/firmwares ago. Did you guys try to Occupy Nexus until they hand over a new firmware/software or a phone/hardware revision, or Occupy Verizon because of inequality (same expensive bill each month as all the other smartphones, but not enough service/signal)?

{The Razr is from Motorola, a communications equipment company. It may have certain items that is not quite desirable to some, but the phone sure will communicate.}

 

[Medion]

I wonder what percentage of smartphone users this sentiment is shared by; i.e. usability as an actual phone versus other specs.

One word: iPhone

iPhone users have constantly had issues with cellular performance since day one, even the publicized "antenna-gate" with the iPhone 4. They simply don't care because of the other things that it does.

Smart phones are being used more for other things and less for calls these days. Every person will have different priorities than the next. Some people might not care about the reception (IE, 4 bars vs. 2) so long it works "most of the time."

 

[jroc]

^Can we really use the iPhone as en example? There were some ppl that didnt upgrade to the 4 and stayed with teh 3GS tho..

Oh no, that image again? The two phone images were not photographed at the same magnification, so they can not be legitimately compared to each other.

I really wish the Verge would fix that in their review. The Razr is indeed more pixelated than the Rezound, but not nearly as much as that poorly done comparison suggests.

Since I have both and use both on a daily basis.... I agree. Its not as sharp as the Rezounds...when held closer than my normal viewing distances. At my normal viewing distances...all 3 phones could be mistaken for the same sharpness. My normal viewing distance isnt 20 ft away either...lol.

When held closer the difference become more noticeable. And its certain things in certain instances where its really noticeable.

 

[TxGoat]

One word: iPhone

iPhone users have constantly had issues with cellular performance since day one, even the publicized "antenna-gate" with the iPhone 4.

You have to admit, that probably has more to do with the iPhone being relegated to AT&T's crapptacular service for the better part of its life.

But it's funny that you mention the iPhone since I'm seeing a FRIGHTENING similarity between iPhone fanaticism and Nexus fanaticism....

 

[Medion]

^Can we really use the iPhone as en example? There were some ppl that didnt upgrade to the 4 and stayed with teh 3GS tho..

Most 3Gs users wouldn't upgrade to the 4 as most stick with their 2-year upgrade plan. However, there were seemingly more people that upgraded and didn't care about the problem than those who chose not to upgrade due to the problem. Yes, the iPhone is a valid example.

You have to admit, that probably has more to do with the iPhone being relegated to AT&T's crapptacular service for the better part of its life.

But it's funny that you mention the iPhone since I'm seeing a FRIGHTENING similarity between iPhone fanaticism and Nexus fanaticism....

Actually, I think it's a combination of poorly designed phone plus poorer network. The iPhone seems to have a higher call-drop rate than most modern phones, and AT&T the same over most networks. My SGS2 has yet to drop a single call on AT&T unless I talk to my wife on her iPhone. When we were both temporarily on Verizon, my wife's iPhone 4s never dropped one call.

And I wouldn't call it fanaticism so much as two sides looking for different priorities. If a Nexus owner doesn't care about signal strength for whatever reason, then this issue won't bother them as much as it bothers you. By the same token, many Nexus owners seem to care about vanilla Android or having the latest revision, something most HTC owners likely aren't as concerned about.

The point to Android is the ability to have variety. No one phone will ever appeal to every person. That's Apple's territory, in their own minds. To see Android users stoop to that level is a bit disturbing to me (not you, just this thread in general). Phones are not one-size fits all and there is no debate, IMO, over which phone is "best," as that definition is solely up to the person who is looking for a device for their specific needs.

When someone asks me "which phone should I get?" (and I do get that a lot), I don't make a recommendation. I ask them how they plan to use it, and then offer them compatible choices and the drawbacks of each. It's their decision, not mine.

 

[Sandroidfan]

It's funny that now focus is shifted to iPhone4 reception. Believe or not, current iPhone4, 4S on VZW at least don't have any significant reception issue though whether it's just due to better network or Apple corrected something is not sure.

I found anandtech's analysis on GSM iPhone4 signal reception that seems to debunk some misconceptions on it.

AnandTech - Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed

 

[Medion]

It's funny that now focus is shifted to iPhone4 reception. Believe or not, current iPhone4, 4S on VZW at least don't have any significant reception issue though whether it's just due to better network or Apple corrected something is not sure.

I found anandtech's analysis on GSM iPhone4 signal reception that seems to debunk some misconceptions on it.

AnandTech - Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed

That's just the way these things work. When someone is happy with a product, they're less likely to be vocal about it than someone who is upset about it. This always leads to a vocal minority slamming a product. Not that they're wrong, I absolutely believe that iPhone/Nexus owners are having these issues. It's just that they are in the minority.

Over time and numerous comparison, many sources have found that both AT&T and the iPhone have higher call-drop rates than their competition, but the differences were largely insignificant. For example, I believe a few years ago (numbers are for illustration only, I don't remember the exact value), Consumer Reports said something like AT&T dropped 2.3 calls per 100 calls while Verizon dropped 1.8 calls per 100. Given their sample size, that's what we'd normally call "within margin of error."

What we're seeing with the Nexus is a true vocal minority. If this issue affected 100% of people to a noticeable degree, the sheer number of returns to Verizon would cause Verizon to raise a shitstorm with Google/Samsung and potentially a full product recall. Instead, we're seeing what is likely (speculation on my part) the typical 2-5%, and Google/Samsung/Verizon are hoping to appease these people with cosmetic updates or a different phone. Take care of the people that complain and all that you have left are roses and sunshine.

And to close this, I am by no means attacking the credibility of anyone who has experienced this issue with a Nexus. If you had a real issue with a product, you do what anyone should do; you try to swap it out hoping that just that phone was defective, and then you switch for another phone altogether and you post here to let us know about a possible widespread defect. Knowledge is power, but if you go by the Nexus forums here, there are more satisfied owners and not. So if you're considering either a Nexus, RAZR, or Rezound for any reason, you absolutely should try them yourself and make an informed decision, because each one has issues and those issues may not even apply to you.

 

[TheXFactor]

We had 3 (now 2) iPhone 4's. Never had any problems with reception. Always a strong signal. And to put into perspective, I travel 4 days a week. Always had stellar reception with the iPhone 4. So, not sure how anyone is comparing the iPhone 4 to a Nexus. The reception in that phone (Nexus) is pathetic.

 

[TxGoat]

Actually, I think it's a combination of poorly designed phone plus poorer network. The iPhone seems to have a higher call-drop rate than most modern phones, and AT&T the same over most networks. My SGS2 has yet to drop a single call on AT&T unless I talk to my wife on her iPhone. When we were both temporarily on Verizon, my wife's iPhone 4s never dropped one call.

And I wouldn't call it fanaticism so much as two sides looking for different priorities. If a Nexus owner doesn't care about signal strength for whatever reason, then this issue won't bother them as much as it bothers you. By the same token, many Nexus owners seem to care about vanilla Android or having the latest revision, something most HTC owners likely aren't as concerned about.

The point to Android is the ability to have variety. No one phone will ever appeal to every person. That's Apple's territory, in their own minds. To see Android users stoop to that level is a bit disturbing to me (not you, just this thread in general). Phones are not one-size fits all and there is no debate, IMO, over which phone is "best," as that definition is solely up to the person who is looking for a device for their specific needs.

When someone asks me "which phone should I get?" (and I do get that a lot), I don't make a recommendation. I ask them how they plan to use it, and then offer them compatible choices and the drawbacks of each. It's their decision, not mine.

You just reinforced my claim, iPhone owners are very touchy about criticism of their phones too.

 

[Medion]

We had 3 (now 2) iPhone 4's. Never had any problems with reception. Always a strong signal. And to put into perspective, I travel 4 days a week. Always had stellar reception with the iPhone 4. So, not sure how anyone is comparing the iPhone 4 to a Nexus. The reception in that phone (Nexus) is pathetic.

This fits in with my vocal minority. Yes, there are Nexus owners who have had issues with reception, but there are also Nexus owners who have NOT had issues with reception. My wife is one of the people who had issues with reception on the iPhone 4. She's had two different 4s models (Verizon CDMA and AT&T GSM), and both were a significant improvement. Still, I know plenty of people, like you, who had no issues with the iPhone 4. Just please don't assume that just because you had a good or bad experience with a phone that everyone else will have the same experience.

You just reinforced my claim, iPhone owners are very touchy about criticism of their phones too.

I don't think that anyone likes being told that they spend three-digits on a defective product

 

[TxGoat]

I don't think that anyone likes being told that they spend three-digits on a defective product

Only when it hits so close to the mark.

 

[mustardtiger]

I really think this issue on forum is amplified more than what it is by VZW outages, low signal bars and possibly some bad batches.

I dunno, maybe...but this is bad. And that's just one guy. I personally went through two of them.

Even with the "vocal minority" factored in, I think there are some real issues beyond a handful of quirky devices that one might pass off as typical for a new device launch.

Aside from connectivity issues, how many GN owners have chosen to look past other items and simply won't/don't care to report them? I wonder how many GN's made it out of the factory with a notification LED that actually worked properly? It's not a big deal since Light Flow handily fixes the issue, but it did make me wonder what else wasn't working properly.

 

[Blackthanos]

OMG!!!!!!!!!! That guy is on his 7th G-Nex?????? Holy Crap!!! How can people actually put up with stuff like that? There is no phone I want SOOOO much that I would go pass two exchanges for. After that my impression of the phone model and probably the companies quality would be through the floor. And in the same thread less then 5 post down another guy was on his fourth G-Nex. I can't see how some people think there is nothing wrong with that phone or that it's just a few people or phones that are having issues. I understand the concept of the complainers get the attention but this isn't some isolated incident. One of my co-workers has a G-Nex and ask me to use my phone all the freakin time at our reporting office. At first it was kind of flattering that he would ask for my ReZound because his Nexus wasn't getting a signal but now it's just plain annoying. I mean when does it become unacceptable? Arghhh!

 

[TxGoat]

OMG!!!!!!!!!! That guy is on his 7th G-Nex?????? Holy Crap!!! How can people actually put up with stuff like that? There is no phone I want SOOOO much that I would go pass two exchanges for. After that my impression of the phone model and probably the companies quality would be through the floor. And in the same thread less then 5 post down another guy was on his fourth G-Nex. I can't see how some people think there is nothing wrong with that phone or that it's just a few people or phones that are having issues. I understand the concept of the complainers get the attention but this isn't some isolated incident. One of my co-workers has a G-Nex and ask me to use my phone all the freakin time at our reporting office. At first it was kind of flattering that he would ask for my ReZound because his Nexus wasn't getting a signal but now it's just plain annoying. I mean when does it become unacceptable? Arghhh!

In all fairness, I think he had a Rezound at one point, at least the avatar looks familiar. He probably traded the Rezound in, and found out that he wasn't getting a better phone, especially as far as signal strength and is trying to find a Nexus that is going to provide him with the same satisfaction as the Rezound. I'm actually glad that those with Technology ADD jumped to the Nexus as fast as possible. I don't think I'd want to read thread after thread about how the device doesn't do this or doesn't do that, or doesn't slice bread for them. If they think they'll find greener pastures elsewhere, more power to them...but less signal strength to them...

 

[andr01d]

hmm... yeah... that's quite a lot of tries to find one good copy