Razr Maxx or Galaxy Nexus?

[BzB]

Has anyone ever put all these "top of the line" verizon phones with a few other carrier phones side by side and do an honest comparison of features only? Forget about the OS.

What is the best phone on Verizon (after galaxy nexus?)

the best phone on verizon is the one that fits the user's needs/wants the best. therefore there is no definitive "best".

that said, most people in the nexus forum probably think the nexus is the best phone on verizon.

 

[to serve man]

Thanks for that vague response.. but if you put BMW and Kia and ask which one is better, obviously the answer will be BMW. Even though it may burn much more gas, it may cost a lot more to maintain, and it may be bigger.. Maybe I should have asked, which phone is considered the most high-tech feature wise.

Surely if you compare screen quality which is what you look at %99 of the time when using a phone, it doesn't look like VZ has anything close to Galaxy Nexus yet (I think rezound might be close 2nd) So looking at all the specs, I don't see anything from Motorola that can compete with Rezound OR Galaxy Nexus, spec wise.

Again, if someone wants battery life, or physical keyboard, or HDMI output etc.. they can go with Motorola but looking at that screen really makes me think of looking at an old handheld with all the pixels so visible and separated.

 

[Sandroidfan]

Surely if you compare screen quality which is what you look at %99 of the time when using a phone, it doesn't look like VZ has anything close to Galaxy Nexus yet (I think rezound might be close 2nd) So looking at all the specs, I don't see anything from Motorola that can compete with Rezound OR Galaxy Nexus, spec wise.

Again, if someone wants battery life, or physical keyboard, or HDMI output etc.. they can go with Motorola but looking at that screen really makes me think of looking at an old handheld with all the pixels so visible and separated.

Did you have a look at LG Spectrum? It's got 4.5" IPS/LCD HD screen that looks brighter, more colorful than Rezound. Other specs are very similar to Rezound. But I'm not fan of LG skin on it and will probably recommend LP or Go launcher on it.

 

[to serve man]

I heard about it, it also looks very nice, but I was not able to locate it in any stores yet (limited supply I guess) in order to see it in person.
I am staying with Galaxy Nexus for now as Rezound was really too expensive for what it was..
On top of all, Now Amazon is offering Nexus for $99 for new accounts.. I wish they had it when I was buying mine for $250!!!

 

[jroc]

Thanks for that vague response.. but if you put BMW and Kia and ask which one is better, obviously the answer will be BMW. Even though it may burn much more gas, it may cost a lot more to maintain, and it may be bigger.. Maybe I should have asked, which phone is considered the most high-tech feature wise.

To me...that post was accurate. Ask me which car is better between a BMW and a prius and I may say prius, based on my wants n needs. Depending on how reliable a KIA is I may pick that too.

I might even pick a Nissan altima over a BMW.

I think you're right, you shoulda asked which is more hi tech. Because the best is never gonna be clear cut...for anything.. cars, phones, TVs, etc.

 

[syntrix]

Everyone has their opine. Some more than others. Some for no reason other than they are breathing.

If every phone were exactly the same, there would never be any choice. A nice discussion about merits of certain phones or discussions about comparisons is good.

Vehement discussions are borderline, arguing is uncalled for.

I love both phones. My goto phone lately has been the maxx for it's battery life. I doesn't have the best screen or ICS, but it works great for me right now, and especially when traveling where battery life is important to ME.

 

[BzB]

Thanks for that vague response.. but if you put BMW and Kia and ask which one is better, obviously the answer will be BMW. Even though it may burn much more gas, it may cost a lot more to maintain, and it may be bigger.. Maybe I should have asked, which phone is considered the most high-tech feature wise.

Surely if you compare screen quality which is what you look at %99 of the time when using a phone, it doesn't look like VZ has anything close to Galaxy Nexus yet (I think rezound might be close 2nd) So looking at all the specs, I don't see anything from Motorola that can compete with Rezound OR Galaxy Nexus, spec wise.

Again, if someone wants battery life, or physical keyboard, or HDMI output etc.. they can go with Motorola but looking at that screen really makes me think of looking at an old handheld with all the pixels so visible and separated.

The bimmer is better for what vs the kia? Higher maintenance costs? Lower gas mileage? Higher cost of ownership? More likely to be stolen or broken into?

The kia might be a better vehicle in those regards and some might actually chose the kia as their daily driver due to those reasons.

Same goes for these phones to some extent. Some people don't need all the features offered by the nexus and they're just fine with a 3g phone that can txt and recieve calls.

 

[to serve man]

BzB, again, you are comparing different aspects, not the comparison of the vehicles itself, those you mention are the results of owning a better vehicle. It does not make it a worse vehicle. It just makes it more difficult to own.
So, you can have a higher tech phone, that has much less battery life, compared to a lower tech device that has longer battery life. Does this make it factually worse? no. You can always carry an additional battery, but you own a higher end phone. So, again, I revised my statement above, not the "Best" phone but the most advanced phone spec-wise.

 

[g nexta]

the galaxy nexus is made for android 4. It's so awesome. It's a huge step up. You have a button that displays the most recently used app, which is much like using windows on chrome, for multitaskers like me. And, the gnex has the bottom row stuff BUILT INTO the operating sys! it's not embedded into the screen! (meaing the home button, and the back button and such... ) You have to see it in action, but, it hides them like when looking at photos or videos or playing games. AND...no need for app killers, battery drainers, or ANY anti-virus. Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich, ICS) takes care of it all, and any of those apps actually slow things down. Allow the beauty of the ICS do it's work!! I now scratched the surface of the beauty of ICS!!

 

[to serve man]

I totally agree with g nexta. Once more apps can take advantage of ICS, it will be awesome. For example you cannot switch between screens within an app. Let's say you have a 3rd party e-mail client, you wanted to compose a new e-mail, and suddenly half way through you need to go back to another e-mail and copy something, or you forgot his last name and you want to look it up in 3rd party e-mail app's contacts, you have to back out of 3rd party e-mail compose screen, save it in drafts, go into mail list, and then find what you want, and then go back to drafts and open your e-mail.
You cannot switch between the new e-mail "Compose" screen and e-mail list using the window switcher button.. hopefully more developers will write compatible apps one day.

 

[g nexta]

^^^^exactly
and there are numerous other examples if you use productivity apps alot

 

[blkackteg]

Didn't read all the way through, so i dont konw if it was metioned But how bout this- Razr has the four hard keys at the bottom, they are obsolete in ICS. Why would you want a phone with the extra buttons when ICS comes. Reason enough for me.

 

[g nexta]

Covered that a few posts above.
I agree.

 

[jroc]

After having a g nex... The on screen keys weren't all that special. I don't think capacitive or hard keys are obsolete.

The menu key in apps was nice tho. But you can do that and don't have on screen keys. IMO the on screen keys don't serve a bigger purpose than the menu key being in apps.

 

[krouget]

After having a g nex... The on screen keys weren't all that special. I don't think capacitive or hard keys are obsolete.

The menu key in apps was nice tho. But you can do that and don't have on screen keys. IMO the on screen keys don't serve a bigger purpose than the menu key being in apps.

Looking at it from the perspective of a new user, it's more intuitive to have buttons which exist in context, though.

I remember when I was teaching one of my folks how to use their new Android device, and two of the tips I expressed at the time, were to long-press everything and to hit the menu button to see what options they had available.

Looking back, while the advice made sense for a fixed menu button, it did mean they were constantly guessing as to whether or not content existed in the menu or if they could instead use settings to find the appropriate items. I overlooked this at the time, but the current implementation makes far more sense from a design perspective and that of the end-user, in many cases.

In the bigger picture, this is also becoming a design approach, in general, as Google has done this with a bunch of their services, most notably Gmail (options appearing in context).

 

[jroc]

I agree...but I feel you can still have capacitive and hard keys and have the menu key in apps. I think there are upcoming phones like that, has 3 capacitive buttons...home, task, and back.

Unless there were less accidental presses..if so I'm all for on screen keys. I forgot to test it on my g nex

 

[pappy53]

Razr Pros:

Build quality
Call quality
Signal strength
Speakerphone
Snappiness
Speed
Gorilla glass
Battery life

Razr cons:

Screen ( but not a lot of difference to the average user)
ICS ( coming to Razr )

 

[Ravenwjf]

My opinion for what it is worth. I came from a year and a half with the Droid X, and yes Motorola builds a quality product.....but I hate Motoblur. It caused more issues for me then anything, slowing the phone, apps that didn't play well with it and so on. The updates were few and far between, and from reading my news feeds, it just got an update that just now fixed bugs that had been around since June/July time frame.

I chose the Nexus because it is a pure Google experience...and ICS blows Gingerbread away. I will be curious to see what ICS looks like after Motoblur gets integrated into it. As for the quality, I have no issues with the Nexus. I am beginning to think alot of the radio/4G issues are location related. Here in my hometown, my signal is awesome, but I drive 100 miles west to the next city and my signal struggles. I have never had missed or dropped calls. I have my battery(extended 2100) working 10+ hours with alot of use (4+ hours of screen time or 2+ hours phone calls) and 15+ with moderate use (2+ hours screen time) but I do have a car charger and a wall charger with me at all times. The Nexus is quick and very responsive and I love the multitasking and the ability to root/unlock/development which you will never be able match with the Razer.

As always it depends on the individual to what phone suites you best....in my case it was the Nexus and what I consider Android freedom. Good luck with whatever phone you choose.

P.S. Sorry for the wall of text!!!!

 

[Tim K]

Razr Pros:

Build quality
Call quality
Signal strength
Speakerphone
Snappiness
Speed
Gorilla glass
Battery life

Razr cons:

Screen ( but not a lot of difference to the average user)
ICS ( coming to Razr )

I think you meant to say
"ICS (coming to Razr someday, maybe in the 3rd quarter, but no guarantee so don't hold your breath)

 

[krouget]

I agree...but I feel you can still have capacitive and hard keys and have the menu key in apps. I think there are upcoming phones like that, has 3 capacitive buttons...home, task, and back.

Unless there were less accidental presses..if so I'm all for on screen keys. I forgot to test it on my g nex

I hear you and you make a point with still having the fixed buttons. In the end, I'm all for variety and choice, so if someone prefers fixed buttons, I certainly believe the option should be available.

As to accidental presses, it's interesting that you bring it up. I've noticed with the software buttons, that a press doesn't take place unless you "release" the button. So even if you accidentally "depress" the home or recent apps buttons, for example, you can still just slide or continue your gesture (scrolling in the browser, for example).

That said, I'm not sure which form produces more accidental pushes, so I'm again in favor of letting the user decide.

 

[pappy53]

I think you meant to say
"ICS (coming to Razr someday, maybe in the 3rd quarter, but no guarantee so don't hold your breath)

So that is all that you can refute in my comparison?

 

[jamisont]

razr and Gnex use almost same hardware but Gnex got better
Razr ----------- Gnex
TI Omap 4430 / 4460
SGX540@304mhz/ SGX540@384mhz
SAMOLED Adv / SAMOLED HD
I think both use TI DAC.

Razr got better radio? doubt it..
you can achieve better reception if u put high sar rating radio on top.
some manufacturers developed low sar radios and put em on lower part of phone to reduce SAR rating.

Razr
Head SAR value (radiation level) 1.45 w/Kg
Body SAR rating 0.71 w/Kg

GNex (verison)
0.63 W/kg (head) 0.88 W/kg (body)

so IMO if u live on rural area with low signal, u might need a phone like razr/rezound but in urban area with good signal, having GNex or razr makes no difference.. just u end up getting more radiation.

 

[Tim K]

So that is all that you can refute in my comparison?

No. I just addressed the most critical item. If you'd like I can offer my opinions on the rest....


Build quality - While the Samsung has a plastic shell, I don't think it feels cheap or flimsy like some of the HTC phones. I don't like the way the battery cover goes on and off. Seems like it would come off about 10 times before it started snapping plastic tabs. But it is my first Samsung phone so I can't speak for longevity. As for Moto, I had the original droid, and while that was seemingly solid as a brick...and felt like a brick.... I had plenty of issues with quality so Moto didn't really impress me with any of the 6 droids I owned.

Call quality - I have no issues whatsoever with the call quality. Everything sounds great to me.

Signal strength - Who knows if this is really an issue at this point. All we really have is anecdotal evidence. My wife's Razr reports a slightly better signal, but as I posted in another thread today, the GN only reports signal as -103, -93, -83 and supposedly -75dbm whereas other phones like my Droid report increments of 1dbm. So -93dbm on the GN may be exactly the same as the -88dbm on my Droid. Also, this is something that will supposedly get fixed in the next update. I'll chalk this one up as TBD

Speakerphone - The GN speaker volumes are ridiculously low out of the box. That said, Volume+ is a free app that took about 30 seconds to make this issue moot.

Snappiness - I don't see it. Perhaps you can expand on this because side by side with my wife's Razr the GN seems faster in the brief comparisons I did.

Speed - Not sure what the difference between snappiness and speed is....but as I said above, my GN seems faster than her Razr. If you are talking about connection speed, Speedtests have almost all been faster on my GN, though any given device can be great or horrible on any given test.

Gorilla glass - The GN is supposed to have a different type of fortified glass. We've seen no evidence that it is any weaker than GG.... aside from a story about a guy who dropped his GN on the corner and broke the glass thereby declaring the GN glass was terrible. I think we'll have to wait long-term to see if the GN glass compares favorably.

Battery life - I can't compare the GN and Razr cause I'll never have a chance to use the Razr for a whole day. I assume the battery life is decent on the Razr and even better on the Maxx. I can only comment on the GN. Out of the box, the battery life can be pretty poor. However, if you understand what uses battery (syncs, screen on, 4G, etc) you can make adjustments to maximize battery life. I get through 16hrs with no problem every day and usually still have 20-30% left when I plug in with 2-3hrs of screen on time. If I were a power user with no Wifi during the day I would probably just invest in a 2nd charger or battery. Razr's battery is not accessible/removable. In a year you may well wish it was.

Screen - Without a question this isn't even close. Run them side by side and the difference is obvious. GN is so much better.

ICS - As I pointed out, its coming to Razr SOME DAY. And according to Moto, that day isn't in the 2nd quarter and may not even be in the 3rd Quarter. ICS is so so so much better than the crappy Moto interface its not even funny. Aside from the bizarre implementation of Moto's app drawer button being on the far left, there are also TONS of horrible cr-apps installed on the Razr. Many of which can't even safely be removed when rooted. I'll take ICS today and enjoy it for months (already 2+ months in) before the Razr sniffs ICS. By the time Razr gets ICS, the GN may well be on its 4th or 5th ICS update. We've already had 1 with a 2nd on the way. Good luck getting an update from Moto on an OS that is taking them months to roll out.

Also I will add "feel". As I mentioned before (maybe a different thread) the Razr feels terrible in my hand. The edges are just uncomfortable to grip. The GN's rounded edges just feel so much better in my hand. I couldn't imagine carrying a Razr around. I assume the Maxx feels similar though I cannot say for sure as I haven't held one.

 

[g nexta]

I think I agree with Tim on everything.
And as far as reception, I get better reception than everyone else I know of, that means many different top smartphones.

 

[stenzor]

I also agree with Tim.. while I don't own a RAZR, I've played with them in store (the actual working models, not the bricks), and it's pretty ugly IMO, feels terrible in the hand, and much much slower than my GN while doing even basic things like interaction with the UI