The Samsung Galaxy S24
dinosaur1's profile

Mentor

 • 

61 Messages

Sunday, November 4th, 2012 2:54 AM

iPhone 5 to Nexus 4 switch

I have owned all previous iPhone models that have existed.  I am ready to try something different and go for the Nexus 4.  The iPhone 5 is great, but it also seems behind the times as well when it comes to screen size, customization and battery life.  I am also finding that when Apple gets too big as they are now the quality of their products goes downhill.  I also don't feel like waiting in lines or spending $500 when the Nexus phone is set at a very competitive price. The Genius Bar always pushes back when I go and try and get help.  I will never own a MacBook and wil always have a windows pc so in the long run the Nexus 4 is the way to go.

 

I have owned a droid phone in the past and it was 50/50.  I heard the Nexus 4 is going to be out of this world.

 

Has anyone else gone from iPhone to Nexus p roduct lineand how do they like it?

 

What do I have to do to switch to a Nexus 4 snice I have an unlimited data plan with at&t?

Professor

 • 

2.7K Messages

11 years ago


@Wild Banchi wrote:

@kgbkny wrote:

@Wild Banchi wrote:
No, I do not have any experience with the Nexus lineup. I still would think there would be some noticeable lag...I mean, it's the same OS...

I suggest trying a phone loaded with Jellybean (Android 4.1). There is no lag.


 

My Captivate is running 2.3 Gingerbread, so I'm sure the Android OS has gotten much faster since then. It's just a consistent thing I've noticed when I used the phone every day, as well as newer Motorola Droid line phones.


Yes, anything with Jellybean runs much better than the previous versions of Android.  The Galaxy Nexus is smooth and the Galaxy Note II is too good for words.  Also, the Captivate has a single-core processor.  It can't compare to the dual-core processor in the Galaxy Nexus or the quad-core processor in the Galaxy Note II.

 

Professor

 • 

3K Messages

11 years ago


@OneStepAhead wrote:

Long time Android and iOS user here...just a couple things

 

1. I have no Idea what the previous poster is talking about regarding lag and android, I've never experienced this on any of my android phones and I've owned 10 different ones so far. I always buy high end models, so maybe it's only an issue with low end devices.

 

2. If you have an unlimited LTE plan you will also be able to use unlimited HSPA+, which in my opinion is also very fast.

 

3. Droid is not a nickname for Android, it's a trademark name that Verizon uses for it's Android devices. Referring to non Verizon Android devices by Droid is incorrect, and a major pet peeve. I know it's silly....

 

4. Nexus 4 is not marketed as an iPhone competitor, but they are in the same class none the less. I personally don't like Nexus devices as they run a stripped down stock version of Android that is missing many features that you ultimately have to install 3rd party apps for. I'll take a Sense or TouchWiz based Android device over stock Android any day. I'd be considering the S3 instead...or if you like LG then their Optimus G phone is essentially the Nexus 4 with LTE.


 

1)  Android has gotten vastly  faster and smoother over its lifetime (as has iOS).  If there hasn't been any advances in its speed/smoothness, why would they keep increasing the CPU and GPU specs on devices?  The degree to which lag is noticeable to people, and how big of a deal it is to you (and how it affects your use of your phone) may be the difference.  But to say that big advances have not been made to the OS and device specs in the past year or so (much less the 3-year period Android has reached critical mass as a major smartphone OS) seems absurd to me.  And yes, I'm talking higher end Android devices.

 

IMO, performace differences are starting to play less of a part, as devices within the past 6 months truly start to show little or no lag to most people.  But a lot of Android junkees still argue about differences in lag between the lastest highest spec'ed devices; or AOSP ROMs versus skinned on the same device.  Admittedly, those arguments are starting to be a little nitpicky to me at this point.  But just reinforces the point that people perceive and tolerate lag in different ways.

 

2)  Speed of HSPA+ network completely depends on your location.  Some people are getting up to 10 Mbps, which is certainly very fast, and good for just about any current use.  Also the speed stated by the OP would be plenty good for his purposes.  On the other hand, I get less than 1 Mbps (often much less) at my house on HSPA+, with sometimes frequent dropouts.  Other folks have also stated miserable HSPA+ speeds in their area, to the point that doing things like streaming Pandora doesn't even work.

 

3)  Personally agree with you here.  I guess as long as people are talking about Android devices at all, instead of just gushing over the latest iPhone, I'm fine with it.  But the term "Droid" is starting to become synonymous with Android device the same way Kleenex is for facial tissue.  And another pet peeve for me is that Android is just the OS, not the name of the device.  We don't go around saying we want to buy a "Windows" or an "iOS".

 

4)  Seems like a ridiculous distinction to say the N4 is not being "marketed" as an iPhone competitor.  If a product does the same things, with similar specs, and at a similar (in this case lower) price point, its a competitor.  Whether its a lead or viable competitor in terms of sales numbers, is another thing, as it most certainly will not be.  iPhone and Galaxy S3 are simply the top phones in terms of sales numbers, and that will not likely change anytime soon.

 

Not trying to be contrarian or argumentative here.  Just my 2 cents in the interests of polite discussion.

 

 

 

Professor

 • 

3K Messages

11 years ago


@21stNow wrote:
Yes, anything with Jellybean runs much better than the previous versions of Android.  The Galaxy Nexus is smooth and the Galaxy Note II is too good for words.  Also, the Captivate has a single-core processor.  It can't compare to the dual-core processor in the Galaxy Nexus or the quad-core processor in the Galaxy Note II.

Agree that hardware advances have as much (if not more) to do than the Android build.  Yes, the OS is contiunally being optimized to increase performance.  But the advances in hardware just in the past year or so since the Captivate, have been huge.  A 1 GHz single-core CPU is simply not going to hold a candle to the 1.5 GHz (and higher) dual and quad core phones that are currently available.  Captivate also has less RAM than current smartphones (by a factor of 4 in many cases), and a lower spec GPU.  All of which contributes to much smoother and faster performance.

 

Professor

 • 

2.7K Messages

11 years ago


@redpoint73 wrote:

@OneStepAhead wrote:

Long time Android and iOS user here...just a couple things

 

1. I have no Idea what the previous poster is talking about regarding lag and android, I've never experienced this on any of my android phones and I've owned 10 different ones so far. I always buy high end models, so maybe it's only an issue with low end devices.

 

2. If you have an unlimited LTE plan you will also be able to use unlimited HSPA+, which in my opinion is also very fast.

 

3. Droid is not a nickname for Android, it's a trademark name that Verizon uses for it's Android devices. Referring to non Verizon Android devices by Droid is incorrect, and a major pet peeve. I know it's silly....

 

4. Nexus 4 is not marketed as an iPhone competitor, but they are in the same class none the less. I personally don't like Nexus devices as they run a stripped down stock version of Android that is missing many features that you ultimately have to install 3rd party apps for. I'll take a Sense or TouchWiz based Android device over stock Android any day. I'd be considering the S3 instead...or if you like LG then their Optimus G phone is essentially the Nexus 4 with LTE.


 

1)  Android has gotten vastly  faster and smoother over its lifetime (as has iOS).  If there hasn't been any advances in its speed/smoothness, why would they keep increasing the CPU and GPU specs on devices?  The degree to which lag is noticeable to people, and how big of a deal it is to you (and how it affects your use of your phone) may be the difference.  But to say that big advances have not been made to the OS and device specs in the past year or so (much less the 3-year period Android has reached critical mass as a major smartphone OS) seems absurd to me.  And yes, I'm talking higher end Android devices.

 

IMO, performace differences are starting to play less of a part, as devices within the past 6 months truly start to show little or no lag to most people.  But a lot of Android junkees still argue about differences in lag between the lastest highest spec'ed devices; or AOSP ROMs versus skinned on the same device.  Admittedly, those arguments are starting to be a little nitpicky to me at this point.  But just reinforces the point that people perceive and tolerate lag in different ways.

 

2)  Speed of HSPA+ network completely depends on your location.  Some people are getting up to 10 Mbps, which is certainly very fast, and good for just about any current use.  Also the speed stated by the OP would be plenty good for his purposes.  On the other hand, I get less than 1 Mbps (often much less) at my house on HSPA+, with sometimes frequent dropouts.  Other folks have also stated miserable HSPA+ speeds in their area, to the point that doing things like streaming Pandora doesn't even work.

 

3)  Personally agree with you here.  I guess as long as people are talking about Android devices at all, instead of just gushing over the latest iPhone, I'm fine with it.  But the term "Droid" is starting to become synonymous with Android device the same way Kleenex is for facial tissue.  And another pet peeve for me is that Android is just the OS, not the name of the device.  We don't go around saying we want to buy a "Windows" or an "iOS".

 

4)  Seems like a ridiculous distinction to say the N4 is not being "marketed" as an iPhone competitor.  If a product does the same things, with similar specs, and at a similar (in this case lower) price point, its a competitor.  Whether its a lead or viable competitor in terms of sales numbers, is another thing, as it most certainly will not be.  iPhone and Galaxy S3 are simply the top phones in terms of sales numbers, and that will not likely change anytime soon.

 

Not trying to be contrarian or argumentative here.  Just my 2 cents in the interests of polite discussion.

 

 

 


+1 on point #3!  My understanding was that DROID was used under license in terms of Verizon Wireless and was trademarked by Lucas films.  But, I'm nitpicking even more!

 

For point #4, I think that OneStepAhead is concentrating on the concept of the marketing of the Nexus line, rather than the specs.  The phone line was marketed as a developer's device prior to the (undesired) attempt to "mainstream" the Galaxy Nexus on VZW.  Even when the Nexus line was released in the Sprint store, there didn't seem to be an effort to "mainstream" the device like there was with the VZW release.  Also, carrier subsidies are part of marketing a phone.  While there are carriers that have subsidized the Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus and will subsidize the Nexus 4, it still isn't prominent and marketed in the same way.  I'm sure that there are many AT&T customers who never knew that they could get a subsidized Nexus S from Best Buy.

 

Professor

 • 

3K Messages

11 years ago


21stNow wrote
For point #4, I think that OneStepAhead is concentrating on the concept of the marketing of the Nexus line, rather than the specs.  The phone line was marketed as a developer's device prior to the (undesired) attempt to "mainstream" the Galaxy Nexus on VZW.  Even when the Nexus line was released in the Sprint store, there didn't seem to be an effort to "mainstream" the device like there was with the VZW release.  Also, carrier subsidies are part of marketing a phone.  While there are carriers that have subsidized the Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus and will subsidize the Nexus 4, it still isn't prominent and marketed in the same way.  I'm sure that there are many AT&T customers who never knew that they could get a subsidized Nexus S from Best Buy.

I see where you're coming from.  But Google has also made some pretty good strides selling the Nexus 7 tablet on the Play Store (and other "less mainstream" places).  Maybe they can translate that success somewhat to phones.  Yes, its a different animal, what with carrier subsidies driving the market for the most part (as you mentioned).  But there is still a market (comparatively small, but significant) for a device like the Nexus 4, that is inexpensive, unsubsidized, but still with great specs.  The device is not going to match the iPhone and Samsung GS3 in sales, with the marketing monsters behind those devices. But it can carve itself a nice niche, nonetheless.

 

The OPs question about whether the Nexus 4 is a competitor was admittedly vague.  But to the end user, who cares how the phone is marketed?  Is the N4 a suitable replacement for an iPhone?  Certainly.

 

 

Mentor

 • 

61 Messages

11 years ago

If I order today when would I be able to get it? I hope it's not a 2-3 week delay.

Tutor

 • 

5 Messages

11 years ago

I had a slightly different question. My 2 year ATT contract ends soon. I am happy with the contract and want to extend it. However, at the same time want to use the discount for buying phone. However, unfortunately ATT does not sell Nexus 4. So, I thought maybe I can extend my contract by buying an iPhone 5 (for $200). Then I will sell this iPhone without opening the box for $500 - 600, and with the difference I will buy the Nexus 4. Does this plan sound reasonable? Is it OK if I sell a locked iPhone that I get with the contract to someone else, or can this cause problems in the future?  Thanks for the replies in advance.

Professor

 • 

3K Messages

11 years ago


@oahsen wrote:

I had a slightly different question. My 2 year ATT contract ends soon. I am happy with the contract and want to extend it. However, at the same time want to use the discount for buying phone. However, unfortunately ATT does not sell Nexus 4. So, I thought maybe I can extend my contract by buying an iPhone 5 (for $200). Then I will sell this iPhone without opening the box for $500 - 600, and with the difference I will buy the Nexus 4. Does this plan sound reasonable? Is it OK if I sell a locked iPhone that I get with the contract to someone else, or can this cause problems in the future?  Thanks for the replies in advance.


That should be fine.  People do it all the time.

 

And since you question was different, it would have been better for you to just have started a different thread (but not now).

 

Scholar

 • 

151 Messages

11 years ago

You should get it in less than a week.
Not finding what you're looking for?
New to AT&T Community?
New to the AT&T Community? Start by visiting the Community How-To.
New to the AT&T Community?
Visit the Community How-To.