I posted this in the Nexus/Razr thread and then realized I wrote a short story so thought I'd share in a separate post. Coming from an OG Droid, I have been contemplating which phone to upgrade to for some time now. My list was narrowed down to the Nexus and Razr.
I waited until the Nexus was released and picked it up based on the hype, specs, and positive reviews of the GSM version. I now have until 1/15/12 to decide if its a keeper or if I switch to the Razr. I do like this phone, but it does have its share of issues. Some of the issues are just due to the fact that its a new phone with a new OS and these will be addressed in updates. Some of the other issues are not and I would have to live with. The pros of the Nexus have been discussed many times (ICS, NFC, no bloat, etc) so I wont go into them. Compared to the Razr, here are the cons I am finding with this phone:
1) While the phone feels sturdy, the build quality is just not the same as the Razr. I hate phone cases, yet I have one on the Nexus now. I hate screen protectors, but I think I will be putting one on soon. With the Razr I would have no problem keeping the phone "naked" like I did with my OG Droid for 2 years.
2) Even after several full charge cycles, battery life will not be as good as the Razr, and thats not saying much. Granted this is partly due to the much nicer screen, but still, battery life is important to me. I don't even have LTE turned on (don't have it in my area) and the battery is still draining rather quickly. Yes, I can get a full day, but I am not a heavy power user.
3) The camera has been MUCH less than desirable so far. Yes, it is quick at snapping a pic, but whats the point if the output is a mushy mess? I took many pictures at a family holiday gathering yesterday and seriously could not get ONE good picture. It was daytime, indoors, plenty of natural light. I was sure to hold my hand steady, touch to focus, and then snap. Yet still the pictures just looked a little blurry and simply lacked detail. I had to keep reverting to my wife's iPhone 4s to take some pictures we can keep. I know people will say "Its a phone not a camera. If you want good pics use a real camera", but I disagree. Technology is at the point where quality pics are achievable from a smartphone, but in my opinion not from this phone. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in an update or aftermarket app, but I'm not counting on it.
4) Bugs in ICS. I am sure most will get resolved in updates. I've had a few random black screen reboots. I am using the email widget which I LOVE, but after some time the widget just doesn't want to refresh with new email, so I have to remove the widget and re-apply it.
5) Volume too low and vibrate too week. With my OG Droid, the vibrate was nice and strong so in my pants pocket I would know right away when a call or notification was coming in. The vibrate mechanism of the Nexus just feels much weaker and I often don't even notice it. Not sure if this can be fixed in an update. And we are all aware of the low volume issues. I hear there is an app that will help, but havent yet tried it.
6)I might be alone on this, but I do notice occassional stuttering when scrolling through the app list, screens, etc. I didn't notice this on the Razr I played with in store. Of course it might be a different story if I brought it home.
Please note I am not bashing the phone. These are just the cons I am noticing. I do realize the Razr has its own set of cons which I will need to investigate should I decide to switch. I do plan on keeping this Nexus at least until the 2nd week of January and then will decide. This will allow time for the 4.0.3 update to be released and for me to continue personalizing and tweaking the phone, settings, etc. I have not included the Rezound in my short list. I played with it in store and while it is a slick phone, I found it too bulky and do not like HTC Sense. Again, just personal opinion.
I waited until the Nexus was released and picked it up based on the hype, specs, and positive reviews of the GSM version. I now have until 1/15/12 to decide if its a keeper or if I switch to the Razr. I do like this phone, but it does have its share of issues. Some of the issues are just due to the fact that its a new phone with a new OS and these will be addressed in updates. Some of the other issues are not and I would have to live with. The pros of the Nexus have been discussed many times (ICS, NFC, no bloat, etc) so I wont go into them. Compared to the Razr, here are the cons I am finding with this phone:
1) While the phone feels sturdy, the build quality is just not the same as the Razr. I hate phone cases, yet I have one on the Nexus now. I hate screen protectors, but I think I will be putting one on soon. With the Razr I would have no problem keeping the phone "naked" like I did with my OG Droid for 2 years.
2) Even after several full charge cycles, battery life will not be as good as the Razr, and thats not saying much. Granted this is partly due to the much nicer screen, but still, battery life is important to me. I don't even have LTE turned on (don't have it in my area) and the battery is still draining rather quickly. Yes, I can get a full day, but I am not a heavy power user.
3) The camera has been MUCH less than desirable so far. Yes, it is quick at snapping a pic, but whats the point if the output is a mushy mess? I took many pictures at a family holiday gathering yesterday and seriously could not get ONE good picture. It was daytime, indoors, plenty of natural light. I was sure to hold my hand steady, touch to focus, and then snap. Yet still the pictures just looked a little blurry and simply lacked detail. I had to keep reverting to my wife's iPhone 4s to take some pictures we can keep. I know people will say "Its a phone not a camera. If you want good pics use a real camera", but I disagree. Technology is at the point where quality pics are achievable from a smartphone, but in my opinion not from this phone. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in an update or aftermarket app, but I'm not counting on it.
4) Bugs in ICS. I am sure most will get resolved in updates. I've had a few random black screen reboots. I am using the email widget which I LOVE, but after some time the widget just doesn't want to refresh with new email, so I have to remove the widget and re-apply it.
5) Volume too low and vibrate too week. With my OG Droid, the vibrate was nice and strong so in my pants pocket I would know right away when a call or notification was coming in. The vibrate mechanism of the Nexus just feels much weaker and I often don't even notice it. Not sure if this can be fixed in an update. And we are all aware of the low volume issues. I hear there is an app that will help, but havent yet tried it.
6)I might be alone on this, but I do notice occassional stuttering when scrolling through the app list, screens, etc. I didn't notice this on the Razr I played with in store. Of course it might be a different story if I brought it home.
Please note I am not bashing the phone. These are just the cons I am noticing. I do realize the Razr has its own set of cons which I will need to investigate should I decide to switch. I do plan on keeping this Nexus at least until the 2nd week of January and then will decide. This will allow time for the 4.0.3 update to be released and for me to continue personalizing and tweaking the phone, settings, etc. I have not included the Rezound in my short list. I played with it in store and while it is a slick phone, I found it too bulky and do not like HTC Sense. Again, just personal opinion.
and I can hear it anywhere in the house.