Where to next? After OG Droid, Nexus doesn't really do it for me.

[dparm]

Back in November of 2009 I was done dealing with AT&T's horrid network in Chicago so I gladly paid an ETF, sold my iPhone 3G, and snapped up a Motorola Droid. It was a phenomenal device that I knew I had to own once I played with it. I bought it the day it came out. Two years later it is dying a slow death. So after months of waiting, I went to a VZW store today and tried a Galaxy Nexus for myself since it felt like the logical "upgrade" from the OG Droid. It was very underwhelming with its mediocre build quality (too plasticky) and ICS just didn't blow me away.

I'm really at a crossroads on which phone to select because I feel like nothing out these days can hold a candle to my OG Droid. I'm even looking outside of Verizon at this point even though I'm nervous about that being a "downgrade" in terms of network quality.


The only thing that strikes my fancy at the moment is the Skyrocket on AT&T. Tried one at the store and the phone felt solid. Worried their network will suck just as I remember but an old college friend who is a store manager for them said they've really made some big strides lately.

Still considering the Galaxy Nexus merely because Verizon's network has been so good, and because so many people I know are on Verizon. The phone itself is pretty forgettable and not worth the price, especially since I'd need the extended battery.

The Droid 4 is coming very soon but I absolutely loathe Motoblur. I hope the phone is still metal+glass instead of the Bionic's cheesy plastic. It's the only other phone I'm actually interested in seeing.


So, hivemind, what course do I need to take? Priorities in a phone are build quality, RF performance (call quality and ability to hold onto weak signals), and battery life. AOSP or ease of flashing a non-bloated ROM is the other must-have.

 

[t35rk]

Back in November of 2009 I was done dealing with AT&T's horrid network in Chicago so I gladly paid an ETF, sold my iPhone 3G, and snapped up a Motorola Droid. It was a phenomenal device that I knew I had to own once I played with it. I bought it the day it came out. Two years later it is dying a slow death. So after months of waiting, I went to a VZW store today and tried a Galaxy Nexus for myself since it felt like the logical "upgrade" from the OG Droid. It was very underwhelming with its mediocre build quality (too plasticky) and ICS just didn't blow me away.

I'm really at a crossroads on which phone to select because I feel like nothing out these days can hold a candle to my OG Droid. I'm even looking outside of Verizon at this point even though I'm nervous about that being a "downgrade" in terms of network quality.


The only thing that strikes my fancy at the moment is the Skyrocket on AT&T. Tried one at the store and the phone felt solid. Worried their network will suck just as I remember but an old college friend who is a store manager for them said they've really made some big strides lately.

Still considering the Galaxy Nexus merely because Verizon's network has been so good, and because so many people I know are on Verizon. The phone itself is pretty forgettable and not worth the price, especially since I'd need the extended battery.

The Droid 4 is coming very soon but I absolutely loathe Motoblur. I hope the phone is still metal+glass instead of the Bionic's cheesy plastic. It's the only other phone I'm actually interested in seeing.


So, hivemind, what course do I need to take? Priorities in a phone are build quality, RF performance (call quality and ability to hold onto weak signals), and battery life. AOSP or ease of flashing a non-bloated ROM is the other must-have.

I wouldn't rule out the classics. You can pick up a used Incredible for well under $100, off contract. Great phone but with a poor stock battery. Best reception of any phone I've had. Full bars in Northern Wis where previously I had none.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

 

[t35rk]

Great to toy around with BTW...

 

[Caligula2008]

I am also coming from an OG Droid and couldn't be happier with the Nexus. I'd suggest you give it another chance.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using DroidForums

 

[dparm]

I am also coming from an OG Droid and couldn't be happier with the Nexus. I'd suggest you give it another chance.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using DroidForums

Feels really plasticky and cheap compared to the Droid. Objectively it of course blows the OG Droid out of the water, but subjectively I didn't really like it, even after a good 5-10 minutes tinkering with it at the store (no sales guys hassling me, by the way).

 

[pc747]

Back in November of 2009 I was done dealing with AT&T's horrid network in Chicago so I gladly paid an ETF, sold my iPhone 3G, and snapped up a Motorola Droid. It was a phenomenal device that I knew I had to own once I played with it. I bought it the day it came out. Two years later it is dying a slow death. So after months of waiting, I went to a VZW store today and tried a Galaxy Nexus for myself since it felt like the logical "upgrade" from the OG Droid. It was very underwhelming with its mediocre build quality (too plasticky) and ICS just didn't blow me away.

I'm really at a crossroads on which phone to select because I feel like nothing out these days can hold a candle to my OG Droid. I'm even looking outside of Verizon at this point even though I'm nervous about that being a "downgrade" in terms of network quality.


The only thing that strikes my fancy at the moment is the Skyrocket on AT&T. Tried one at the store and the phone felt solid. Worried their network will suck just as I remember but an old college friend who is a store manager for them said they've really made some big strides lately.

Still considering the Galaxy Nexus merely because Verizon's network has been so good, and because so many people I know are on Verizon. The phone itself is pretty forgettable and not worth the price, especially since I'd need the extended battery.

The Droid 4 is coming very soon but I absolutely loathe Motoblur. I hope the phone is still metal+glass instead of the Bionic's cheesy plastic. It's the only other phone I'm actually interested in seeing.


So, hivemind, what course do I need to take? Priorities in a phone are build quality, RF performance (call quality and ability to hold onto weak signals), and battery life. AOSP or ease of flashing a non-bloated ROM is the other must-have.

I will agree the Nexus is not for every one. With all the hype many expected the specs to and ics to just blow everyone away and the reality is not every one is going to like the vanilla look. I dislike blur as well even though motorola has improved it a lot. If you like the keyboard option I would suggest wait for the d4. If you do not like what you see; ces is right around the corner so my suggestion is check out a site like swappa you might can get a used thunderbolt for cheap. Its a 4g device that with some tweaking will hold you over easily until CES and see if you like the devices coming out in the spring.

 

[rdgxray]

I am reading this on my bionic. I have thought a lot of things about it, but cheap and plasticy??? It is heavy and solid. Like holding a brick. I bet I could seriously hurt someone hitting them in the head with it. I have held the razor. It is light. More of a plastic feel...but solid. I have not dropped my bionic, but I am guessing it is tough. Getting the back off and battery out are hard. Go ahead and rip it for data drops, screen door look, crashes and bugs, but cheap and plasticy? Doesn't seem to fit.

 

[dparm]

I had a Bionic for a month and returned it. Again, after all that hype and wait, the phone was not that great. The battery life was horrid (to be expected on LTE) but Motoblur was just terrible. The worst thing of all was the Pentile display -- I could see it very clearly even when I wasn't thinking about the fact it had such a screen. The phone didn't have that "it" factor that made the OG Droid so desirable.

 

[Caligula2008]

It seems to me you're looking for that mythical device that works perfectly and does everything you could want. I am looking for that device as well so please let me know if you see it . It doesn't exist which is why there are pros and cons to all devices.

Seriously though, I personally think the phone and build quality is very nice. The textured plastic over metal feels really good and have not after two days of use I have ever once thought it was flimsy actually the opposite.

We can only tell you the decision we would make. If having the plastic is an issue you can't deal with you can choose to go with a Razr, iPhone, or wait for another device. The droid3 is also a great device that will be a natural upgrade from the OG. I'm sure you can explain the down falls of these devices as well because they exist for all.

I've found my phone after analyzing all other phones and deciding this was definitely for me. You have to do the same. I will say, though, that you will be waiting forever for that perfect phone...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using DroidForums

 

[Hsunami]

Went to the Rezound from the OG1, had full intention of going nexus when it was coming out and that was 2 days before the nexus came out on the 15th...and i decided to keep my Rezound vs the nexus. Went in and played with the nexus wasn't for me.

 

[biggles]

Try the Rezound. That is what I would get if upgrading today.

 

[hydro556]

Feels really plasticky and cheap compared to the Droid. Objectively it of course blows the OG Droid out of the water, but subjectively I didn't really like it, even after a good 5-10 minutes tinkering with it at the store (no sales guys hassling me, by the way).

I personally appreciate quality, too much, according to wife and family.

At any rate, I had an OG Droid, then an Incredible. Both were terrific devices, and about equal in build quality IMO.

The Nexus that I just got (and will likely keep) strikes me as quite superior in build quality to both those devices. I think some people mistake all plastic as junk. That is not the case. There are degrees of quality amongst plastics and the Nexus feels like a high end device and none of the phones I have handled feel substantially superior.

Overall the Nexus feels like a top notch device. Remember there is a metal frame within the body of the phone. I expect the Nexus will hold up very well for many years. The screen is amazing, the hardware is right at the top, it has excellent future worthy specs and best of all, will always be on the bleeding edge of all updates.

I am curious to try a Rezound, because I like HTC, and may be about to order one for my wife's upgrade. I would like to do an honest side by side comparison between the two. Of all the recent high end releases, I think the Nexus and Rezound are the cream of the crop.

I think you would be happy with either. Remember, all new devices (especially with a completely redesigned OS) will have issues. The beauty of the Nexus, is that they should be addressed in a very timely manner.

Like I say, I am going to do a side by side between the two shortly, but I think the Nexus will be ironed out and end up the best phone for the near term.

 

[dparm]

It seems to me you're looking for that mythical device that works perfectly and does everything you could want. I am looking for that device as well so please let me know if you see it . It doesn't exist which is why there are pros and cons to all devices.

Agree to a certain extent. I can look past a lot of things that the typical person would hate, but I don't think asking for a phone with very good build quality is that unreasonable.

Objectively the Skyrocket has very good specifications -- on-par with or even better than the GN in most areas, minus the HD screen. Subjectively I liked it when I used it...seems like a good decision. And I have 30 days to try AT&T's network again.

 

[Insidious]

Back in November of 2009 I was done dealing with AT&T's horrid network in Chicago so I gladly paid an ETF, sold my iPhone 3G, and snapped up a Motorola Droid. It was a phenomenal device that I knew I had to own once I played with it. I bought it the day it came out. Two years later it is dying a slow death. So after months of waiting, I went to a VZW store today and tried a Galaxy Nexus for myself since it felt like the logical "upgrade" from the OG Droid. It was very underwhelming with its mediocre build quality (too plasticky) and ICS just didn't blow me away.

I'm really at a crossroads on which phone to select because I feel like nothing out these days can hold a candle to my OG Droid. I'm even looking outside of Verizon at this point even though I'm nervous about that being a "downgrade" in terms of network quality.


The only thing that strikes my fancy at the moment is the Skyrocket on AT&T. Tried one at the store and the phone felt solid. Worried their network will suck just as I remember but an old college friend who is a store manager for them said they've really made some big strides lately.

Still considering the Galaxy Nexus merely because Verizon's network has been so good, and because so many people I know are on Verizon. The phone itself is pretty forgettable and not worth the price, especially since I'd need the extended battery.

The Droid 4 is coming very soon but I absolutely loathe Motoblur. I hope the phone is still metal+glass instead of the Bionic's cheesy plastic. It's the only other phone I'm actually interested in seeing.


So, hivemind, what course do I need to take? Priorities in a phone are build quality, RF performance (call quality and ability to hold onto weak signals), and battery life. AOSP or ease of flashing a non-bloated ROM is the other must-have.

Played with the Rezound today. If I weren't so intent of having a dev phone I would've gotten that thing in a heartbeat. Build quality is outstanding, along with the camera. The design really feels like something that HTC worked on, and put care into. The screen is outstanding as well. I'm just not a fan of sense like I used to be.

Sent from the future using my Galaxy Nexus!

 

[nbucko]

What really made the og so great for me and many others was the dev support that allowed us to get as much as we could out of it. The nexus is a brand new device with a brand new os. It is a dev phone though meaning it should have a good amount of support in roms. I bet once more roms come out this will be another great device.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using DroidForums