Who has a Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

[jaydee]

Just wondering what the general thoughts were on an older phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. My wife has had an HTC Thunderbolt since they came out in the Spring of ’11, and it’s been a serviceable phone, with terrible battery life until I bought an extended battery, now it’s terribly thick. A nuisance, but forgivable. But now the phone stopped recognizing the mSD card, which is not forgivable. I did try other cards, nothing will work. We are eligible for an upgrade, but I’m not inclined to get off our unlimited plan since we tether and watch a couple shows on the computer, thus our usage is typically 6 to 10 GB per month. I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a “new” off-contract phone either. And frankly, all the bells and whistles of the latest and greatest phones are fairly superficial for our needs.

So I’m looking at <$200 android phones and on craigslist came across a Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $150. I’ve read the initial reviews, and they look fine, but I was more interested in hearing how it has held up over time from people who have owned it.
Thanks!

 

[Ravynmagi]

I sold mine not long ago. It's held up pretty well thanks to the performance improvements in Android 4.1 and 4.2. No micro SD though.

 

[s44]

Works fine, though not for demanding 3D gaming if you want that. For day-to-day use and tethering it flies on JB, though I do wish Google Now could launch faster.

Problem is, since you're on Verizon, the battery life on this model is... well, not a Thunderbolt-level nightmare, but not good. Be prepared to swap batteries if you're out for a while. I've been debating switching to a secondhand S3 just for better battery life... but that's $350+.

 

[sweetrugger]

I was in a very similar situation. The Thunderbolt was getting very slow and buggy, and I didn't want to give up unlimited data. Verizon had a sale on Galaxy Nexuses, so I bought a refurbished one.

So, a couple things to consider. First, stock Android is not Sense. Sense has some nice features (like clock/weather related), and you'll have to get other apps to duplicate the functionality.

Do you plan to root and put ROMs on? Since it's Verizon, they are VERY slow in updating the OS. Android is up to 4.2.2, and I think Verizon is still on 4.1.2 (I don't know exactly, I'm rooted).

Battery life is pretty bad, though probably on par with the Thunderbolt. ROMs will help, but extended batteries aren't too expensive. You did mentioned thickness, and any extended battery will add that, so just something else to consider.

I can say that this was an amazing jump. You really see what you were missing on the Thunderbolt, and I'm not sure I would be a non-stock based phone again.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Works fine, though not for demanding 3D gaming if you want that. For day-to-day use and tethering it flies on JB, though I do wish Google Now could launch faster.

Problem is, since you're on Verizon, the battery life on this model is... well, not a Thunderbolt-level nightmare, but not good. Be prepared to swap batteries if you're out for a while. I've been debating switching to a secondhand S3 just for better battery life... but that's $350+.

Oh yeah. Definitely make sure that Galaxy Nexus on Craig's list is the Verizon version and not the more popular GSM version.

 

[DefDC]

I love my Nexus. I got it on day one, and rode out the minor issues. Overall, I'm still happy, and don't (yet) have phone envy.

The Samsung extended batteries should still be cheap, and barely add any thickness. (Or much power for that matter, but every bit helps. If I'm going to be away for a while, I still turn off extra stuff, and keep a spare battery on me. But, it's not TOO bad.

I'd suggest staying current with a ROM. I'm using Cyanogenmod 4.1.2 right now, and have no complaints.

If you're reading people's opninions, the battery and radios are much improved (but by no means perfect) than they were on launch.

I'd say go for it!

 

[Bateluer]

Do you plan to root and put ROMs on? Since it's Verizon, they are VERY slow in updating the OS. Android is up to 4.2.2, and I think Verizon is still on 4.1.2 (I don't know exactly, I'm rooted).

Battery life is pretty bad, though probably on par with the Thunderbolt. ROMs will help, but extended batteries aren't too expensive. You did mentioned thickness, and any extended battery will add that, so just something else to consider.

Verizon GNex is on 4.1.1, 4 updates behind now.

With the OEM extended battery, I'd say the Gnex is better than the Tbolt in the battery life department, though the 4.1.1 update did seem to decrease it by a noticeable amount. Never ran mine with the stock battery, as the OEM extended added a negligible bulk to it.

I still have mine sitting on my desk. Thinking of putting it on Swappa soon since my Razr HD Maxx seems to be free of issues.

 

[Sheep]

I still love my Galaxy Nexus and the huge array of custom ROMs available for it (even for the Sprint version). Considering I think touchscreen gaming is almost universally garbage with terrible controls and I won't do it, the GNex more than meets my needs. I use my phone more for email/web/text/music/podcasts than as an actual phone.

My only major complaint is the battery life which isn't great, but still noticeably improved over my two previous smartphones (a Palm Pre and an Evo 4g). With my usage patterns which is primarily screen on for about 2 hours during my commutes to and from work and checking random texts and email/web over the course of the work day (maybe 2.5 to 3 hours screen time in total), I can usually get 12 hours out of it but not much more reliably on an OEM 2100maH battery.

 

[trmiv]

Still really like mine except for two things: 1)Battery life, 2)Camera. Other than that it's still a great device. I've just got in habit of keeping it on the charger when I'm at my desk at work, or hook it to the charger when I get in the car.

 

[rh71]

Battery life even on the extended battery is really my only gripe and I was going to swap to a Razor Maxx HD but the problem really is not worth the trouble of risking the $200 back and forth. I work from home so I hardly need it for extended periods. Just hate having to plug it in every night - sometimes even before nighttime.

 

[mrpiggy]

Battery life is liveable as long as you have good/decent signal. It's once you are in a bad signal area and the power-eating CDMA radios try to hold onto that signal.. I work in a giant metal box of craptastic signal strength.. I could watch the battery drain if I ddn't put it in airplane mode at work. On weekends at home though where I got good signal, it was not that bad..

Edit: Verizon OS updates are slow as hell too...

 

[Bateluer]

Battery life even on the extended battery is really my only gripe and I was going to swap to a Razor Maxx HD but the problem really is not worth the trouble of risking the $200 back and forth. I work from home so I hardly need it for extended periods. Just hate having to plug it in every night - sometimes even before nighttime.

Right now, my Gnex doesn't have a SIM card installed and lives on WiFi. It often sits on my desk, untouched until the battery dies. I've clocked the total battery life at about 2d8h. With any kind of usage, you're going to be plugging it in every night. We've been doing this with every modern smartphone for the past 3 years.

 

[tdawg]

I loved the Galaxy Nexus and would have kept it if I could have taken it from Verizon and put it on T-Mobile. The ability to keep up to date with any number of roms makes these nexus devices so great. For $150 I think it's a good pickup, though like others have mentioned, make sure it's the verizon cdma version and not the gsm version.

I too made sure to charge the phone while it sat on my desk at work, so when I left work, it'd last well through the night. I didn't have near the battery complaints that my droid x left me with.

 

[jaydee]

Craigslist deal fell through, guy sold it right before I went to take a look at it...

Anyway, thanks for all the input, I'm wondering if I should also take a look at the HTC Rezound, it's in the same price range, has similar specs.

Rezound pro's
Better camera(s)
Better audio
mSD card slot
said to have better reception?


Galaxy Nexus pro's
Thinner
Bigger battery
Bigger screen


Any thoughts? I'm not really concerned which one is going to receive more updates, I don't see any compelling features beyond Android 4.0...

 

[Bman123]

I have a gsm nexus and my friend has a vzw nexus. I have no trouble at all going all day on a single charge but I do leave my data Bluetooth and GPS off unless I need to use it. I get shit signal at home and it still lasts all day.

My buddy leaves his data on all the time and he gets maybe 6 hours between charges but he's a Facebook and instagram freak. 4.2.2 is way better then 4.0 and there is a stable 4.2 leak for vzw I just out it on his phone

 

[papaschtroumpf]

The GNex still rocks. I have a Nexus 4, but it has more bugs, is thicker heavier, and doesn't support OTG.

 

[Ksyder]

I use the gsm galaxy nexus, for my basic usage its great still.

 

[saratoga172]

I haven't looked at prices recently but how about something like the Razr M? It'll get phenomenal battery life compared to the Thunderbolt or even the Galaxy Nexus you're looking at. Outside of tethering it should easily go a couple days. It's a bit smaller and lighter with a 4.3 inch screen but a very nice phone.

 

[jaydee]

Thanks for the input. Pulled the trigger on a 32GB GNex for $150 this afternoon, with a small crack just off the screen. First impressions are quite positive, its markedly faster, much thinner. The screen size is supposedly bigger but not really noticeable due to the non-dedicated buttons taking up screen space that was dedicated on the HTC TB. Seems to have worse wifi and 4G at my inlaws, but it seems fine at my house where it matters most. The usb port seems a little flaky so far, i will have to my eye on it. Overall I'm pleased, I will try to report back once I get some more time on it.

 

[aeroxmax4]

I had a galaxy nexus. The battery life was very short and the volume was very low. i didnt like it. imho nexus phones are usually lower quality. I would buy an internetational s2 (9100) instead.

 

[Kanalua]

For $150, it's a great phone. I still have mine and love it. My wife has a Galaxy Note II. The GNex is not as smooth as the GNII, but it still holds its own against newer phones.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

galaxy nexus is an old generation phone, i wouldnt buy it at this point because of the battery life issues. because all the new high end phones are being released in the next month, there is going to be a flood of s3's on craigs, id pick up one of those or try to find a razr m/hd.

 

[s44]

because all the new high end phones are being released in the next month, there is going to be a flood of s3's on craigs

No there won't.

(1) US releases won't be for months.
(2) Verizon releases won't be for at least a month after that.

 

[Yuriman]

Right now, my Gnex doesn't have a SIM card installed and lives on WiFi. It often sits on my desk, untouched until the battery dies. I've clocked the total battery life at about 2d8h. With any kind of usage, you're going to be plugging it in every night. We've been doing this with every modern smartphone for the past 3 years.

That really is pretty impressively bad. I've clocked almost 5 days on my Galaxy S2 sitting unused with Wi-Fi / BT / cell radio all enabled.

 

[Bman123]

I know the LTE radio in the VZW nexus eats the battery but it does it in all LTE phones. The newer phones have big ass batteries in them to help it get thru a day. For $150 I wouldn't of bought a used GNex with a crack in the screen.

The razr M is a really nice phone, despite the screen only being 4.3 it is small, light and very fast. I have a friend with that phone and I was really impressed with it when I got to mess with it for a while.