Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Galaxy Nexus vs. iPhone 4S
- Thread starter Faux Carnival
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
In terms of specs i.e. 1.2ghz vs 800mhz, 1gb vs 512mb etc., and benchmarks such as sunspider and rightware browsermark.
In the end all of that isn't really that important. What matters is how responsive the phone feels and in that respect both the 4S and Galaxy Nexus really deliver.
identical battery life with a larger screen is not easy for Nexus. how about 3G battery life?
My friends must have some bad ones then. As theirs lag...and speed wise it is pretty much neck and neck with the 4s
There are times whe the 4s is quicker Internet wise too...so the speed being faster on galaxy isn't clear at sll
Last edited:
Oh ok. I was going to say if you hadn't added that last point is that specs mean sod all unless the phone and OS are the same.
Moving around the phones functions i'd say it would be hard to beat the 4S. mainly because of how well the OS is built.
You realise that the Nexus is only around 10% faster in Sunspider and browsermark, while the 4s is almost 3x faster tan the Nexus in 3d graphics?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQEC_Y5v3Zw
No bashing... I'm just trying to decide over here. Honestly, it is a tough choice.
To answer some of the above posts:
- I hardly ever play games on my phone. So 7x faster graphics isn't an issue for me. I have my iPad anyway.
- A slightly worse battery life is okay with me too. As long as it gets me throughout the day. I'll plug it in anyway at night.
- However, the build quality is still bugging me. I'll watch some more reviews on Youtube but I need to see this device in person.
Yes I realise.
You'll be hard pressed to find any games on android which really push the gpu. Shadowgun is perhaps the most graphically intense android game and the Nexus runs it without issue.
----------
I wouldn't worry about build quality at all. It feels really nice in the hand, no creaks or give anywhere.
Good luck with that - where I am one can always find a display iPhone running in the stores, but Samsung's are always models with a decal showing what the screen would be like. If you're 'lucky' you'll get a sales assistant who owns the Samsung model you're interested in, but then you have to suffer the sales pitch. Ugh. Samsung's copied everything else about the iPhone, why not the requirement that display models be functional?
He's right, while the 4s' camera is better (in low light situations primarily), overall it isn't a massive difference. Though in low light it is clear the 4s performs better.
Okay, explain to me how it isn't. And when you respond understand that I am attempting to have a discussion and don't wish for this to become an exchange of barbs. I say it is a more robust OS due to the depth that you can go with it. Without having to mod the OS you can customize it to your liking. You can change the way it operates, you can change the level of functionality it gives you, you can change the look of it as a whole. The level of social integration is also unmatched by iOS, the same can also be said about cloud functionality (for example, videos can reside in the cloud whereas on icloud it cannot reside there). The browser experience with the full screen and quick menu enabled makes for a browsing experience that iOS cannot match (if you haven't seen the quick menu in action you should check it out, it's awesome). Basically the amount of depth to the OS is what makes it more robust. You can make it as plain and simple or as customized and personal as you'd like it to be. Simply put, you have options.
From the samples I've seen, there's a large difference in good light as well.
There are philosophical differences with Google's cloud and iCloud. I wouldn't say one is better than the other.
It is personal preference, but I couldn't live without the reader functionality in Safari or the more flexible notifications in iOS ( although originally copied has now surpassed android)
I think it depends on the samples. Fact is, you can make a sample from the same camera look different too. So you really have to look at a large number of samples to get a true feel for it. All in all, the only significant difference I've seen is in low light situations.
I agree with this to a point. However, I still would say the fact that video cannot reside in the cloud is a bit of a flaw. You should at least have the option of keeping it there should you choose to.
Indeed it is a preference, however you don't have to use it if you prefer the classic style of browsing (again you have options instead of ONLY being able to surf one way). Also, you can save pages for offline reading as you can in iOS. One difference in addition to the ones I previously mentioned is the text reflow. Text reflow is extremely useful as it formats the text to fit the screen so you're not scrolling side to side to read a page. That is VERY convenient, and as usual if you don't want to use it, you don't have to. Options and robustness.
As for the notifications, I really can't see how you can say they've surpassed that of android. In iOS you have to check to see if you have notifications if you received something while you were using the phone and didn't address it right away. There are plenty of times I'll get a text message while I'm doing something else and I will opt to wait until I am done to respond to them. Having an icon to remind me of the message has been invaluable. This alone is enough reason to say they have not surpassed them. I'm curious however, what makes you say it has surpassed it? Also you didn't address my question of how iOS is more robust.
Last edited:
So let me get this straight.
Android has no bugs.
No viruses.
No lagginess.
The best App Store!
You don't need to ROOT or MOD your device to make it run!
The best selling phone, mp3 player, and tablet.
So let me get this straight.
1.Android has no bugs.
2.No viruses.
3.No lagginess.
4.The best App Store!
5.You don't need to ROOT or MOD your device to make it run!
6.The best selling phone, mp3 player, and tablet.
1. Never did I say no bugs are present. Bugs are present in every operating system...iOS included.
2. No. Do your research and don't just repeat what you've heard.
3. Depends on which device you're discussing. Since this thread we were discussing the Galaxy Nexus...NO it does not lag.
4. Depends on what you consider best. The galaxy nexus isn't tied to just one source of apps however. If you're talking about sheer size, then obviously the nod goes to apple there. As for the official stores, the stores themselves both have their merits. iphone has size, android's has the ability to try before you buy.
5. No.
6. What does best selling have to do with anything that we're discussing? This isn't a quarterly sales report, we're discussing the merits of each device.
Now if you're quite done I'd like to go back to having a sensible discussion (as we were having before you interjected. Thanks.
That is correct. I haven't modded my Galaxy S and it's been sprinting fine since March.
However, the lack of polish and bad ppi annoy me sometimes. Still, i am so used to just dragging and downloading my videos and songs on to the phone easy way that i refuse to use iTunes. Hence the obstacle between me and an iPhone.
I've seen many samples in adequate light and the difference is large. Much higher detail in the 4s. Better white balance, dynamic range as well less artefacts from sharpening.
Thats a valid point
With Safari reader, there is never scrolling horizontally and if it is a multipage article, reader will present it as one page (no need to hit next or previous). Just click on read and it will format it perfectly for reading.
Notifications in iOS is just more flexible and easy to configure. There is one notifications settings page where you can disable or enable any application from notifications. Within each application setting, you can set:
- whether you want it to appear in notification centre
- how many notifications for that app in the notification centre (1,5,10)
- whether you want the old style pop-up notification or notification that appears momentarily at the top.
- whether or not to even get a notification and just send to straight to the notification centre
- display badges or not on the app (i.e. if the app has 5 notifications, then it will display 5 on the top right of the app icon)
- whether the notification makes a sound or not
- whether or not to show the notification in the lock screen
All these setting are configurable from one screen and can be set individualyl for each app.
In the notification centre:
- you can clear a group of notifications (eg clear all email notifications or clear all ebay notifications)
- clicking any notification will automatically start the app that sent the notification and show that actual notification inside the app in detail.
on the lock screen:
- you can slide a notification (like slide to unlock), once you slide that notification, you will be taken directly to that app and reply or view in detail that notification.
So superficially, they are similar, but iOS notification is just more flexible and configurable.
One thing that drives me nuts about Android is the UI performance/finger tracking speed and precision. It's very difficult to go from years of iOS interaction to something that feels even a touch slower. Yes, I've tried the Galaxy Nexus and it does not match the 4S UI performance. Try zooming into a small, specific area on a web page. 4S handles it much, much better.
Not to mention lower quality apps. iOS is where all the best developers live. I read somewhere that Android's Market makes around 7% of the revenue of the App Store. People pay for quality software and design.
Not to mention lower quality apps. iOS is where all the best developers live. I read somewhere that Android's Market makes around 7% of the revenue of the App Store. People pay for quality software and design.
I can agree with that but who cares about resale value? Why should you expect top dollar for your used phone? You shouldnt have to rely on selling your phone to pay for your new one. Its the two year agreement you have to sign for a phone that is BS. Should only be a year and it used to be a year.
Dont get the build quality comments. What exactly do you mean by that? I have a Galaxy S and it is built the same way. It is light, the back comes off and the battery comes out. I have a case on it and ive dropped it a handful of times. Once the case and back cover came off and the battery fell out when i dropped it but thats ok...it absorbs the impact that way and it didnt break. And i dont have the best of cases. It is one of these mesh cases with small holes throughout and i use it mainly to give me a better grip on the phone.
Dropped it face down from about 5 feet on asphalt one time and it pitted my screen protector but the glass didnt break or chip at all. It has gorilla glass.
The all glass wrapped iPhone shatters into a hundred pieces when you drop it so i dont quite get what you mean when you say build quality.
4s is known for battery life. It's 3G but that will save u on using a smaller data package. OS is more fluent and smooth on iPhones moSt say. Lack of customization on iPhone. Apple has amazing customer service. Amazing. Unless you need a huge screen, don't care bout battery life, and don't want a super smooth OS particularly then get android
I think that changed with ICS and Galaxy Nexus. Everybody says it's super smooth and super slick. Check out this speed test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQEC_Y5v3Zw
Plus, almost all reviewers said Galaxy Nexus is the best phone at the moment.
Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/24/galaxy-nexus-hspa-review
Slashgear: http://www.slashgear.com/galaxy-nexus-review-21196912
The verge: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-review
I'm still trying to decide but it is tough to be honest. Some part of me says iPhone and the other Galaxy Nexus. But overall, I think I'm closer to Galaxy Nexus. But Galaxy Nexus being a bit more expensive makes me think...