Vanilla Android Not as desirable these days..

[The iGentleman]

What I was pulling down with my old Galaxy Nexus.

I do almost the same exact things with my Nexus 4 through a typical day that I used to do with my Galaxy Nexus, and at the end of the day, the battery meter is significantly lower than what I'd come home with with the GN.

It's not scientific, of course, but in the morning when I get into work, I would usually be at ~92% with the GN constantly playing music, browsing Flipboard, some websites, some texts. Doing almost the same exact thing with my Nexus 4, I get into work with ~86%.

Just little things like that tell me the battery is just not up to snuff. And my Nexus 4 brightness setting is ridiculously low (I think the screen is gorgeously too bright).

Anyway, I was able to dig up some old photos of my GN battery life:

This one is even more amazing:

Here's are recent Nexus 4 photos:

Again, not a 1 to 1 comparison, but you can already tell one does better than the other.

4.2.2 needs to come. :T

Once it comes, there won't be a comparison. The difference will be night and day.

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Couldnt this be because the Galaxy Nexus had a Super AMOLED screen and the Nexus 4 has IPS? Android is a very dark OS, so the benefits of using AMOLED are great.

No he's right, the Nexus 4 currently does have a battery life shortcoming. Fortunately, this is something that can and will be corrected.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

I love Android

How long have you used it for? I ask this because you've got it the wrong way around. Third-party launchers were MUCH more relevant years ago when Android was lacking in some very fundamental areas. Now that the OS is much more mature with way more features, there is much less reason to have an OEM launcher.

Care to provide some examples to support your opinion?

 

[onthecouchagain]

Once it comes, there won't be a comparison. The difference will be night and day.

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No he's right, the Nexus 4 currently does have a battery life shortcoming. Fortunately, this is something that can and will be corrected.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...g-4-2-1_r1-2-here-is-the-developer-changelog/

Check out the change log. I'm hoping this means improvements to battery life!

 

[Timzer]

Care to provide some examples to support your opinion?

Please see the last sentence and video in my original post.
But if you don't care to watch the video, some of the things that I enjoy are things like, smart alert, direct call, and smart stay. Let's not forget multi window on the S3 and Note 2. I understand Google stopped it on CyanogenMod, not cool. Those are just a few examples. Now of course some people may not use all the features, but they're there for those of us who find them useful. Bottom line, I really appreciate what Samsung is doing with pushing the Android experience to be a fuller one. How can anyone hate that?

 

[SlCKB0Y]

I really appreciate what Samsung is doing with pushing the Android experience to be a fuller one. How can anyone hate that?

Because after having owned many Android devices, for me the most important thing by far is to have the latest OS updates as early as possible and for as long as possible throughout the lifetime of the product.

After having suffered through the extended delays of OS updates inherent on non-stock Android (and the premature dropping of support for updates), i'm simply not willing to put myself through that frustration any more - it's the compromise you make when getting an OEM modified version of Android.

Besides, if I really want them, a decent number of features provided by OEM launchers can be achieved via third party apps anyways.

 

[tech4all]

Stock is great when you don't have to wait for updates. As soon Google has it, you get it.

4.2 is still a mess with no update in sight.

I must be lucky as my Nexus with 4.2 is just great.

Also, due to the lack of popularity of the Nexus brand, you don't get as many accessories, peripherals, etc.

How many accessories do you need?

Case/cover? Check!
Car charger? Check!
Stylus for drawing? Check!

 

[nj1266]

. The galaxy Note II is easily the best phone CURRENTLY on the market with the galaxy S III being the 2nd best then the dna then the nexus 4, then the iphone 5.
Samsung has it right

Based on what criteria are you rating these phones?

 

[thehustleman]

Based on what criteria are you rating these phones?

Based on multiple criteria including screen size, features, capabilities, stability, build quality, and design.

 

[The iGentleman]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...g-4-2-1_r1-2-here-is-the-developer-changelog/

Check out the change log. I'm hoping this means improvements to battery life!

Well I can't really speak on that change as I have never used it, and am not aware of what changes it will bring.

 

[mattopotamus]

Because after having owned many Android devices, for me the most important thing by far is to have the latest OS updates as early as possible and for as long as possible throughout the lifetime of the product.

After having suffered through the extended delays of OS updates inherent on non-stock Android (and the premature dropping of support for updates), i'm simply not willing to put myself through that frustration any more - it's the compromise you make when getting an OEM modified version of Android.

Besides, if I really want them, a decent number of features provided by OEM launchers can be achieved via third party apps anyways.

The thing is, most of us on these forums upgrade phones so often that we always end up with the latest OS. I understand if you want to keep a phone for 2-3 years, but I personally average about 6-8 months

 

[onthecouchagain]

Stock is great when you don't have to wait for updates. As soon Google has it, you get it.



I must be lucky as my Nexus with 4.2 is just great.



How many accessories do you need?

Case/cover? Check!
Car charger? Check!
Stylus for drawing? Check!

What's your battery life like with your N4? Just curious.

 

[The iGentleman]

What's your battery life like with your N4? Just curious.

Now, I am getting 15 hours with 1 hr of screen time and 5.5 hours of talk time. Yesterday, I got 17 hours with around 2.5 hours of screen time and 1.5 hours of talk time. This was all on the mobile connection, with nothing turned off for battery savings.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

The thing is, most of us on these forums upgrade phones so often that we always end up with the latest OS. I understand if you want to keep a phone for 2-3 years, but I personally average about 6-8 months

You think that you are average? Besides, I've had Android phones before that ceased getting updates after 1 year.

 

[mattopotamus]

You think that you are average? Besides, I've had Android phones before that ceased getting updates after 1 year.

Yes for forum users I would say that 6-8 months if not sooner is typical. Lots of people even have multiple phones. How often to you upgrade?

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Yes for forum users I would say that 6-8 months if not sooner is typical. Lots of people even have multiple phones. How often to you upgrade?

So far I would probably average every 12 months.

I personally think your averages are way too low.

 

[mattopotamus]

So far I would probably average every 12 months.

I personally think your averages are way too low.

Even upgrading every year, you are not really missing out on updates. Maybe a 4.1 to 4.2. I guess what I'm getting at is that people upgrade so often that, that is probably a major reason for the lack of support after a year.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Yes for forum users I would say that 6-8 months if not sooner is typical.

Let's find out!

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16779125

 

[92jlee]

I have a One X and I hate HTCs sense. The multitasking is terrible, apps constantly restart, webpages arent paused, they are reloaded.
I want stock android like my nexus 7 but can't find a Rom that 100% works. Stock over sense any day.

 

[Stuntman06]

I have not used a Nexus device extensively, so I am not exactly sure where TouchWiz and Sense end and where vanilla Android starts. My experience with Sense is on a 2-year old device and my experience with TW is with the SGS3. I have been shown a Nexus device by friends who have one, but I did not notice too much of a difference.

What I liked about Sense is the built-in widgets. The Clock, Twitter and Calendar widgets are the best that I have seen. The Contacts widget is pretty cool although I don't use it that often. These are what I miss most after switching to the SGS3.

TW is not bad. It took a little adjustment coming from Sense, but not much. The best feature about TW is that the notification bar contains system controls. I use the auto-rotate toggle most often and love being able to access this from most apps without having to go back to a home screen. On my old HTC phone, I use a widget on my home screen to toggle auto-rotate.

How long have you used it for? I ask this because you've got it the wrong way around. Third-party launchers were MUCH more relevant years ago when Android was lacking in some very fundamental areas. Now that the OS is much more mature with way more features, there is much less reason to have an OEM launcher.

I actually started using a third party launcher. I use Nova Prime. I like it mostly because it allows me to remove the app dock at the bottom of the home screen and it allow me to have 6 rows of icons (with the dock removed). I can go 7x7, but 6x4 is good enough for me. These features are not availble on TW.

 

[rillrill]

what's the latest update for the samsung galaxy s or 2?

 

[Sedrick]

I agree with OP. After seeing vids on the Nexus 4 with stock android, all I can say is blah. White text on black for all the menus? Reminds me of the old DOS years I'd like to forget.