[unknown17]

I've been stuck with the horrible HTC Wildfire for too long now and I've decided to get a new phone. I'm on 3 pay as you go and want a sim free smartphone.

Two phones that I'm interested in are the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Sony Xperia S but I don't know which one to go for.

[Zack06]

Galaxy Nexus hands down. Great hardware, plus it's guaranteed to get all the Android updates first.

[!!11oneone]

+1 for Nexus, best phone on the market alongside SIII

[swordman]

Updates aside which people really get hung up on I would go with the XS.

You need to weigh up several things making your choice which I think are more important than the updates.

Screen slightly bigger on the Nexus but certainly not better the screen on the S is fantastic one of the best I have seen.
Storage 32gb for the XS against 16gb for the Nexus quite important as neither have sd card support.
Canera on the S is better if that is important to you 5mp vs 12mp in addition to it being just a better camera.
faster cpu in the XS as well albeit nothing major.

This was the first Nexus i was really disappointed in.

[The Alpha Gamer]

I've been thinking about the same recently, and the Xperia S seems a lot better. The Nexus has a pentile screen and doesn't have UBS Mass Storage. Whereas the Xperia S has an apparently gorgous HD screen and a powerful camera. Plus it's not a Samsung! Not to mention you can get it much cheaper.

Xperia S is the clear winner

[unknown17]

Thanks for the replies. I can't decide which one though.

Do both of these phones support Opera mini? That's an important thing for me as I use it as my main mobile browser and have been for over 5 years.

[swordman]

Originally Posted by unknown17

Thanks for the replies. I can't decide which one though.

Do both of these phones support Opera mini? That's an important thing for me as I use it as my main mobile browser and have been for over 5 years.

Yes they will they will both support it and operate in the same way both android phones

[Stiggles]

Originally Posted by The Alpha Gamer

I've been thinking about the same recently, and the Xperia S seems a lot better. The Nexus has a pentile screen and doesn't have UBS Mass Storage. Whereas the Xperia S has an apparently gorgous HD screen and a powerful camera. Plus it's not a Samsung! Not to mention you can get it much cheaper.

Xperia S is the clear winner

What is this rubbish about a Pentile Screen!

I bet most of you don't even know what the difference is let alone see a difference which i must say, i haven't once on my S3!! Load of absolute rubbish.

Plus its not a Samsung? Yeah, i mean because no one would want a phone made by the most popular phone makes right now would they....

If you want a phone that wont be supported later on which is normally right for Sony, i wouldn't bother. Personally i have had many Sony phones and i wouldn't ever have them again.

USB mass storage can be enabled via other means. Its to do with the lack of SD card and missing partitioned storage. You can however plug in a USB pendrive/external harddrive to the Nexus via USB OTG.

[swordman]

Originally Posted by Stiggles

What is this rubbish about a Pentile Screen!

I bet most of you don't even know what the difference is let alone see a difference which i must say, i haven't once on my S3!! Load of absolute rubbish.

Plus its not a Samsung? Yeah, i mean because no one would want a phone made by the most popular phone makes right now would they....

If you want a phone that wont be supported later on which is normally right for Sony, i wouldn't bother. Personally i have had many Sony phones and i wouldn't ever have them again.

USB mass storage can be enabled via other means. Its to do with the lack of SD card and missing partitioned storage. You can however plug in a USB pendrive/external harddrive to the Nexus via USB OTG.

Agreed pentile not a big deal but the screen on the xs is better. I have had a few sonys been good phones for me loved my arc.
No one is really going to be cabling memory to their phone in reality though are they.
Updates are not support as such its not like the xs is going to stop working plus those updates won't change the actual spec of the phone to which I think the xs edges it.
However they are both fine phones for the price they are.

[The Alpha Gamer]

Originally Posted by Stiggles

What is this rubbish about a Pentile Screen!

I bet most of you don't even know what the difference is let alone see a difference which i must say, i haven't once on my S3!! Load of absolute rubbish..

A pentile screen is when two pixels share one subpixel, thus making stuff on screen look jaggy, especially if they use colours like green. If you can't tell the difference between a pentile screen and a good screen, I suggest you get down to specsavers

Originally Posted by Stiggles

Plus its not a Samsung? Yeah, i mean because no one would want a phone made by the most popular phone makes right now would they....

Ever heard of the word "Overrated"? Just because something's popular doesn't mean it's good, are you going to try to tell me that X Factor, Twilight and Justin Bieber are good?

Originally Posted by Stiggles

If you want a phone that wont be supported later on which is normally right for Sony, i wouldn't bother. Personally i have had many Sony phones and i wouldn't ever have them again.

Besides their first series of Android phones, which one's haven't been supported? I haven't researched it but i'm pretty sure almost the whole of the 2011 series are currently getting updated to ICS, except for the Xperia Play, which is only because it's a gaming focused device and third party devolopers wont update their existing games to have touchpad support on ICS.


The Xperia S is also the first non-Nexus phone that the AOSP team are going to work with. Sure Samung have made the most Nexus phones, but none of their non-nexus phones have had official AOSP support, have they?

[Gibman]

xperia s doesn't even have android 4.0, let alone the latest 4.1 so if you're not at all bothered about the OS and a smaller screen then perhaps xperia is for you - i did look at it myself before going for the galaxy nexus and ruled it out rather quickly.

[terryfc81]

i would get the s3

[!!11oneone]

Re the Galaxy Nexus screen

When it was launched everyone said how good it was, how vibrant and crisp etc. Then someone looked under a microscope and noticed it was pentile. Only then did any criticism come.

At high resolution your eyes simply can't tell. If you think otherwise, learn how your eyes work (see also: a HD TV further than about 6 meters away).

GNex has the second best screen on the market, slightly behind SIII



Don't underestimate the value of getting updates. How many phones currently have the marvellous Google Now with proper voice control and on-device voice recognition? Only the ones updated by Google...

[Stuart_h]

Originally Posted by !!11oneone

Re the Galaxy Nexus screen

When it was launched everyone said how good it was, how vibrant and crisp etc. Then someone looked under a microscope and noticed it was pentile. Only then did any criticism come.

At high resolution your eyes simply can't tell. If you think otherwise, learn how your eyes work (see also: a HD TV further than about 6 meters away).

GNex has the second best screen on the market, slightly behind SIII



Don't underestimate the value of getting updates. How many phones currently have the marvellous Google Now with proper voice control and on-device voice recognition? Only the ones updated by Google...

This .... ^^

If you can see jaggy on the Nexus then you are either waaaaay too close to the screen or using a magnifying glass.

Nexus is a great phone. The camera is decent and VERY quick (and mostly only under-rated by those who dont know how to use focus). The lack of harware buttons means true landscaping and customisation is possible. Its a very nice unit.

Plus it will probably get 'K' android (Key Lime Pie ?) as soon as its released as it has no Sony/Samsung bloatware.

[Stiggles]

[quote=The Alpha Gamer;60554660]A pentile screen is when two pixels share one subpixel, thus making stuff on screen look jaggy, especially if they use colours like green. If you can't tell the difference between a pentile screen and a good screen, I suggest you get down to specsavers/[quote]

Only it just doesnt. Its a bloody myth! Im staring at one right now and not one jaggy. The screen for instance is much better than the iphone 4s screen.

I guarantee you cant tell the difference unless you already know the phone has a pentile.

Ever heard of the word "Overrated"? Just because something's popular doesn't mean it's good, are you going to try to tell me that X Factor, Twilight and Justin Bieber are good?

Only, they are good. Much better than Sony phones which have had a terrible rating for years.

Besides their first series of Android phones, which one's haven't been supported? I haven't researched it but i'm pretty sure almost the whole of the 2011 series are currently getting updated to ICS, except for the Xperia Play, which is only because it's a gaming focused device and third party devolopers wont update their existing games to have touchpad support on ICS.

Its nothing to do with that. I had the xperia, then the mini pro for some reason then the play. All were dropped like a stone.

The Xperia S is also the first non-Nexus phone that the AOSP team are going to work with. Sure Samung have made the most Nexus phones, but none of their non-nexus phones have had official AOSP support, have they?

Yep, your right and that was only just announced the other day.

[SonyJunkie]

Read this today which makes things a whole lot more interesting!!

Sony Xperia S will get vanilla Android as a Google experiment

I was looking at the Galaxy Nexus but now I think I will have to have a look at the Xperia S too!!

[Stiggles]

Originally Posted by swordman

Agreed pentile not a big deal but the screen on the xs is better. I have had a few sonys been good phones for me loved my arc.
No one is really going to be cabling memory to their phone in reality though are they.
Updates are not support as such its not like the xs is going to stop working plus those updates won't change the actual spec of the phone to which I think the xs edges it.
However they are both fine phones for the price they are.

Yup, your right. They are good phones but, in my opinion certainly, Sony loses out simply because their lack of support on previous phones. Plus personally i just have never liked Sony anything!

As for cabling memory to the phone, no, its an inconvenience but i do it sometimes even with my S3 if i want a file from a pen drive.

[swordman]

Well I still think my reasoning is sound nexus for a bigger screen and regular updates but xs for a better all round spec as in screen, memory, processing and camera. Pays your money and takes your choice and mine would still be xs out of the two having said that I would not choose either out of choice over other alternatives.

[finbaar]

I had an SE X10 and it was horrible. I have just sold my SE Arc and that was a good phone for it's day. Sony DO update there phones now - the Arc went from 2.3.3 to 2.3.4 to 4.0.3 and now has just got 4.0.4.

However, if the OP really needs a 12mp camera or really needs the extra storage then they should get the XS. If not then it is the no brainer the GNex winds hands down. I am waiting expectantly for GNex to be delivered. Believe me Android 4.1 IS THAT GOOD. I also will only buy Nexus from now on.

Oh and the screen on th XS is not that good. It’s OK but not up with the best. And neither is the GNex.

I have just picked the GNex over all other phones and passed my GNote onto Mrs finbaar. Thjats how good I think the GNex is.

[swordman]

Originally Posted by finbaar

I had an SE X10 and it was horrible. I have just sold my SE Arc and that was a good phone for it's day. Sony DO update there phones now - the Arc went from 2.3.3 to 2.3.4 to 4.0.3 and now has just got 4.0.4.

However, if the OP really needs a 12mp camera or really needs the extra storage then they should get the XS. If not then it is the no brainer the GNex winds hands down. I am waiting expectantly for GNex to be delivered. Believe me Android 4.1 IS THAT GOOD. I also will only buy Nexus from now on.

Oh and the screen on th XS is not that good. It’s OK but not up with the best. And neither is the GNex.

I have just picked the GNex over all other phones and passed my GNote onto Mrs finbaar. Thjats how good I think the GNex is.

Well each to his own I guess but the gx does not win hands down you need to at reason that.

As I said anyway neither would be my first choice I would even prefer my old s2 over either of them probably.

[Stiggles]

Originally Posted by swordman

Well each to his own I guess but the gx does not win hands down you need to at reason that.

As I said anyway neither would be my first choice I would even prefer my old s2 over either of them probably.

For looks for me its the Gnex.

Anything else i would choose the S3 over both of them which i have and absolutely love.

The other thing to take into consideration is support from the manufacturer in relation to faults. Sony is absolutely awful. For a broken battery they wanted me to send the whole phone back to have a new battery......

Samsung when i got my S3 sadly had 2 issues. Battery was just dead and the back cover had hairline cracks around the camera lens. They sent out replacements which arrived next day.

[swordman]

Originally Posted by Stiggles

For looks for me its the Gnex.

Anything else i would choose the S3 over both of them which i have and absolutely love.

The other thing to take into consideration is support from the manufacturer in relation to faults. Sony is absolutely awful. For a broken battery they wanted me to send the whole phone back to have a new battery......

Samsung when i got my S3 sadly had 2 issues. Battery was just dead and the back cover had hairline cracks around the camera lens. They sent out replacements which arrived next day.

That's personal experience which varies and I can't comment on either. Looks wise depends how much you like the notification strip on the s

I felt really underwhelmed by the Nexus when released.

[rosetech]

Personally I think the Nexus is a great phone. Jellybean rocks and the fact its the development standard means you have excellent compatibility.

I dont really agree with the screen argument as there is nothing wrong with the Nexus screen and it compares very well with its competitors.

Battery life is better on the Nexus. Sony XS is playstation certified, but I dont play games on my phone. Also consider that the XS is just about to be updated, so prices will naturally be coming down if you can wait.

[Gibman]

Originally Posted by finbaar

I had an SE X10 and it was horrible. I have just sold my SE Arc and that was a good phone for it's day. Sony DO update there phones now - the Arc went from 2.3.3 to 2.3.4 to 4.0.3 and now has just got 4.0.4.

However, if the OP really needs a 12mp camera or really needs the extra storage then they should get the XS. If not then it is the no brainer the GNex winds hands down. I am waiting expectantly for GNex to be delivered. Believe me Android 4.1 IS THAT GOOD. I also will only buy Nexus from now on.

Oh and the screen on th XS is not that good. It’s OK but not up with the best. And neither is the GNex.

I have just picked the GNex over all other phones and passed my GNote onto Mrs finbaar. Thjats how good I think the GNex is.

The Galaxy Nexus is a seriously good phone. If I had to find faults? OK the camera spec is behind the curve of a couple of phones, but still perfectly good shots. Second, the volume could do with going up a little higher, and not sure the location of the speaker on the back is ideal.

But....using pure android 4.1, no physical buttons,plenty enough processing power for the next year or so and now available at a good price....

I spent a month or so comparing all the top android phones, and even considered waiting for the new iphone (thank god i made the decision early to leave iOs behind tho) and after reading many many reviews, spending time with the phones in shops, talking to owners...the Nexus was the best solution.

As others have said, dont underestimate how good Android 4.1 is (in vanilla form anyway) - and related to this how quickly Android updates will be delivered.

[swordman]

Jellybean is ok granted but that is software the nexus is hardware.

I feel like I'm bashing the GN here and for no apparent reason as it is a good phone, but not the benchmark that I would have expected from google.

Whilst vanilla android is good for some it is not the be all and end all, if your into social networking for example it is not the best choice. I would be reluctant to get any phone without sd card support especially with only 16gb on board. Camera is average by todays standards.

If you remove the fact is has updates first just don't see that it has that much going for it in comparison to or over some other phones.

Having said all that why is the choice between these two phones exactly?