The Galaxy Nexus vs the Droid RAZR vs the HTC Rezound -- Verizon's three amigos

By Jerry Hildenbrand  | Nov 06 2011 | 12:59 pm  | 117 Comments

Three Amigos

It looks to be a very nice Q4 if you're a Verizon customer and an Android fan.  Three hot new phones are coming out, and if you're due for an upgrade (or finagle things around so you can get a new phone -- I've been there!) you'll have a choice to make.  Do you choose the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and its Nexusy goodness, the Motorola Droid RAZR and its industrial design, or the HTC Rezound with Sense and Beats by Dre?

It's a tough call for many reasons.  We can't help you when it comes to your personal preference -- there's great reasons to want a Nexus, the Droid line, or HTC's latest sexy -- and on one level or another every choice is the right one.  But we can offer you up some tech specs, which we've done after the break.  Read the charts, read the news, and read the forums and you'll be better armed to make the right decision when it's time to buy.

Galaxy Nexus forums | Droid RAZR forums | HTC Rezound forums

 

 

 
Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Nexus
Android Central
Droid RAZR
Android Central
HTC Rezound
Operating System
Android 4.x
Ice Cream Sandwich
Android 2.3.5
Gingerbread
w/ Blur
Android 2.3.x
Gingerbread
w/ HTC Sense
Screen
4.65-inch 1280x720 HD Super AMOLED
4.3-inch 540x960 Super AMOLED Advanced
4.3-inch 1280x720 HD
IPS LCD
Chipset
OMAP 4460
1.2GHz
dual-core
OMAP 4430
1.2GHz
dual-core
Qualcomm S3
1.5GHz
dual-core
Dimensions
135.5 x 67.94 x
8.94 mm
(GSM version)*
130.70 x 68.90 x
7.1 mm
129.54 x 66.04 x
13.72 mm
RAM
1GB
1GB
1GB
Internal Storage
16/32GB
16GB
16GB
SD card slot
no
yes (16GB included)
yes (16GB included)
Front Facing Camera
1.3MP
1.3MP
2MP
Rear Camera
5MP AF with LED Flash with zero shutter lag and fast shot2shot
8MP
8.0 megapixel camera with auto focus, /2.2, 28mm wide angle lens, 2 x LED flash
Video Recording
yes 1080p with stop motion
yes 1080p
yes 1080p with slow
motion
Bluetooth
3.0 with A2DP
Stereo Bluetooth Class 2, Version 4.0 LE+EDR
3.0+
Connectivity
GSM/HSPA+
or
CDMA/LTE
GSM/HSPA+
or
CDMA/LTE
CDMA/LTE**
Battery
1750mAh
(GSM Version)
1780mAh
Non-removable
1620mAh
Wifi
802.11 b/g/n
802.11 b/g/n
802.11 b/g/n
Price
$299.99 (Verizon)
$299.99 (Verizon)
$299.99 (Verizon)
Availability
soon
Nov 11
Nov 14
Special Features
It's a Nexus, on Verizon
Kevlar back
Beats audio and earbuds

* The size of the Galaxy Nexus is based on released specs for the GSM version.  We expect the Verizon version to be a bit larger because of the LTE radio.

** A GSM counterpart of the HTC Rezound is likely.  It just hasn't been announced yet.

A shout out to the geeks among us here.  If you're the hackery type, and just aren't happy until you've fooled around to the point of breaking your Android phone, here's my hackery scores:

Samsung Galaxy Nexus - 10

It will be OEM unlockable, with fastboot.  The only restrictions about what you can flash on the GNex will be how daring you're willing to be.  Expect a slew of custom ROM's, big names and small, as well as assorted hacks out the wazoo.

Motorola Droid RAZR - 7

The Verizon version will be locked up pretty tight.  But the international version will be the first Motorola phone to have an OEM unlock solution.  You can look at our Droid X forums and see what sort of hacks and custom ROM's you can expect for the RAZR, and if devs get the bootloader unlocked (using resources for the international version, luck, or an exploit) the hackery score changes to a 9.  Moto, learn to use fastboot on your consumer devices and you'll get a 10 here, too.

HTC Rezound - 5 (or ??)

Out of the box we don't expect an OEM unlock method for the Verizon version.  It will get cracked, just because it's an HTC phone and hackers love them.  The big names (like CyanogenMod) will get a custom ROM out for the Rezound, and because it's on Big Red you'll see a slew of themes and UI customizations once that happens.  If the rooting/S-Off method turns out to be easy, ?? changes to a 9.  Again, we want fastboot.

Regardless of your choice, you'll have a damn fine Android phone in your hands.  And that's the way we like it. 

Jerry Hildenbrand

Jerry Hildenbrand Cowboy

"Fascinated by things that go beep."

3092(articles)

5418(forum posts)
 

Related HTC Rezound,Motorola Droid RAZR,Samsung Galaxy Nexus,Verizon Galaxy Nexus Stories

There are 117 comments

austinmueller99 says:

Galaxy nexus!!! I will take the new stock android over anything! It looks awesome.

lengend says:

What exactly is "fastboot"? I'm possibly moving away from BlackBerry to the GNex.

kurolife says:

Fastboot is something proper to recent HTC phones it allows you to boot up your phone and use it in 5-10secs after you turn it on, let's say it is some sort of hibernation

Mr.Froyo says:

I'm pretty sure its 2 totally different things

kurolife says:

yeah It is confusion, I think they are talking about the root command line tool that's allow you to directly flash the filesystem in from a host via USB

sdguy67 says:

That is exactly what it is. I use it at work every day. After installing the bootloader on the phone, fastboot is used to install the OS onto the phone into the correct partition

vansmack says:

Uh, it's a little more than that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastboot

It's the software tool in Android phones by which you flash ROMs and install software. Locked by default on Nexus phones, but easily unlockable. Other phones vary by (1) how easy it is to access or if it's there at all.

kurolife says:

Sorry, I think they are talking about the root command line tool that's allow you to directly flash the filesystem in from a host via USB more than the HTC Feature that comes with every modern HTC now

Mr.Froyo says:

Yeah that was kinda obvious..

grundyman says:

Don't worry, anything is considered fast boot next to blackberry. I used to hate doing a battery pull on them things, it would literally take 3-4 minutes to boot a blackberry

Mr.Froyo says:

That's not what fast boot means in this context

kurolife says:

There was no reason to put a notation, not to mention it is quite "biased", and it doesn't go any further than the writter point of view with no real technical argumentation.

I'm buying the Nexus once it is out, in case there is no Rezound international version annouced before the Nexus comes out, but the Rezound beats the Nexus in several points like the screen, the expandable memory, camera, and the better than average earbuds supplied with smartphones.

And BTW the Verizon version of the Rezound already been rooted....

I'm really disappointed in this comparaison but anyway.

nicktheroadie says:

Rezound beats Nexus in screen?? lolz... IPS vs SAMOLED, I'll take SAMOLED every time over crappy IPS.

kurolife says:

Crappy IPS? asside from the Fanboy comments can you put some more argumentation and elaborate a little bit?.

The Nexus Prime uses a PenTile SAMOLED Screen the same on the first Galaxy S with a resolution bump, althout the PenTile issue is less noticeable on the Nexus because of the high resolution but still specs are specs and numbers are numbers

Both phones have 720p screens but one is a 4.65inch and the other 4.3 with full RGB so that make

Nexus 316 ppi with 420sh subpixel density
Rezound 342 ppi with over 640 subpixel density.

That's one part the other part is, that the IPS is less power consuming (as long as internet pages are on a white background and most apps where you need to writte or read something) it is has a better viewing Angle than the SAMOLED 170° vs 140° (althout the SAMOLED + tops it with 180° but here we are talk about the normal SAMOLED) and the most important thing is the brightness! when you can see you screen outside under sunlight something you cannot do with a SAMOLED Display

No you are wrong not because you get appealing vibrant colors does it mean it is the best screen technology.

shmigga says:

Samoled with pentile is better than ips or lcd any day. You will say the same when you compare the two in person.

kurolife says:

That's your personnal opinion, it is different than factual argumentation

shmigga says:

Just because something is a fact, doesn't mean it is better. For instance, take a look at any qhd screen out there. Now compare it to the original SAMOLED at a lower resolution. The SAMOLED looks better. Facts will tell you that the non pentile QHD screens should look better right? Well they don't. It will be the same thing with the Rezound and the Nexus. I guarantee you the rezound screen is like looking through a glass window, just like any other HTC phones. I am not implying that the Rezound is a bad phone at all or even that the screen is bad. I am just saying the SAMOLED on the nexus will look better even though it is a Pentile screen.

kurolife says:

It does not look any better, again you are posting your personal opinion

Like I said before there is a difference between Attractive(vivid colors) and better( clear and realistic colors, viewing angles, high brightness(which is important for a smartphone that you can use outside), powerconsuption ect,(sure the SAMOLED has a higher contrast ratio which is due to it blacks being true blacks, but that isn't representative of whites) some of these issues has been solved with the second generation SAMOLED the PLUS,but like I said before they Its a first generation SAMOLED with a resolution bump

Drodro says:

Where did you get your facts about IPS vs. SAMOLED from? I'm mainly interested in the viewing angle and power consumption comparisons. Technically, the HD SAMOLED is NOT a first generation SAMOLED with a resolution bump. Unlike the first gen SAMOLED, the red and blue subpixels in the new SAMOLED HD are the same size as the green subpixel even though the display has a pentile subpixel layout.

dman977#AC says:

What is this Nexus Prime you speak of? Is that next year's phone? All the specs you are posting seem more like the Galaxy Nexus. If you want to state facts, please be factual.

jamisont says:

first, rezound's display is S-TFT-LCD aka S-LCD, not IPS.

2nd.. Pentile/RGB matrix doesnt matter when its over 300PPI. (since its over human eye limit, what's the difference?)

3rd. Guess where rezound get their display from? its samsung.
Samsung makes Samoled, SuperClear LCD and S-LCD.

sdguy67 says:

As a Qualcomm employee that works on Android, I feel like I am cheating by not getting the HTC, but I can't handle having that tiny battery nor having to spend $40 to get an extended battery

d-backs1#ac says:

Beats are overhyped just have more bass. The razr and nexus also have been rooted. The rezound is rightfully 3rd best out of the 3. Sorry you can't face that.

kurolife says:

The rezound had been rooted aswell,I think you need to check your facts

Mac58 says:

LMAO. Dude the specs are listed and clearly the rezound has better specs than both phones. The end is where the author places their personal opinion on each device. If you didnt want that then dont read it, but clearly they presented everything for every person to see and just added their 2 cents about how they felt each one ranked. Nothing to get worked up over

tsunami1609 says:

I can see where you're coming from up to a certain point, as long as you understand that specs are specs and nothing else (and it seems like you do).

In my opinion the nexus beats the Rezound for a couple of reasons, the most important being software. The Rezound will be on gingerbread for months after the nexus comes out, and who even knows if it'll get jellybean (or whatever they're calling it) while the GN is definitely getting it.

In terms of performance, the Nexus should also do better overall because its software is not only set for dual cores, but works best (supposedly) with Omap chipsets. Headphones is whatever: I use my own set anyways, but I guess you win there. Screen is a matter of preference (I'd take SuperAmoled because of the vibrant colors and true blacks), but the bottom line for outside visibility is that all phone screens suck in direct sunlight. I went from a Nexus S to a Sensation and the difference isn't noticeable outside (I know, the S4G doesn't use IPS, but you get my point).

Finally, there's the whole porting over the OS. ICS works best with onscreen buttons for a multitude of reasons. Using previous gen hardware just isn't the same.

So you can get your Rezound, but in a year I'll be betting that you'll be envying the new phone with Jellybean (because who knows when you'll get that) whereas I'll be fine with the phone I have

kurolife says:

And that's why if there isn't an international version of the Rezound annouced before the 17 of this month I'll be taking the Nexus with almost no regret. just because it has ICS out of the box, not because it is a better phone as some claim, and the notation in the artical

smooth3006 says:

a little birdy told me the rezound has been rooted already by jcase. ill be picking this bad boy up.

also im sure in addition to the devs unlocking the bootloader htc will give us a method. no reason they would not.

d-backs1#ac says:

uum htc hasn't with any us variants so they probably won't with the rezound either. It will be unlocked, just most likely not from htc.

pearljam5000 says:

I'll take a Samsung Galaxy Note(:

SteveIowa says:

I too, am taking the Galaxy Note. pearljam5000 & I have spoken! : - )

Dural says:

I'm extremely concerned about the Rezound's battery and unless I see compelling testimony from early adopters, it's down to the RAZR vs. Nexus for this Android user. I'm less concerned about the lack of removable battery on the RAZR in this day/age of portable battery storage (which I rely on heavily when traveling for business). The Nexus would win immediately if it had a dedicated HDMI port. Neither the RAZR nor the Nexus has all the hardware features I'm looking for, but the RAZR is the closest. If only Moto had ICS out of the gate.

kurolife says:

I believe only the Thunderbolt had battery issues, because it was the first generation of LTE devices (first LTE smartphone on the market).

I doubt HTC will repeat the same mistake, and actually their recent LTE phones to be on pare with competition

sdguy67 says:

It isn't a battery issue, it is the significantly smaller batter used in the HTC compared to the other 2

d-backs1#ac says:

sense is why battery sucks. Take any sense phone and put stock on and see how much better battery becomes just by doing that. Plus why put a 200mah more battery over the tb in a phone with a dual core 1.5 processor and hd screen?

doctajay says:

I totally agree. This is my main concern. I have owned probably 10 HTC phones from my windows mobile days combined with 4 HTC android phones and battery life has always been an issue. I now have the Tbolt and I barely get through half a day with the current battery and I don't want to walk around with a huge, clunking extended battery attached. HTC just does not care about battery life. Adding a dual core processor with a beautiful bright 720 screen is going to suck power, and trust me you all will be on these forums complaing very soon at how bad the Rezounds battery life is. That is why I'm going with the Nexus. I've been burned one too many times. Also, there is nothing visually appealing about the Rezounds outsides.

Rob White says:

Can you get all 3 and just use a different one depending on your mood that day? That really seems like the only viable solution to this kind of conundrum.

SteveIowa says:

I am with Uber Googler. $2400 it is, and I would like a receipt please. Just switch our cards around, like in Europe, right? ; - ) At least this will get us by, until the Note arrives, with it's SD card slot. And maybe rocking support for 64GB?

Rob White says:

That's kind of what I'm thinking. If Verizon/Google/Samsung/Moto/HTC are determined to keep up with device overload then dammit we need a way to just acquire multiple phones and switch from one to the next.

Let's all be like Phil in his pic holding a stack of phones! ;-)

FanDroid619 says:

I'll take that armored battle-ready beast in the middle! Thank you! :-)

IceDree says:

Great comparison Jerry
Im sure it will help allot of the people whos looking for a new phone on Verzion

Personally , Im very happy with my Atrix

AddversitY says:

With the Galaxy Nexus Prime, the prices between the 16gb and 32gb will obviously vary. My question is what will be the price of the 32gb? 16gb just does not cut it with no option for MicroSD. I myself am leaning towards the Rezound. With the update to ICS in the future the hardware on the phone just seems on point. Also, people complaining about the batter size of HTC phones should probably look into more powerful batteries. If you're willing to spend $299 on a phone what's the price of a battery going to matter? Just my opinion. My question is which phone is more powerful from a Processor/GPU point of view. Galaxy Nexus underclocked at 1.2GHz while the Rezound is at 1.5Ghz. Someone stated that they'll be "about equal" but what does that mean to me? I'm not too up on current processors and gpu's so I can't make the comparison myself, but from what I've read the Galaxy S2 out performs the Nexus Prime disregarding operating system. That's pretty much bull shit to me, why would they make it obsolete? Last thing, I do not plan on waiting for the Galaxy Nexus any longer. Unless there is a release date by the Rezound releases, my choice is in stone. Rezound > Nexus disregarding OS for the time being.

Dural says:

I'll be paying full retail for my next phone later this month, and I'd happily buy an extended battery for the HTC. However, the device is already relatively thick. Do you think a substantially larger battery will be available for the Rezound without an extended battery door (making it even more dense in the pocket)?

AddversitY says:

Yes the phone is unfortunately not the slimmest, but I personally prefer a thicker phone (to a certain extent). Slim phones feel tiny and fragile and even though they look nice, they're just not for me. It's really what you prefer. I just hope that they will make a larger battery with no battery door (or a very slim one if that).

kurolife says:

If it might help you, check the comparaisons availible on the internet between the SGSII variants, the T-mobile variant uses Qualcomm S3 processor, the same as the Rezound,In terms of benchmarks it outperform the Exynos version, but benchmarks are just benchmarks
So you have same phones with different SoC so the comparaison is quite accurate.

Between the Nexus Prime and the GSII the comparaison would not be accurate because of the higher screen resolustion on the Nexus so Soc has to push more pixels, and how ICS enhance performance and allows hardware acceleration

AddversitY says:

Well how about the comparison once GSII and Rezound both are running ICS? Would things lead more towards the GSII and the Rezound then?

kurolife says:

In terms of benchmark numbers it would lean towards the SGSII because the SGSII has a 480p screen resolution while the Rezound is on 720p so it had to push more pixel, like I explaned before for the SGSII vs Nexus.

But don't worry about SoC all the tree of them are capable devices with capable SoC the Razer though have a first gen Omap4 where as the Nexus has a second generation (Omap4430 vs Omap4460) the diffrences are minimal and from my understanding the main difference is that the the latter (4460) has the same GPU (SGX540) clocked at 384Mhz where as on the 4430 it is only at 300Mhz, same story for the Cpu cpu overall the 4460 is an overclocked version of the 4430 which means it is faster SoC but since the Razr has a lower screen resolution it should perform as fast as the other two devices

They are all current generation SoC so they basically desliver about the same performance

SlimJ87D says:

Wrong person addressed

Wesley1 says:

Samsung Exynos totally wipes the floor with Qualcomm S3, what the heck are you talking about?

kurolife says:

1-http://www.androidcentral.com/t-mobiles-galaxy-s-ii-gets-benchmarked
2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5q6UrN_4Jw
3-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ24BCfW3yw&feature=related

If it isn't enough for you I can get more benchmarks and benchmarks comparaison.

Not because the SGSII was compared to higher resolution phones (like the HTC Sensation or Amase) which means the SoC has to push more pixels natively means the Exynos destroys the Qualcomm.

Same Phone(SGSII) with different SoC fair comparaison you've got your results

SlimJ87D says:

Not true. If you look at the break down, the t-mobile version of the sgs2 actually just has higher I/O benchmarks and is lower UN some areas where it actually counts.

The exynos is the strongest Android processor a of right now. don't believer me compare the breakdown htc phones that use the danger exact hardware and ram as the T-Mobile sg2. Don't blame sense either, because IOU can see benchmarks from cyanogen mod HTC phones. Samsung has done something possibly with the partitioning or software to do something weird with their IO.

kurolife says:

You didn't read my comments, All the HTC phones that uses the Qualcomm S3 have a higher resolution screen than the SGSII and thus it has to push more pixels natively.

And despite that, the results from say an Amaze 4g are quite comparable to any version of the SGSII and I'm not taking in consideration only Quadrant.

And back to your argument about the I/O score on Quadrant if you did finish the videos, there are other benchmarks used like Linpack in which the T-Mobile version is faster.

Maybe the Exynos is faster when it is clocked as fast as the Qualcomm, but the S3 was built natively to run at 1.5Ghz and can be OC over 2Ghz where as the Exynos (at least the current version) is built to run at 1-1.2Ghz once it gets OC over 1.5ghz it starts to get instable, the highest I've seen an Exynos getting OC is 1.8ghz and the kernel was just released yesterday.

I personnaly don't care about benchmarks but people keeps saying this is better than that and taking in consideration benchmarks, I'm more into daily usage.....

SlimJ87D says:

Read all the comments here if you would like, this is the man that has done his research:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S-II-Skyrocket-benchmark-t...

Continue to read all of user remixfa comments.

"Am I the ONLY one that can make the easy assumption that Samsung has found a way to fidget with score numbers? NO HTC phone running the EXACT same hardware configuration comes anywhere close?
Is it magic?
No.. its fidgeting with benchmark tests somehow... Otherwise, you would see the HTC Amaze get the same scores, and the Vivid and sensation get really close scores. Thats not happening, its ONLY samsung getting these kinda scores with this setup. Its being FAKED.

And this is coming from the guy that normally champions samsung phones.

That is EXACTLY what samsung did. Here is the Antutu benchmarks from the Amaze which runs the exact same 1.5ghz and 1gig ram set up as the Hercules/skyrocket. That gray part of the benchmark IS THE I/O score (Antutu calls it CPU Intiger). Compare that screen shot to this phone's and you easily see the huge increase in the I/O marks.

http://www.phonearena.com/imag​e.php?m=Articles.Images&f=name​&id=47294&name=1.jpg&caption=&​title=Image+from+%22HTC+Amaze+​4G+benchmark+tests%22&kw=&popu​p=1

I love some samsung hardware, but I will call out dirty pool wherever I see it.

for over all system function sure, but the CPU I/O(intiger) is a baseline test. It isnt affected by the software. Its a test that is basically measuring how fast the chip can calculate answers... say to PI for example. As to why this test in particular is the one that is so easy to manipulate, that is beyond even my pay grade, but it is the test that people use to cheat and buffer over all scores on. Ram may or may not make a difference, but that is why I chose to compare it to the Amaze.. they run with the same amount of total ram and same chip configuration. The sensation however gets similar scores to the amaze and it has a good chunk LESS ram than the amaze does as well as the lower 1.2ghz clock.

Like I said in a previous post, this benchmark for I/O is nearly useless now exept for baseline bragging rights in super computers.. lol. Computer chips are just so fast now that we cant throw enough at em to make a real world difference for 99% of us."

Also, here is the SGS2 T-Mobile compared to the Sensation running the same proccessor. Your claims of the amount of more pixels is mute, as in the past phones using the same exact hardware but different resolutions have not had such a drastic change in their benchmark comparisons. About as low as 1 to 3 percent.

I dont know how to post pics but here's the results:
GSII:
Total: 3969
CPU: 6786
Mem: 2970
I/O: 8621
2D: 407
3D: 1059

Sensation XE:
Total: 2720
CPU: 7112
Mem: 2231
I/O: 2993
2D: 327
3D: 935
Also note that the scores of the GS2 are very unstable with ~2500-3900, while the XE are quite stable with ~2500-2800

kurolife says:

I don't understand why you don't accept the comparaison between the same phone with different SoC and you keep derailling to HTC then let me put in 3 points in which the comparaison to an HTC is not valide

1-One like I mentioned before there is a different in resolution, and it does show.

2-Software!! Sense 3.0 is pretty complete UI and it integration is quite good but that comes at a price which is the size and stress on the CPU/GPU is quite different on HTC phone compared to Touchwiz 4, where as between the T-Mobile and other variant of the SGS II you have the same software configuration !

3-Hardware! even if they have same amount of Ram or storage that doesn't mean they use exactly the same Ram (same frequency) and same Nand memory between an HTC and a Samsung phone.But for the two variant of the same phone there is no reason to put different internals because it will be waste of money and resource. they were forced to use the S3 processor, to be able to use the Qualcomm modem and also for the stock shortage on Exynos.

So like I mentioned before compare the comparable! if like you claim Samsung tweaked the T-mobile version to get similar scores ass the other version you have to take in consideration in fact that we aren't talking about one benchmark but a suite of benchmarks, and tweaks can't make me score high in every single benchmarck you'll have desparities, which is not the case here

SlimJ87D says:

I'm just going to make this short and get straight to the point.

You said "If it might help you, check the comparaisons availible on the internet between the SGSII variants, the T-mobile variant uses Qualcomm S3 processor, the same as the Rezound,In terms of benchmarks it outperform the Exynos version" since you don't understand the purpose of me bringing up HTC phones running the same hardware and Cynagenmod without Sense UI getting similar scores in every field except the I/O part, I will play it your way. Lets compare the comparable:

SGS2 Exynos: http://www.phonearena.com/image.php?m=Articles.Images&f=name&id=46502&na...

SGS2 S3: http://www.phonearena.com/image.php?m=Articles.Images&f=name&id=47291&na...

DID NOT OUTPERFORM THE EXYNOS. YOU LIED.

Second, look at the I/O score (aka CPU Integer) score for the S3 on the SGS2. There is no phone out there running the same hardware on Cyanogenmod that scores that kind of score. So it's obvious that the I/O score is pretty MUTE here since it can be manipulated.

Exynos > Qualcomm S3, just admit you LIED or MESSED up in your comment which I repeat:

kurolife: "It [Qualcom S3]outperform the Exynos version"

Rob White says:

ARE YOU TWO SERIOUSLY ARGUING OVER PHONE BENCHMARKS THAT CAN BE FAKED BY ALMOST ANYBODY LIKE JERRY PROVED AWHILE AGO? Come on people...

SlimJ87D says:

There is only 1 part of the phone benchmark that can be SPECIALLY faked my friend. And that is the change in partitioning because benchmarks don't take into account how to benchmark those partitions.

Ex: NAND, Ext 4, etc.

This part of the benchmark you can spot a mile away if you get a good benchmark tool taht gives you a breakdown, which I posted right above you. AnuTu.

Look at the paid version of Quadrant:
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3134/209aa4a33ad40b94.png

Same phone but on Anutu:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2066/screenshot1319701827067.png

See, the I/O (aka CPU Integar) scores have been BS'd. Now apply what I just taught you with my post right above yours and you can understand teh importance of why Exynos is top dog int eh android market.

See, now it's easier to understand TRUE BS.

kurolife says:

Why do you focus on I/O when I said we do not take Quandrant as reference but all the benchmarks availible? what are you on about?

SlimJ87D says:

Double Post

kurolife says:

To keep it short as you say, you found one link that suites you and then ignore all the links I posted and then say I lied, does those comparaison lies?

See there where you prove you are just BIASED.

So no I remain with my point and my argument is still correct, and my argumentation is still correct, when you supply more than 3 links showing that Exynos > S3 we can talk again

And to push my point further here and to make this long story short:
http://nena.se/nenamark/view?version=2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1312488
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1312476
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1312489
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1301009&page=3

What are you going to trow again that I made up all those benchmark?, none of those is stock? just an Illusion? no seriously!

SlimJ87D says:

I threw a link of a while forum talking about the issue. So don't say I found images that suit me. Also that isn't quadrant, it's Anutu. So the truth benefits that's the dumbest arguemental I've heard.

I never said you made up anything either, I proved and an showing you the BS behind the CPU integer which gives the supposed boost for it to look like Exynos equal.

I don't think there is one comment here that agrees with you that s3urinal@s3 outperforms Exynos. you'll just continue to believe what you want.

s14tat says:

Not to mention that in day to day use, the T mobile version of the GS2 has noticeable lag when transitioning between home screens, and the the web browser is no where near as smooth when scrolling, or pinching and zooming. Mind you this is with a phone running 480p resolution and not running a resource heavy UI like Sense 3.0+. So how do you explain that? The qualcomm chip is crap. Aaron from Phonedog.com did a dog fight against the Iphone4S and used the T-mobile version because it was the laggiest and least smooth of the GS2's, and it lost. If you look at that youtube video, he lost a ton of subscribers and he has more Dislikes than likes because if he would've used a "real" GS2, it might've won. Its obvious the T mobile version is crap in comparison to the exynos. I repeat, this is on a phone that does not have sense ui, and qhd screen.

terrycanfly says:

I dont know why everyone is on htc and qualcomms ballz. Under real world use the exynos will outperform the s3. Its in the architecture of the chip itself. A cortex a9 based soc has greater memory thru-put than a scorpion and the mali400 lays the smackdown on the adreno220 in every category. Even the ti omap with the sgx 540 outperforms the snapdragon. Hp had a press release that they stated they knew the performance shortcomings on the touchpad was due to the poor performance of the snapdragon compared to cortex a9 based chipsets that are in other tablets, including the ipad. I dont even know how people can argue they are in the same league. And as a rep that has used both the galaxy nexus and the rezound and just like all htc phones with higher res screens and the snapdragon processor, the rezound still gets that slight lag while the galaxy nexus never does, runs similarly to the sgs2 with a few extra features on the os. Anyone arguing for the snapdragon is beyond stupid, there is no comparison. I would take an 800mhz underclocked exynos over a 2ghz overclocked snapdragon any day. Its like in a computer going from a c2duo at 3 ghz to a core i7 at 1.7 ghz.

d-backs1#ac says:

take benchmarks from the evo 3d. Samsung phones always do better in benchmarks the evo 3d will give you a good idea of benchmarks.

dman977#AC says:

Galaxy Nexus?

SteveIowa says:

Basically, the Nexus 1.2ghz will be as fast running vanilla, as it takes the 1.5ghz to run bloat/skin. And who will be first to get the 4.1 update? Yes, that's right. The Nexus.

mhmmdy123 says:

Jerry... It`s an easy choice to make, just wait few more months, and you`ll see bigger,better and fastest phones. Or just go ahead with what you get, and few more months down the road you`ll be sorry for your move.

mastrK13 says:

I'd get the nexus for 4.0 but there is a downside. I learned a lesson after buying the Evo 3D. With new technology comes lack of support. Tons of apps didn't support the qHD screen and I suspect it will be the same for the 720p screen. Also, there's still a pretty weak selection of gameloft games available for the Evo3D that I could have gotten if I had gotten an older, more established phone. It takes a bit of time for new phones to get support.

IceDree says:

Yea tell me about it
I've the same issue with my Atrix

Allot of Apps in the Market doesn't support qHD resolution yet (uh hell some of them doesn't even scale probably on Motorola's 480x855 pixels)

It will be a catastrophic too run an that doesn't scale right on a 720p

micl9 says:

Nice comparison. But you put bias (not sure which way as it will vary by ones size preferance) in the opening pic. The images are not to scale. Galaxay Nexus is biggest and it looks the smallest. I personally like a big screen and phone.
Didnt apple get in trouble for this sort of phone scaling ;-)

WFMike says:

I would love one of these new phones for the updated hardware but I can't bring myself to ditch the gamepad on my Xperia Play.

I'm glad to hear Sony will be upgrading my phone to ICS at some point though. Now if only they would release the damn playstation store on it!

DarknesSx says:

Razr is out of the game right now...

It's ReZound and Nexus that are at the top and competing...

and overall, i find Nexus wins and that's what i already pre-ordered :D

Just can't wait to get my hands on that piece of pure awesomeness :D

fantlash says:

They all are great looking phones but you must be kidding to say the Razr is out of the game. Only the Nexus can even compete. The ReZound is good but not on the same level as the other two.

Godwellz says:

I was about to say the same thing. "Out of the game"? Why, because RAZR users won't be the ones to yell "FIRST" to have Ice Cream, like some of these morons on these forums post "FIRST"??

I have the RAZR. I LOVE it and it will be the one to catch the iphone converts.

Mordecaidrake says:

I'm so torn between the Rezound and the Nexus. I can't decide what I'm replacing my Thunderbolt with :(

drunken scholar says:

Why is the Razr both H+ and LTE ready if it's a verizon exclusive product?

IceDree says:

Maybe they were taking about both variants of the RAZR

- DROID RAZR by Motorola : which have LTE & Exclusive to Verizon

- Motorola RAZR : which is a GSM phone with H+ made for the rest of the world

fatobx says:

Personally it is an easy choice for me. I'm eligible (my last 'early upgrade' - not that I'm bitter) for a new phone. All three of these devices are solid; the Moto for its build quality and size (or lack thereof), the HTC for Sense and and overall reliability, and Samsung for its Nexus goodness. But I'm grabbing the Nexus because I've been burned so many times in the past by specific device bugs, bad updates, and a lack of speed for fixes to these issues. I've owned the Charge, T-bolt, X, DInc, and more but it always comes back to the same problem - slow or no updates from the carriers. Nexus phones are dev phones, sure. There will be bugs. But I'd rather get behind a platform that WILL see timely updates, that WILL see bugs addressed, that WILL be supported for a long time to come, without cheap promises from the carrier or manufacturer. Wanting bleeding edge? Want razor thin? Want bling? Then look elsewhere - Nexus is raw Android. And that's just what the doctor ordered.

SteveIowa says:

Amen TroytheITGuy

Godwellz says:

First for updates and first for BUGS.

Saneless says:

Another slightly disappointing Nexus device. First of all, you have the Verizon tax (+$100) for no reason, and $300 for 16GB? Absurd. I'm going to guess the 32GB is 399, which puts it at the same price as the 64GB iPhone. It should be 250/299 for 16/32 at worst. And I don't like the idea of having a locked down no-sd Android.

Looks like I'll keep my EVO 3D after all. Same processor speed, more storage. I'll survive.

d-backs1#ac says:

actually 32gb is 299 on verizon.

Saneless says:

Well if the 299 is for 32 that's not bad then. I still wish the damn Nexus line had an SD slot though

albokay says:

When I was your age Verizon didnt have one phone that was worth a damn. Now you young whipper snappers have three coming out at almost the same time that are great.

Oh, and and I walked in snow everywhere.

SteveIowa says:

Up hill both ways don't forget. : - ) Verizon has got it going on now, as far as hardware and LTE go.

AZDROIDX says:

Exactly, I can remember Verizon 3 years ago and their lack of good phones. They are doing something right now.

Godwellz says:

LOL. True! Same I say about Sprint.

Delawareduff says:

My contract is to be renewed on 12/13 and one of these babies will be mine ! Can't wait !!

edyts says:

I'm gonna choose the nexus, I'm switching from berry and the fact that the updates aren't carrier controlled is my main reason. I've seen videos, read tons of reviews and the one complaint that always pops up is, when will *insert phone here* be getting the new update. No bloatware either, seems future proof to me, you guys can talk pixels, and clock speeds, hardware acceleration all day, doesn't matter. In the end from what I've seen its a fast phone with a very nice screen, and it comes preloaded with ICS which looks to be leaps and bounds ahead of the previous versions. So ill be patient and wait, odds are ill have ICS and a good phone long before any of the other phones that are said to get an ICS update.

loooney2ns says:

I'm still leaning towards the Razr. No SD card and 5mp camera kill the Nexus for me. The Resound looks okay but I don't like HTC's build quality. The only negatives for the Razr are the screen resolution and the non removable battery. The screen should be fine for me. I'm happy with the screen on my DX, so all of these are the better. Hopefully the lower resolution will use less battery. Everything is a tradeoff when it comes to battery life. Besides, the Razr is already rooted!

gale7273 says:

My choice would be HTC, I love sense and how it syncs your contacts with everything. The sence widgets are something I just can't live without. It makes life so much easier. The compact keyboard is a must!!! I can't believe the other companies dont offer it. I love my thunderbolt, nothing has come out to impress me as much as the one I have.

yapkuen says:

Any chance we can get a picture of those three phones lined up side-by-side, but sized to scale?

BartmanJax says:

I have the Nexus S on T-Mo and the biggest advantage is not having all the "bloatware" that the other phones will be sure to have. Having played with other peoples Android phones and having them ask "How do I delete this app," if I were a Verizon customer and going to choose an upgrade, the Galaxy Nexus would win hands down. It will be interesting to find out if the Rezound or the RAZR will support Google Video chat. The upgrade to 2.3.4 on the Sensation didn't support it.

Mrwirez says:

I would get the Razr but, Moto blur and the bootloaders are bad.. Gingerbread update was delayed forever on Droid 2 Global. No thanks!

HTC build and battery... No thanks!

Samsung GNexus. Hell yeah!

-None of them are perfect though. ;)

trivor says:

After how many years of substandard choices on Verizon I can't believe how many people are trying to put down "Blank" phone. These are three state of the art phones with LTE, hi rez (yes qHD is high rez) displays that will easily last through a two year contract. All Verizon fans should be ecstatic at their choices. I never thought Verizon would see a Nexus devices (wish they had the Nexus 4G), Moto went to a SAMOLED qHD (instead of the pentile on the X2 and Bionic), and HTC has a great 720P SLCD screen. Let's get all three out on the market and pick one - there are no losers here.

kandiman1224 says:

Correction* theyre all 4.3

Mr.Froyo says:

The onscreen buttons on the Nexus still count as screen. So that one is 4.65"

richardyarrell says:

Bottomline here I will be rolling with the Galaxy Nexus on day one. I already own the EVO 3D and will be glad to add this to my stable of devices. Ice cream Sandwhich is beautiful no longer is stock android the ugly duckling it's a great combination of all UI'S put together and now pure android should be an experience to be hold. I look forward to my very first pure android google device. I will be enjoying the best of both world's in the coming days...

electriclineman says:

I decided to stay with my thunderbolt until something comes out that I think is prefect.. I can get the early upgrade & was going to get the nexus but now I think I am going to wait.. Something better will be coming right around the corner..it always does..

kwilliams1906 says:

Sprint needs to hurry up and make it's announcement that it will be getting the Galaxy Nexus.

Eerth says:

I would go with the Nexus, I bet ICS will be a bit buggy in the beginning, and there's nothing more frustrating than waiting for those updates from HTC/Motorola.

Hand_O_Death says:

Now this is just a thought but I would like to know the Staff's opinions on these phones. I know you kept is as Objective as possible with this post (and very well done btw) but I would like to see another post with which one you all (The AC Staffers) would pick and why.

Kotaku has started a review system called "Gut Check" which has a few staffers review where you should get a game or not
http://kotaku.com/5853060/should-you-buy-battlefield-3-yes?tag=gutcheck
And I thought it would be an interesting idea if you guys would just post what you thought of each and which one you would pick between the three options (whether or not you are really going to buy any or all)

Just a thought. Thanks for reading.

skinja99 says:

World Phone?

What about the HTC Rzd being a world phone?

leftheodo says:

All of them are great phones! It is a matter of personal preference! But i can't understand why people are saying that the Rezound is not as good as the other two! It has better specs ( a non pentile ips 720p screen with the highest pixel density, a better 8 mp camera with a f2.2 lens, micro sd slot, better head phones included and a better processor! )!

jlschulz says:

They're all nice, but it's gotta be the one with a replaceable battery and SD card. I use my cell to replace my mp3 player, so I need the 32g card to hold all the tunes. Don't tell me about cloud services, they are totally useless u til someone gets the clouds to transmit into the valleys around phoenix where I hike every day.

hanq2000 says:

Galaxy. Nexus!!!!!!!!! What a nice phone!

ncdinc97 says:

IMO, I would choose the HTC Rezound over the others for 5 reasons:

1. I LOVE Sense. Period.
2. Not a fan of Motorola products in general.
3. There is no Micro SD slot on the GN.
4. I think it's the best deal, the Beats Ear-buds usually cost $150.
5. I like the way the phone looks better then the others.

That's just my opinion, don't hate me for it.

jetta01 says:

where is the nfc spec?

Melon Bread says:

I would pick the Samsung Galaxy II (I have T-Mobile)=P

In all seriousness I would Pick The Galaxy Nexus, just simply due to the support in the hacking/modding community.

chuckh0308 says:

Well, unfortunately Samsung left out the MicroSD slot on the Galaxy Nexxus (WTF?) and Motorola left out the user replaceable battery, and well, um, it's Motorola, so really there is just one choice. If I were going to buy one of these three it would have to be the Rezound, then set it up with ICS later.

Godwellz says:

"Its Motorola"?? And? Its one of the best.
Learn to finish your sentences.

Nate Rules says:

I will be getting the Nexus. I am already a little disappointed because I want the biggest phone that can fit in my pocket. 4.7" isn't it. I would be thrilled with the size of the Nexus if it weren't for the Note. Now that is a great screen size. But, it isn't available so I have to compromise :(

Hand_O_Death says:

Also wanted to mention that the Zero Shutter Lag camera is HUGE for anyone with young children (Especially more than one) Try getting a one year old and a three year old to not only LOOK at you at the same time, but then get them to smile and time the shutter lag to actually capture it for grandma. INSANELY difficult.

doctajay says:

Very true. I bought a Nikon DSLR camera when my kid was born but like 80% of my pics are from my Tbolt, and having a quick access to the camera app from the lockscreen with a combo of no shutter lag is perfect.

larryv says:

Everyone is forgetting a HUGE difference between the galaxy nexus and everything else. The GN has NFC and all that implies (wallet, beam etc.).

orlanka says:

Once CM9 comes out with ICS, what advantage will the Nexus have over the Rezound? NFC? What am I missing? Would CM9 still be able to record in 1080p? I know the question and answers are based on assumptions, but this is really my driving force between the two.

tonyyag says:

Great forum; I just joined, facing the same decision among the "3 Amigos" to replace my Verizon Incredible. Beyond all the factors discussed here, can anyone shed light on whether any of these new 4G phones currently support:
A. USB hosting...e.g. you can plug in a camera or thumb drive through a USB/micro USB adaptor and the phone can power and read/write it.
B. True FM Radio (NOT streaming)
and, if not, whether any of them have the neccessry hardware so there is a possibility that someone will develop an ap?