3 ms·

Out of curiosity, what justifies the purchase of non-nexus (or Moto G) devices for the HN crowd? I have yet to find anything even remotely close in terms of cos

by FD3SA 13y ago

Out of curiosity, what justifies the purchase of non-nexus (or Moto G) devices for the HN crowd? I have yet to find anything even remotely close in terms of cost/performance. I can't fathom paying 600-1000 USD for an unlocked phone/tablet when one could be had for 200-400, especially considering the rapid product iteration cycles.

ntkachov 13y ago
My guess is that if your company will pay for your phone (some companies don't bother with desk phones so they will buy you a corporate cell phone) it doesn't really matter which phone you get.
bookwormAT 13y ago
I'm trying to justify the purchase of a HTC One at the moment, because it seems to be an awesome phone and I want a new toy. But for practical use there are no benefits. Not even if you have a older device. The One is maybe the most beautiful designed piece of hardware I have ever seen, but other than there is not much that I can do better with the One than with my Nexus 4. I still want that damn phone, though.
- JTon 13y ago
  I know those feels well. I've come to the conclusion that with the amount of time I spend using my phone, I shouldn't be bothered shelling out top dollar for one.
bluthru 13y ago
If it's your primary camera it's worthwhile to spend extra for better image quality.
eclipxe 13y ago
Features? Performance? Battery Life? Camera?
mmanfrin 13y ago
I've only used Nexus devices over the past 3+ years, and the only thing that has given me pause to consider something else is the HTC One -- with the M8, I might pick it up if they release a 'Google Play' edition (i.e., nexus in all but name). I just can't get behind carrier/manufacturer cruft. I also feel that Android itself iterates and innovates faster than Samsung/Moto/LG/anyone else can on their own, so those 'extras' are not at all extras.
- aeroevan 13y ago
  https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_m8 https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_m8 I'm also considering switching from Verizon just for this....
  - bookwormAT 13y ago
    unfortunately this is only available in the us right now
mikestew 13y ago
What justified it for me was a stylus on something that would fit in my pocket. No one but Samsung does it. In fact, the Surface Pro (noooo, thank you) is the only other device I know of regardless of size. If you just want a phone that can boot a mobile operating system, then perhaps a Nexus device will do it for you. But there are other phones that have features not included on the Nexus line that make them appealing to folks.
crymer11 13y ago
There are no modern Nexus phones for Verizon Wireless users. Your only legal option for a phone with an unlocked bootloader is the Moto X Developer Edition ($450).
pizza234 13y ago
I use the GPS a lot, and I don't use a data connection. I had an HTC and the GPS was terrible, then I switched to Samsung, and it worked well (for the S2 and S3, which I had). Since GPS performance is something that reviews apparently care little about, I'm not going to change brand, without having accurate GPS analyses at hand.
qq66 13y ago
I use an iPhone because whenever I find an app that I truly love (iMaschine, Machinariun, iSequence, Disney Animated, and now Microsoft Office) it's very frequently iOS exclusive. Of course the opposite might be true if I used Android but since I've observed the pattern only in iOS I stick with it.
vectorpush 13y ago
I bought the S4 last year, there were a few close options but the removable battery and flash memory slot made the difference for me among the premium android phones. I am also a big fan of the galaxy's screen, which I know is a deal breaker for some. After a year, I am definitely happy I could easily remove my battery the few times I needed to. The 64gb of flash memory has also been useful, not only for storing audobooks and podcasts (i have a 20 mile commute), but also for use as a portable drive utility for moving large files in unusual circumstances (for example, I wanted to grab a 10gb file from my father's desktop, he has a 1Mbit internet connection, so having 40gb of free space on my phone was quite handy).
yaakov34 13y ago
I know it's going to sound like heresy to many, but personally, I greatly prefer Samsung's interface to the generic Android. The large soft buttons take up a lot of the screen, and I don't like them. I also get a lot of use out of the removable battery and the SD card slot. As for the price, the differential seems like it's smaller outside the US, where the Nexus is barely marketed. And since I don't replace my phone that often, even a $200 difference is just not that critical.
- omonra 13y ago
  Same here. I actually went through the process of putting the stock S4 Google ROM on my S4 and hated it - and immediately went back to Samsung (just a random thing to illustrate - ability to reboot the phone by long-pressing on the power button and choosing 'Reboot'). There is certainly issue of bloatware - but you can either delete them (with Titanium Backup) or just hide the icons (in my launcher).

by FD3SA 13y ago

ntkachov 13y ago

My guess is that if your company will pay for your phone (some companies don't bother with desk phones so they will buy you a corporate cell phone) it doesn't really matter which phone you get.

bookwormAT 13y ago

I'm trying to justify the purchase of a HTC One at the moment, because it seems to be an awesome phone and I want a new toy. But for practical use there are no benefits. Not even if you have a older device. The One is maybe the most beautiful designed piece of hardware I have ever seen, but other than there is not much that I can do better with the One than with my Nexus 4. I still want that damn phone, though.

JTon 13y ago
I know those feels well. I've come to the conclusion that with the amount of time I spend using my phone, I shouldn't be bothered shelling out top dollar for one.

bluthru 13y ago

If it's your primary camera it's worthwhile to spend extra for better image quality.

eclipxe 13y ago

Features? Performance? Battery Life? Camera?

mmanfrin 13y ago

I've only used Nexus devices over the past 3+ years, and the only thing that has given me pause to consider something else is the HTC One -- with the M8, I might pick it up if they release a 'Google Play' edition (i.e., nexus in all but name). I just can't get behind carrier/manufacturer cruft. I also feel that Android itself iterates and innovates faster than Samsung/Moto/LG/anyone else can on their own, so those 'extras' are not at all extras.

aeroevan 13y ago
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_m8 https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_m8 I'm also considering switching from Verizon just for this....
- bookwormAT 13y ago
  unfortunately this is only available in the us right now

mikestew 13y ago

What justified it for me was a stylus on something that would fit in my pocket. No one but Samsung does it. In fact, the Surface Pro (noooo, thank you) is the only other device I know of regardless of size. If you just want a phone that can boot a mobile operating system, then perhaps a Nexus device will do it for you. But there are other phones that have features not included on the Nexus line that make them appealing to folks.

crymer11 13y ago

There are no modern Nexus phones for Verizon Wireless users. Your only legal option for a phone with an unlocked bootloader is the Moto X Developer Edition ($450).

pizza234 13y ago

I use the GPS a lot, and I don't use a data connection. I had an HTC and the GPS was terrible, then I switched to Samsung, and it worked well (for the S2 and S3, which I had). Since GPS performance is something that reviews apparently care little about, I'm not going to change brand, without having accurate GPS analyses at hand.

qq66 13y ago

I use an iPhone because whenever I find an app that I truly love (iMaschine, Machinariun, iSequence, Disney Animated, and now Microsoft Office) it's very frequently iOS exclusive. Of course the opposite might be true if I used Android but since I've observed the pattern only in iOS I stick with it.

vectorpush 13y ago

I bought the S4 last year, there were a few close options but the removable battery and flash memory slot made the difference for me among the premium android phones. I am also a big fan of the galaxy's screen, which I know is a deal breaker for some. After a year, I am definitely happy I could easily remove my battery the few times I needed to. The 64gb of flash memory has also been useful, not only for storing audobooks and podcasts (i have a 20 mile commute), but also for use as a portable drive utility for moving large files in unusual circumstances (for example, I wanted to grab a 10gb file from my father's desktop, he has a 1Mbit internet connection, so having 40gb of free space on my phone was quite handy).

yaakov34 13y ago

I know it's going to sound like heresy to many, but personally, I greatly prefer Samsung's interface to the generic Android. The large soft buttons take up a lot of the screen, and I don't like them. I also get a lot of use out of the removable battery and the SD card slot. As for the price, the differential seems like it's smaller outside the US, where the Nexus is barely marketed. And since I don't replace my phone that often, even a $200 difference is just not that critical.

omonra 13y ago
Same here. I actually went through the process of putting the stock S4 Google ROM on my S4 and hated it - and immediately went back to Samsung (just a random thing to illustrate - ability to reboot the phone by long-pressing on the power button and choosing 'Reboot'). There is certainly issue of bloatware - but you can either delete them (with Titanium Backup) or just hide the icons (in my launcher).