Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Iphone 4S head to head review

I am so stuck on this right now! I am due for an upgrade very soon, but I cannot chose between these two phones. I have a new iPad at home, but I have a PC (soon getting a Mac for school... Looking into art..). I think that the iPhone would be nice because all of the apps I bought on my iPod and iPad could be carried over if they are compatible. I realize that some of them can be found on the android marketplace, like fruit ninja and cut the rope, but they will need to be bought again. Also, there are some games I cannot get on an android device like infinity blade. The screen size does not matter too much to me though, and I know I will not be carrying my iPad around with me everywhere so I will need a good substitute with everything I need. I don't rely on the google we devices too much, but the customization is what grabs me in. I don't know what to chose! Help me!

Well done, excellent review and easy to understand. Loved the visuals when explaining differences. The other challenge with the GN is the speaker phone volume is lower than the samsung galaxy s2, this is a shame as I enjoyed using the speaker on my samsung galaxy s2 but the GN is not as good, otherwise love the GN.

I do like the free market Android community and the Nexus design, which makes it easier to hold.. but I still prefer the iPhone as it has a better camera, better and reliable apps and smooth transitions.

I'm not going to lie, this review was decent but it was also kind of moot. To me it is clear the 4S is in par with the Sg s2 but below the GN. However, I just hope no reviewer ever picks the 4S for any reason or else the ceaseless flaming comments by Fandroids will reign supreme.

Thanks for the review, I actually really liked it! I have read a lot of reviews comparing the iphone 4s to galaxy nexus and this one is by far the best. You do not just state the facts but you also apply them to what they actually mean in terms of phone's performance. It was a great read, I do not think it is biased where you would say what you prefer it was clearly outlined and why, but you left windows open for readers to form their own opinions. I am currently looking to switch to a smart phone but I have to be locked in for 3 years, and this review made me appreciate GN way more! While I fall into the stereotype of a girl going for things because they look good, I would have chosen the iphone - so pretty in white! After reading this review other features important to me lie with GN, i like the customizability of the phone, the longer battery life, 4G, and foremost bigger screen. I am a notorious texter and I need a great texting phone, i hate virtual keyboard, with an Iphone I can buy a bluetooth slideout qwerty keyboard BUT that would swallow up an already weaker battery life of the phone, so the larger screen and thus buttons seem to be better.

In the end I think I'll get the GN, it can be updated and improved, has a bigger screen, has widgets and many features can be accessed for free.

Thanks@

Why the hell is the INQ bent on writing "Iphone" instead of using the correct spelling, which is iPhone?

Honestly, i dislike the iphone compared to most android devices, but this at least showed that although good, it does have some minor flaws as compared to the iphone. The major flaw that i have with both phones is the lack of SD slot. I want to just club the guy at Google who decided first with the Nexus S and now with this, that there should be no SD slot. Currently i have a Nexus S and love it, but that would be the only gripe i had. I was thinking about about getting an upgrade for this phone, but obviously not, I guess i'll go for the Galaxy S II and wait for the update to ISC

I've changed networks and upgraded from iPhone 4 to 4s, all in search of being able to make calls. And all to no avail. The iPhone is RUBBISH as a voice communications device, which is a key and primary function that the review TOTALLY ignored.
Two colleagues can regularly make quality calls on the same network when the iPhone tells me there is no signal, or starts the call only to drop it 2 minutes in.
IF you depend on your handset for telephony the iPhone is NOT the way to go.
Any explanation of the absence of this point from the review, guys??

I find the iPhone picture over saturated compared to the Galaxy Nexus, but then again a lot of the comparisons are personal preferences...like some people like BMW more than Audi or Benz...etc., but they're all elegant creations

First I have to say that anyone claiming bias in this review needs to remove their heads from an orifice which will remain nameless and then go look up the definition of bias in a dictionary. This review presented the facts both good and bad for both devices as well as the INQ's staff's personal opinions but they were stated as opinions. They never attempt to mislead you by stating opinions as facts nor do they show any real form of favoritism.

Now then that said overall it's a good review but I disagree with the conclusion. Yes you could give the subjective choice but realistically the Nexus is the better choice. The iPhone 4s's primary advantages are a normally brighter screen, a better picture quality from the camera and better voice recognition. The problem is none of these three make it worth choosing over the Nexus. In the case of the brighter screen this is going to lead to lower battery life even after they fix the battery bug, assuming they ever do, just like it does when you turn the Nexus' screen up to a similar brightness. As for the camera the color issue on the Nexus can be easily fixed via editing and to be fair the 4s being less grainy when zooming is worthless cause who uses zoom when taking pictures with their phone, regardless anyone that's using their phone as a serious camera instead of even the cheapest of digital camera which will produce better results and have a true optical zoom is a fool. Finally there is the voice recognition which credit where credit is due it does work better but as pointed out it only works well under optimal conditions, it lacks important functions and the functions it does have can be done just as easily without it's use under virtually any conditions short of having your hands removed.

Covococ

Both phones are comparable. Therefor decisions on th better phone come down to small matters which boil down to what phone user subjectively feels are more important features for their phone eg aesthetics, connectivity between devices . I therefore really don't agree with this being an objective review as it seems that the conclusion was made on subjective preferences of what a phone should be

So who's going to roll out the lawyers next for the 'theft' of the microphone icon...?

The review had some really good points but they were mixed in within what I felt was too much opinion and not enough facts. FOX NEWS OF REVIEWS.

But I think you voiced your personal opinion too much making it a biased review. Im looking to switch from iPhone 4 to galaxy nexus just for something new and even though you expressed valid strong points for each phone. The nit pickling at the little stuff like iTunes (which I never found to be a problem). Can't we get just one straight forward review? All these fanboys on either side make it difficult to trust any reviews

Good review, but id like to point out a few mistaken facts. 1: the volume bug on the galaxy nexus has already been fixed in a silent roll out. 2: there is also a 32G version of the galaxy nexus 3: Google voice is not a voice recognition software, it is a google service that gives u a free phone number and unlimited minutes and texts for free, it also gives you highly advanced routing and call screening features. HOWEVER, there IS voice recognition on the galaxy nexus and it has been in android since day one, it's called google voice recognition... it can do most of what siri can do minus the dynamic canned responses siri feeds back to you

Hope this info helped some people

Response:
Hi Grim,
I have updated the article to include the fact that the volume bug fix should be rolled out by the end of this week. In the UK only the 16GB version is on sale at present and although Wikipedia suggests that there is a 32GB version, Google's official specs page lists only 16GB at present - http://www.google.co.uk/nexus/#/tech-specs. As you pointed out the voice recognition on the Nexus is called Google voice recognition and not Google Voice, this has been amended. Thanks

Khidr

I've lost whatever respect I once had for Cnet. Always felt Bonny Cha's cellphone (remember those days before smartphones were so common?)reviews with the rare exception were credible. Always gave them deference. However...it started when I noticed that Cnet's car reviews seemed really really bad. Almost like they were being sponsored by Toyota. It was only after I noticed their blatant Apple bias I started paying less attention to their review.

That's why I say goodbye cnet, hello inquirer.

This is by far the best comparison I have read on the net. Well done!

I'm so glad this head to head review is objective. Most of the reviews I've read was certainly biased towards iPhone (therefore created by an iFan), and they claimed to be objective... well done here.

I'd just like to point out that as of the publishing date of the article Google has started rolling out a fix for the Nexus volume bug.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/samsung-galaxy-nexus-volume-bug-fix-tested-it-works-50006318/

Apart from that, great review.

Just to be clear. The feature you were comparing to Siri is called Google Search. Google Voice is a service that allows you to have another phone # added to your phone as well as free SMS service. And Galaxy Nexus is able to connect to HSPA+ (4G) in GSA version.

Did you mean Cupertino?

I think it's worth noting for the US visitors to this page, that the Galaxy Nexus is 4G LTE, not just 3G like the iPhone. I think this is quite the tip of the scale for US consumers who will gain access to the Galaxy Nexus soon.

We own both iOS and Android in our family, and we love both. And this is one of the first informative and unbiased review i've come across, regarding an Android device. Please keep bring in more review like this. Thank you.

Great review!!!! Those is a perfect example of what cnet should have done. Those co*k suckers are so biased its not even funny. Thanks for keeping it real.

Well done guys,
I have to agree with the other comments, one of the best head to head reviews ive read in a long time, keep up the good work!

So was the picture of the Nexus (laying on the table) taken with the iphone? Good review of the phones...

Perfectly balanced and unbiased review!!!
And I have a sweet tooth like you do and eye on future which is Android and more ever I am free bird and like to fly in the open sky (android).

A review that actually chose a side at the end instead of just saying "its up to the buyer"?!?!?! this is amazing!! I'm coming here more often.

I mean you guys could've chosen the iPhone and it still would have been cool :b

... but refreshingly unbiased by Inq standards. As has been pointed out, the whole thing is subjective - it depends which ecosystem you prefer.

If you already have an iPhone, then an Android phone has to have more than just parity to overcome the junking of all the iOS apps you've paid for. Ditto for Android, though people don't seem to spend as much on apps.

I would take issue with the iTunes = Pain In Butt, as that really only applies to the Windows version (not that I'm excusing Apple for releasing poor software, even if it is for the competition).

I enjoyed the read, thanks for it. I'm not saying it just because you chose the GN over the i4S; which is my choice without even having touched the GN. You took two high end devices and looked at every aspect and reviewed them by their strengths. I don't recall reading a voice recognition head-to-head, but I am sure there are some out there.

This is, in my opinion, one of the most unbiased reviews of a head-to-head overlook of two different products and how they may meet a consumer's needs.

In the end, the better phone is subjective.