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5 Reasons Not to Buy the Verizon Galaxy Nexus

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Last week, Verizon finally launched the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus on its 4G LTE network. The device is the first 4G LTE Nexus, the second Nexus developed by Samsung and the third Nexus device that has launched to consumers. We reviewed it and lo and behold, we liked what we saw. The Galaxy Nexus is a solid device. In fact, it’s the best Android device that we’ve come across in our travels.

However, just because it’s a good phone, doesn’t mean it’s for everybody. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why you might not want to make Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Nexus your next smartphone.

Here’s a look at five of those reasons.

Galaxy Nexus

Poor Battery Life

Galaxy NexusThe biggest knock that we had on the Verizon variant of the Galaxy Nexus was that it’s battery life is horrid. And this isn’t just some isolated issue. It was terrible across the board amongst those here at GBM that are in possession of one.

It was understandable when the HTC ThunderBolt and some of the phones that came after it had poor battery life but we’re now just over a year into the life of Verizon’s 4G LTE network and you would think that they would have figured out the issue by now.

Battery life is likely why Apple didn’t release a 4G LTE phone this year. It wants to make sure that it has fantastic battery life, something that most if not all of these 4G LTE Android phones lack.

So, just how bad was the Galaxy Nexus’ battery life?

This bad.

It doesn’t help that the extended battery is a mere 2,100 mAh, just a tad bigger than the 1,800 mAh battery that comes with the Galaxy Nexus.

That being said, if you’re a power user, you’re going to be lucky to get a full day’s use out of your Galaxy Nexus. You’ll probably get far less. If you’re an average user, you might be able to get a day’s usage out of it but again, we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath.

4G LTE Isn’t In Your Area

Verizon’s 4G LTE network is now a year old. And in that year, Verizon has managed to get its next-gen data speeds out to 200 million Americans in 190 markets across the United States. No small feat.

Still, there is much work to be done as the network still doesn’t blanket the entire country in these LTE data speeds.

The Galaxy Nexus is a 4G LTE phone. If you don’t have 4G LTE in your area, you cannot access LTE data speeds. Speeds that are up to 10 times faster than normal 3G speeds. If that’s the case, then the Galaxy Nexus is a 3G phone until LTE arrives in your market.

And it’s not cheap.

The Galaxy Nexus is $299 on-contract, the new premium that Verizon charges for its 4G LTE smartphones. After everything is said and done, you’re looking at almost $400 up front, not to mention the data plan that you’ll be paying for for two years.

So, if you don’t have 4G LTE just yet, it might be worth looking at something more cost effective to hold you over until the network does arrive in your area.

Tiered Data

Speaking of data plans, if you’re someone that’s currently not on Verizon, you’re going to have to pair up your new Galaxy Nexus with a tiered data plan. What’s a tiered data plan? It means that you’re going to be capped at a certain level of data.

Verizon currently offers 2GB, 5GB and 10GB per month data plans that cost $30, $50 and $80. For every additional 1GB that you go over, you’ll be charged an extra $10. Right now, you can get double data, but it is a limited time promotion.

What this means is that there is no true unlimited data for new Verizon customers. Which means that you’re going to have to really watch yourself, especially because the Galaxy Nexus is a 4G LTE device.

What do we mean by that? Just wait until you see how fast browsing the web is. Just wait until you start wanting to watch Netflix on your way home from work. All of that will start adding up and before you know it, you’ll be shelling out more than you thought you would.

You’re OK With The Waiting Game

Maybe you’re not sold on Android just yet. Maybe you’re excited about what’s coming at CES in January or at the Mobile World Congress in February. Maybe you crave a quad-core phone. Whatever the case may be, as is always the case in the land of smartphones, there are exciting things on the horizon.

From Tegra 3 powered superphones to Nokia Windows Phone to LTE powered Windows Phones, the early part of 2012 should be chock full of new devices that might rival the Galaxy Nexus for your heart.

HTC Edge

The HTC Edge is rumored to be a quad-core beast.

Now, we’re not saying that they are definitively going to be better than the Nexus but we’ll say this. If you’re not 100% sold on the Galaxy Nexus, and you’re able to wait, you might want to do just that.

The Nexus isn’t going anywhere and CES and Nokia’s debut in the United States are just a few weeks away.

iPhone 4SThe LTE iPhone

And while some phones are just weeks away, another phone looms far off in the distance. That phone, of course, is the new iPhone. As we said, Apple has been rumored to be releasing a 4G LTE phone next year. If that happens, it will be the first iPhone capable of running on 4G LTE networks.

Needless to say, people are intrigued. As they should be. Apple’s iPhone 4S is a fantastic piece of hardware that has equally fantastic software on board. If Apple is able to improve on both of those, while throwing 4G LTE into the mix (with good battery life), then the next iPhone is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Also, lest we forget, the iPhone is currently available on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. AT&T should have a bigger LTE footprint come iPhone 5 launch. Sprint might have its 4G LTE network deployed in time and Verizon will certainly be offering it.

The Galaxy Nexus is only available on Verizon.

A choice of carrier and a phone that could be a blockbuster might be worth the 6-10 month wait to some of you.

Before you dismiss it completely, be sure to read our five reasons why you might want to pick up a Galaxy Nexus.

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. Bby

    12/19/2011 at 2:27 pm

    sounds like another apple fanboy written article to me…

    • Kavin Nguyen

      12/19/2011 at 2:37 pm

      Seriously. They write some really dumb articles just to get people to go on their site. They have like 10 users. I think I should stop following this site.

    • LibDawg

      12/23/2011 at 11:18 am

      No doubt.  My wife and I both just received our new phones.  Her’s is the 4S, mine is the Galaxy Nexus.  Mine blows hers away.  Good thing she loves hers.

  2. Gspotman

    12/20/2011 at 1:21 am

    burn in hell writer

    your obviously an idiot ass fanboy

  3. Patrick Wissinger

    12/21/2011 at 2:53 am

    AT&T is way behind on LTE footprint compared to Verizon…. The only advantage AT&T has is integration of LTE tech with GSM is much easier than LTE with CDMA, which is where all the issues with Verizon’s LTE devices/network are coming up….

  4. Mnovosel

    12/26/2011 at 11:33 pm

    What a poor article. The first reason is the only legitimate point about the phone. The others are either about the network or what’s coming in the future. Gee you mean that if 4g isn’t in my area that I might be paying more for a phone than I should or there might be new phone on the market in the next month or 3? Wow, what a great reason.

  5. Bill Kilpatrick

    05/17/2012 at 10:23 pm

    What a crap review!

    First, the biggest issue – poor battery life – is easily managed. In less than 30 seconds, the Nexus can be toggled back and forth between “full on” and “quiet mode” by simply switching data on/off and toggling between LTE and CMDA. If you’re not using the phone except in standby, where you can get calls and texts without using LTE or data updates, you can greatly extend even the slim 1850 mAH battery that comes with the phone. At 2100 mAH, Samsung’s extended battery gives you significantly more juice. But for less than $30, you can switch to a 3800 mAH battery, providing 500 mAH more juice than the Razr Maxx, which is the market leader in battery life, but which can’t swap batteries and tops out at 3300 mAH.

    As for LTE coverage, it’s practically everywhere. And where it isn’t yet, Verizon’s CMDA is hardly any slower than the 3G coverage you’re stuck with when you’re running an iPhone 4S. Covering 200 million Americans, across 190 markets, is pretty impressive. That means that 2/3 of the country is on the LTE grid. If you live so far out in the sticks that you’re getting techno-scooped by 2/3 of the country, maybe a smartphone isn’t for you. Try two cans and a piece of string. If that doesn’t work, I’ve got a buddy who works with pigeons.

    As for the horrors of the tiered data plans, the choices are simple. There are carriers who engage in a one-size-fits-all, attracting heavy data users, who are streaming movies and playing RPG games as if the bandwidth were infinite. They will offer a single price and get heavy usage that will bog their network down. Then there are pricing plans that make heavy users pay a little more for their habits. Unlike AT&T, Verizon never automatically downgraded even these users’ download speeds once they hit a certain point. Verizon has adopted a policy of slowing such users only during peak usage periods, and only to the extent necessary to make the network available to all users. This is really a non-issue.

    In the meantime, the idea of holding out, indefinitely, for the release of the iPhone 5 is a little like waiting for the Red Sox to win the World Series. If and when Apple releases the iPhone with LTE, it will join the rest of the cell-phone makers who are already there. And when it does, it will have the same burdens as all of the others, including the challenge of maintaining long battery life. Apple has already announced that its newer, larger screen will tap out at 4 inches, which is a modest increase in size, just enough to step away from its increasingly less attractive spot at or near the bottom of display sizes. Cute can be wonderful, but what good is a retina display if you can barely see the video you’re watching?

    • Samsungstealspatents

      09/19/2012 at 6:22 am

      Your comment about buying additional or more powerful batteries baffles me. If your spending a ton of money on a new smart phone, why would you spend extra money for larger batteries? That doesn’t make any sense..you just need to buy a bettr engineered phone to begin with. Then your complained about the screen the iPhone screen size is a selfish complaint. I tried the huge phone that Samsung has come out with…and they are way to big for a pocket or to fit comfortable in the palm of your hand. If a 4 inch screen isn’t big enough..get a tablet.

  6. robert balfacian

    07/13/2012 at 10:41 pm

    You cant say don’t buy it because of data plan and in your reason to buy article say buy because of data plan. And verizon covers most of america now with 4g. You’re dumb.

  7. Joseph Gallo

    07/28/2012 at 6:09 pm

    this article suck and so as the author. Sprint’s Galaxy nexus a bit better compare to Verizon. this article is just another Iphone fanboy shit!

  8. Kevin

    08/20/2012 at 4:22 pm

    usually when i get a new phone, it takes about 6 months before i start to get tired of it and bog down for the yearly wait. but the GN is pretty much future proof. (2 year contract future proof at least) sure. maybe there are 5 reasons to NOT get the GN. But there are hundreds to get it. Just to name a few…
    FULL HD SCREEN… 720p. Not 680×940. 316ppi. iPhone is 326. Not much higher. Pretty close to the iPhone. And if youre an iPhone fanboy, screen is all you care about besides the shiny half eaten apple on the back.
    1.2 GHz Dual Core. Pretty awesome. Yes, the 4s does have dual core. but it’s underclocked.
    4G LTE. Bitch Please… iPhone is on 3G. 4G lte is much worth carrying a charger every once in a while.
    No shutter lag… tap and shoot. fast.
    First to the updates. (Sorta)
    And FOR ANDROID IN GENERAL… There is only 1 iPhone. Youre stuck with it. Want a keyboard? too bad. Want a bigger screen? youre stuck with 3.5
    And that’s just to name a few.

  9. sd

    09/09/2012 at 2:58 pm

    you shouldn’t but the nexus because of the iphone lte… really?

    what about the galaxy s3? The iphone will have a hard time beating it.

    The battery isn’t great but boy does it charge fast.

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