[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] sauron0101:
I've been debating with myself which phone to get - I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person in this boat so I made this thread.

My situation:

Nexus IV: $360 here in Canada

Note II: $400 here in Canada, although with a 3 year commitment ($40 a month for unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited data, although they throttle after 5gb, and unlimited nationwide text).

I'd use the same data plan if I got the Nexus, although on the plus side, I have no contract. Not too sure how big of a plus that is, as I don't want to swap from Wind Mobile.

Strongly leaning in favor of the Note II right now.

Nexus IV Advantages: Overall this phone is very similar to the Optimus G; not unlike the Nexus S and the i9000s.

- The SOC appears to be faster

- No Touchwiz (IMO Stock > anything the manufacturers come up with)

I personally do not care about the Wireless "charging orb" and think it's a gimmick; of limited use in the real world where one can simply connect a micro-USB.

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Nexus IV has is well ... a Nexus phone. That means that the development community around it will be much bigger, faster updates, and a 100% chance of Cyanogenmod. I'm not sure what's the Cyanogenmod prospects on the T889, but there is a beta one working for the N7100 and considering how similar this phone is to the international version. I don't know how big the development community for the T889 is going to be.

Note II Advantages: More or less a blown up Galaxy S3.

- Audio quality appears superior (Wolfson DAC); important to me; I keep a rooted voodoo Galaxy S variant just for the audio as a PMP; I am unsure at this time of what DAC the Nexus IV comes with, but having listened to the Galaxy S3 and the Optimus G

- Speaker appears to be superior (not a big deal IMO)

- Bigger screen (good for browsing and movies)

- S Pen (and everything that comes with it; probably the only custom thing that any manufacturer has done that has added value; well maybe Sense before Froyo added value to Android)

- Expandable storage (Nexus IV probably not enough to import a serious FLAC collection)

- Battery life (based on reviews, it looks like the Note II has a better battery life)

I would discourage people from using a "points" system to evaluate the 2 phones.

Areas for debate:

- Size .... I personally prefer a larger phone, up to debate though

- Screen; well it comes down to IPS vs Amoled. Both have outstanding viewing angles, and the Amoled isn't pentile (although not the traditional RGB either it seems). Amoled has deeper blacks, but the white reproduction isn't the greatest. IPS has better brightness and is better out in sunlight.

- Neither the Nexus IV nor the Note II can claim to have a better camera for taking images

- I'm not sure how well these phones will last over time - the glass back on the Nexus might be an area for concern; the Note II seems to do well in the drop tests though

- Pentaband phone (the T889 is pentaband as is the Nexus); not planning on making any international trips, but this would come in handy if it did

LG also seems to have a bad reputation; not too sure as I personally have never owned LG phones for an extended period, but my Samsung experiences have been positive.

Your thoughts?