If you're a Hacker News user who wants an Android phone, you probably shouldn't be buying anything that isn't Nexus-branded. The Galaxy Nexus is great, but there's usually a new Nexus each winter.

Google are rumoured to be announcing several (five?) new Nexus devices in October/November this year[1].

I'll probably buy my first Android device when they do. As a long-time iPhone user, the Android device market has been utterly bewildering to me. It took me a while to discover that the Nexus handsets were the only ones that (a) offered the naked/unskinned Android experience and (b) received Android updates from Google directly independent of network provider schedules (I think?).

Allowing handset manufacturers to skin the Android UI and bolt on their own wacky additions, then letting carriers determine when updates are provided has diluted and confused the Android handset marketplace, in my opinion. As an end-user, it is not just a choice between hardware; I also have to work out which manufacturer has 'reinterpreted' the Android UI, and which carrier will let me update the phone. (And I still haven't worked out how OS updates work if I buy a second-hand device off contract.) It can be wonderful to have such choice, but the Android phone market is far more confusing than the iPhone one.

[1]: http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/15/3022682/google-direct-sale...

Isn't the Galaxy Nexus $350 or so right now? It's a steal for a phone this great. I'm in love with mine.

Exactly the hidden issue here is whether you will have the newest version of Android or just be stuck on an old version. People are even still selling ICS capable phones with Android 2.3 today.

I might turn out to be mistaken, but I also have some level of confidence that Motorola's commitment to prompt Android upgrades will be considerably higher than it has been in the past. So for Verizon users especially, this should open up several possible additional models.

Actually the more relevant news for the HN crowd is the new Nexus phone user agent.

http://pocketnow.com/2012/09/16/galaxy-nexus-plus-rumor/

I don't get this. The S III has much better specs then the Nexus and with CyanogenMod 10 it runs great. Why is the Nexus so special other then being a AOSP phone? Also, camera sucks I hear

AFAIK, google's update for ICS to JB is only available in Goolge Nexus till now. So Samsung S3/2 will get updates probably a bit later. :)

But again, install CyanogenMod 10 and you have Jelly Bean, pretty much stock. I still don't see the draw

> install CyanogenMod 10

This bit is the problem. I don't jailbreak a device before I am ready to throw it away. I've seen too many issues with non-official hacks of various sorts. Nothing major; just rough edges.

Samsung made it really easy to install Cyanogenmod on Galaxy phones.

They even provide an official tool for rooting.

There's pretty much no chance of bricking your phone, and if you go with a stable CM build, you shouldn't have any problems.

There isn't (yet) a great version of CM10 or any AOSP based rom out for the S3:

http://get.cm/?device=i9300&type=stable

... while the Galaxy Nexus has already gotten its OTA update. Closest I've found is the SuperNexus ROM, but even that's still glitchy.

AOSP.

This is commonly referred to as the Osborne effect. Apple have a similar issue when the rumours of the next iPhone start making the rounds.

With Apple it's likely less of an issue considering they have an impressive profit margin on their products and a strong lock on their target market. If the recently announced iPhone doesn't sound too impressive the customers are still likely to buy it as they're unlikely to consider other alternatives as an interim.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_effect

mmm. Advantages & disadvantages.

As mac user, I feel like they have a strong lock on me. Since product releases are infrequent and I wil own it for 4-5 years, I hesitate when buying a new one (I don't want to start 18 months behind).

Androids move fast enough that buying a new one you are guaranteed to find yourself a few months behind within a few months. But, it will only be a few months.

Yes, with Apple, arleast you know you've got their 'latest and greatest' for an entire year (and it will take Apple two years to launch a new model). To already see the Galaxy 3 now makes the 2 feel like yesterday's toy. The timing of this news suggests they're trying to attrack iphone buyers, but the overall feeling I get is they envy Apple. (Also because Samsung feels the need to compare their phone with the new iphone).

Actually, a friend bought a S2 a few weeks back. It still works brilliantly!

Isn't the Galaxy S2 a year old now? It's yesterday's toy in the same sense that an iPhone 4S is -- it's last year's model.

Don't the Galaxy and the iPhone have a very similar product life cycle (one device each year)?

well this one is going to be 9 months. i don't know what the time between s2 and s3 was.

As far as I know, the Galaxy S3 was released somewhere in May last year. If Samsung presents the S4 at MWC in February, the release date will be similar.

And the iPhone releases are not always exactly 12 months apart from each other as well, right?

Exactly, they will only show it in February, but most probably, they will start selling it 2/3 months later.