Galaxy Nexus: To return or roll the dice on an update? The issues had by many, the Q's we all have.

Question

Hey all,
I'm in a bit of a pickle and was curious what other nexus owners would have to offer. First of all, Im not just trolling the boards, Ive been doing a lot of extensive research on these problems and have found that Im not the only one experiencing them and, at least until this fabled 4.0.3 update comes along, there is no real "fix" except perhaps to swap out the phone and hope it doesnt act the same way, or continue going around with a phone you paid 5 bills for, knowing that it works worse than your treo 750 of yore. So let me explain the deal...
I got the GNex on the 15th, one of the first in line. I love the phone (screen quality, ICS, camera, etc) but have since had a fair number of issues. The battery problem, well, its a 4G phone with a huge display so I can live with the fact that I have 2 batteries for it and one extended. Im not complaining about it being a juice hog (it is), I can live with that. Furthermore, theres a lot of speculation that the juice problem is a correlation of the 4G "lock on signal issue" that myself and many others are having, and that if verizon/google does release this next update, it should eliviate both issues. The main issue with my signal is the fact that I cant lock on to a good 4G or 3G signal. After turning on the screen, the phone searches for 4G, eventually aquires a signal but will also eventually lose it and be in "data limbo" where its unable to get to a stable 3G signal and hovers below 1X, being effectively useless for a phone or mobile data device. The area I live in has fine 4G and even better 3G, yet when I've tried to set the phone to 3G as the preffered network, it has an even tougher time aquiring a 3G signal than it does a 4G one. It just seems to always be looking for 4G, which is a possible reason for the battery woes myself and a great deal of us are going through. Im upset that Verizon did acknowlege there was an issue with the phones signal and that it would be addressed via update, but then 2 days later, pulled a 360 and said that "there is no performance issues with the phone whatsover and the update 4.0.3 will address a problem with the signal reading of the phone". This is upsetting. I was in my local verizon store, where, god bless em, they didnt even know how to look up the signal strength on the phone, let alone how to interpret the numbers. I showed the "tech support" woman my signal strength of -75dbm in contrast to a driod razors of 55db, and she immedietly said "Oh, see! You have a stronger signal. Thats good." I then told her that 75 is a horrible signal compared to 55 and she managed to wipe the egg of her face, looking fine in her verizon skirt but not knowing anything when it comes to the questions I had at hand.
Recently my phone has been having the random reboots that a great deal of us have had aswell. Once while driving and listening to music via bluetooth and last night after shutting the phone down, it immedietly rebooted. (Google nexus auto reboot and youll see what im talking about). Its happened a few more times than this, but these times are the ones I remember exactly what I was doing with it, and, lets face it, 1 reboot for a new GNex is one too many; this phone is too hardcore and beefy to suffer from reboots. My phone is not rooted and I have minimal apps installed from my HTC incredible, most of which are news reading apps like CNN or google currents, which arent running in the background and only use data when I open the app. I havent even been executing any apps with regular frequency except google music which I use on the regular. Im about to do another hard reset and install no apps at all and see how it fairs. The signal issue is one thing, and I am hopeful that it will be addressed in this next update, but the fact that I dont have a lot of apps (especially any that I would see causing a hardware conflict needing a reboot) and Im still getting this occasional reboot, is troubling, to say the least. Again: I absolutely love this phone. Im a gadget freak, have had many a smartphone and I really like the formfacter, OS and screensize/density of this device. Its also my first nexus device, which I've waited for since the nexus one came out on Tmobile and I was still loyal to big red. I like the nexus line because its to be the hackers phone, a phone for developers, freakers, pirates, what have you. Ive always loved that idea, as I wear a few of those hats but...my confidence is sorely shaken.
I have until the 15th to take the phone back and am toying with the idea of swapping out one for a "newer" one, as Ive read that people with compaints similar to mine have done so and had great success with their "newer" replacement phones, but theres also the possibility that this is just a problem with the GNex as a whole, or a large batch of em so that I could switch out again and again and I'll always get one with a defect of some kind, that wont be able to be fixed with an update, and I'll be stuck with my super expensive, super awesome phone that works poorer than a cheap prepaid moto flip phone.
Im wondering if anyone else is having these issues and how they plan about going about it. In my mind, if I swap out this phone and am stuck with another "lemon"(if thats even the problem, a QC issue) then Im stuck with that one indefenetly. I talked to the verizon rep in the store and asked that if I wanted to bring it back for a refund, to wait until the bugs are officially sorted out, would I have to pay the restock fee? The answer was an absolute and cold "yes". Im cool with restock fees, but not if the device I bought has any many issues as this phone I have, and many of you out there as well. Im very torn. I've had a taste of ICS and dont wanna go back to anything else. Its possible to wait till ICS comes to the Droid Razer, which had a nice screen, better battery life and a signal stronger by 20dbm then the GNex. Also, I havent seen nearly as many problems with reboots, forceclosing and droped signals as with the GNex. But still...I just want the GNex to be "the one".
Anyone have any experience swapping out their phones for "newer ones"? The woman at verizon did a hard reset and noted it in my account but would not yet do a sim card swap or reactivation, as (Im guessing) she just wants to take away as much time from me as possible before the 15th comes. A hard reset does nothing. I still get the reboots and signal issues with a clean slate. Do we think, for sure that the issues myself and a lot of you are in fact software related, eble to be fixed via updates? Or is it still possible that this device is mechanically flawed? And that if we stick with out GNex's, even though we love how they feel in our hands, the screen, the OS, the google branding, that we will be stuck with something of inferior performance/stability? I know my question is kinda broad and not too specific. Im asking a lot, from any direction, any input from someone not wearing a verizon badge will help. The clock is ticking. I love this phone, I just want it or the replacement I get to work and be stable and it scares me, pinning my hopes on a replacement device or an update that has yet to surface, whose original purpose was to "fix signal issues with regards to the GNex" but now, it seems, is meerly out there to "better visualize an accurate signal strength" of a device that supposedly "doesnt suffer from any perfomance issues at all". Im guessing big red has never had their brand new top of the line GNex reboot on them while shutting down or simply doing its job: to serve as a mobile device.
Thanks for any and all input on what to do. Its like asking a buddy if the girl your seeing is right for you. All I want is some honest input as I am head over heels, less the fact that she doesnt work all the time and is so unstable she needs meds of some kind.
Cheers.

Answer 1

Wow, well thanks for your replies guys. Thanks for not bashing me or anything like that. Its a very tough predicament a lot of us seem to be in. I have a problem with hyping myself up for things. I will never forgive George Lucas for the last Indiana Jones movie, but this device, its so much more personal. Our phones are all extensions of us and the fact that I and others have been salivating for this phone for quite some time, only to run into a bevy of issues, well...it doesnt make it any easier, as I still wanna believe in this phone. I still want it to be my daily driver. Im just glad Im not the only one stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had a pretty unflatering day with it today, with a couple of data conection issues, then went back to 3G mode have still had terrible servie (in a well lit 3G area) as well as battery woes. Im gonna go to verizon this upcoming week but its really hard trying to formulate a game plan. If I exchange it than I feel as though I've made my bed with this phone, for the next two years, but if I return it, Im still going to have to pay 15% of the $500 I forked out for it, to have only rented a lackluster nexus for 2 weeks. This...is not right. I stil dont have an answer, but im glad there are others like me. I still do like it, its like your mother meeting a chick and saying "shes not right for you" but you still find yourself talking through her logic and reasoning, hoping your still togather in the coming months.
I was wondering, Ive been thinking about the warrenty procedure with verizon and the nexus. I do have the full insurence but am not sure if I make a claim, weather or not they will send me a refurbished or used device (I dont want that). If I wait and dont exchenge or return it, or even if I do exchange it and still run into problems, will the warenty cover me if a hardware flaw is discovered on these earlier batches of nexus'? Im not new to being a first adopter to technology and Im not a fan of the whole iphone fad, but I did wait outside ATT for the first gen iphone and was much more happier with that thing than this. I didnt have a quarter of the problems of dissatisfication as this thing. The word "bugs" is completely understated when talking about my experience thus far. Just wanna make sure Im covered. I dont know how much big red really has our backs and Im not fabricating the problems I and others have faced. I think we all deserve a pat on the back for being so paitent and willing to continue to give our GNex's more chances. I trust google too, or, at least I want to. I really hope I make the right decision and it all works out. I was reading another review today which said a scary reality that I cant stop thinking about. In a few months we're sure to see a bevy or 4.0 devices and when that comes, the GNex may lose its one redeaming attribute. If it still has these types of problems (Signal issues, reboots, stabilty, batt power, etc) then we are stuck with what is basically an outdated lemon for the next two years. A lemon that was supposed to be king of the hill for some time, and which we all paied way, way too much for. Im sad I missed out on the Nexus one and even sader about the Nexus S. I know the S has had similar issues when it first came out, I just am scared going day to day, hoping a fix arises.They were eventually fixed (for the most part). Hoping so with this device...its just a terrible feeling as Im unhappy yet want it to work, desperatly.
And 21stNow: I like your question of weather or not I'd be willing to put up with this stuff until March 2012...I can answer right now, unequivocally yes. I love the phone (or atleast I want to love it that much). But Im very scared in the possibility of there being a major hardware issue or them just never correctly addressing the issues, leaving us GNex users out on the learch. Ive seen it with other pieces of tech. The fact that big red admitted there was an issue then turning around and saying that theres nothing wrong with the phone is a slap to myself and every one else whose had signal problems, reboot issues, etc. Furthermore, the fact that I got a phone that doesnt work as well as others who rave about not having one of these issues is disturbing. So I and others just got bad luck, with a bad batch? I find that hard to believe. We paid just as much, if not more (I had to get the accessory pack with my store when I bought it so that jacked up the price considerably) and should not be the black sheep of the gang, while others run free without issues or worries about their beloved device.Why cant either all the GNex's either work 100% or not? Its terrible, hearing both sides of the experience. This is what keeps me up at night while the clock nears the 15th. But at least I still have a horse in the race as I have yet to take it back indefentely. 
We are not alone in our feelings and troubles.