Develop Bugs

US galaxy s3 vs HTC ONE XL

I basically wanted to see what are people opinion on this because both phones have qualcoms snapdragon s4, dual core, lte, really the only difference is that the s3 has 2gigs of ram. And as I'm a big gamer I'm going to choose the s3 because the extra gig will help performance, any thoughts?

yotorogo said:
I basically wanted to see what are people opinion on this because both phones have qualcoms snapdragon s4, dual core, lte, really the only difference is that the s3 has 2gigs of ram. And as I'm a big gamer I'm going to choose the s3 because the extra gig will help performance, any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say it like this,if you want Amoled go with Samsung.If you dont care about Amoled then there are plenty of other choices out there with equal power.
I play games too but my ram never went beyond 1GB,regardless i would still go with GS3.I had 3 gs phones and never found anything that could rival them.
But i do think extra ram does increase performance because sometimes android it self uses over 700mb of ram.

RAM doesn't affect performance unless you have too little. Even the Nexus 7 has 1GB of RAM. The 2GB is there just because they were making up for swapping out the processors. As an i9300 owner, I'll say this: The One X looks and feels better, but it's nothing a case can't take care of. Now, between the One XL and the S3, I'd choose the S3 for a few important reasons:
1. One XL only has like 9GB of usable storage. No memory card slot.
2. No removable battery - if you swap batteries or just wanna replace it after two years, you can't.
3. ROMs - You need to give your IMEI to HTC to get a partial bootloader unlock, and it voids your warranty.

Product F(RED) said:
RAM doesn't affect performance unless you have too little. Even the Nexus 7 has 1GB of RAM. The 2GB is there just because they were making up for swapping out the processors. As an i9300 owner, I'll say this: The One X looks and feels better, but it's nothing a case can't take care of. Now, between the One XL and the S3, I'd choose the S3 for a few important reasons:
1. One XL only has like 9GB of usable storage. No memory card slot.
2. No removable battery - if you swap batteries or just wanna replace it after two years, you can't.
3. ROMs - You need to give your IMEI to HTC to get a partial bootloader unlock, and it voids your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, One XL is nice. But the SGS3 is a better choice!

I have the one x and the gs3 and its not even close the gs3 smokes the one x its not even close
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I have and use both on a daily basis and the OneX wins in my book it's has a waaay better screen (can barely see the screen on my s3 when its sunny out), build quality, camera, sound, and did I mention build quality I was very disappointed when I unboxed my s3 my first words was Damn this feels cheap I threw on the otterbox and wouldn't dream of leaving the house without it. The s3 does have good multitasking, on the onex it gets very annoying when you go back to what you were doing only to have to start over again
Sent from my Galaxy SIII using Tapatalk 2

thanks for all your reply's, im going to be getting the gs3, and personally i don't understand why people say the build quality on the gs3 feels cheap. My friends has one and he lets me use every now and then, and i like how it feels. Don't get me wrong the HTC ONE X has a better build quality but i don't think the gs3 is as bad as people are describing it. Because im going to be signing a 2 year contract with att, i think the gs3 would be a good choice because in a year from now when newer better phones are out the extra ram will help the gs3 be on par with the new phones in terms of performance

yotorogo said:
thanks for all your reply's, im going to be getting the gs3, and personally i don't understand why people say the build quality on the gs3 feels cheap. My friends has one and he lets me use every now and then, and i like how it feels. Don't get me wrong the HTC ONE X has a better build quality but i don't think the gs3 is as bad as people are describing it. Because im going to be signing a 2 year contract with att, i think the gs3 would be a good choice because in a year from now when newer better phones are out the extra ram will help the gs3 be on par with the new phones in terms of performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that motion
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yotorogo said:
thanks for all your reply's, im going to be getting the gs3, and personally i don't understand why people say the build quality on the gs3 feels cheap. My friends has one and he lets me use every now and then, and i like how it feels. Don't get me wrong the HTC ONE X has a better build quality but i don't think the gs3 is as bad as people are describing it. Because im going to be signing a 2 year contract with att, i think the gs3 would be a good choice because in a year from now when newer better phones are out the extra ram will help the gs3 be on par with the new phones in terms of performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S2, in comparison felt cheap even though it was as high end as you could get. HTC always builds sturdier phones. But the S3 is different; even though it feels plasticky, its clearly a huge improvement in build quality.

I love how misinformed people are. The extra gigabyte isn't going to improve performance noticeably, if at all. As someone above me said even the nexus 7 uses 1gig of ram. Now you could argue that it was for pricing purposes, but android runs similarly to Linux. The more ram being used the better. You're never going to have a problem multitasking, even with only one gig of ram. If you really want to see improvement use an aosp rom. While there's no hardware acceleration on third party launchers as there is touchwiz, touchwiz itself uses more ram than anything
Swyped from a Galaxy S2

Dunno why people keep saying that the 2GBs of Ram won't make a difference. As someone who has used several Android devices with only 1GB of Ram, the S3 has kept many more apps in memory than my previous phones. And keeping the apps in memory means not having to reload them = faster multitasking and better user experience (being able to zip through apps is such a wonderful feeling).

My other friend got an HTC one XL and I have been using it for a while and I'm thinking of getting, because both of them are preety good phones and honestly is the extra gig of ram really going to make a difference while playing a game or making a call, or browsing the web, I don't think so , the and there both are going to be using 4g lte so I have a week to decide and I ask on xda because I actually value your opinion
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Get the SG3, read though the One X forum, so many defects!
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GS3
Definitely the Galaxy S3 is way better.

Yeah Im going for the s3, and so far I'm seeing the s3 has better android delevopement so that's another win
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I love when people ask these questions in a device specific forum. Lol. Obviously we all chose the s3,so our opinion is gonna lean that way.
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option94 said:
I love when people ask these questions in a device specific forum. Lol. Obviously we all chose the s3,so our opinion is gonna lean that way.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Haha very true. The guy just needs to compare specs and what he likes about both phones. Remember its not going to matter what we told u because ultimately u could go for a totally different phone after seeing these two in person u might hate them. Anyways i think the besr way to go about this is to go to store and play with both phones for 20 minutes and go through all the settings. I think this is the best way to see which one u like the best

sarni84 said:
Haha very true. The guy just needs to compare specs and what he likes about both phones. Remember its not going to matter what we told u because ultimately u could go for a totally different phone after seeing these two in person u might hate them. Anyways i think the besr way to go about this is to go to store and play with both phones for 20 minutes and go through all the settings. I think this is the best way to see which one u like the best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 then only thing that matted, especially when comparing two very high end devices, is your own opinion.
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sarni84 said:
Haha very true. The guy just needs to compare specs and what he likes about both phones. Remember its not going to matter what we told u because ultimately u could go for a totally different phone after seeing these two in person u might hate them. Anyways i think the besr way to go about this is to go to store and play with both phones for 20 minutes and go through all the settings. I think this is the best way to see which one u like the best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have gone tried out both phones and I like the s3 better, and the s3 has better specs, heck its better than my current computer. I think my only probable will be using it in the sunlight but otherwise I like it. I even like touchwize and the s3 has more developers so that's a win. So far the s3 comustom kernels can get you to 1.9 Ghz while hox custom kernel can get you 1.8, not that bog of a difference but I want the faster phone and the s3 wins, plus I need lots of storage and no expandable storage is another reason why the s3 is better
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Then we'll be glad tobhabr you around here long term. Congrats.
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HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4? Anyone upgrading?

I got really disappointed when Samsung released the gs4 and it looked basically the same as the galaxy s3 just with a bigger screen and a few new bells and whistles. So I'm opting for the HTC one cause that thing is sexy all around. What about you guys?
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If you like having a device completely locked down go for HTC. Biggest reason I switched away from them
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Spastic909 said:
If you like having a device completely locked down go for HTC. Biggest reason I switched away from them
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Click to collapse
What do you mean exactly? Cause my dad has a htc one s and it was pretty easy to root the phone and install a rom on it.
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Are you choosing a phone based on looks alone? Cause the HTC isn't even up to par with the current Euro SIII, let alone the S4 in terms of specs. I guess its about preference but personally I'm pretty intrigued by the S4 eight core processor in a frame slimmer then the SIII, not to mention the 13mp camera features, 5.0 SAmoled (yay no more pen tile) I just don't see a comparison IMO.
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boystuff said:
Are you choosing a phone based on looks alone? Cause the HTC isn't even up to par with the current Euro SIII, let alone the S4 in terms of specs. I guess its about preference but personally I'm pretty intrigued by the S4 eight core processor in a frame slimmer then the SIII, not to mention the 13mp camera features, 5.0 SAmoled (yay no more pen tile) I just don't see a comparison IMO.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, the HTC one has a qualcomm 600 processor which is that the same as the Samsung Galaxy S 4 has in USA, except that the s4 is .2ghz faster in terms of clock speed. Second of all, I'm currently on a contract with t mobile and I was talking about upgrading to the Galaxy s4 or the HTC one, so there's no way I can get the eight core s4. The galaxy s4 has a pentile display. Plus I don't really care about the megapixels or ultrapixels of the camera as long as my pics turn out good and not look like they were taken from a potato.
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adil17 said:
What do you mean exactly? Cause my dad has a htc one s and it was pretty easy to root the phone and install a rom on it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The source codes take sooo long to be released.
Look at the Amaze 4g and youll see what im talking about.
An awesome phone treated like crap lol.

When it comes to phones and tablets i will not use anything other than Samsung or a nexus. I just can't do it. HTC is a lot harder to root and it takes longer for development and i don't see anything else competing with Samsung.
----------------------------------------------
Phone: Galaxy s2 t989
Rom: SOA Build 2
Kernel: SOA
I'm full of great idea's, but don't have the time to create them or learn the coding to create them. If you want to make one of my ideas a reality just message me and I will give you my idea as specific as possible.
ideas:
-launcher/lock screen
-line rider type game where you control the character
-2d fighting game like art of fighting for the SNES
-multiplayer fps where you create your own map with a creative mode (minecraft style)
-roller coaster tycoon style game
-get phone out of sleep mode
-many more!
Just message me which idea you want info on and I'll tell you!
----------------------------------------------

I'd hold out for the note 3 personally, that's what I'm doing. But then again it's a very long and very impatient wait because I don't think it'll be released until September. It's all on you though bud, there's a bunch of ill phones coming out this year.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

I had an HTC VIVID before this phone (cracked the screen), and it was a pain. Unlocking the bootloader, then flashing boot image and blah blah blah just to root and rom it. And then the development thread was WEAK (at the time ) so it was like for no point. I agree with the 2 above mentioned posts regarding source code & development. Its seriously ridiculous & sad!
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If I had to pick one of those 2 I would probably go with the HTC One, build quality is way ahead of the S4, I'm tired of plastic phones. My S2 has survived its fair share of drops without no significant damage though so I'm happy with that. Processors are nearly the same unless you're comparing the international S4 and HTC One. The One also has a nicer screen (more ppi). It seems like the biggest knock on the One is the fact that it doesn't have upgradable storage and battery but 64GB is more than enough for me and I never carry an extra battery for my S2 so that is pointless. When it comes to camera quality, the S3 with its 13MP will take better pictures when zoomed in since it has more pixels but the HTC One will blow the S4 out of the water when it comes to night pictures or anything with low light (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I was honestly disappointed with the S4, it seemed like all Samsung talked about at the news conference was all the bloatware they added onto the phone that I'm never going to use.

This is a laughable question. S4 stands head and toe over the crap HTC is throwing out nowadays.

S4 doesn't look like it will get any love from too many dev's
cm-developers-passing-samsung-galaxy-s4-should-you
from android central (cant link yet)
:crying:

adil17 said:
I got really disappointed when Samsung released the gs4 and it looked basically the same as the galaxy s3 just with a bigger screen and a few new bells and whistles. So I'm opting for the HTC one cause that thing is sexy all around. What about you guys?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you can get your hads in the developer edition, then go for the HTC One, but i you like big,big,big etc, go for the SG4

MacerHD said:
S4 doesn't look like it will get any love from too many dev's
cm-developers-passing-samsung-galaxy-s4-should-you
from android central (cant link yet)
:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that will be the international s4 with the Exnyos processor that probably wont have much development from what i have read. the North American version
still uses Qualacom, so i am thinking the development will be just as good as the S3.
As for which one i will choose, I will need to see them side by side first before I make any decisions.

MacerHD said:
S4 doesn't look like it will get any love from too many dev's
cm-developers-passing-samsung-galaxy-s4-should-you
from android central (cant link yet)
:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are one of those people who root and flash away from Professionally built phone software in favor of barely working featureless lackluster crap produced by CM and it's near relatives there is no point worrying about having the newest phone anyway cuz you clearly are not going to use it for anything other than looking at your reflection. honestly you kids would be just as well off with a flip phone and a be-dazzeler.
I could understand the CM worship if this was a walmart prepaid phone with some lame flavor of aosp on it then CM might be a slight improvement but leaving Touchwiz for CM is a huge downgrade every time, all Tochwiz needs is some speedtweaks and a tweaked kernel.
Anyway +1 going to the S4 when It's here, might add a note 3 or even the note2 if I can get a good deal on it!

Wow makes me regret getting the Nexus 4 after what I saw in the GS4. Should have waited. But one this is having Google's latest and greatest code feels awesome. GS2 also has outstanding support and CM10.1
I really miss HTC's look and quality. But they have always been terrible battery life phones. Each one I've had except for the G2. My GS2 is still a champ and love that samsung releases the CODE that makes CM even possible.
And at the presentation I really have to reconsider no SD support and no removable battery. Just this week my old myTouch 4G I gave to my cousin, the battery can't hold charge. He got it replaced and its good as new. To me, having a removable battery just makes it easier to replace it when it does go bad.
I can kinda live with 16 gig and no SD Card, unless you are a heavy media user. But having a removable battery makes it possible to replace it. I don't mind the Samsung plastic. It is cheap and got a mini dent that I can't figure out how it happened on my GS2. I should have put a screen protector to prevent that. Still a mystery how it happened.
My LG G2X, I've never ever ever used at screen protector and its still flawless. Samsung **** is sensitive. They could at least use better plastics if they are sticking with that material.

Iconic24 said:
If I had to pick one of those 2 I would probably go with the HTC One, build quality is way ahead of the S4, I'm tired of plastic phones. My S2 has survived its fair share of drops without no significant damage though so I'm happy with that. Processors are nearly the same unless you're comparing the international S4 and HTC One. The One also has a nicer screen (more ppi). It seems like the biggest knock on the One is the fact that it doesn't have upgradable storage and battery but 64GB is more than enough for me and I never carry an extra battery for my S2 so that is pointless. When it comes to camera quality, the S3 with its 13MP will take better pictures when zoomed in since it has more pixels but the HTC One will blow the S4 out of the water when it comes to night pictures or anything with low light (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I was honestly disappointed with the S4, it seemed like all Samsung talked about at the news conference was all the bloatware they added onto the phone that I'm never going to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its mainly software on Samsung side but the HTC sense and their new features don't compare to the new temp and face tracking on the snapdragon S4 ImO get a lg optimus pro ..lg seems to be opening up to GPL
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If you even read the news... htc is yesterday's news...an exact quote "it's not in the kids club anymore" and that is why they pushed the date back for the htc one release...it's not even that it's hard to root, it's that it leaves traces for the carriers and htc to know you've rooted...
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

I was waiting for the One but the battery life is poor. Going to hold off for the next Nexus. Have no interest in the S4
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using XDA Premium HD app

This time i will go with HTC.

Confessions of a young Fanboy

Hello XDA Community,
I got my first smartphone in middle school. It was my first phone. The T-Mobile Shadow (Windows Mobile). I was 13 then. Now I'm 18, and in College. I spent my free time in doing the easy mods the community created. I got the MyTouch 3g as soon as it came out and started flashing roms. Then, the Nexus One came out and I immediately came up with a scheme to convince my sister to take my old phone so I could get the Nexus One. Anyways, I got it in 10th grade and life was sweet. I was happy. I became a "crack flasher". So I had the phone for a while and decided then to get the Galaxy S3.
As for the Galaxy S3...
I don't know about this phone. I've had it for less then a year. Obviously, I became an HTC fanboy growing up with HTC phones. My friends all got HTC phones. We all flashed roms and enjoyed ourselves. But when this phone came out, I had to make a hard decision. The removable battery, expandable storage (and T-Mobile availability) made it a good choice. It was unlike the HTC One X in those regards. (My friend got that phone) The HTC One just came out. I want it now.
Why?
Well I suppose I'm not that happy with the S3. I got a 64gb micro sd for it. I thought I could replace my ipod. I was so wrong. I hate all of the music players on Android. I regard music too highly to be happy with the Android music experience. Anyways, that's not going to change with any new Android phone. I've learned to live with that. The screen is nice, but it doesn't compare to other displays I've seen. I guess it's because I keep the DPI kind of low and expect crispness? The LG Nexus 4 has an amazing screen also and works very well. The biggest thing though, that I really dislike about this phone, is the build quality. I hate the plastic feeling. I hate the gloss and fingerprints. It feels so cheap. And, the UI isn't even liquid smooth. I've flashed a lot. I guess I'm comparing it to the Nexus 4 now, as I've played with that a bit. I've got very close to really quick, but I'm not satisfied. I paid a lot of money and invested my hopes in this technology but I'm not pleased.
I've found that throughout the time I've owned this phone, I've thought a lot of different things. I've considered Windows Phone, Blackberry, and even iPhone, just because I want something sexy that works well. But I'm an Android man.
I don't know if this is because deep down, I'm an HTC fanboy. Or if it's because I'm a Google fanboy and love Nexus phones (or a combination?). i hate these second thoughts I'm getting after such a long time of having the phone. It's not long enough to justify an upgrade. Am I cursed with being unimpressed forever growing up with so many innovations around me?
Do share your thoughts for me on this. I just wanted to share,
Cheers,
ywindlass

Tl;dr
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

We all have our wish lists for that single, perfect phone. I know I certainly do. Whether it's the IPhone's/HTC's/Sony's great hardware/build quality, or the pure Android experience offered with Nexus, or Samsung's wide array of software features/apps, the "perfect" one.
I love technology and I love my smartphone. I love rooting, flashing, trying out a thousand different things on my phone. But why should I care about it (the smartphone) so much? Of course I have invested lots of money into my smartphone, but it's not healthy to be consumed so much by smartphone. I know I'm going a bit off-topic, but really I'm just trying to tell you, just get a phone for what it really was for, to call, to text. I know apps are so convenient nowadays because we have everything in a device, but sometimes it's not bad to do it old-fashioned.
Get a phone that you will use now and a while. Get a phone that can serve its purpose. While a phone may have many features or many apps, I highly doubt a student or a professional will find use for it every single hour of the day. Most of us I assume probably aren't developers, and even as hobbies, it shouldn't consume much time.

GG2012 said:
We all have our wish lists for that single, perfect phone. I know I certainly do. Whether it's the IPhone's/HTC's/Sony's great hardware/build quality, or the pure Android experience offered with Nexus, or Samsung's wide array of software features/apps, the "perfect" one.
I love technology and I love my smartphone. I love rooting, flashing, trying out a thousand different things on my phone. But why should I care about it (the smartphone) so much? Of course I have invested lots of money into my smartphone, but it's not healthy to be consumed so much by smartphone. I know I'm going a bit off-topic, but really I'm just trying to tell you, just get a phone for what it really was for, to call, to text. I know apps are so convenient nowadays because we have everything in a device, but sometimes it's not bad to do it old-fashioned.
Get a phone that you will use now and a while. Get a phone that can serve its purpose. While a phone may have many features or many apps, I highly doubt a student or a professional will find use for it every single hour of the day. Most of us I assume probably aren't developers, and even as hobbies, it shouldn't consume much time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is by far the best advice I have seen on xda ...ever.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

ywindlass said:
Hello XDA Community,
I got my first smartphone in middle school. It was my first phone. The T-Mobile Shadow (Windows Mobile). I was 13 then. Now I'm 18, and in College. I spent my free time in doing the easy mods the community created. I got the MyTouch 3g as soon as it came out and started flashing roms. Then, the Nexus One came out and I immediately came up with a scheme to convince my sister to take my old phone so I could get the Nexus One. Anyways, I got it in 10th grade and life was sweet. I was happy. I became a "crack flasher". So I had the phone for a while and decided then to get the Galaxy S3.
As for the Galaxy S3...
I don't know about this phone. I've had it for less then a year. Obviously, I became an HTC fanboy growing up with HTC phones. My friends all got HTC phones. We all flashed roms and enjoyed ourselves. But when this phone came out, I had to make a hard decision. The removable battery, expandable storage (and T-Mobile availability) made it a good choice. It was unlike the HTC One X in those regards. (My friend got that phone) The HTC One just came out. I want it now.
Why?
Well I suppose I'm not that happy with the S3. I got a 64gb micro sd for it. I thought I could replace my ipod. I was so wrong. I hate all of the music players on Android. I regard music too highly to be happy with the Android music experience. Anyways, that's not going to change with any new Android phone. I've learned to live with that. The screen is nice, but it doesn't compare to other displays I've seen. I guess it's because I keep the DPI kind of low and expect crispness? The LG Nexus 4 has an amazing screen also and works very well. The biggest thing though, that I really dislike about this phone, is the build quality. I hate the plastic feeling. I hate the gloss and fingerprints. It feels so cheap. And, the UI isn't even liquid smooth. I've flashed a lot. I guess I'm comparing it to the Nexus 4 now, as I've played with that a bit. I've got very close to really quick, but I'm not satisfied. I paid a lot of money and invested my hopes in this technology but I'm not pleased.
I've found that throughout the time I've owned this phone, I've thought a lot of different things. I've considered Windows Phone, Blackberry, and even iPhone, just because I want something sexy that works well. But I'm an Android man.
I don't know if this is because deep down, I'm an HTC fanboy. Or if it's because I'm a Google fanboy and love Nexus phones (or a combination?). i hate these second thoughts I'm getting after such a long time of having the phone. It's not long enough to justify an upgrade. Am I cursed with being unimpressed forever growing up with so many innovations around me?
Do share your thoughts for me on this. I just wanted to share,
Cheers,
ywindlass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back when you were content with your phone(s), things were growing much slower than they are now. At the current rate that phones are being released, it's guaranteed that there will be a new and better phone that you will want within the first year. Companies don't want you to be content with a phone for too long. I bet Samsung has better features right now that could have been added to the s4, but they want to save those for the s5.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

I agree on almost all of your points. I've had my share of android phones (G1, Moto Charm, G2x, and now Galaxy S3) and I'm beginning to become disappointed with the experience of this phone compared to that of a newer android device or even an iPhone and it's been only 8 months since I've purchased it. I don't quite agree with you on the music issue as I'm a music junkie myself with a 7 gig library but poweramp has transformed my android music listening experience into a great one.
Back to the S3, I've found that the battery life and build quality have been very sub par for me. Plus the pentile display is nothing to rave about either. Being only a sophomore in high school and tied to my family's family plan on T-Mobile, I really don't have an option to switch. I desperately want a Note 2 or Nexus 4 but financially I'm screwed. Even with the Nexus 4's low price I'd have to wait for the rumored 32gb version for storage reasons but that'd set me back $400 for shipping and tax. The S3 isn't even worth that anymore used.
All in all, I feel as if I should've waited for the Note 2 or Nexus 4 before getting the S3. Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome device that's suits all of my needs fine but there are definitely better choices out there from the perspective of a critical tech junkie such as myself.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

You can see the phones I've had in my signature, all 3 Nokias were indestructible...the old flip phone, I threw it at a wall and it exploded into a million pieces, put it back together and the thing still works...man they really knew how to build phones...
The Nexus One was a great phone. I had to drop it and break the internal screen (oddly enough the outer glass didn't crack at all.). But it felt great in my hand, it was very solid and built well.
The Nexus S was kind of disappointing I have to say...Almost completely the same specs and I felt it wasn't built as well. I sold it for my GS-II
That stupid thing was the retarded stepchild of the S-II fleet...the poor developers were stuck with GB while T-Mobile picked its ass holding back all the updates. ****ty screen for sure, visible display flaws, poor PPI, cheap feeling...I never wanted to get a Samsung again. But I did...
The S-III was a huge improvement to say the least...I'm very satisfied with it. It does feel cheaper than say my old N1, but I think it feels a lot better than the NS or t989. Honestly with a screen protector and an otterbox commuter case, it's just fine. And as long as I have my Cyanogenmod, I don't care what software the thing comes with . Barring anything crazy coming out anytime soon, I don't see myself getting another phone until this falls apart.
In my eyes, as cliche as it may be, since my most important factors are Cyanogenmod and otterbox (or equivalent) case availability, all I care about are the specs. I sure hope screens stop ****in growing though...this one is almost too big as it is...
BTW: I sold my t989 on eBay for $350, all I had to do was unlock the thing, instantly increases it's value by a good $150. Always unlock your phone before you sell it, it will sell for much more.

nyyankees1237 said:
I agree on almost all of your points. I've had my share of android phones (G1, Moto Charm, G2x, and now Galaxy S3) and I'm beginning to become disappointed with the experience of this phone compared to that of a newer android device or even an iPhone and it's been only 8 months since I've purchased it. I don't quite agree with you on the music issue as I'm a music junkie myself with a 7 gig library but poweramp has transformed my android music listening experience into a great one.
Back to the S3, I've found that the battery life and build quality have been very sub par for me. Plus the pentile display is nothing to rave about either. Being only a sophomore in high school and tied to my family's family plan on T-Mobile, I really don't have an option to switch. I desperately want a Note 2 or Nexus 4 but financially I'm screwed. Even with the Nexus 4's low price I'd have to wait for the rumored 32gb version for storage reasons but that'd set me back $400 for shipping and tax. The S3 isn't even worth that anymore used.
All in all, I feel as if I should've waited for the Note 2 or Nexus 4 before getting the S3. Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome device that's suits all of my needs fine but there are definitely better choices out there from the perspective of a critical tech junkie such as myself.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Referring to the music, my library exceeds 30 gigs and I've just found it irritating to sync and manage. Not a huge issue though. I think we're on the same page though. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that way about the device. The thing is that I can get the HTC One spending all of my current savings, but then of course that means no new phone in the coming months. And Later this year there are just too many rumors about this "X Phone" and the new nexus... Idk.
zander21510 said:
In my eyes, as cliche as it may be, since my most important factors are Cyanogenmod and otterbox (or equivalent) case availability, all I care about are the specs. I sure hope screens stop ****in growing though...this one is almost too big as it is...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see where you're coming from. I got a huge Seido case for my S3, and then took it off after about a month. I dropped it afterwards (about 9 feet onto my subwoofer, long story) and nothing happened luckily. I like it better without a case. I guess looks would be a smaller factor then. Maybe, I should just snap that huge case back on and try to hold out until the holiday season... Idk lol. Thanks for the reply. :good:

I agree, I'll wait for the next nexus or galaxy note 3 with some saved money.
Perfect phone for me though:
High quality metal build (aluminum perhaps)
1080p 5+inch screen
3000mah+ battery
2ghz quadcore processor
2gb+ ram
Micro SD card slot
64gb+ internal storage
Stock android (for nexus updates)
8+ megapixel camera
Front facing speakers
Not insanely expensive lol
A guy could dream. Can anyone get it right?

ywindlass said:
Hello XDA Community,
I got my first smartphone in middle school. It was my first phone. The T-Mobile Shadow (Windows Mobile). I was 13 then. Now I'm 18, and in College. I spent my free time in doing the easy mods the community created. I got the MyTouch 3g as soon as it came out and started flashing roms. Then, the Nexus One came out and I immediately came up with a scheme to convince my sister to take my old phone so I could get the Nexus One. Anyways, I got it in 10th grade and life was sweet. I was happy. I became a "crack flasher". So I had the phone for a while and decided then to get the Galaxy S3.
As for the Galaxy S3...
I don't know about this phone. I've had it for less then a year. Obviously, I became an HTC fanboy growing up with HTC phones. My friends all got HTC phones. We all flashed roms and enjoyed ourselves. But when this phone came out, I had to make a hard decision. The removable battery, expandable storage (and T-Mobile availability) made it a good choice. It was unlike the HTC One X in those regards. (My friend got that phone) The HTC One just came out. I want it now.
Why?
Well I suppose I'm not that happy with the S3. I got a 64gb micro sd for it. I thought I could replace my ipod. I was so wrong. I hate all of the music players on Android. I regard music too highly to be happy with the Android music experience. Anyways, that's not going to change with any new Android phone. I've learned to live with that. The screen is nice, but it doesn't compare to other displays I've seen. I guess it's because I keep the DPI kind of low and expect crispness? The LG Nexus 4 has an amazing screen also and works very well. The biggest thing though, that I really dislike about this phone, is the build quality. I hate the plastic feeling. I hate the gloss and fingerprints. It feels so cheap. And, the UI isn't even liquid smooth. I've flashed a lot. I guess I'm comparing it to the Nexus 4 now, as I've played with that a bit. I've got very close to really quick, but I'm not satisfied. I paid a lot of money and invested my hopes in this technology but I'm not pleased.
I've found that throughout the time I've owned this phone, I've thought a lot of different things. I've considered Windows Phone, Blackberry, and even iPhone, just because I want something sexy that works well. But I'm an Android man.
I don't know if this is because deep down, I'm an HTC fanboy. Or if it's because I'm a Google fanboy and love Nexus phones (or a combination?). i hate these second thoughts I'm getting after such a long time of having the phone. It's not long enough to justify an upgrade. Am I cursed with being unimpressed forever growing up with so many innovations around me?
Do share your thoughts for me on this. I just wanted to share,
Cheers,
ywindlass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Companies are getting us used to crave new things within very short periods of time, an example of this is the fact that new phones, tablets or any kind of electronics pop every 4 to 6 months, which is done to satisfy our non-basic needs of always having the latest gadgets, and to create more profits or economic growth for the typical capitalist corporations. We've been spoiled to have new tech very fast, which is in a way bad as this craving (or addiction?) can easily go out control and we can be left bored with very new gadgets in our hands or even go into debt t o satisfy this craving for more. This spoiling behavior makes us feel the need to want more or not to be satisfied with what we have and we can quickly become slaves of technology if we dive too deep into it, hence what you are feeling when you say that you are growing unimpressed with so many innovations or not satisfied or please with the current technology. Perhaps I'm going a bit of topic, but is worth to be aware where we stand as consumers and the invisible ways corporations play with our "addictions" or "needs" for the latest.

I love the looks of both the Nexus 4 and the HTC one better than my Galaxy S3, but no removeable battery and no expandable memory? Get serious? I can deal with a plasic back, the price I paid tells me it's not cheap! Anyways, I don't agree with anything else you said. This phone was awesomly fast out of the box and now I have a custom ROM that even improved on that. Plus, I prefer Samoleds although I admit Samsung could do better. A 1080p screen with Super Amoled + with a different pentile arrangement would be nice. My next phone is most likely to be the Note 3, Samsung is just at the edge of innovation right now, too much so for me not to buy. Can't wait!

nyyankees1237 said:
A guy could dream. Can anyone get it right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say my dream phone would be:
-1080p 4.75in (no bigger, no smaller) super-fancy spaceage whatever screen that can actually get its brightness as low as possible at night, and stays clear and readable in direct sunlight...
-1.5ghz+ ultra-energy efficient 4+ core processor.
-2GB+ RAM
-Micro SD card
-16+ GB internal storage
-Removable back cover and battery
-NFC, Barometer, compass, so many sensors I can start a weatherstation lol.
-Vibration with adjustable intensity from barely felt to earthquake magnitude.
-Latest Cyanogenmod stock, with options to auto-update to stable, M, or nightly releases (a guy can dream...)
-A rear camera that can shoot 1080P video and instant-shutter, no noise high quality pictures, and a front camera capable of doing an HD Skype call.
-2 front-firing speakers (one on bottom, one on top that doubles as earpiece); a rear-facing mic for the camera, and a bottom-facing mic for phone calls
-Capacative buttons underneath screen (menu, home, back in that order)
-24-hour runtime battery
-Body of carbon fiber (the durabilty of plastic with the feel of metal)
-Super gorilla glass whatever that can withstand a 5-foot face-down drop.
I would pay a good $450 for that phone.

Can't forget the holographic keyboard.
Scores over 10,000 on quadrant, I saw a stock HTC one today score 9133 on quadrant running stock 4.1.2. That was impressive.
I like your dream phone.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium

zander21510 said:
I would say my dream phone would be:
-1080p 4.75in (no bigger, no smaller) super-fancy spaceage whatever screen that can actually get its brightness as low as possible at night, and stays clear and readable in direct sunlight...
-1.5ghz+ ultra-energy efficient 4+ core processor.
-2GB+ RAM
-Micro SD card
-16+ GB internal storage
-Removable back cover and battery
-NFC, Barometer, compass, so many sensors I can start a weatherstation lol.
-Vibration with adjustable intensity from barely felt to earthquake magnitude.
-Latest Cyanogenmod stock, with options to auto-update to stable, M, or nightly releases (a guy can dream...)
-A rear camera that can shoot 1080P video and instant-shutter, no noise high quality pictures, and a front camera capable of doing an HD Skype call.
-2 front-firing speakers (one on bottom, one on top that doubles as earpiece); a rear-facing mic for the camera, and a bottom-facing mic for phone calls
-Capacative buttons underneath screen (menu, home, back in that order)
-24-hour runtime battery
-Body of carbon fiber (the durabilty of plastic with the feel of metal)
-Super gorilla glass whatever that can withstand a 5-foot face-down drop.
I would pay a good $450 for that phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll take two! Haha
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

The power of a desktop computer, specifically i7 3770k, gtx 580 sli x3, 24gb ram, 256gb sd, all in a sexy Nokia n9 form, running windows 8.
Thats my dream phone. Seems realistic enough.
---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:22 PM ----------
ywindlass said:
Hello XDA Community,
I got my first smartphone in middle school. It was my first phone. The T-Mobile Shadow (Windows Mobile). I was 13 then. Now I'm 18, and in College. I spent my free time in doing the easy mods the community created. I got the MyTouch 3g as soon as it came out and started flashing roms. Then, the Nexus One came out and I immediately came up with a scheme to convince my sister to take my old phone so I could get the Nexus One. Anyways, I got it in 10th grade and life was sweet. I was happy. I became a "crack flasher". So I had the phone for a while and decided then to get the Galaxy S3.
As for the Galaxy S3...
I don't know about this phone. I've had it for less then a year. Obviously, I became an HTC fanboy growing up with HTC phones. My friends all got HTC phones. We all flashed roms and enjoyed ourselves. But when this phone came out, I had to make a hard decision. The removable battery, expandable storage (and T-Mobile availability) made it a good choice. It was unlike the HTC One X in those regards. (My friend got that phone) The HTC One just came out. I want it now.
Why?
Well I suppose I'm not that happy with the S3. I got a 64gb micro sd for it. I thought I could replace my ipod. I was so wrong. I hate all of the music players on Android. I regard music too highly to be happy with the Android music experience. Anyways, that's not going to change with any new Android phone. I've learned to live with that. The screen is nice, but it doesn't compare to other displays I've seen. I guess it's because I keep the DPI kind of low and expect crispness? The LG Nexus 4 has an amazing screen also and works very well. The biggest thing though, that I really dislike about this phone, is the build quality. I hate the plastic feeling. I hate the gloss and fingerprints. It feels so cheap. And, the UI isn't even liquid smooth. I've flashed a lot. I guess I'm comparing it to the Nexus 4 now, as I've played with that a bit. I've got very close to really quick, but I'm not satisfied. I paid a lot of money and invested my hopes in this technology but I'm not pleased.
I've found that throughout the time I've owned this phone, I've thought a lot of different things. I've considered Windows Phone, Blackberry, and even iPhone, just because I want something sexy that works well. But I'm an Android man.
I don't know if this is because deep down, I'm an HTC fanboy. Or if it's because I'm a Google fanboy and love Nexus phones (or a combination?). i hate these second thoughts I'm getting after such a long time of having the phone. It's not long enough to justify an upgrade. Am I cursed with being unimpressed forever growing up with so many innovations around me?
Do share your thoughts for me on this. I just wanted to share,
Cheers,
ywindlass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
" I want something sexy that works well"
Get a cerulean n9. Though the s3 hardware is very much superior to the n9, the n9 just wins hands down IMHO.
I have both phone and u would pick the n9 over the s3 any day of I didn't water damage the power switch on my n9.. Grrr Seattle rain..

wardoc22 said:
The power of a desktop computer, specifically i7 3770k, gtx 580 sli x3, 24gb ram, 256gb sd, all in a sexy Nokia n9 form, running windows 8.
Thats my dream phone. Seems realistic enough.
---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:22 PM ----------
" I want something sexy that works well"
Get a cerulean n9. Though the s3 hardware is very much superior to the n9, the n9 just wins hands down IMHO.
I have both phone and u would pick the n9 over the s3 any day of I didn't water damage the power switch on my n9.. Grrr Seattle rain..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those specs would definitely be amazing haha. But yeah, I did end up getting the HTC one, and I think I'm happier. I havent even rooted yet and I'm still content. It just works so well. Everything is so clean and sexy.

nyyankees1237 said:
I agree, I'll wait for the next nexus or galaxy note 3 with some saved money.
Perfect phone for me though:
High quality metal build (aluminum perhaps)
1080p 5+inch screen
3000mah+ battery
2ghz quadcore processor
2gb+ ram
Micro SD card slot
64gb+ internal storage
Stock android (for nexus updates)
8+ megapixel camera
Front facing speakers
Not insanely expensive lol
Perfect phone for me though:
A guy could dream. Can anyone get it right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By your specs, would the Google S4 be it?
BTW, my dream specs:
1080p 5+inch screen
3000mah+battery
2ghz quadcore processor
3gb ram
Micro SD card slot
128gb+internal storage
Stock android
12+MP camera
4+MP front camera
Wireless charging
Front facing speakers
FM radio (for my mom)
LTE
Inexpensive

wardoc22 said:
Grrr Seattle rain..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rain? Seattle? Pfft.....

Thetenthdr said:
Rain? Seattle? Pfft.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It rains here 24.7 in the winter.

Yes, yes it does.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Exchanged HTC one for s4 OMG AMAZING

Ok so I have had the s3 and the note 2 prior to switching to t-mobile, when I switched I figured id get the HTC one since I didnt or wouldnt have had that option with verizon, I must say I hated the phone. The hardware is nice dont get me wrong but the software SUCKS. The camera SUCKS. even the camera software is no were near as nice and useful as it is on the S4. I am so friggin happy with the s4 I dont know why I thought I would like the One. It may be the best device in the world for some but Id have to say to go from a samsung to an HTC Is like going backwards, and I even thought the gestures and smart scroll and all that would be to gimmicky and never get used but honestly, I love it!
Anyway, I just had to vent this. There were so many things wrong with sense in my opinion and if I can make anyones choice easier and allow them to be satisfied then hope I helped.

Lol.
Welcome to amazing world of samsung.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium

bikrame said:
Lol.
Welcome to amazing world of samsung.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, like I said I had the S3 and then the note 2. The note 2 being the phone I had about a month ago before we switched to t-mobile. lets just say I was going through some serious withdrawals having the note 2

dandiele said:
Well, like I said I had the S3 and then the note 2. The note 2 being the phone I had about a month ago before we switched to t-mobile. lets just say I was going through some serious withdrawals having the note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Welcome back then lol
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium

A friend of mine at work just got the HTC One and I must say, yes hardware wise it's a nice looking phone and the speaker quality is the best around no question. Other than that, the software was Meh, no 4.2.2. Thank God I went with the GS4, made the right decision.

A lot of people probably hate TouchWiz too until they got used to it. Count me as one of them (well actually, I didn't hate it). For me, I'm a Samsung guy and have had in succession the Note 2, S3, and now S4. A family member of mine has the Nexus 4 and while the phone was so debloated, so stock, I felt it was missing so many features. Yes, some people will love it that way, no bloat and pure Android. I'm so used to TW and all its (fancy) features, I feel any other phone is not as powerful if they don't have the same features.
Obviously, Sense is a different launcher/style than a lot of us are used too (by us, I mean the Samsung folks). That doesn't mean it's horrible. I for one would love to try out the Sense theme, if I can get my hands on an HTC One. I'm all in for new/different features - like Windows 8. A lot of people hated it from the start because it was so different, so not intuitive they say. In response, I have to say, get used to it before making the judgment. It's taken me a couple months just to get used to Windows 8. Certainly, the Metro I don't care with, and would prefer Win7. Until I can do the same thing with Sense, I can't say whether the difference with TW makes it better, worse, or it's just different than TW.

I feel you made the wrong choice. Those additional features will only be used for showing off and you only have about 8 GB of storage compared to about 28 on the one. Speakers are the best and I'm sure HTC will do a good job pushing out updates. Lastly, the one's screen is better and not as big so it is easier to use. I was going to get the s4 at first but then I asked myself what I really wanted. That's why I routed for the one
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

androidskillz said:
I feel you made the wrong choice. Those additional features will only be used for showing off and you only have about 8 GB of storage compared to about 28 on the one. Speakers are the best and I'm sure HTC will do a good job pushing out updates. Lastly, the one's screen is better and not as big so it is easier to use. I was going to get the s4 at first but then I asked myself what I really wanted. That's why I routed for the one
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good for you, I'm happy I had an sd slot so i can switch from my 64gb to my 32gb where I store my movies to my 16gb where I have my tv shows. Am also glad I am able to have an extra battery in case I will be able from my charger for an extended period of time. But if you dont like having those options then good for you!
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4

Dont turn this into a One vs S4 thread, both phones are amazing. I'm a Samsung guy and i fell in love with the One, as long as you're happy with your phone then its all gravy. This thread is kinda pointless too btw.

To each their own.
Me personally, neither phone could sway me away from the N2.
Fancy pants Note ||

Neither phone impressed me. Samsung pulled an apple trick it's the same freaking phone! HTC did the same thing, no removable battery and no expandable memory! I'm waiting for the S5 or the next Gnex. Just my 2cents. Meanwhile I'm wearing out my S2.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

bigox said:
Neither phone impressed me. Samsung pulled an apple trick it's the same freaking phone! HTC did the same thing, no removable battery and no expandable memory! I'm waiting for the S5 or the next Gnex. Just my 2cents. Meanwhile I'm wearing out my S2.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, if the htc had expandable memory and removable battery I might, MIGHT, have gone with the one. It really is a beautiful phone and I would love to have those front facing speakers. But for me no exp memory and nonremovable batt = fail
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4

Plastic and about 8 Gb of storage = fail
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

androidskillz said:
Plastic and about 8 Gb of storage = fail
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Metal phone with a plastic case and no expandable memory/battery = epic fail
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Why all the hate?? We're all here for the same reasons, regardless of what phones we choose to buy. Different things are better for different people.

dandiele said:
Ok so I have had the s3 and the note 2 prior to switching to t-mobile, when I switched I figured id get the HTC one since I didnt or wouldnt have had that option with verizon, I must say I hated the phone. The hardware is nice dont get me wrong but the software SUCKS. The camera SUCKS. even the camera software is no were near as nice and useful as it is on the S4. I am so friggin happy with the s4 I dont know why I thought I would like the One. It may be the best device in the world for some but Id have to say to go from a samsung to an HTC Is like going backwards, and I even thought the gestures and smart scroll and all that would be to gimmicky and never get used but honestly, I love it!
Anyway, I just had to vent this. There were so many things wrong with sense in my opinion and if I can make anyones choice easier and allow them to be satisfied then hope I helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's interesting, I recently purchased a TMO Galaxy S4 coming from a 2.5 year old HTC Sensation and I have *almost the exact opposite experience. The hardware (screen, form factor - obviously - it's just plain insane) and the camera software/interface is top notch! But the remainder of the experience felt like I was put back onto some odd looking, super sized font version of froyo - and not just by looks, I immediately noticed a drop in usability in some key aspects of the OS (e.g. email, sms, dialer, launcher) vs what I had gotten used to with HTC Sense.
Either way, not trying to be a troll. It's funny what we get used to and come to expect based on past experiences. The S4 will have to go back (thanks TMO return policy!) and it's gonna be me and the "old" HTC Sensation for a while longer. (I'd get the HTC One, but have to agree - no SD cards slot? wtf lol)
s13

But it has 32gbs
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Towle said:
Why all the hate?? We're all here for the same reasons, regardless of what phones we choose to buy. Different things are better for different people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know but it is entertaining
-------------------------------------
If I have helped you, please hit the "Thanks" button
-Sent from one of my Obsessions

Have both the One and the S4, use the s4 more than the one. Thinking if I should just still the One.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

sensati13 said:
It's interesting, I recently purchased a TMO Galaxy S4 coming from a 2.5 year old HTC Sensation and I have *almost the exact opposite experience. The hardware (screen, form factor - obviously - it's just plain insane) and the camera software/interface is top notch! But the remainder of the experience felt like I was put back onto some odd looking, super sized font version of froyo - and not just by looks, I immediately noticed a drop in usability in some key aspects of the OS (e.g. email, sms, dialer, launcher) vs what I had gotten used to with HTC Sense.
Either way, not trying to be a troll. It's funny what we get used to and come to expect based on past experiences. The S4 will have to go back (thanks TMO return policy!) and it's gonna be me and the "old" HTC Sensation for a while longer. (I'd get the HTC One, but have to agree - no SD cards slot? wtf lol)
s13
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had a similar and also slightly different experience. I also came from an HTC Sensation which I've had for about 2 years, previously owned the og Galaxy S (Vibrant), and instead of the S4 I chose the HTC one, and got the GS4 for my wife instead.
Here are my observations since I actually have both phones and can compare them with NO bias...
-A lot of the online mainstream reviews you'll read between the two hit the nail on the head. The One imo is a better "phone". It does indeed have less features then the S4 (although many of them are gimmicks like the eye scrolling/tracking, airview, and a few others) but the speakers are far superior, which obviously aids for anyone who ever uses speakerphone or plays music and videos, the call quality is also a little better, the phone is more fluid and faster than the GS4 with basic functions like scrolling screens etc, and the phone of course has a MUCH more "premium" feel. Sense 5 is MUUUUUCH better than past versions of Sense and like a lot of review say, it *DOES* improve over stock android in actual useful features. The look is subjective of course but it's flat, useful and fast, and to me that's all that matters. The camera is better than any past smartphone I've ever used (Tmobile Dash>G1>Vibrant>Sensation>One) so I like it personally, but compared to its rivals like the GS4 I guess it's not the best, but does everything I've ever asked of it VERY well so no complaints from me.
The GS4 on the other hand has a superior camera. The camera on the One isn't bad at all, and kills the Gs4 in low light conditions and the aspect ratio and wide lense captures waaay more in each frame, but the GS4 has more camera features, packs a crapload more detail in each shot, has some pretty useful camera modes the One doesn't have, and is just generally better. The Galaxy might not be made of aluminum like the one, but it's lighter and imo actually feels better in my hand (without a case). Once you add a case in the mix, hand feel is null and void obviously but if you like to go commando the Gs4 feels better and will probably hold up to abuse better than the One due to the polycarbonate body and gorilla glass 3. The screen on the Galaxy is bigger than the One while the actual phone altogether is lighter and smaller so that's pretty nice, but it's not really THAT noticeable to be honest. One huge, huge advantage the Galaxy has over the One is removable storage and battery, which *USED* to be a deal breaker for me back in the day, but I've learned to live without them since I got my One, so either way it's a definite advantage but I guess how much so is up to the user. The Galaxy also has native quick settings built in which the one doesn't have (yet), so minor issue but another positive for the galaxy.
As far as negative for each, I'm actually on my second One already. Somehow my camera lense glass cracked even though I keep the phone in case and have never dropped it or bumped it. It just appeared one day in addition to the top speaker grill starting to separate from the body. Weird, but I got it replaced and the replacement is doing fine and actually stands up to overclocking and undervolting better than my old unit, so that made me pretty happy lol. That's really the only issue I've had with mine, but on the whole, the phone is definitely more fragile than the Galaxy WITHOUT a case. It scratches easier, dents, chips, etc...while the Galaxy doesn't.
The Galaxy feels better in hand (caseless) than the One, but it's slippery as hell and slides around easily and can be more prone to being dropped. Again, only an issue without a case, but this is my observation.
Touchwiz...personally I think it's a mess. I don't care for the look, as many have said it feels like your still running Gingerbread 2.3. The look hasn't changed much since I had a Vibrant running Touchwiz from 3 years ago, and while Touchwiz DOES have some unique features and generally does more than Sense and stock android...it's just ugly as hell while doing so lol. The Galaxy also does feel a tad slower and microstutters every so often while the One is almost always fluid and seems much smoother even tho it's running a newer version of android and has slightly better specs on hardware...it just doesn't "feel" like it. Other than that it's a fantastic phone and we haven't had any problems with it whatsoever unlike the One.
Between the two...if I just had to pick one, it's a toss up. I prefer my One honestly but I can see the advantages of the Galaxy S4 with it having more features so I'll just break it down like this...
Usefuleness as an actual phone
One>S4
Camera
GS4>One
In hand feel, portability
One=GS4
Usefulness as a multimedia device
GS4=One
Expandability
GS4>One
I will say that between the two if this even matters to anyone...I get WAAAAAY more props and questions and even jealous stares directed towards the One lol...

What made YOU choose S4?

What made you choose this device instead of others? Will you select your next smartphone based on the same criteria or do you care more about some other spec?
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I'm a Samsung fan boy, I've liked Samsung as long as I can remember and it was a shame I was never able to get a Samsung phone, I wanted the sgs1 but got the Evo instead, wanted to upgrade to the sgs2 but samsung wouldn't announce when it would come out and ended up getting a Motorola phone, and when the sgs3 came out I was broke... now come the SGS4 around, I bought it on launch day and it came to me the 30th I was really really happy... I'm going to get every reiteration of the phone as long as my pockets allow it...
Sent from my SGH-M919

I've been using iphones since it first released. Iphone2g, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, iphone 4 then iphone 4s.
Over the years, I've grown tired of apple locking their firmwares to limit user customization; and the only way around was to jailbreak- a major pain in the behind. So the first reason is ease of personal customization.
Second, the screen size and ppi.
Third, the option to expand memory and switch battery.
And lastly, the popularity of S3.

a few reasons actually :
1) expandable storage
2) removable battery
3) community/developer support
a) why I picked Snapdragon > Exynos
4) Generally positive experience from past Samsung purchases. I've owned a few HTC devices and felt really burned in the past by how poorly they support their products in the long-term, haven't heard many good things about LG (other than the Nexus 4). Although I like Apple's stuff, and own an iPod I like Android's openness and flexibility to switch between Stock and AOSP

Copypasta from another thread:
This was my very first smartphone purchase, so I had to weigh all the factors. In the end, I went with the S4 because....
-It has removable/expandable memory. I plan on using my phone for a LOT of media consumption, and depending on the cloud to store all my stuff won't do it for me since I'm going to use T-Mobile on a 5GB/month data plan. Spotty coverage and limited data means cutting down on cloud usage.
-Removable battery. I figure carrying a spare battery ensures I can go a whole day of heavily using all these awesome phone features and apps without worrying about getting tied back down to a wall outlet.
-Better hardware like the CPU, RAM, Camera (for the most part it seems), and sensors.
-More software features. I can't wait to try out stuff like dual-shot and air view!
-The S4 has Mobeam, which should ensure I can largely replace my wallet and a lot of physical membership cards and just use the IR on my phone to purchase items and get discounts.
-It has a bigger screen while still maintaining a fairly small profile and a high pixel density.
-I prefer AMOLED/OLED to LCD on my TV's. All the issues not withstanding, I love the contrast ratios, the rich colors, and the saturation. It makes watching movies a blast. So I'll naturally prefer the same on the phone.
-From all the video reviews and articles I read, I think I'll end up preferring TouchWiz to sense. Once I use the fixes people have posted here and elsewhere to clear up the lag, the phone should be snappy. It will probably feel really snappy to me anyway since I've never owned a smartphone before.
Overall, as someone who is just entering the big boy league of the mobile phone market, it seems I couldn't have arrived at a better time. The S4 seems like the device for me to start with. If it turns out to be all that and more, I could see myself getting an S5 or whatever is the big kahuna next year.
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And I actually just got my S4 today and I'm completely blown away. I've been busy downloading apps on my home wi-fi and playing with the device most of the day. I feel like a caveman who just discovered my first computer.

For me, its just has swag!
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1) Expandable battery. After having an extended battery on my GS2, I can't fathom having a phone that I really have to hope can last all day.
2) Even with custom ROMs, hearing all the crap HTC owners had to deal was a major negative due to lack of support from HTC.
I really wish I could get those awesome speakers on the GS4 though.

thehelios said:
1) Expandable battery. After having an extended battery on my GS2, I can't fathom having a phone that I really have to hope can last all day.
2) Even with custom ROMs, hearing all the crap HTC owners had to deal was a major negative due to lack of support from HTC.
I really wish I could get those awesome speakers on the GS4 though.
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Click to collapse
Yup same reasons and same regret also
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I've had HTC phones up until now and I've been pretty happy with them.
I've had to replace the battery in my EVO 3D, as well as my wife's Mytouch 4G. So, for me, a removable battery is a really important feature. Also, I wanted to have expandable storage and put large apps and pics on the SD card, so the S4 won easily over the HTC One.
The aluminum body of the One does nothing for me...I put a case on every phone I own anyway. But the One's speakers seem nice.
For my next smartphone, I think I'll still look for the same things.

I switch to the s4 because T Mobile gave it to me absolutely free no $20 a month fee completely free. I had to complain to retention quite a bit because I was having issues with my galaxy s2 and they caved in and said I'll go ahead and give you one for having so many issues with your phone and I don't want to lose your business.
works every time
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Spastic909 said:
I switch to the s4 because T Mobile gave it to me absolutely free no $20 a month fee completely free. I had to complain to retention quite a bit because I was having issues with my galaxy s2 and they caved in and said I'll go ahead and give you one for having so many issues with your phone and I don't want to lose your business.
works every time
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
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Dude, teach me lol. I tried doing that when the S3 came out because I was having a lot of problems with my s2 but all i got was a credit lol
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4

got mine s4 just because i wanted to get a new phone, and i wanted to switch to unlimited data plan.. i was thinking first of getting xperia Z (about $525 cash) but there was some complaints about earpiece volume from users, so i decided to get a contract tmobile with S4
Basically the loudness of earpiece of Xperia Z made me choose the S4.. (i had an Xperia ION and earpiece on this phone was horrible, i could not hear anyone in loud places... )

Basically I got sick of HTC and sense.