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Galaxy S4 or S5 decision...

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jack58

jack58

Android Expert
Well.... I have a Galaxy S4 or S5 decision to make.
I went to the AT&T store with my wife who was getting the iPhone 5s and decided, what the heck, I'll get the Samsung Galaxy S4.
It sure does smoke the S3 I had.
However, a few days after, the S5 came out. I have three weeks left to return the S4 if I choose to... (will lose $35 though).

The main question is: Is the S5 that much better than the S4 = like the S3 to S4 comparison where the S4 blows away the S3?
I read where the S5 is faster, has a better camera etc
Thoughts?
 
In my opinion the s4 doesn't blow the s3 away but the s5 does.
Always go for the newest phone possible. It will keep being updated for a year longer than its predecessor :thumbup:
I'm not sure if the s5 can run apps from sd card.. If it can't, try and get the 32gb version
 
I would go for the S5 over the S4 for the simple reason that the S4 is a year old now and it will continue to get updates for about a year or a little more. The S5 is sure to get updates for at least the next two years or more.
The S5 also has a better camera, better battery life, better screen, and water resident. These are few other reasons to get the S5 over the S4. I myself would go for the S5 if I wasn't going to wait for the Note 4.
 
The S5 has water and dust resistance meeting military requirements.

I'd go with the S5 for sure. The S4 had an Active model exclusive to AT&T with this same rating, but they dumbed down the specs a bit of the Active. Now, they've merged both phones into one...single...amazing piece of work.

Get the S5 :D
 
Dont get me wrong lol, i wouldnt buy either of them but if thats youre choices and you dont have to pay much more to get it, pick the s5 :thumbup:
 
Right. You're more "future proofed" with the S5 than with the S4.

(If you're a root user, be prepared that things gonna come preloaded with Knox bootloader and Knox apps)
 
TheBritton said:
Right. You're more "future proofed" with the S5 than with the S4.

(If you're a root user, be prepared that things gonna come preloaded with Knox bootloader and Knox apps)
Click to expand...

Does this mean developers are going to just work around Knox? Since you can't change the bootloader, then everything thing will be ported to accept that bootloader right?

Am I correct in viewing Knox Bootloader as nothing more than a fool-proof way for Samsung to know you've rooted? It's sole purpose is to "bust" you for rooting should you brick your phone...and charge for repairs instead of covering them under warranty.

Aside from that, there's no real downside to Knox is there?
 
With knox, unless youre on verizon, the bootloader can be unlocked but as soon as you flash something unsigned like custom recovery or rom, theres a part of a chip inside called "efuse" which gets tripped and is impossible to reset.
It doesnt do any harm but you cant hide it and samsung class it as "physical damage caused by the owner" so technically your warranty is now void. I know, right!
Its exactly the same on the s3 if youve taken the 4.3 update.
On verizon its worse because afaik the bootloader still hasnt been cracked so you can root but you cant flash anything :(
 
And the official purpose of knox is for security when using it as a company phone. Nothing unofficial can be flashed and hidden. Trying to remove/overwrite the knox bootloader soft bricks the phone
 
The only "real" side effect is that you cannot replace the bootloader with a non-Knox bootloader. So if you run stock 4.4 but decide to Odin a earlier rom without the Knox bootloader you will potentially brick your device.

Other than that, most roms flashed with recovery do not contain the bootloader. The real danger is with older Odin firmware.

The latest SuperSU has also been updated to work around the Knox apps attempts to block it. In the beginning, stock firmware with Knox apps would prevent SuperSU from functioning so that is a plus.

Didn't mean to hijack this thread with root stuff, just wanted to throw that into consideration about both the S4 and S5 running Knox. It's kinda like HTC's S-Off.. but worse :)
 
Yup. If youre not the type to want to flash custom firmware or if you are but you have insurance then its nothing at all to worry about :)
 
funkylogik said:
In my opinion the s4 doesn't blow the s3 away but the s5 does.
Always go for the newest phone possible. It will keep being updated for a year longer than its predecessor :thumbup:
I'm not sure if the s5 can run apps from sd card.. If it can't, try and get the 32gb version
Click to expand...

Well, I have the S3 for awhile now and have the S4 for a week and I can tell you the S4 blows the S3 out of the water. The S3 is a good phone too. So if there is the same difference between the S4 & S5, I will jump on it.

THANKS everyone for your inputs. :D
I'm leaning toward getting the S5, but would like to have some input from those of you that actually have one right now.
The only thing I don't like about the S4 is you only have two color options, white or black. The S4 comes in a cool looking red and I love red.
 
No one here formerly had a S4 and now a S5 to give an opinion of both? :confused:
I know this is the S3 forum... just asking. :)

If I do take the S4 back for the S5, I will lose $35 for the restocking fee, unless I can come up with a problem with the phone somehow :rolleyes:
Then it will cost me another $108 over 18 months over the S4 I just got.
Just trying to see if it justify's spending that much more. This S4 is pretty nice, plus it is RED where the S5 don't have that color. :confused:
 
If you can afford it, get the S5. The cost will be worth it all in the end when your phone is supported for another year and lasts longer.
 
As of right now, (I can change my mind) a big issue with me is the looks of the phone without faceplates. I really like red and it upsets me that Samsung skimped on the colors this time around. :mad: Black or White? C'mon that is just plain. Several other makers have better looking phones out there right now. In the past, Samsung had some great phones that were red. One of the best ones was the Blackjack II. That was just gorgeous. I still have it.
My Samsung notebook is red, My Note 3 is red, my current S4 is red.
Once you put a faceplate on it, it changes everything.
I like the slick look and feel of a phone in stock form. I will only put a faceplate on it if I scratch it up, but I'm extremely careful and most of my phones last a year without scratches of any kind.
When you look at the S4 & S5 side by side, they look the same too.
Sure, performance is better, but not that much better. Support will be fine for the S4 in the next 18 months.
I get a new phone every 18 months and that means the new S6 or better yet, complete new revamped phone comes out.
 
jack58 said:
As of right now, (I can change my mind) a big issue with me is the looks of the phone without faceplates. I really like red and it upsets me that Samsung skimped on the colors this time around. :mad: Black or White? C'mon that is just plain. Several other makers have better looking phones out there right now. In the past, Samsung had some great phones that were red. One of the best ones was the Blackjack II. That was just gorgeous. I still have it.
My Samsung notebook is red, My Note 3 is red, my current S4 is red.
Once you put a faceplate on it, it changes everything.
I like the slick look and feel of a phone in stock form. I will only put a faceplate on it if I scratch it up, but I'm extremely careful and most of my phones last a year without scratches of any kind.
When you look at the S4 & S5 side by side, they look the same too.
Sure, performance is better, but not that much better. Support will be fine for the S4 in the next 18 months.
I get a new phone every 18 months and that means the new S6 or better yet, complete new revamped phone comes out.
Click to expand...

To each, his own.
But I have only one word to say:

WATERPROOF
 
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