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S4? Good and Bad?

-=Jeff=-

-=Jeff=-

Android Expert
This is a close dup to a post on the Droid MAXX Forum

I have been able to upgrade since May, I have been holding out for a bit as I knew the Moto stuff was coming. I currently have a RAZR MAXX (not HD) and it is working fine but seems like the battery is showing its age. I really like the features of the new MAXX but there are some things I need to have:
  • Root, I use root for ARLiberator app and my AppRadio2, granted it is in my fun car, but still I use Slacker quite a bit on it..
  • HDMI Wired connection ( also for AppRadio 2) I think I could use wireless with an all share port but I have heard it is not the best ( phone would have, BT an Wireless video/audio running as well as data)
Those are my biggest concerns, if the MAXX never gets root then it would not work for me.. that and the Wireless HDMI/video..

So in steps Galaxy S4, I believe I can get root and maybe put Google Edition ROM on it.. This has a MHL connection for HDMI which is perfect for the AppRaido, my concern is the radio int he phone for reception as well as battery life. If use Nova, will I have the Vanilla android menus.. Touchwiz will have me relearning a whole phone

Last option would be Nexus 7 LTE, but then I could not place calls in the car with the handsfree set-up which may not be too big an issue as I could use a BT headset .

What would you do?

lso I ahve always had Moto Droids, I had a HTC ERIS but it kept dropping calls , then OG Droid, Droid X, Bionic and then RAZR MAXX
 
Not good, GREAT.
Love this phone. I'm getting over 2 days of battery life with light to medium usage texting and approx 10 calls a day.
 
A removable battery was a must have for me, in part because I didn't want to face what you're facing now--replacing a phone just because of the battery. That is more important now that smart phone technology has matured a bit--as evidenced by the S4 not being that much better hardware-wise than the S3.

For me I seldom go below 70% during the day, with frequent checking of email and websites (no video) and using automatic brightness.
 
With my maxx it use to be no lower then 70 now it is closer to 40-50. I never used the S3 so i don't know Howe much ahead our behind it was.. Going by the battery concern.. The S4 is a decent choice.. But I do prefer the vanilla Android.. Is that possible on the S4? Howe good is touch wiz.. At the store the S4 and maxx were across the store so no side by side could be done
 
The Google Edition S4 is available for use on AT&T and T-Mobile, although if you're rooting you might have other options (no opinion). I own an Nexus 7, so I'm familiar with vanilla Android. As such, Touch Wiz is neither good nor bad, IMHO, but the software features Samsung advertises for the S4 are very disappointing. I have most turned off. The main benefit of a Google Edition S4, IMHO, would be more free space because of less bloat and faster updates.
 
Right, unfortunately that would not be the case with VZW. I too have a nexus 7 and love it which is why I want an LTE one..

I also would get the 32 gb S4 and the sdcard us also a bonus over the maxx
 
I'm coming from the original Droid Razr, not Maxx or HD and i'm loving the S4. I have 0 complaints when comparing this phone to most other phones, however after seeing the HTC One i'm a little jealous about the 2 front speakers and wish the GS4 had something on the front. The plastic body that some people complain about didn't really affect my opinion of the phone since i knew i was getting a good case for it. The battery is really good on it too, i've had the pedometer/health app open in the backgroun all day measuring how many steps i take and it has barely affected battery life. The S4 has more features than any other phone, although you probably won't even use half of them.
 
It's so much better, but again that was just the first Droid Razr. One night it was around 85% before i went to bed so i just turned off mobile data, Wi-Fi, and Sync and didn't charge it and the next morning (about 7 hours later) it had only lost a few %. If i had to guess I'd have to say I get double the battery life with my GS4 over my Droid and i was even using Smart Actions on the Razr, that's also with Wi-Fi enabled and few other things (had to give up my unlimited data :( and switch to a crappy 2GB plan). As i mentioned earlier, I've had "S Health" running in the background all day and the pedometer has been measuring how many steps i've taken all day with the phone in my pocket and that has had little affect on the battery life. Once you register your phone on Samsung's website you get a 50% off coupon that you can use to get the $49 spare battery, case, and spare battery charger for $24.99. I still haven't purchased this since i'm getting good battery life so i'm debating if i even need it. I also purchased the Spigen Slim Armor case, which keeps the phone very thin and provides pretty good dual layer protection SPIGEN SGP Galaxy S4 case Slim Armor | SPIGEN SGP
 
I've never been much impressed with any of Motorola's offerings in the Android world. Especially compared to the Samsung efforts.

I had to take an Electrify as a replacement to a broken S2, and I couldn't stand it. Display was not as crisp, processor was slower, overall functionality wasn't what it was with my trusty S2.

Finally upgraded to the S4 and I have no regrets about not looking at the HTC or any of the Droid offerings currently available.
 
I have the VZW MDK firmware version of the S4, rooted. I really like it. I'm coming from a rooted Droid 3. Battery life is about the same, but since the S4 is much more powerful, bigger screen, and 4G LTE, I guess that's to be expected. I get about 13-14 hours of use w/ my phone before the battery is drained, totaling about 3.5 hours of screen-on time.
 
I came from the Razr Maxx.
Battery life between the two is comparable for me, maybe just a bit better on the Maxx, but nothing to brag about.
I spend most of my time in a cell phone fringe area (Verizon), predictably the Maxx had better reception/ability to hang on to a call than the S4 does. With the Maxx I could go anywhere in my house and not drop a call. With the S4 there is a room in the center of the house where I WILL drop the call if I go in that room. So I've learned not to go there during a call... :)
Those are two points in favor of the Maxx, all other points are in favor of the S4. A much nicer screen, it's faster, I like Touchwiz (that said, I use a 3rd party launcher).
Overall it's a step up from the Maxx, which I don't think you'll regret.

For the record, the battery in the Maxx CAN be changed, I upgraded my Razr to a Razr Maxx, so I know it can be done, it's just not quick and easy like it 'should' be.
 
Yeah I know the RAZR maxx battery CAN be changed....

anyway, here is my list of pros/ cons

MAXX positives
• Battery
• Active notifications
• Google Now voice activation
• ‘always listening’
• 32GB
S4 Positives
• Removable Battery
• SD Card
• 32GB
• Root Available
• MHL
• IR Remote?
• Better camera
MAXX Negatives
• No SD
• No Root
• Camera if so-so
• No HDMI
• VZW Bloat
S4 Negatives
• Battery Life
• Maybe radio?
• Maybe not as durable?
• VZW Bloat


Any more thoughts?
 
I'd say battery life is most likely a draw between the two. Not a meaningful enough difference to say "this one is better".

I will definitely say the radio is better with the Motorola. That tends to be a strong point with Motorola phones.
Personally, every time I have owned a Motorola, which has only been once since I converted to smartphone a few years ago, I have always felt like I settled for a lesser option.
I definitely felt that way when I went from S2 to Electrify.

Probably the only phone I would have considered other than the S4 right now would be the HTC One.
 
I agree..

I am tempted to go S4, but the radio was a concern. My first smart phone was the HTC Eris.. I had it for a month. It would drop calls constantly. I swapped for the Original Droid and have used Motorola ever since. VZW said it was my phone not the network as they saw in the logs when/where it was as I was told

Due to that I am uninterested in HTC. Now Samsung I don't know how much different the radio is on a strength level... But the S4 has quite the features I could be interested in
 
I don't think I've had a single dropped call with my S4, or at least one I could attribute to the S4. I do recall one with a client where they called me back on a landline and the connection was much better.
 
I live in Chicago and haven't noticed any dropped calls either. On occasion, I have had voice feedback, were I her myself speaking, at the beginning of a call using the headset or bluetooth.
 
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