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Thinking which Android phone should I get

S

Savadautojas

Lurker
Hello, Phandroid forum.
I'm quite a fresh user, created this account couple of minutes ago, but I was reading the news for the past couple of weeks. So here is my story.
I had and still have (for now) a HTC phone, which I liked because of it's design and etc., but I think Samsung S4 is still another small step ahead of HTC One, even though HTC phones look much more solid in design. My heart stayed with HTC One, though my brain suggests to go for Samsung S4.
I have decided to buy Samsung galaxy S4, and I found out that there are two versions of it - the i9500(quad) and i9505(octa). So I began my research. So overall what I found out was that octa has better performance (but the difference is not huge), though quad seems to have better battery life, because octa still needs updating. Though some forums say that both of these phones have some overheating problems. So in my opinion, octa will get even better as long as it gets updated. The only problem that in Lithuania, only the i9500 is sold, so I would have to wait another week or two to get my hands on i9505.
Another thing, snapdragon600 is getting changed for snapdragon800, Adreno 320 to Adreno 330, so you can't really say that i9505 is the top-notch phone right now. Having in mind that there is Samsung galaxy S4 i9506 in Korea, which has been there for the past two months or so. It has snapdragon800 and Adreno 330 already, but there are still no signs of it coming worldwide.
I won't even think about getting shitty IPhone 5S for a half of million, but LG 2G looks interesting. I'm not thinking about Note 3, because it's huge, and my hands aren't really big. It's more of a tablet than a phone(phablet), and I don't really want that. But LG 2G seems great. It has good chipset, CPU and GPU, good camera, fullHD display, 13MP and overall, the specs are great. Though what am I worried about is that it is LG. I've heard that HTC has worse updates/customer service than Samsung, and that LG is even worse than that. So I'm afraid that if I buy LG 2G, it might get outdated faster than I would want.
You have to consider that my budget is limited. I'm buying top-notch technology, but I want it to last a long time.
So, all in all, Should I go for LG 2G, wait for i9506 (which might not even come out worldwide, so I would end up waiting for Samsung galaxy S5), or do you actually think that Samsung S4 i9505 is still an option to consider?
 
Well, you have certainly done your research!

In all honesty, you are dividing very small differences in the processors, etc. I know that you will mentally know the difference in them - but will you notice the differences? They are all very fast. I think you will only notice the differences if you are a developer or gamer.

One thing you should do is go into the store and handle the devices. You mention the size of the device can't be huge (i.e. Note 3), but what about the back buttons on the G2? Will you like buttons on the back or will it drive you nuts?

Savadautojas said:
I've heard that HTC has worse updates/customer service than Samsung, and that LG is even worse than that. So I'm afraid that if I buy LG 2G, it might get outdated faster than I would want.
Click to expand...

Did you hear HTC just laid of 20% of its (USA only?) workforce?

Savadautojas said:
You have to consider that my budget is limited. I'm buying top-notch technology, but I want it to last a long time.
Click to expand...

I think this means to me that you should wait until the Nexus 5 is released. It is RUMORED to be based on the G2 without the back buttons. If this is true, it will be something you may want. As it is basically the G2 and you will always have "top-notch technology" through direct Android updates from Google - though the hardware remains the same.
 
Thank you for your answer, gtbarry.
You miss-understood me about one thing, though it is probably my fault because I was not clear enough. I don't really care about the price, I just want a phone that I won't have to change in atleast 2years. A cheap person pays twice to get the same :P
I am not going to notice the hardware differences today or tomorrow, but after a year or two there will be a difference. I understand that after a two years no matter what phone I buy it won't be up-to-date compared to new phones but still, the better it will be today - the better he will be two years ago. That is why I think Samsung is the best option, because it produces phones with highest specs + it has (in my opinion) best customer service and updating potential.
Though is it worth waiting for i9506 (which might not even come up?) and how long would I have to wait for S5 approximately? It would be nice if HTC revealed something, it would be an option.
 
I don't think you should equate price or specs to quality. We don't know the specs of the Nexus 5 yet. It may have a slightly lower megapixel camera for all we know. But a bigger sensor, better flash and better software that makes it a better camera.

All in all, I just recommend you pause a week or more and wait until we see teh real Nexus 5 announcement (no rumors). That way you have all the information.
 
Picked up the G2 on September 12th. This phone is amazing! I would highly recommend it! Hardware, display, UI, software, it's all top notch! Especially the display! In my opinion Its the best looking display ive ever seen on a smartphone! Its really amazing!
 
sounds like you are inclined to go with samsung. i have 2 samsung phones, and imo they are quality devices.

yet, if you think that samsung gives you the best potential for staying current, imo you'd be wrong. 2 years from now you'd have the same hardware, whether it be the the s4, g2 or whatever, but what might have changed is the ROM. i don't think it can be argued that a nexus phone doesn't have the higher potential, with mostly the same starting point hardware.

i have a samsung galaxy nexus, updated to 4.3. I have a samsung galaxy S, updated to........ gingerbread 2.3.4:)
 
Nexus every time, you'll get the best hardware at a great price, AND the latest Android updates quickest.
 
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