Well, S4 is out, any regrets?

[ironman187]

So, the Samsung Galaxy S4 came out yesterday, does anybody regret not waiting? Specswise the S4 definitely outshines the HTC One, but most of the features are gimmicks that I was not willing to pay the premium for. How about you?

EDIT: This thread was originally intended for HTC One owners and was posted in the HTC One board, why it was moved here is beyond me, however, the premise still applies, if you purchased another phone recently, do you regret doing so now that the Samsung S4 is out?

 

[Wilkas]

A lot of the early comparisons favour the One but even if they hadn't I wouldn't regret it, until Samsung changes the build quality, touchwiz & design I wouldn't have wanted it anyway. Another big thing that put me off it is it didn't come to my country with the two quad core chips yet it's still over

 

[sean76]

No way...

I played with the S4 on Friday, and have to say it just plain feels cheap. And the software to me is just plain bad...I just don't like touch wiz too much, and feel like its so overpowering on the phone that you don't even feel like your using Android.

The screen is nice, a little to over saturated IMO, and to the naked eye you can't make out any pixels at all even with it being pentile. I've been spoiled by the nexus 4 and tend to like screens that are more true to life as opposed to Amoled's over saturated colors.

These days I have to side with the ONE being the all around best Android phone available.

 

[KOLIO]

None whatsoever, especially coming from the S3.I didn't see the S4 as enough of an upgrade to move from the S3.I'm certain the modding community can port over any of the new features from the S4 to the S3.

Since the S4/S3 are nearly identical dimensionally, I can attest that the hardware w/the ONE is definitely better, providing a better feel in-hand & nicer display.Audio is no contest.


Performance is likely a draw,as most bloggers echo that notion.

The rest is debatable to say the least, more of a personal preference than one phone being better than the other. Both would benefit taking a page from each other's book & implementing U/I features that anyone would like.

I can't imagine anyone having buyer's remorse, regardless of which phone you choose, unless you suffer from the GRASS IS GREENER syndrome.

 

[mattjlomax]

Two words..... Hell No!!!

 

[Abird!]

Nope completely satisfied with going with the One I read in some article about people going for aesthetics that totally me the look of the One pretty much sealed the deal for me along with the front facing speakers. I'm so happy with this phone and its insides aren't too shabby either
Like I said in another thread there's not one person who sees/holds my phone that doesn't say 'oh wow I like your phone' or 'that's a nice phone' and that's all with screen off lol

 

[Ssith]

No way...

I played with the S4 on Friday, and have to say it just plain feels cheap. And the software to me is just plain bad...I just don't like touch wiz too much, and feel like its so overpowering on the phone that you don't even feel like your using Android.

the part about touchwiz being overwhelming, i agree with. it's not the best UI out there. i strongly prefer stock Android, or a good rom, to any of the manufacturer UIs.

but it feels cheap? for the 4 seconds until you put it in a *gasp* plastic case? that's an argument i will never understand. you complain that the phone is made of plastic, then go and coat it in plastic. if the feel is that important, get an aluminum case, i'm sure they won't be hard to find. all that a plastic case does is make the phone lighter. which if it was any heavier, people would be complaining about that.

sorry, got a bit rant-y there. no personal attack intended, just sick of people complaining about "cheap plastic builds" and then encasing it in plastic anyway.

 

[ironman187]

the part about touchwiz being overwhelming, i agree with. it's not the best UI out there. i strongly prefer stock Android, or a good rom, to any of the manufacturer UIs.

but it feels cheap? for the 4 seconds until you put it in a *gasp* plastic case? that's an argument i will never understand. you complain that the phone is made of plastic, then go and coat it in plastic. if the feel is that important, get an aluminum case, i'm sure they won't be hard to find. all that a plastic case does is make the phone lighter. which if it was any heavier, people would be complaining about that.

sorry, got a bit rant-y there. no personal attack intended, just sick of people complaining about "cheap plastic builds" and then encasing it in plastic anyway.

No offense, but this is an extremely shallow way of thinking. Not everybody is going to put the phone in a case, many of those who do will put it in a TPU or rubber case, still more will put it in a rubberized plastic case. There are also cases that have metal backs. Also Weight and materials used on a phone definitely impact the perceived value of a phone as do fit and finish. And when you are spending a premium on a phone, these things rightfully can impact your decision. Oh, and one more thing about the whole "plastic case on a metal phone" My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S3, we bought a cheap case for it. The case made the phone feel less cheap so...
Let me make one thing clear, Samsung makes excellent hardware, I don't like their android software side of things, but the hardware is top notch, that being said, The S3 and S4 are very well built phones with very few (if any) design flaws, but the fact remains that due to a compilation of different factors, plastic phones in general feel cheaper than metal phones. Personally, that doesn't matter to me. I like the one for a whole host of reasons, but would not have turned down and S3 or S4 just because it "felt cheap" I know better.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Cheap is subjective. I prefer form over function, not to say though that the form of the S3 / S4 is bad.

I have an iPhone 5, to compare to my Android phones. Feeling "cheap" is the least of my priorities because I actually use my phones to live real life, not sit around and go "oooo ahhaa" over.

I much prefer the lightness of the S3 / S4, expandable storage, and replaceable battery, as those affect how I use the phone. Not having those choices in the HTC one basically kills it for me. If the HTC One had SD card / removable battery I'd strongly consider it.

I have my iPhone and S3 in cases, as I have dropped both before (with cases) and suffered no harm. With the HTC one if I were to use it for "feel" without a case, a drop will dent the metal and kill any joy of using it. I don't want to handle my phone like a piece of delicate jewelry that will bust after a drop.

This is not even a close contest, s4 wins by a landslide for me.

 

[Ssith]

No offense, but this is an extremely shallow way of thinking. Not everybody is going to put the phone in a case, many of those who do will put it in a TPU or rubber case, still more will put it in a rubberized plastic case. There are also cases that have metal backs.

i'm sure it wasn't clear, i was using "plastic case" to refer to ALL cases, not just the ones specifically made of plastic.

Also Weight and materials used on a phone definitely impact the perceived value of a phone as do fit and finish. And when you are spending a premium on a phone, these things rightfully can impact your decision. Oh, and one more thing about the whole "plastic case on a metal phone" My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S3, we bought a cheap case for it. The case made the phone feel less cheap so...

that is my point, exactly. you put a case on it. if you got it in a case, you wouldn't even know the back was plastic until you took it off. so why are you complaining about it? do you regularly remove the case and just play with the phone as-is? then why do you have a case?

you're just mad because you WANT it to be made of "premium materials", despite the fact that even if it was, you'd have a cheap plastic case on it. making it feel exactly the same.

 

[Shocky]

Trying to resist ordering GT-i9505 as I would prefer GT-i9500, must hold out.....

 

[Experting]

I am very happy with the move from iPhone to the S4, the camera is fantastic on the S4, although its confusing to use, but i guess thats because ive used IOS for sooo long.

 

[ironman187]

i'm sure it wasn't clear, i was using "plastic case" to refer to ALL cases, not just the ones specifically made of plastic.



that is my point, exactly. you put a case on it. if you got it in a case, you wouldn't even know the back was plastic until you took it off. so why are you complaining about it? do you regularly remove the case and just play with the phone as-is? then why do you have a case?

you're just mad because you WANT it to be made of "premium materials", despite the fact that even if it was, you'd have a cheap plastic case on it. making it feel exactly the same.

Read what I wrote again, your entire argument was invalidated by it. Complaining about people calling the build cheap and then justifying it by claiming they will just put it in a plastic case is utter nonsense. As I said, the materials used are only one part of the equation, to pretend they are the be all to end all is just shallow thinking. Oh, and one other thing, I'm not mad about anything, My wife has the S3 and is very happy with it, I have the HTC One and am still within my 15 day return period, however, the S4 does not interest me in the least and I love pretty much everything about the One so I will not be returning it. However, as long as we are throwing around ridiculous and baseless accusations how about this? You are just mad because somebody called a phone you plan to/have purchased "cheap feeling" and you feel the need to vindicate your insecurities about said purchase.


As to the rest of you posting here, this thread was originally intended for HTC One owners and was posted in the HTC One board, why it was moved here is beyond me, however, the premise still applies, if you purchased another phone recently, do you regret doing so now that the Samsung S4 is out?

 

[Ssith]

what part, exactly, am i misunderstanding? you claim that the phone feels cheap and by putting a case on it, you made it feel less cheap. that's basically my entire argument.

Complaining about people calling the build cheap and then justifying it by claiming they will just put it in a plastic case is utter nonsense.

it's exactly what you did!

i never EVER claimed that the case material was the be-all, end-all of what makes a purchasing decision. you claimed that. in fact, you're the only one who brought up the materials in a purchasing scenario. everything i've said was based on a reviewing scenario. i don't think the reviewers are fair in that they overemphasize the plastic back without pointing out that, though not everyone, a vast majority of people will use a case, negating the feel of the back panel in every way.

and, point taken. i jumped the gun in assuming you were invested in the phone in some way. mea culpa.

i asked in another thread, but i will ask again because i'm really wondering now, does the One support OTG cables? i'm betting it was moved here because it was deemed a comparison of the One vs the S4. *shrug*

edit add: they are, i didn't think someone would respond that fast.

 

[Slug]

this thread was originally intended for HTC One owners and was posted in the HTC One board, why it was moved here is beyond me

It is about comparing the S4 with the One, therefore this is the proper venue for it. We've found over time that a sub-forum dedicated to device comparisons reduces the occurrence of flame wars.

 

[ironman187]

what part, exactly, am i misunderstanding? you claim that the phone feels cheap and by putting a case on it, you made it feel less cheap. that's basically my entire argument.

Less cheap =/= quality build

it's exactly what you did!

No, I made the point that the case only affects the perceived build quality of a phone to a degree.

i never EVER claimed that the case material was the be-all, end-all of what makes a purchasing decision. you claimed that. in fact, you're the only one who brought up the materials in a purchasing scenario. everything i've said was based on a reviewing scenario. i don't think the reviewers are fair in that they overemphasize the plastic back without pointing out that, though not everyone, a vast majority of people will use a case, negating the feel of the back panel in every way.

Absolutely and unequivocally wrong, the material and finish of the back panel is only a part of the equation that makes up perceived build quality. Had you actually read my last two replies to you, you would have understood this by now, and yes, your entire rant was based on the premise that putting a case on a phone negates any perception of build quality, you also failed to take into account the different cases, and different materials used in the cases, furthermore, you neglected to account for the fact that not everybody is going to use a case. Also, YOU were the one who brought up materials when you started talking about putting plastic cases on aluminum phones.

and, point taken. i jumped the gun in assuming you were invested in the phone in some way. mea culpa.

No worries, everybody is invested in their phone from a monetary standpoint, and, as is the nature of forums like these, there is always a glut of fanboys willing to defend their choice of phone to their dying breath.

It is about comparing the S4 with the One, therefore this is the proper venue for it. We've found over time that a sub-forum dedicated to device comparisons reduces the occurrence of flame wars.

Ah, well, it wasn't meant to be a comparison thread per se (we have enough of those here as it is) but rather a question of who (if anybody) was regretting purchasing their One in leu of the S4 coming out.

 

[Ssith]

we're talking about completely different things. i'm not talking about the actual build quality. i'm talking only about the back panel's feel. because that's what the reviews are unhappy with.

and i said that i know not everyone is going to use a case. the vast majority of people are, however, going to use a case. i also addressed that i was simply using the term "plastic case" to refer to any case that was being used. and i say "cheap" because, in comparison to a phone, the vast majority of cases are, in fact, cheaper.

you keep arguing over the exact semantics of my posts, even after i attempt to clear up the confusion (which i really don't believe there actually is, you seem smarter than that).

yes, your entire rant was based on the premise that putting a case on a phone negates any perception of build quality

when i'm talking about the back of a phone, it does, though. i'm not talking about anything else in, around, touching, feeling or otherwise dealing with the phone. if you had a galaxy S4 back panel sitting on a desk, that's the piece i'm talking about. and i'm ONLY talking about the back panel of the phone. that's the only part i'm talking about. if you cover the back panel, you cannot possibly feel the material it's made of anymore. because that's what the reviewers are saying, is that the back panel is what makes the phone feel cheap. and i'm saying that once you cover that part, you're not going to feel it anymore, so why is that specific part being made of plastic a big deal? since, i assert again without proof other than "it's what people do", most people are going to just cover it with a "plastic case*" anyway.

*that's not necessarily actually plastic, but it's easier than saying "a case made of plastic, rubber, aluminum, fur, gold, diamonds, platinum, iphones, weasels, or sand."

Also, YOU were the one who brought up materials when you started talking about putting plastic cases on aluminum phones.

the plastic on aluminum bit was a shot at iphone users, which the S4 is being compared to in terms of "it's a top-quality phone that's not even using aluminum like the iphone from last year". yet people still slap (in this case actual) plastic cases on them.

PS: good arguing, i'm having fun. it's nothing malicious (at least from my end). i don't, and won't, have an S4. it's just something i latched onto and you're the first person to call me on it and ask "why?"

 

[LiveWallpapers]

Doesn't look as good as the HTC One... That is the only regret really, otherwise specs-wise, feature-wire, the S4 is definitely superior.

Better camera, microSD slot etc... Only the design is not interesting enough when compared with the HTC One...

 

[ceva321]

Ssith So true. ..Hey my new phone is all metal and glass now I will cover it with a cheap plastic case!!!

 

[drrandall1]

1 week away of the Optimus G Pro!!!