Galaxy S4 or HTC One or ??

[Deleted]

So I'll be buying a new smartphone soon but can't seem to decide which one to go for. The current 2 competitors are the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. But I guess everyone already knows about that.

Which one seem to get your preference if you had to choose? And why?

Itruly love how the One looks, imo it's probably the best looking phone, ever. However it seems to come at a small prize, thanks to it's unibody you can't change the battery, which can suck, and although it feels premium because of it's aluminum body I don't know if it's actually better in real life. It feels better when holding, sure, but dropping it is probably worse then dropping a poly-carbonate phone like the S4 since it bends a tad. The sizes of the phone doesn't matter, I guess the S4 is just big enough, bigger would probably be bad.

Now the S4 comes with the latest Androids build of course, while the One is a bit behind, but that probably won't take long. I truly love the overhauled Sense UI they're using, but I'm not sure how much use Blinkfeed for example has, I already use Feedly and Flipboard which basically do the same shit but better and they don't have to run constantly. I heard quite some bad things about Samsungs TouchWiz (never owned a samsung smartphone) but apparently it's lighter then the new SenseUI which sounds like a good thing. I like my stuff clean and not bloated beyond hell.

Then there's all the innovations which are always meh anyway. Stuff normal people don't use, but companies just use to sell or sound awesome (hello Apple).

Anyway this is getting to long. So which phone would you guys and gals choose, and why?

Currently I'm leaning a bit more to the S4. Sure it ain't the prettiest of phones or doesn't feel so premium as the One, but software wise and performance wise it seems to have the advantage. It has useless shit on it, or stuff that doesn't exactly work fluidly (the whole gesture thing), but so does the One (Blinkfeed, the oh so good ultrapixel camera which doesn't seem so ultragood).

If you would recommend another phone, feel free to do so. The Apple 5 is not worth mentioning btw.

[Echelonl]

I've been looking into a new phone as well. The S4 pretty much blows everything out of the water. Nothing really compares with its hardware or software capabilities. And if you care about cameras and what not, it will have a 12 mp camera as well.

Also, for some reason Samsung are the only guys putting microSD slots in their phones. So you can get up to 64gb internal storage w/ an additional 64gb on the microSD. S4 also has way more battery life, and a removable battery(unlike htc one).

All in all, it is a pretty bland looking phone, but nothing even comes close to competing with it.

[atlantez]

Biggest reason for me to choose the HTC One over the Samsung S4 is that the HTC One will be moddable with custom roms, and the S4 will not (mod-community will not support it due to Samsung not providing them with the needed information). Of course that's if you are into having a custom rom on your phone, if not then of course that point is invalidated :-)

Having a removable battery though is a pretty big win, my current HTC Sensation's battery was completely bulgy so instead of || it looked like () and my phone rebooted every 30secs and GPS was broken, now I bought a new battery from eBay and voila, phone 110% OK like the day I got it. So if that would've been the case with the HTC One, then yer pretty much screwed and no warranty either.

[Sorshen]

About the HTC-One...
http://blog.gsmarena.com/ifixit-is-d...-another-time/

I'd lean towards the S4.
If synthetic benchmarks are your thing, the S4 with Snapdragon600 SoC (i9505) is about equal to slightly better performance-wise than the One. The Exynos-Octa version (i9500) is vastly superior in most if not all tests, plus it has one of the best battery life capabilities out there. Samsung software updates usually offer significant boosts in performance and features. On the bad side here, the S4 will not receive CyanogenMOD support (the Snapdragon one might, later on).
The S4 s-amoled screen has top notch black levels. The camera shots seem better too.
4.7" vs 5" screen size, you won't notice the difference in DPI, more like a style/pocket size choice.

[Themius]

I would get an iPhone.... never gave me any issues at all, unlike every android ever.

[Schmiggy]

I would get an iPhone.... never gave me any issues at all, unlike every android ever.

I imagine the OP is after a bit more tangible advice rather than anecdotal. But if you insist on that being your input, my counterpoint would be "I would get an Android.... never gave me any issues at all, unlike every iPhone ever."

That's not me necessarily trying to be a smartass either, that has genuinely been my experience with iPhone and Android phones.

As far as hardware goes though, the phones are so similar in performance there's almost no point comparing unless you're desperately looking for something to swing your decision one way or the other.

For me personally, given performance in top line phones is so similar, I look at aesthetics and battery life primarily. If you're like me and you plan on upgrading to the latest phone when your contract expires or you can afford it, then the fact you can't replace the battery is moot (unless of course you're among the niche market that carries around a second battery in case the other one days). HTC One I think everyone agrees looks a crapload better than the S4.

If it were me, I'd be going for the HTC One.

Also, regarding the camera, even if the S4 is better, the HTC One is by no stretch of the imagination bad. If you want to take professional photos, get a proper camera. If you're just taking happy snaps while you're out with friends, or visiting a zoo or some random tourist location, then the HTC One would be more than adequate.

[Deleted]

I'd go for the HTC One, no question.

Spec-wise they're roughly the same, the UI is much more sleek on the HTC (imo obviously) and the materials used on the One are obviously superior. Also the screen on the One produces much more natural colours, which I prefer over the exaggerated ones

[Stroved]

I asked myself the same question, and in the end I'm getting the S4.

When the One X first came out, I was one of the first to get it (pre-ordered and delivered on the release date), and while it was a good phone for a while, the battery life has drained so much that I can barely get it through a day now (with small use as I'm scared the battery will die when I really need it!). The software since the latest update has been sluggish and even fails to recognise some of my touches, which is really annoying for a phone I paid around £500 (off contract) for.

Overall, I would have gotten the HTC One, but due to the lack of updates (I've gotten one, is 4.1 AFTER 4.2 came out), and while Samsung isn't the best at updates, they are better. I wish HTC could make good hardware and software, but in my experience, the hardware is the only good thing they make now, Sense is buggy and laggy at the best of times.

It's a shame, as I love my One X's design, its amazing, but HTC have failed me and it's time to move to Samsung...

[Deleted]

The One, The One|!|! Have you seen that thing and it's specs?

[Nasriel]

For my birthday in just a bit over a month I'm getting a new phone. After owning a HTC desire and having nothing but issues with it I'm hesitant to ever own another HTC phone, though I did love the layout of sense UI. I'm never buying another Iphone. I think they are horribly overpriced for what you get. I also hate the lack of customization and how you are forced to use that ugly UI of theirs...

At the moment I have my eye on one of two phones, Samsung Galaxy S4 (assuming it's out in May) or Nokia Lumia 920, though I'm not entirely sure about Windows Mobile 8. I like Android but it has it's annoying niggling flaws. For example my current phone has this annoying tendency (as did my HTC Desire) to be in full signal area and flat out refuse to load any webpages. Reboot the phone and it works just fine. Another thing that pisses me off which my HTC Desire, Xperia Play and Galaxy Tab 2 do which drives me insane is I can't post on these forums. Everytime I try the stupid browser crashes... That said my phone isn't powerful enough to get ICS let alone Jellybean and the Galaxy Tab can't be updated yet either so I don't know if the browser crash issue has been fixed in the new version or not...

but at this moment i'm more leaning towards the S4

[saffi]

You could always look to the s3. I've had it since october and it will be a beast for atleast 1-2 years. Now that the s4 is here, the price for the s3 should go down as well

[Aldred]

I haven't tried out either the S4 or the HTC One, but if you're looking for a good camera the HTC is supposed to be way better. Mind you if you're looking for a good camera, you'll likely know that already and will know megapixels are definitely not the only way of measuring potential picture quality.

If you're not so bothered about the camera, probably the S4. Solid hardware and lots of options as far as expanding the memory/swapping batteries, and some new features like eye tracking and dual shot.

That's if you want to pay top dollar and need 4G of course. I recently picked myself up a Nexus 4 for less than half the price of an S4, and am very happy with it. But then lack of expansion and battery swap weren't issues for me. I'm loving the price and things like photo sphere, and it'll be nice to get new software upgrades first.

Anyway I'm sure you're looking for something even newer, but still - an S4 or two Nexus 4's and money left over, it's another option!

[Gheld]

I would get an iPhone.... never gave me any issues at all, unlike every android ever.

inoritelol everyone copy apple who invented everything.

[Badpaladin]

Almost every phone company is gravitating toward no microSD slots. I currently use my S3 as a second backup for important files and programs, and it's amazing. Internal storage handles all my phone stuff, since I'm not a huge picture taker. Something to consider.

As far as UI goes, there's really no good reason to be using what Samsung or HTC slapped over stock Android. If you get an Android device, root it and load stock Jellybean on it. You'll never go back.

[ati87]

if I where you I would go get the S4.

HTC has a bad habbit of killing the phone after a few months and bring out a small upgraded version.

This wouldn't be a issue if HTC decided to keep the firmware updated.

[Valort]

I'm getting the S4, after a long history of using iphones.

The HTC is great, but SD slot and removable battery did it for me.

[Holyshnikies]

You should create a poll. But more than likely, by a landslide win, S4.

[Deleted]

Biggest reason for me to choose the HTC One over the Samsung S4 is that the HTC One will be moddable with custom roms, and the S4 will not (mod-community will not support it due to Samsung not providing them with the needed information). Of course that's if you are into having a custom rom on your phone, if not then of course that point is invalidated :-)

This is 1 thing really. I'm not a massive rooter, but I generally use it to get away from all the default crap I don't need anyway. The phones I had (Xperia Arc S and Experia S) didn't really get all that much attention either compared to the galaxy s4 for example. I'd instantly root it for the customization, but it's not the most important part. And in Belgium we get the Snapdragon version, which might get the attention anyway so ..

I would get an iPhone.... never gave me any issues at all, unlike every android ever.

I would, if the phone wasn't priced the same or more as an S4 or One who basically do everything Apple does, but better.

For me personally, given performance in top line phones is so similar, I look at aesthetics and battery life primarily. If you're like me and you plan on upgrading to the latest phone when your contract expires or you can afford it, then the fact you can't replace the battery is moot (unless of course you're among the niche market that carries around a second battery in case the other one days). HTC One I think everyone agrees looks a crapload better than the S4.

If it were me, I'd be going for the HTC One.

Also, regarding the camera, even if the S4 is better, the HTC One is by no stretch of the imagination bad. If you want to take professional photos, get a proper camera. If you're just taking happy snaps while you're out with friends, or visiting a zoo or some random tourist location, then the HTC One would be more than adequate.

I agree that it looks a billion times better then the S4, but I also read that aluminum really isn't that good compared to polycorbonate. Sure it looks and feels shitloads better, but the case is there to protect the device mostly, in which I've read that the plastic used in devices like the S4 is actually better. Now again, this isn't so important as I've never had any problems with my devices breaking from falling. I just don't drop them and is there anyone who still uses a smartphone without a simple case or sock?

About the camera, while HTC brags about the innovation about their ultrapixels, most reviews seem to agree that the S4 still has better quality, much better quality. I don't use it that often, and I really, really like the Zoë thing HTC put out, but all in all it's just details.

Also the screen on the One produces much more natural colours, which I prefer over the exaggerated ones

As far as I'm aware the screen on the S4 is lots better then the S3. With the resolution and such, and samsungs own software, the colors wouldn't be disturbing. The One probably has a better screen, but I don't think it's something you really notice.

I recently picked myself up a Nexus 4 for less than half the price of an S4, and am very happy with it

I'd get it, seriously. Those specs for that price is just beyond insane. Problem is that both Google and LG are a bitch in Belgium and we can't get it over here. Don't want to be bothered with buying it from Germany and sending here etc. But otherwise I would have gotten it long ago. Simple Android with superb specs and the phone itself is just gorgeous to look at. Shame google has no intention to expand their play store thing.

You should create a poll. But more than likely, by a landslide win, S4.

Nah, then it's just filled with fanbois, and I don't want my 700 euro wasted because some guys told me it would fit me better.



Anyway, it might sound strange, but I would really love to get the One. As someone who LOVES pretty designs the One just excels at everything compared to the S4. Both the phone and software looks. But since both phones have the same price over here, it feels as I would have bought a worse phone compared to the S4, which would make it kinda stupid.

Worse is a bad word of course, since both phones offer specs no one on this planet actually needs.

[Korgoth]

Between S4 and One, id go with the One. Better materials, better screen, better UI shell, and better camera. Anand's Mini review on it makes it look pretty good. http://www.anandtech.com/show/6851/t...ds-mini-review

Though personally Id just buy a Nexus 4 and put it on a smaller $50 unlimited carrier. I did the whole subsidized phone huge Verizon contract thing last time and imo wasn't worth it.

[Easo]

How about Lumia? xD