iPhone competition? HTC One and Samsung S4?

[wasimyaqoob]

As an iPhone user from day one when the first iPhone was introduced all those years ago, I have been stood in the queues ever since for all the latest and greatest versions of iPhone.

However after a disappointing iPhone 5, I have begun to look at the competition.

Looking at HTC One and potentially Samsung Galaxy S4 (announcement in a few weeks).

The HTC One looks absolutely stunning, not only is a more powerful handset compared to the iPhone 5, it arguably looks better now (thinner) too and constructed entirely out of aluminium.

I'm intrigued to see people thoughts towards Apple and whether long avid users like myself would potentially move across?

Discuss...

 

[ZombiePete]

I've been to Android and back again; most recently had a Nexus 4 which was a very nice phone. Both systems are almost to the point where they are on a pretty even playing field; it's very possible that a long time Apple fan could go over to Android and be very happy. My two biggest issues with Android were the ever-increasing sizes of the phones (I have a medical issue that makes holding extra wide phones uncomfortable) and the quality of the apps.

That second issue isn't as bad as it used to be; but it's still definitely an item of consideration. It's especially noticeable on a tablet. I would definitely encourage anyone thinking about making the switch to try their favorite apps on an Android phone before taking the plunge.

 

[adildacoolset]

Just curious, how is the iPhone 5 disappointing?

 

[hovscorpion12]

First off, I would say not that much difference between the HTC one and the Galaxy S4. According to rumors the main difference is battery. The HTC I believe boosts a 3K mAh battery while Samsung has a 2400 mAh. One uses touch wiz one doesn't.

 

[MRU]

First off, I would say not that much difference between the HTC one and the Galaxy S4. According to rumors the main difference is battery. The HTC I believe boosts a 3K mAh battery while Samsung has a 2400 mAh. One uses touch wiz one doesn't.

Nope... HTC One has a 2320mAh battery.

We don't know what the S4 will have.



----------------

AnTuTu reveals the power with both the SGS4 & HTC One


The actual scores of SGS4

Here are the detailed scores:
Total: 24894
Ram: 5144
Integer: 5228
Float-point: 5536
2D: 1621
3D: 6449
DB: 565
SD-W: 150
SD-R: 201

Resolution: 1080x1920

And shot from HTC One

Score = 24666 (near identical)
Ram = 4189 (slightly slower)
3D = 8271 (slightly faster)


So much of a muchness. Both devices are power demons.


Now lets see the aesthetics please Samsung, and what changes you've made to Touchwiz

 

[standingoten]

HTC hit it out of the park. I am using the $100 trade in coupon for it when it arrives. The hardware is spectacular and no other Android phone has come close in the past 5 years.

Samsung to me is still going to be the same old plastic. I don't like how it feels and TouchWiz is bloated. They really need to take a page from HTC and dial the OS down a notch because lag is only going to get worse when they have 440+ PPI.

 

[wasimyaqoob]

I think HTC One will be my new phone within the next few weeks, if Samsung S4 disappoints.

It's a shame to leave the iPhone but I'm sad to say, Apple is losing their dominance and the the HTC One is proof of that.

 

[zone23]

HTC hit it out of the park. I am using the $100 trade in coupon for it when it arrives. The hardware is spectacular and no other Android phone has come close in the past 5 years.

Samsung to me is still going to be the same old plastic. I don't like how it feels and TouchWiz is bloated. They really need to take a page from HTC and dial the OS down a notch because lag is only going to get worse when they have 440+ PPI.

Actually the Droid DNA is close I call it the HTC Ones little brother. AKA the HTC Butterfly.

Antutu - HTC Droid DNA 18647 Stock.

 

[standingoten]

Actually the Droid DNA is close I call it the HTC Ones little brother. AKA the HTC Butterfly.

Antutu - HTC Droid DNA 18647 Stock.

I haven't used the HTC One but the Droid DNA isn't as strong in the build quality department from my usage.

The bottom charger door breaks off so easily. The back's soft touch material can wear down. Screen scratches very easily. But I find it a lot better than the S3/Note 2 in terms of build quality by miles.

Nokia/Apple are the best in the industry in terms of build quality for me.
HTC/Motorola/LG are next
Then Samsung is at the bottom with the Chinese makers.

 

[robstunner]

After using an htc one x for a few months I will hold off on buying the new one until I watch a lot of reviews and lurk the forums about it. One x was great in the hand, good camera, great screen. But literally no software updates. It's still on ice cream sandwich which came out way back in 2011 I believe (whenever the galaxy nexus came out). Also, it had a fair amount of bugs like wifi signal drop, multitasking being severely hampered and being a pita for devs to unlock and customize.

 

[MRU]

After using an htc one x for a few months I will hold off on buying the new one until I watch a lot of reviews and lurk the forums about it. One x was great in the hand, good camera, great screen. But literally no software updates. It's still on ice cream sandwich which came out way back in 2011 I believe (whenever the galaxy nexus came out). Also, it had a fair amount of bugs like wifi signal drop, multitasking being severely hampered and being a pita for devs to unlock and customize.

The HTC one x has jellybean update since November / early december last.

http://www.htc.com/in/support/news.aspx?p_id=440&p_name=htc-one-x

Unless your carrier is holding it back which happens ... That's where an international unlocked phone generally wins out, however even then waiting for updates can be tortuous.

Hopefully their focus on only 1 flagship handset this year will help this. But the problem of carriers will still persist.

It makes me wish that ALL manufacturers released software like Apple, and rolled it out to ALL regardless of carrier and location at the same time.

 

[Dontazemebro]

The benefit is that you can root and rom. If you own the HOX, you're not going to get the full potential unless you do some modding. Yes it might not appeal to everyone but it's very much worth it once you pair HTC's superior hardware with a smooth rom.

AT&T has failed to update but you can always get your jelly bean fix at xda. All the gripes that plagued ice cream sandwich are pretty much non existent. Even the much talked about multitasking is a non issue with Sense 4+ jelly bean under the hood.

Trust me, if you're not rooted & rom'd, you will never fully appreciate what the One X brings to the table.

 

[robstunner]

The HTC one x has jellybean update since November / early december last.

http://www.htc.com/in/support/news.aspx?p_id=440&p_name=htc-one-x

Unless your carrier is holding it back which happens ... That's where an international unlocked phone generally wins out, however even then waiting for updates can be tortuous.

Hopefully their focus on only 1 flagship handset this year will help this. But the problem of carriers will still persist.

It makes me wish that ALL manufacturers released software like Apple, and rolled it out to ALL regardless of carrier and location at the same time.

My apologies. The international version as well as Canadian have jelly bean. AT&T version does not.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

It's a shame to leave the iPhone but I'm sad to say, Apple is losing their dominance and the the HTC One is proof of that.

Are you moving for better features and apps, or because you want to be holding a phone that boasts the best international sales?

It was always inevitable that Apple would not be the best selling smartphone in the world because they haven't chased that marketing model. If so they would have been producing cheaper phones, and be releasing one every 2 to 3 months. Their popularity is still as high as ever, but Android makers are also good options and often at a more affordable price. That doesn't mean Apple's quality has dropped, although that is always going to be a subjective opinion.

 

[zone23]

I haven't used the HTC One but the Droid DNA isn't as strong in the build quality department from my usage.

The bottom charger door breaks off so easily. The back's soft touch material can wear down. Screen scratches very easily. But I find it a lot better than the S3/Note 2 in terms of build quality by miles.

Nokia/Apple are the best in the industry in terms of build quality for me.
HTC/Motorola/LG are next
Then Samsung is at the bottom with the Chinese makers.

Actually I was talking about benchmarks not build quality.

Not sure how the glass could scratch easily its still gorilla glass same glass as other phones. You are correct about the plastic door but who cares just chuck it in the trash can, don't need it. All that said I understand were your coming from I wish it was all aluminium too but Verizon doesn't offer a all aluminium Droid DNA so you take what you can get. I have insurance so if the backs "soft touch material can wear down" I will just get the phone replaced. I also have a case for it (which I don't use). To each their own. I love the phone if the One comes to Verizon (which I doubt it will) I will get it until then its the DNA.

 

[standingoten]

Actually I was talking about benchmarks not build quality.

Not sure how the glass could scratch easily its still gorilla glass same glass as other phones. You are correct about the plastic door but who cares just chuck it in the trash can, don't need it. All that said I understand were your coming from I wish it was all aluminium too but Verizon doesn't offer a all aluminium Droid DNA so you take what you can get. I have insurance so if the backs "soft touch material can wear down" I will just get the phone replaced. I also have a case for it (which I don't use). To each their own. I love the phone if the One comes to Verizon (which I doubt it will) I will get it until then its the DNA.

Don't get me wrong; the DNA is amazing. It blows the water out of anything Samsung has made in my opinion. The plastic door lowers resale value badly which leaves a bit to be desired.

 

[zone23]

Don't get me wrong; the DNA is amazing. It blows the water out of anything Samsung has made in my opinion. The plastic door lowers resale value badly which leaves a bit to be desired.

I here ya it was a stupid design to begin with. I've read stories of Verizon blaming customs for abusing their devices. Mine wasted no time breaking off now I just stick it in. I use the wireless charging so I don't have to remove it very often.

 

[tjl3]

HTC can't compete with Apple, not yet. Samsung, different story. HTC (LG and Sony alike) needs to create an identity with their flagship device. I think it starts with a world phone. iPhone and the GS3 are more or less world phones b/c under their respective banners they can be used on most carriers regardless of GSM/CDMA frequencies. Even though the US is not the center of the world, they are a big market, and a large piece of the pie goes to Apple and Samsung because their flagship devices land on those CDMA carriers (similarly other parts of the world do use CDMA but are locked out of these 'flagship devices').

And personally, it bothers me that HTC phones are somewhat asymmetrical. Most of their competitors center the front on the display, but HTC centers the front on the display plus the capacitive buttons. It just feels unbalanced, especially when doing anything full screen. Think of it as stretching the phone more than the iPhone 5 does.

 

[Peterg2]

HTC can't compete with Apple, not yet. Samsung, different story. HTC (LG and Sony alike) needs to create an identity with their flagship device. I think it starts with a world phone. iPhone and the GS3 are more or less world phones b/c under their respective banners they can be used on most carriers regardless of GSM/CDMA frequencies. Even though the US is not the center of the world, they are a big market, and a large piece of the pie goes to Apple and Samsung because their flagship devices land on those CDMA carriers (similarly other parts of the world do use CDMA but are locked out of these 'flagship devices').

-snip-

I really think that unless HTC spends a whole ton of money in advertising, money they probably don't have, then no matter how excellent the phone is, it will probably be buried by the S4, even if the latter is, at least in some of our eyes, an iterative, cheap-feeling, plastic phone.

If for some reason Samsung do something different with the construction of their phones then I will be surprised. Here is an article published a few hours ago where CNET interviewed the executive vice-president of Samsung Mobile. It could possibly be a high quality plastic (polycarbonate) like with the HTC One X or the Nokia 920 but nothing like the iphone 5 or the HTC One I believe.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57572608-94/why-the-galaxy-s4-wont-be-shedding-its-plastic-roots/

 

[onthecouchagain]

I love the HTC One's aggressive design and style (particularly the silver one), but I have a feeling that it'll age poorly. Come a few months, I think people will find it ugly.

I could be wrong.

 

[Stuntman06]

HTC can't compete with Apple, not yet. Samsung, different story. HTC (LG and Sony alike) needs to create an identity with their flagship device. I think it starts with a world phone. iPhone and the GS3 are more or less world phones b/c under their respective banners they can be used on most carriers regardless of GSM/CDMA frequencies. Even though the US is not the center of the world, they are a big market, and a large piece of the pie goes to Apple and Samsung because their flagship devices land on those CDMA carriers (similarly other parts of the world do use CDMA but are locked out of these 'flagship devices').

HTC needs to follow Samsung in making one top of the line phone and making it available on all carriers. Last year, I actually wanted to get a One X, but it was not available on my carrier. I ended up getting an SGS3 instead (which actually turned out great as well). They made a bunch of different phones in the past and my carrier ended up picking a lower end phone (which I did not like).

It appears that this year, HTC is going to make just the one high end phone in the HTC One and make it available across many carriers. They need to have their device available to a lot more users in order to compete with Samsung. HTC is a year too late and lost me as a customer last year. I loved my HTC Desire Z and wanted to stay with HTC when I was looking for a new phone then.

 

[rezenclowd3]

I have a feeling that it'll age poorly.

Look at just about any tech. Does it age well? Most likely not.

Phones are just trash in 1-2 years anyway.

 

[sentinelsx]

Phones are just trash in 1-2 years anyway.

lol

People are spoiled too easily nowadays.

 

[MRU]

I love the HTC One's aggressive design and style (particularly the silver one), but I have a feeling that it'll age poorly. Come a few months, I think people will find it ugly.

I could be wrong.

are macbook pros, iMacs, mba's ageing badly? It has the closest aesthetics to Apples hardware I've seen of a third party device.

 

[rezenclowd3]

lol

People are spoiled too easily nowadays.

I don't like it, but it's true. I would delighted if battery life was measured in days or weeks, and the OS and programs were frozen. It's so much waste to toss millions upon millions of phones away every year.