Need advice, gs4 or htc one

[Zaft]

I currently have an iPhone 5. I really want a bigger screen.should I go with the htc one or gs4? I hear gs4 lags more but it does have the slim bezel and a 5 inch screen.

UPDATE: Ok so I have had the GS4 for four days now. Its nice, the screen really pops. But im sitting here right now and missing my iphone.. i guess its because im used to it. some little things like not as smooth web browsing and overall its not an easy phone to hold. This concludes my testing of the GS4. Back to iphone i go looks like.

 

[Fanaticalism]

I currently have an iPhone 5. I really want a bigger screen.should I go with the htc one or gs4? I hear gs4 lags more but it does have the slim bezel and a 5 inch screen.

I would say look at the G2 and Note 3.

Between the s4 and One, I chose the s4. For my uses, the SD card goes a long way (I rip movies and music to it). Firmware and third party support were also determining factors for me as well. As far as outdoor use, neither are as bright as the iPhone. The G2 is a better performer outdoors than either S4 or One.

I use nova launcher prime, no lag here.

 

[FrankB1191]

I went with the HTC One: fantastic front facing speakers, machined aluminum chassis, not overloaded with features I'll never use, and great price at the time. Your needs might be completely different, so it's often good to look at some of the YouTube comparisons from MobileTech, MarquesBrown, Cnet, etc, and then make a choice. They're mostly all decent devices, so it'll be tough to loose.

 

[bmac4]

I went with the One. Better build quality, no crap features I will never use, and Sense 5 just seems much more practical to me. I am not sure what Fanaticalism is talking about with brightness. My HTC One gets just as bright as my iPhone 5 does outside.

 

[sarcosis]

If a larger screen is your only requirement, then there are quite a few Android phones that would work. Lot's of choice out there right now. For iPhone switchers who go Android the first time, the Moto X is a great choice. Better than the GS4 and One since it gives you the most pure Android experience of the lot. It has great battery and super smooth. Bad thing is that the camera isn't the best.

I went with the LG g2 and couldn't be happier. It has a great screen, great battery, and great camera. It also is pretty small for a screen as big as it is. The LG software doesn't bug me. The knock knock feature is great and wish more phones did it.

But if you really want Samsung or HTC, give the Note 3 a go. It has all the goodness of the S4 with a bigger screen, a better battery, and better processor. The Snapdragon 800 is a beast.

In reality, the HTC One, S4, LG G2, Moto X, and and Note 3 will all meet your needs. I go to the store, play with them and see which one you like best.

 

[blackhand1001]

If you are on gsm wait a few weeks and get the nexus 5.

Its the best android experience as and the nexus 5 is looking like a great no compromise device.

 

[Fanaticalism]

I went with the One. Better build quality, no crap features I will never use, and Sense 5 just seems much more practical to me. I am not sure what Fanaticalism is talking about with brightness. My HTC One gets just as bright as my iPhone 5 does outside.

HTC One 460 cd/m
Iphone 500 cd/m²

Edit: The iPhone leans heavily towards to blue in the color temp area which is perceived to be brighter as well (albeit at the expense of accuracy).

 

[T5BRICK]

I went with the HTC One. If you can wait until the Nexus 5 is released, it may be an awesome phone.

 

[thehustleman]

Get the s4 if
-you like being on the cutting edge of new features
-love having the ability to totally remove your battery and swap it out on the fly
-love the great build quality
-love the convenience of an SD card
-love the superior battery life


Get the one if...
-you love the great build materials
-listen to music through your phone speakers and without headohines
-plan to use it a lot in sunlight
-want the best screen available on a phone
-don't mind sense


Just be sure to insure your ONE because they are virtually unrepairable!

 

[JeffiJers]

s4 vote...

but would choose moto x over both. or new nexus.

 

[beegie]

Would you mind if I butt in to ask similar Q's as OP? *Or should I start a separate thread?

I'm open to Android ideas if such a "workhorse-beast" as this even exists:

Would need a hold-in-one-hand, petite-size-hand model, but w/64gig (or bigger!), for a NON-techie (me), that will use it full-time long hours 12-16 hrs a day. So which Android would be best for...

1. *WRITERS:*
--+Need tons of Notes apps for different projects (1,000's of notes) w/auto time/date stamp,
--+Organize notes in folders or at least drag/drop them into order,
--+Ability to choose font & size,
--+Use bold, italicize, underline, etc. in the text.
--Does Android have tons of good Notes apps?
--If I found ONE bestest Notes app, will it let me buy a few dozen copies of that SAME Notes app? (vs being forced to buy others that might function less desirably)?

2. *RESEARCHING, ie, BROWSERS: **
--+Lots of browser pages open at once, side-by-side >> not Tabs-only!,
--+TURN OFF "MOBILE VERSION" OF ALL WEBSITES in browser or Settings,
--+Web Rendering as different browsers, FF, IE, iCab, etc.,
--+NO UNIBAR! *(I use the separate search window in older ios to save brief notes while reading a webpage, & the notes stay there forever until erased or cache cleared, even when page is refreshed, which I'm thinking new unibars would kill that ability),*
--+Blogging (attach photos to notes during research phase, then zap finished project to blog via email w/o having to open a mail app).
--Does Android have any browsers that do all that?

3. *ORGANIZING ten-THOUSAND PHOTOS:
--Camera is never used, don't care re camera;
--All photos are either screenshots or pics saved from web;
--Don't want/need/care for pics to be organized by GPS, geo-tagging, location nor date since none of that applies!
--DO DESPERATELY NEED to organize pics by PROJECT TITLE of my choosing, whether into folders/subfolders or galleries/albums, etc., straight from "camera roll/photo roll."
--So which Android, if any, has such a Photo-Organizer BUILT-IN?

4. *CREATE "PHOTO-SLIDESHOWS" ("storyline/movies"):
--Again, will not be using camera nor microphone nor shooting videos. *What IS needed:
--+Import photos, Add text to photos, add transitions, pan/zoom/still; splice/trim imported clips; import audio/background music, fade in/out audio; ability to set time for each photo &/or text screen; render, maybe compress, export to camera roll or email or upload directly from app to hosting sites, etc.
--If anyone remembers the REEL DIRECTOR app from iphone 3G/3Gs era, that's what I'm after! *Fantastic app! (sadly no longer updated by dev, & I've always heard iMovie sucks in comparison so never used it). *
--Does Android have great "photo-movie-slideshow-creation" apps?

5. *CREATE PANORAMA-SIZE/LENGTH "BLENDED PHOTO/STORY-BANNERS":
--Again, camera is not used/needed for this.
--Import individual pics into panorama app, as many as 50 pics or more, set various settings, render, export back to camera roll or photo album or directly upload to blog, in one long, now blended, ORIGINAL size & quality.
--If you've ever used Panoramatic360 iphone app, that's what I'm after. *It creates gorgeous "pictorial banner-size blended photo stories" even on old 3Gs iphone still running old ios3+!
--Does Android have lots of similar apps?

6. *PHOTOS GENERAL: *Would need Android apps for:
--Layers apps to layer at least 5 pics on top of each other, erase portions, add color backgrounds, etc.
--Photoshop-type app for flip, rotate, crop, tint, exposure, contrast, focus, effects, etc.
--ReSizer app to change photo sizes &/or read pic sizes,
--Caption apps to add text to photos,
--Matt & Frame apps to add color picture frames & matts to photos (older Crop N Frame app for 3Gs is superb!!)
--Hoping Android has plenty of similar quality apps. *Know any specifically to save time hunting for them?

THAT's IT! *Those are my MAIN hoped-for "necessities" for a one-hand-held workhorse device (besides checkbook app, downloads apps, rss apps, good stereo/speakers, etc.). I did love prior ios calendar, & prior google maps & google earth, all of which I still have on older now-out-of-memory 3Gs, but all 5 browsers finally began not working well since August; have to turn off java on older safari to get some hog sites to work better, etc. So I'm in need of a newer phone, bad.

Things I could care less about/don't use in any Android or iPhone: Siri, "professional" cameras, compass, clocks/alarms, sounds, ringtones, notifications, games, widgets, traffic, facebook integration, weather, stocks, radio, motion sensors, biometric scanners, music stores, sunlight issues (mine stays inside), battery life (mine stays home, recharging no big deal), etc. etc. *(As for Music = youtube = convert = Downloads app! *Who needs a music store?)

Can't "go forward" with Apple:
--iphone 5c = no 64gb + pukey ios7
--iphone 5s = biometric bs + pukey ios7

Could maybe "go backward" to an iphone-5 w/ios6, if I can find one, but would still have no photo-organizing ability built-in, not enough decent notes apps, will lose ReelDirector app, & hate to pay so much dang $$ for a year-old phone. *(Hey Zaft, you selling yours? *Is it 64gb, white, ATT/T-Mo?

Hence, open to trying a new, cheaper-(than-iphone) Android if such a workhorse model exists yet?? *I've been reading for a month about various new phones but have yet to find articles that describe the main things I care about. *They always dwell on the opposite stuff that I could care less about. *(oh, & I DO care about UI!) *

Thank you!

 

[Sounds Good]

I currently have an iPhone 5. I really want a bigger screen.

Same boat here, I really want a bigger screen (although I still have an iPhone 4).

Not sure if I'll really switch just because I want a bigger screen, but if I do... I like the Note 3, I'm looking forward to the Nexus 5, the LG G2 seems very popular, and I'm curious about this Moto X. Tough choice for sure!

 

[Razeus]

I currently have an iPhone 5. I really want a bigger screen.should I go with the htc one or gs4? I hear gs4 lags more but it does have the slim bezel and a 5 inch screen.

How important is the camera to you? If it's important, get the S4. If not, get the HTC One.

 

[rockitdog]

At first this was a no brainer for me, I was in the HTC one's camp with the Boom Sound and then the ability to take ZOEs with the camera but then I realized I don't use the speakers enough to really have the be one of the deciding factors in how I use a phone.

I've now switched and for me the S4 is the better choice b/c of the bigger screen and also because of the removeable battery and storage options. I also really like the Galaxy gear that Samsung now has availlable that is supposed to be compatible with the S4. The camera is also FAR superior to that One's camera.

Another thing for me is that after seeing how long it has taken HTC USA customers any kind of Android update worries me about the leadership of HTC and the direction of that company as a whole. I just don't trust them, Samsuung is great and I know they'll be around to support a new(er) device but I just don't know about HTC over the long haul.

 

[T5BRICK]

Get the s4 if
-you like being on the cutting edge of new features
-love having the ability to totally remove your battery and swap it out on the fly
-love the great build quality
-love the convenience of an SD card
-love the superior battery life

You left out this one:

-don't mind TouchWiz

Get the one if...
-you love the great build materials
-listen to music through your phone speakers and without headohines
-plan to use it a lot in sunlight
-want the best screen available on a phone
-don't mind sense


Just be sure to insure your ONE because they are virtually unrepairable!

Why limit this to "Listen to music without headphones"? I think the HTC One has great sound WITH headphones too, certainly better than the S4.

Additionally, it probably comes down to usage, but my One will last me 18-24 hours on a charge, while my good friend with a GS4 struggles to hit 12 hours. Either way, I'm perfectly happy with the battery life on my One.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I currently have an iPhone 5. I really want a bigger screen.should I go with the htc one or gs4? I hear gs4 lags more but it does have the slim bezel and a 5 inch screen.

I made the jump from a 4S to a HTC One. It is a great phone, but you will like either the One or S4.

Would you mind if I butt in to ask similar Q's as OP? *Or should I start a separate thread?

I'm open to Android ideas if such a "workhorse-beast" as this even exists:

Would need a hold-in-one-hand, petite-size-hand model, but w/64gig (or bigger!), for a NON-techie (me), that will use it full-time long hours 12-16 hrs a day. So which Android would be best for...

1. *WRITERS:*
--+Need tons of Notes apps for different projects (1,000's of notes) w/auto time/date stamp,
--+Organize notes in folders or at least drag/drop them into order,
--+Ability to choose font & size,
--+Use bold, italicize, underline, etc. in the text.
--Does Android have tons of good Notes apps?
--If I found ONE bestest Notes app, will it let me buy a few dozen copies of that SAME Notes app? (vs being forced to buy others that might function less desirably)?

2. *RESEARCHING, ie, BROWSERS: **
--+Lots of browser pages open at once, side-by-side >> not Tabs-only!,
--+TURN OFF "MOBILE VERSION" OF ALL WEBSITES in browser or Settings,
--+Web Rendering as different browsers, FF, IE, iCab, etc.,
--+NO UNIBAR! *(I use the separate search window in older ios to save brief notes while reading a webpage, & the notes stay there forever until erased or cache cleared, even when page is refreshed, which I'm thinking new unibars would kill that ability),*
--+Blogging (attach photos to notes during research phase, then zap finished project to blog via email w/o having to open a mail app).
--Does Android have any browsers that do all that?

3. *ORGANIZING ten-THOUSAND PHOTOS:
--Camera is never used, don't care re camera;
--All photos are either screenshots or pics saved from web;
--Don't want/need/care for pics to be organized by GPS, geo-tagging, location nor date since none of that applies!
--DO DESPERATELY NEED to organize pics by PROJECT TITLE of my choosing, whether into folders/subfolders or galleries/albums, etc., straight from "camera roll/photo roll."
--So which Android, if any, has such a Photo-Organizer BUILT-IN?

4. *CREATE "PHOTO-SLIDESHOWS" ("storyline/movies"):
--Again, will not be using camera nor microphone nor shooting videos. *What IS needed:
--+Import photos, Add text to photos, add transitions, pan/zoom/still; splice/trim imported clips; import audio/background music, fade in/out audio; ability to set time for each photo &/or text screen; render, maybe compress, export to camera roll or email or upload directly from app to hosting sites, etc.
--If anyone remembers the REEL DIRECTOR app from iphone 3G/3Gs era, that's what I'm after! *Fantastic app! (sadly no longer updated by dev, & I've always heard iMovie sucks in comparison so never used it). *
--Does Android have great "photo-movie-slideshow-creation" apps?

5. *CREATE PANORAMA-SIZE/LENGTH "BLENDED PHOTO/STORY-BANNERS":
--Again, camera is not used/needed for this.
--Import individual pics into panorama app, as many as 50 pics or more, set various settings, render, export back to camera roll or photo album or directly upload to blog, in one long, now blended, ORIGINAL size & quality.
--If you've ever used Panoramatic360 iphone app, that's what I'm after. *It creates gorgeous "pictorial banner-size blended photo stories" even on old 3Gs iphone still running old ios3+!
--Does Android have lots of similar apps?

6. *PHOTOS GENERAL: *Would need Android apps for:
--Layers apps to layer at least 5 pics on top of each other, erase portions, add color backgrounds, etc.
--Photoshop-type app for flip, rotate, crop, tint, exposure, contrast, focus, effects, etc.
--ReSizer app to change photo sizes &/or read pic sizes,
--Caption apps to add text to photos,
--Matt & Frame apps to add color picture frames & matts to photos (older Crop N Frame app for 3Gs is superb!!)
--Hoping Android has plenty of similar quality apps. *Know any specifically to save time hunting for them?

THAT's IT! *Those are my MAIN hoped-for "necessities" for a one-hand-held workhorse device (besides checkbook app, downloads apps, rss apps, good stereo/speakers, etc.). I did love prior ios calendar, & prior google maps & google earth, all of which I still have on older now-out-of-memory 3Gs, but all 5 browsers finally began not working well since August; have to turn off java on older safari to get some hog sites to work better, etc. So I'm in need of a newer phone, bad.

Things I could care less about in any Android or iPhone: "professional" cameras, compass, clocks/alarms, sounds, ringtones, notifications, games, widgets, traffic, facebook integration, weather, stocks, radio, motion sensors, biometric scanners, music stores, sunlight issues (mine stays inside), battery life (mine stays home, recharging no big deal), etc. etc. *(As for Music = youtube = convert = Downloads app! *Who needs a music store?)

Can't "go forward" with Apple:
--iphone 5c = no 64gb + pukey ios7
--iphone 5s = biometric bs + pukey ios7

Could maybe "go backward" to an iphone-5 w/ios6, if I can find one, but would still have no photo-organizing ability built-in, not enough decent notes apps, will lose ReelDirector app, & hate to pay so much dang $$ for a year-old phone. *(Hey Zaft, you selling yours? *Is it 64gb, white, ATT/T-Mo?

Hence, open to trying a new, cheaper-(than-iphone) Android if such a workhorse model exists yet?? *I've been reading for a month about various new phones but have yet to find articles that describe the main things I care about. *They always dwell on the opposite stuff that I could care less about. *(oh, & I DO care about UI!) *

Thank you!

Given this list of requirements, I would suggest a laptop rather than a smartphone.

 

[thehustleman]

You left out this one:

-don't mind TouchWiz




Why limit this to "Listen to music without headphones"? I think the HTC One has great sound WITH headphones too, certainly better than the S4.

Additionally, it probably comes down to usage, but my One will last me 18-24 hours on a charge, while my good friend with a GS4 struggles to hit 12 hours. Either way, I'm perfectly happy with the battery life on my One.

Yeah its definitely usage.


I got 8.5 hours out of the one before it turned into a paperweight.

S4 gave me 11 hours out of it.

Then the good part is the s4 wouldn't turn into a paperweight, I can replace the battery and keep it moving. None of those goofy battery packs to worry about or tethering myself to a charger. Removable batteries are very underrated.


I only had the phone for a week though, I was just trying it through my job (I worked selling phones for Verizon until a coworker got me fired) so now I'm back to my s3

 

[T5BRICK]

I only had the phone for a week though, I was just trying it through my job (I worked selling phones for Verizon until a coworker got me fired) so now I'm back to my s3

Depending on when you had the One, that may have been part of it as well. After they released the update to 4.3 and updated the radio my battery life has been fantastic. The original radio and 4.1.2 that came on the phone wasn't nearly this good.

 

[Zaft]

thanks for all the replies. I tried out the note 3 at the store. its nice but just too big for me. The htc one is nice but im afraid about the camera honestly. I went ahead and ordered a like new gs4 from ebay. im gonna try it out and see if it will remove me from my iphone

 

[thehustleman]

thanks for all the replies. I tried out the note 3 at the store. its nice but just too big for me. The htc one is nice but im afraid about the camera honestly. I went ahead and ordered a like new gs4 from ebay. im gonna try it out and see if it will remove me from my iphone

If you give it a fair shake I think you'll love it. I left the iPhone camp for the s3 and I regretted it at first because I was used to the iPhone way of doing things, wasn't trying to learn but after the first couple weeks I started to see how much better it really is.


I didn't like the default keyboard so I changed it.

Didn't like the default text app so I changed it.


Android is great like that, you get a fully functional phone right out the box and you don't need to fiddle with a thing but if you decide you'd rather do something one way or differently you're free to do so.



I try iPhones from time to time (when new ones release ) but apple is playing catch up to android and I don't see them winning

 

[beegie]

Given this list of requirements, I would suggest a laptop rather than a smartphone.

Thank you for reading my post, UCF GRAD '93 (fellow Floridian). But if I could use a laptop I wouldn't be using an iPhone in the first place nor asking the questions re Android.

So are you saying there are NO Androids as of Fall 2013 that can do BETTER than a now-four-year-old petite-size iPhone 3Gs re UI choice, Reading/Researching/Writing/Blogging, Notes, Fonts, Sizes, Browsers, Photo Organizing, Slideshow/Video/Movie Production, Horizontal-Panorama/Banner-Size Photo Stitching/Blending, etc.? that I was already doing (w/some struggle) on the 3Gs as described in detail here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/18156889/

If so, boohoo, as I thought Androids could now do "everything better." *

 

[boateng]

If a larger screen is your only requirement, then there are quite a few Android phones that would work. Lot's of choice out there right now. For iPhone switchers who go Android the first time, the Moto X is a great choice. Better than the GS4 and One since it gives you the most pure Android experience of the lot. It has great battery and super smooth. Bad thing is that the camera isn't the best.

I went with the LG g2 and couldn't be happier. It has a great screen, great battery, and great camera. It also is pretty small for a screen as big as it is. The LG software doesn't bug me. The knock knock feature is great and wish more phones did it.

But if you really want Samsung or HTC, give the Note 3 a go. It has all the goodness of the S4 with a bigger screen, a better battery, and better processor. The Snapdragon 800 is a beast.

In reality, the HTC One, S4, LG G2, Moto X, and and Note 3 will all meet your needs. I go to the store, play with them and see which one you like best.

The note 3 is way to big to be a phone imo

I dont know how people cope with the size. its like a brick

 

[ucfgrad93]

Thank you for reading my post, UCF GRAD '93 (fellow Floridian). But if I could use a laptop I wouldn't be using an iPhone in the first place nor asking the questions re Android.

So are you saying there are NO Androids as of Fall 2013 that can do BETTER than a now-four-year-old petite-size iPhone 3Gs re UI choice, Reading/Researching/Writing/Blogging, Notes, Fonts, Sizes, Browsers, Photo Organizing, Slideshow/Video/Movie Production, Horizontal-Panorama/Banner-Size Photo Stitching/Blending, etc.? that I was already doing (w/some struggle) on the 3Gs as described in detail here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/18156889/

If so, boohoo, as I thought Androids could now do "everything better." *

If you are currently using a 3GS, then just about anything you get will be better than what you currently have. That said, I'd look for the biggest screen, and most storage. I have a HTC One and it is an excellent phone, however, I don't do a fraction of the things that you said you need.

 

[boateng]

What the galaxy s4 like as a music player?

 

[beegie]

If you are currently using a 3GS, then just about anything you get will be better than what you currently have. That said, I'd look for the biggest screen, and most storage. I have a HTC One and it is an excellent phone, however, I don't do a fraction of the things that you said you need.

Thank you again. An honest answer. Yes, 64gig needed at least. So far I haven't found too many Androids that offer 64gig. I think there was one Samsung.

Size also important but not in the way others might think, ie, I need small vs large Screen/phone (small female hand; the 3Gs' 2.4-wide fills my palm as is).

Would keep using it & not upgrade if it had more HD, the 32gig is full, + more RAM, + browsers getting funky finally.