Phones S4 vs. HTC One - Which did you buy?

[MRU]

Thanks, MRU.

Also saw some reviews on amazon that the spigen ultra crystal(my preferred brand) screen protector causes the capacitive buttons to be less sensitive. Didn't see those reviews on the same protector for the gs4. Any other brand suggestions for screen protectors besides zagg(don't like them)?

That was prior to the new software update. There was a software bug for some people where the capacitive buttons were not responding. Any screen protector then exacerbated it. However it is now fixed in the latest update.

I use the spigen ultra crystal on mine right now. No problems at all.

 

[kasakka]

Unquestionably the HTC One wins. Without beats enabled the sound is very similar to each other, with beats enabled you hear a lot of crisper extra detail in your music. A guitar riff or a violin solo that was hidden in the track is suddenly audible on the one. Beats audio works with bluetooth too. So yeah for clarity of sound through a complete mix of music - the one wins.

That sounds terrible to me. It sounds like some sort of multiband compressor/EQ thing that mangles the original music so that it's just LOUD which most people perceive as "better sounding". Maybe that guitar riff was meant to be low in the track?

That said, not impressed with the S4.

 

[tensiondeadache]

Just ordered an S4 from T-Mobile on the phone at 4 am (semi impulse buy), should have it by Wednesday. It will complement my unlocked Nexus 4 and HTC 8X.

Couldn't resist the 13MP camera, the 1080p display, the camera software, it will be my high end Samsung phone, so I'll get to see what they're software is all about.

 

[MRU]

That sounds terrible to me. It sounds like some sort of multiband compressor/EQ thing that mangles the original music so that it's just LOUD which most people perceive as "better sounding". Maybe that guitar riff was meant to be low in the track?

That said, not impressed with the S4.

Not at all, trust me I live in a recording studio (well technically to the side of a recording studio ) So I do appreciate sound.....

The One's beats audio brings a clarity out the instrumentation, a clarity that I would hear if I played the same song/track on the vastly too expensive for its own good equipment down in the studio.

The finer details in sound that some mp3 playback can be lost, or simply fall by the wayside, be drowned out.

What were talking about here is not bringing for example a violin pluck above everything else, what it does do is make you able to hear that there was a violin pluck in the first place, where on the S4 you would have simply not known it was there at all.

 

[gmanist1000]

if the nexus 5 or the x-phone arent unveiled at this year's google I/O then i will think about buying the GS4.

I would think one would have to be revealed.... Google hasn't released a phone in a long time! Well, it's time.

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You know i think there is really not a need for the little nifty tricks that Samsung's S4 plays, they look cheap, especially that hand wave thing. HTC one on the other hand, it's just so darn good looking. If i had not bought an iPhone 5 last month, I'd have gone for the HTC myself. I think i should be getting one for my mother, looks slick, seems easy to use, and most importantly, i love it!

But will your mother love it?

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

http://youtu.be/QATGs4kzfl4

Hour long comparison.

 

[Vegastouch]

http://youtu.be/QATGs4kzfl4

Hour long comparison.

Thats one long video. One that i couldnt watch all of it, skipped through parts and did watch most of it and it did do one thing........ for me anyways. No question ill be getting a GS4 over the HTC One.

Really after seeing that video, it is no contest. Hands down the GS4 is better except for those that must have a metal back which i dont care about.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Thats one long video. One thast i couldnt watch all of it, skipped through parts and did watch most of it and it did do one thing........ for me anyways. No question ill be getting a GS4 over the HTC One.

Really after seeing that video, it is no contest. Hands down the GS4 is better except for those that must have a metal back which i dont care about.

At least she time coded it in the description. Otherwise I wouldn't have watched the whole thing either.

 

[onthecouchagain]

What Google and/or the OEMs need to really figure out next is how to have their phones ignore inadvertent palm touches. It really gets in the way of one handed use.

I like that devices have gotten narrower so they can help accomodate one handed use, but sometimes when reaching across, your palm inadvertently still presses the lower corners and it can really get in the way of what you're trying to do, especially when typing/swiping.

 

[MRU]

.

Really after seeing that video, it is no contest. Hands down the GS4 is better except for those that must have a metal back which i dont care about.

The difference between the two isnt merely down to casing though and there are likewise many software & hardware features on the One that the S4 doesn't offer, and vice versa...

For me the S4 hardware was great but I just couldn't take to Touchwiz for lots of different reasons, but I fully understand that others do like it.

The main thing is that we at least have two fantastic devices which offer genuinely quality choices for android users

Either choice of handset and people can't go far wrong, but it is refreshing to see HTC deliver a device that has put a genuine question / debate in people's minds rather than Samsung having a free ride after the success of the S3. Unquestionably the more competition, the better for consumers.

 

[Vegastouch]

The difference between the two isnt merely down to casing though and there are likewise many software & hardware features on the One that the S4 doesn't offer, and vice versa...

For me the S4 hardware was great but I just couldn't take to Touchwiz for lots of different reasons, but I fully understand that others do like it.

The main thing is that we at least have two fantastic devices which offer genuinely quality choices for android users

Either choice of handset and people can't go far wrong, but it is refreshing to see HTC deliver a device that has put a genuine question / debate in people's minds rather than Samsung having a free ride after the success of the S3. Unquestionably the more competition, the better for consumers.

Yeah i guess, but i dont use the TouchWiz launcher. I dont like it at all. I use either Nova or Apex. I dont mind the other TW features like the dialer and contacts.

 

[swamyg1]

Yeah i guess, but i dont use the TouchWiz launcher. I dont like it at all. I use either Nova or Apex. I dont mind the other TW features like the dialer and contacts.

I cannot stand the TouchWiz dialer and contacts. I'm using exdialer and patiently waiting for cyanogenmod. love the gs4 though!

 

[jrswizzle]

That was prior to the new software update. There was a software bug for some people where the capacitive buttons were not responding. Any screen protector then exacerbated it. However it is now fixed in the latest update.

I use the spigen ultra crystal on mine right now. No problems at all.

I've run into this problem. I never really had any issue with the capacitive buttons, but after installing my spigen screen protector, it seems they aren't as responsive.

Being that I'm on AT&T, I have a feeling I'll be waiting to see this software update that fixes it.....

I'm currently on 1.26.502.10

 

[DesertEagle]

I went with the S4, which is my first non-iPhone mobile since 2009. I wanted a bigger screen and SD card slot, and the switch to Android was painless. Since I have very simple taste when it comes to UIs, I didn't mind switching from iOS to Touchwiz. It felt a bit odd at first, though (I've never used Android before, let alone Touchwiz), so it took me a good couple of hours to get used to it.

I got some good advice from MacRumorUser by reading his very detailed comparison of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Although he actually ended up with the HTC One, I was convinced already after reading his reviews that the S4 would suit me better.

 

[steve31]

I went with the S4, which is my first non-iPhone mobile since 2009. I wanted a bigger screen and SD card slot, and the switch to Android was painless. Since I have very simple taste when it comes to UIs, I didn't mind switching from iOS to Touchwiz. It felt a bit odd at first, though (I've never used Android before, let alone Touchwiz), so it took me a good couple of hours to get used to it.

I got some good advice from MacRumorUser by reading his very detailed comparison of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Although he actually ended up with the HTC One, I was convinced already after reading his reviews that the S4 would suit me better.

Great phone. I have both the One and the S4 and both are great phones. But I also think that I prefer the S4

 

[snowcrash]

I was on the fence for a while but decided to go for the S4. After going to my AT&T store many times and playing with them both over and over again I just like the look, feel and pop of TW over Sense. Which is surprising because after watching all the reviews and videos for both my mind was made up to get the One until I actually spent some time with them both.

I'm just waiting for AT&T to carry either the 32gb or 64gb in white. Once I see either one in stock I'm jumping all over it. I'm too OCD for a black phone and the fingerprints drive me batty. I know I can get SD storage but only having like 9gb on my phone (which I often use as a laptop replacement) would cause me too much stress lol.

 

[LSUtigers03]

I have an S4 right now. I'm going to use it for a week or two and see how I like it and decide if I want to return it for the One.

 

[TacticalDesire]

I actually don't mind the look of touchwiz that much but the performance impact it makes is what I don't like.

 

[LSUtigers03]

I actually don't mind the look of touchwiz that much but the performance impact it makes is what I don't like.

The hit to performance is what I don't like. Other than that I like the features Samsung has put in. Now that I have a custom recovery on my s4 I'm going to try a touchwiz rom that performs better.

 

[jcpb]

I'm waiting for Google's version of the S4, at the meantime I'm sitting on the ZeroLemon that arrived yesterday.

One big detail I don't like at all about the HTC One is the battery. Being non-removable is one thing, but being not user-serviceable at all really bites.

Granted, the One has better sound, but to me it's meaningless - I already have an iPod and the line-out capability to an external amp for that purpose.