Tried the S4. Screen too dim. Went back to iP5

[LIVEFRMNYC]

The S4 is very vibrant for me, more vibrant than the iPhone. Also love the Screen Mode settings. I keep the setting on Professional photo. Yes, the iPhone is brighter, but I don't have any preference about that either way. The only time I have a hard time seeing the S4 screen is when under direct sunlight with shades on. Take my shades off and it's all good under the sun.

One thing I do hate about the S4 is the auto brightness, it just never worked properly for me. Same with the S3. Could be all of Galaxy phones, as my mother had the same complaint about her Note 2. I keep mines on full brightness most of the time anyways, so it's never been a big deal.

 

[macsation]

It didn't take much for you to leave your iPhone. Kind of interesting that you didn't know more about the replacement phone you purchased.

I've had the iphone since the 3g. Nothing wrong with checking out the competition. I gave it a shot and it wasn't for me.

Trust me I did quite a bit of research on the S4 bf I bought it. But, there's nothing like actually using it.

 

[skratch77]

Must preface this by saying that the ONE outstanding characteristic that I LOVE about Apple products are the bright, clear screens.

I picked up the Galaxy S4 and used it for a week. I just couldn't adjust to the dim screen. I tried changing every possible setting to boost brightness, and it still was nowhere near as bright as the iphone.

Needless to say I went back to the iphone, and am glad that I did, especially now with ios7 right around the corner.

the gs4 has hit 475 nits brightness on many test sites so Im not sure what you mean by too dim? yeah its not 518 or what ever the iphone can hit but its not by a long shot that far off from it.

here is a snip from a review and it looks like you missed 34% by not selecting auto brightness for out door use.

Brightness and Power Efficiency

OLED displays are generally not as bright as the brightest LCD displays. There are two reasons for this: first, while OLED power efficiency has been steadily improving they are not yet as power efficient as the best LCDs. Second: there is a marketing obsession for producing ultra thin and lightweight smartphones, which sacrifices much needed battery power. Since the display often uses 50 percent or more of the total smartphone power, various display power management schemes are frequently used. The Galaxy S4 uses one innovative approach to overcome this—when Automatic Brightness is turned on, the Peak Brightness becomes significantly brighter in high ambient lighting than is possible with Manual Brightness, up to as high as 475 cd/m2, which is 34 percent higher than is possible with Manual Brightness. This is done so that users can't permanently set the brightness to very high values, which would run down the battery quickly.

 

[mib1800]

those who said s4 brightness is not enough for everyday use, I suggest you go so and see an eye doctor or read up on how take care of your eyes.

 

[Stuntman06]

those who said s4 brightness is not enough for everyday use, I suggest you go so and see an eye doctor or read up on how take care of your eyes.

Everyone has their preference on how bright a phone screen should be. I had an HTC Desire Z before and I hated the auto brightness because it was too bright for me. I use it at 30% under most conditions (indoors for me). The Samsung GS3's auto brightness seemed to have been created with me in mind.

 

[Assault]

those who said s4 brightness is not enough for everyday use, I suggest you go so and see an eye doctor or read up on how take care of your eyes.

People have preferences. Some like really bright screens, in which case the Galaxy line from Samsung would not be a wise choice. If you like larger screens with a wide swath of deep dark colors, then you will probably like the Samsung. No need to justify personal preference.

 

[Southernboyj]

Must preface this by saying that the ONE outstanding characteristic that I LOVE about Apple products are the bright, clear screens.

I picked up the Galaxy S4 and used it for a week. I just couldn't adjust to the dim screen. I tried changing every possible setting to boost brightness, and it still was nowhere near as bright as the iphone.

Needless to say I went back to the iphone, and am glad that I did, especially now with ios7 right around the corner.

The HTC One's screen is brighter than the iPhone 5. Btw I have the iOS 7 beta on my iPad atm and while it looks different, after 1 day of using it.. the new-ness wears off and it feels just like iOS always has.

 

[Technarchy]

The Galaxy S4 has a built in limiter that gimps the brightness even if pushed to manual maximum.

Probably to drop the battery consumption, and decrease element degradation.

However, Samsung is not completely stupid and they know that the normal peak of 355 cd/m is damn near unusable in in sunlight, so the GS4 will up peak brightness to 475 cd/m in sunlight if the phone is on Auto-Brightness only. You can't push that brightness level with manual settings.

However, the iPhone 5 manual and auto apeak brightness is 556 cd/m2, which is significantly brighter than the GS4, and nearly double the peak brightness of the GS3 which is pathetic at a paltry 283 cd/m.

 

[Fanaticalism]

I'm just the opposite. I prefer deep blacks and bold colors on a larger screen. The I phones screen is washed out (especially with blacks and deep blues) and every single apple product I have owned with an LCD screen has had light bleed. So fracking annoying in a dark room or at night.

So while I may not agree with you on phones, I def understand how annoying one thing can be to make you not like a product. Just glad we have all the choices we do.

This is the same reason I prefer plasma over LCD. People say bright colors that pop, but all I see are lucid colors with no saturation and gray blacks/poor contrast..

 

[sammieboy]

I picked up the HTC ONE and love it. I have to admit, the 1st week with android, I seriously contemplated switching back to iPhone, but I AM REALLY REALLY GLAD that i stuck it out with Android. I LOVE running my own ROMs and installing mods to enhance my phone, tweaking, and customizing. The phone never gets boring for me. The HTC One is like the perfect mix of Apple inspired hardware design and the flexibility of Android. Of course, it is not as polished as the Apple Ecosystem, but what it does offer, Apple users cannot even begin to fathom, jailbreak or not. It is not, however, for the technically challenged. It doesn't "Just Work". You have to carve it, mold it, fine tune it. It is the perfect enthusiast phone.

BEST OF ALL, the HTC ONE has the best screen hands down for any phone out.

 

[deeddawg]

The phone never gets boring for me. [...] It doesn't "Just Work". You have to carve it, mold it, fine tune it. It is the perfect enthusiast phone.

You've well illustrated a key difference between the Android and iOS platforms.

Those who desire/enjoy tweaking and tuning their phone typically are better suited with the Android platform where they have many options to play around. Those who just want to use the device to get to other things (apps, email, or sometimes even talking to people) may be better suited with the iOS platform.

BEST OF ALL, the HTC ONE has the best screen hands down for any phone out.

Define "best".

 

[sammieboy]

You've well illustrated a key difference between the Android and iOS platforms.

Those who desire/enjoy tweaking and tuning their phone typically are better suited with the Android platform where they have many options to play around. Those who just want to use the device to get to other things (apps, email, or sometimes even talking to people) may be better suited with the iOS platform.




Define "best".

Ohh you know...Accurate color representation (as a photographer, you appreciate these things), 469 ppi pixel density for full HD resolution, and 458 nits of brightness.

All three of these qualities of the HTC ONE display makes it the best TO me lol. Of course, it is my preference. Using it in sunlight is a joy, and not a struggle. I can easily compose photos using the 458 nits of brightness in the bright sun on a nice sunny day

 

[deeddawg]

You know...

I didn't know what you defined it as, else I wouldn't have asked.

Accurate color representation

Many S4 owners might disagree with you, preferring punchy oversaturated warm toned displays to the more neutral display on the HTC One.

 

[sammieboy]

I didn't know what you defined it as, else I wouldn't have asked.



Many S4 owners might disagree with you, preferring punchy oversaturated warm toned displays to the more neutral display on the HTC One.

Thats why I mentioned that I'm a photographer, a wedding photographer, and oversaturated screens aren't my thing.

 

[Dontazemebro]

You've well illustrated a key difference between the Android and iOS platforms.

Those who desire/enjoy tweaking and tuning their phone typically are better suited with the Android platform where they have many options to play around. Those who just want to use the device to get to other things (apps, email, or sometimes even talking to people) may be better suited with the iOS platform.

That's just his perception, plus he's fairly new to the os so he might not be completely familiar with it. With android it could really be either or. Matter of fact some things are much easier to accomplish on android because it takes less button presses or there's a method available to accomplish a task that might not be available to you with ios. eg. Power toggles widget on screen.

 

[sammieboy]

That's just his perception, plus he's fairly new to the os so he might not be completely familiar with it. With android it could really be either or. Matter of fact some things are much easier to accomplish on android because it takes less button presses or there's a method available to accomplish a task that might not be available to you with ios. eg. Power toggles widget on screen.

I tried reading this many times and I'm not sure if you were referencing me in it, and if you were, i am thoroughly confused by what you're trying to say lol.

 

[Dontazemebro]

I tried reading this many times and I'm not sure if you were referencing me in it, and if you were, i am thoroughly confused by what you're trying to say lol.

You referenced android as it "doesn't just work" that you need to mold it, sculpt it etc. While this is true, it can also be just as simple and intuitive as ios. Basically you don't have to be a tech savvy geek to enjoy android.

 

[sammieboy]

You referenced android as it "doesn't just work" that you need to mold it, sculpt it etc. While this is true, it can also be just as simple and intuitive as ios. Basically you don't have to be a tech savvy geek to enjoy android.

Not looking to start any arguments, but if someone installs a bunch of apps without discernment, an android phone's battery life can go to crap in a minute. This is due to all of the permissions granted to the app to allow it to trigger wakelocks while the phone is in the locked state. Instead of hibernating, these apps are constantly pinging the cpu and killing the battery. iOS doesnt really have this problem. "IT JUST WORKS". The end user doesnt have to meticulously worry about this. Although I'm sure there are some exceptions to this, but generally speaking I know this to be true.

Take for example, the Facebook app for Android. If left unchecked, this app will ping your cpu many times while its supposed to be in the lock state. You'll have to disable syncing of all sorts, and still, it will not hibernate so easily. No such problems on the iOS side of things. It Just Works.

One can get around this on Android. They must be savvy enough to research and install Xposed Framework and then install the Donated version of Greenify to manually hiberate the offending apps and also system apps that you otherwise cannot hibernate easily. Of course this requires rooting and knowledge of it, and the average Joe Schmoe just looking for it to "Just Work" isn't going to be interested in that. Most likely they will wonder why their battery life isnt great and will return the phone to go back to iPhone.

But I digress. Back on the topic, I seriously considered the s4 for my jump from iOS to Android, but I couldn't deal w/ the screen and it's lack of brightness outdoors. I guess I was spoiled by the iPhone's awesome screen, and the HTC ONE was an easy transition for my eyes to say the least

 

[Dontazemebro]

Not looking to start any arguments, but if someone installs a bunch of apps without discernment, an android phone's battery life can go to crap in a minute. This is due to all of the permissions granted to the app to allow it to trigger wakelocks while the phone is in the locked state. Instead of hibernating, these apps are constantly pinging the cpu and killing the battery. iOS doesnt really have this problem. "IT JUST WORKS". The end user doesnt have to meticulously worry about this. Although I'm sure there are some exceptions to this, but generally speaking I know this to be true.

Take for example, the Facebook app for Android. If left unchecked, this app will ping your cpu many times while its supposed to be in the lock state. You'll have to disable syncing of all sorts, and still, it will not hibernate so easily. No such problems on the iOS side of things. It Just Works.

One can get around this on Android. They must be savvy enough to research and install Xposed Framework and then install the Donated version of Greenify to manually hiberate the offending apps and also system apps that you otherwise cannot hibernate easily. Of course this requires rooting and knowledge of it, and the average Joe Schmoe just looking for it to "Just Work" isn't going to be interested in that. Most likely they will wonder why their battery life isnt great and will return the phone to go back to iPhone.

But I digress. Back on the topic, I Iseriously considered the s4 for my jump from iOS to Android, but I couldn't deal w/ the screen and it's lack of brightness outdoors. I guess I was spoiled by the iPhone's awesome screen, and the HTC ONE was an easy transition for my eyes to say the least

I don't see how this correlates to how android "doesn't just work". If anything all you have described is a poorly coded app. This has nothing to do with android. To the average end user they'll just recognize that battery life is less than stellar and head for the nearest charging outlet . When I say it's just as intuitive I'm speaking from the user's pov. The phone app is just like ios, as is messaging app, mail app etc. You have the app store on ios, you have the play store on android.. Any nontechnical person can pick up an HTC one and with very little learning curve can maneuver around the os and accomplish the same mundane tasks that they would on an iPhone. Yes you can get more technical but it's not compulsory.

There's no need to scare the less tech savvy people away from android. There's a place for everyone.
V,

 

[Southernboyj]

Then when I saw ios7 I was re-sold on the iphone moving forward.

I hope not.

When I saw the keynote for iOS 7 I was excited too. After using the beta for even a day.. It feels just like iOS 6, with slightly different color palettes.

The keynote made it look like iOS 6 and Android 4.2 had a baby.. found this not to be true.

Funny, switching to a giant screen make me realize that for me the iphone size is near perfect. I have an amazing hand crafted leather wallet that I carry it in. Perfect size for popping it into my pocket or a small backpack.

I don't want a giant 5" phone. As long as the screen is high resolution, I can view all the info I need on a 4" screen.

You might be disappointed in 2014 then. With the way 5" phones are selling and becoming the norm, it makes business sense for Apple to adapt as well.

I know they said they thought 4" was the perfect size, but they said they'd never made a smaller iPad either. Take their statements with a grain of salt.

 

[sammieboy]

I don't see how this correlates to how android "doesn't just work". If anything all you have described is a poorly coded app. This has nothing to do with android. To the average end user they'll just recognize that battery life is less than stellar and head for the nearest charging outlet . When I say it's just as intuitive I'm speaking from the user's pov. The phone app is just like ios, as is messaging app, mail app etc. You have the app store on ios, you have the play store on android.. Any nontechnical person can pick up an HTC one and with very little learning curve can maneuver around the os and accomplish the same mundane tasks that they would on an iPhone. Yes you can get more technical but it's not compulsory.

There's no need to scare the less tech savvy people away from android. There's a place for everyone.
V,

Grandpa, is that you? Get off the internet! Just kidding. Lets just agree to disagree shall we

 

[Dontazemebro]

Grandpa, is that you? Get off the internet! Just kidding. Lets just agree to disagree shall we

I laughed though I'm not even in my forties yet.

 

[robjulo]

Not looking to start any arguments, but if someone installs a bunch of apps without discernment, an android phone's battery life can go to crap in a minute. This is due to all of the permissions granted to the app to allow it to trigger wakelocks while the phone is in the locked state. Instead of hibernating, these apps are constantly pinging the cpu and killing the battery. iOS doesnt really have this problem. "IT JUST WORKS". The end user doesnt have to meticulously worry about this. Although I'm sure there are some exceptions to this, but generally speaking I know this to be true.

What you describe as a plus for ios, also has a major downside to it. For example, dropbox. With Android, I can take a pic and it is automatically sent to dropbox. I don't have to manually open an App, it just works. Can't do that with ios. If I want pics sent to dropbox, the dropbox app has to manually be opened. That IMO, is one of the huge differences in philosophy, ios feels more like it is just an App launcher.

Same holds true for an app such as downcast (or the Android variant). With ios, it will not allow me to download more than 10 minutes, it then goes into its locked state.

As far as battery goes, I never saw a major difference with my GS4 than I do with my 4s, even with apps that hit the CPU and are constantly working in the background.

 

[sammieboy]

What you describe as a plus for ios, also has a major downside to it. For example, dropbox. With Android, I can take a pic and it is automatically sent to dropbox. I don't have to manually open an App, it just works. Can't do that with ios. If I want pics sent to dropbox, the dropbox app has to manually be opened. That IMO, is one of the huge differences in philosophy, ios feels more like it is just an App launcher.

Same holds true for an app such as downcast (or the Android variant). With ios, it will not allow me to download more than 10 minutes, it then goes into its locked state.

As far as battery goes, I never saw a major difference with my GS4 than I do with my 4s, even with apps that hit the CPU and are constantly working in the background.

I'm not trying to bash Android lol. Obviously, I'm using it. I'm just saying for the iOS users that aren't willing to understand the pro's and cons of Android will have a harder time with it than with iOS where things are simplified to eliminate any possible performance issues. I am happy for you that you are enjoying your Samsung GS4 so much. To qualify and keep my response on TOPIC, I'll add again...the Samsung screen is just not for me

 

[robjulo]

I'm not trying to bash Android lol. Obviously, I'm using it. I'm just saying for the iOS users that aren't willing to understand the pro's and cons of Android will have a harder time with it than with iOS where things are simplified to eliminate any possible performance issues. I am happy for you that you are enjoying your Samsung GS4 so much. To qualify and keep my response on TOPIC, I'll add again...the Samsung screen is just not for me

I'm actually back with my 4S as the GS4 was a bit too large for me personally. I am still undecided about where I will go and will likely hang tight and see what happens this fall.

Regarding the screen, I found the screen to have adequate brightness inside, however, I had trouble with it outside, on bright days. I did have mine on manual brightness and just learned from this thread that it actually gets brighter on auto, which is good to know.