Well now that the 5S has been announced, which device are you likely to get?

[Oohara]

Note 3. I just can't pass up what that phone has to offer.

The Note 2 has been a wonderful experience so far and has totally redefined just how useful a smartphone can be for me, for pleasure as well as actual work tasks. And the Note 3 promises even more - incredible.

For the 5S, the only thing I'm really interested in is the camera. I'm also a teeny bit curious to test iOS 7, but luckily I still have my old 4S around so I can give that a spin before giving the phone to my mother

 

[clientsiman]

Waiting for the Nexus 5 and Kit Kat to be announced first. I also like Xiaomi Mi3 and LG G2 . Sadly Oppo Find 7 will ship next year.

I definitely want my new phone to run CM well or to be stock android.

 

[bmac4]

To answer the question I am waiting on the nexus 5. I am using the nexus 4 right now, and just can not do without stock android. I have an iP5, and when iOS 7 rolls out next week I will see what it has to offer.

With that said I can't believe all these tech blogs are claiming the 5S is the best phone now. These morons have not even used the phone yet. Like Couch said it another thread if you look on paper the iPhone 5S does not come close to any of the flagships from android. Again this is not done on paper, and I know the 5S will be really fast. But what makes it so much different than the 5 that makes it the best phone on the market? It still does not have a screen that will complete with the One or S4. Still got the small screen. Yes they added a finger print scanner, but that is really not a big deal at all. Sure it is great for people that use the phone for business and want to bypass typing in a code, but for people using it as a personal phone. I cant see a finger print scanner as something that helps it be claimed as the best phone.

 

[scott craft]

I'm leaning towards the LG G2. My wife has the Note 2 and I really like it and I've thought about getting the Note 3, but there are times when the size would be a detriment.

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

You should change the poll to add other android devices, or just keep it generic and say apple or android. Anyhow, i have an htc one so i am sticking with the htc one. Not impressed by Apple anymore. The new iphone basically is the old iphone with a fingerprint scanner.

 

[Tsuchiya]

Why no Xperia Z1?

It's technically better than the S4, and the glass and aluminium finish puts it up there with the HTC in terms of build quality.

 

[Eth123]

Agree. The Z1 gets my vote if not an iPhone. The Samsungs belong to a different market i.e those obsessed with clock speed and ram. Iphone buyers and Z1 buyers want a "designer" phone to go with their expensive clothes and cars.

 

[Savor]

None of the above

HTC One + Nexus One (backup) for life.

I got two phones I have NEVER even seen anyone use in public. I love the metal on both. I love the "One" names. I love HTC's build quality and comfortable ergonomics. I'm not into popular phones like iPhones or Samsung Galaxies.

Honestly if Nexus 5 was an option, I might actually pick that one. Not a mainstream phone for me. I like owning phones that not everybody has.

But if I had to choose the ones listed above, I say NOTE 3, S4, and 5s in that order. Not surpised 5s is winning. This is an Apple site.

 

[Sodner]

Sticking with Apple and getting the 5S.

Curious though, is the screen size the #1 complaint here? IF the new iPhone was the exact same as the 5S but had a 4.5 inch screen. Then what?

 

[JackieInCo]

Sticking with Apple and getting the 5S.

Curious though, is the screen size the #1 complaint here? IF the new iPhone was the exact same as the 5S but had a 4.5 inch screen. Then what?

It still requires a contract to buy at the subsidized price or pay a huge amount to buy it off contract/unlocked.

Since moving to T-Mobile back in February and getting a Nexus 4, I'm all about no contracts now. Why pay $600-700 for an iPhone when I can get a Nexus for half that.

 

[Wide opeN]

galaxy note for sure. i watched this video and i'm sold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fo5x7ZIPCM

ip5s just looks like the same thing as always. sad.

Yep, they're almost begging for customers to stay at this point, instead of creating something new.

Tim Cook, with all the "features for features sake" commentary, it was a joke!!!

----------

Staying with my GS4

This, or maybe the note 3, it's sooo sexy!!!

----------

Y'all using Swipe Home for your One? Depending on how you feel about gestures, it significantly upgrades the One.

Free trial for 7 days, 99 cents after that.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.matthewma.swipehomebuttonfree

See, stuff like this is the reason iPhone has been in the mirror since, 2012

 

[bnnentertainmen]

nah i'm just gonna stick to android, waiting for my note 3, it' gonna be one hell of a phone

 

[jojoba]

I got a Nexus last year and will be keeping that for a while - the only reason why I sometimes feel like upgrading is a better camera, but I do most of my real photography with a proper camera anyway. I like the camera on the 5S, but the screen on iPhones is too small for me and I hate the stock keyboard - SwiftKey on android is a thousand times better.

 

[AppleRobert]

Sticking with HTC One. Never doubted the 5S would be a big bore and I figured the screen size would not be to my liking to begin with.

 

[skratch77]

Shouldn't this pole be gs4/note3 vs 5s and only 2 options?

Its making the iPhone look better in votes while people are picking Samsung over it.

 

[jrswizzle]

I have a quick question I'd love to see how many of you answer.

A big knock on Apple is their lack of forward thinking features. Let's ignore the fact that Apple gave us two HUGELY useful upgrades with the camera features and the fingerprint sensor (not mind blowing or innovative, but EXTREMELY USEFUL).

I'll use Samsung as an example because they are blowing every other Android maker's doors off - Samsung is lauded for "innovative" technologies like Air Gestures and Smart Stay and all the other "Air" and "Smart" features that, to quote one of my favorite posters here "put the SMART in smartphone".

YET....

Apple is the FIRST to release a smartphone built on a 64-bit chip architecture, and the talk is still "what a pathetic release" and "more of the same" yadda yadda yadda.

It's funny, I've seen many, who were quick to praise Samsung for the above mentioned "innovations", question why a 64-bit chip is necessary in the new iPhone 5S. "What does it matter?" they asked. "How does this help?" Apple makes a leap forward to get AHEAD of the game (and mind you, smartphone chips will be moving to 64-bit, its only natural as they begin to replace desktops), while offering an impressive 2X CPU and GPU increase (most analysts predicted a modest 30% bump) and the response?

"Ehh the iPhone was fast enough" or people ignore the announcement entirely and make the standard "A fingerprint sensor and spec bumps are it?".

My question then: WHY, when releasing a technology AHEAD of everyone else, does APPLE get the raw end and SAMSUNG is praised? Arguably, a 64-bit architecture is INFINITELY more useful than the Smart and Air features (100% of which I have disabled on my GS4).

Apple releases phones with features that are USEFUL. Every so often, they revolutionize some industry with an innovative product (the iPhone, the iPad, potentially the iWatch) - but their bread and butter is REFINEMENT. I can tell you right now, being an equal user of the GS4 and iPhone 5 (and soon the 5S), I am INFINITELY more excited about the THREE things Apple announced in the 5S, than ALL the various Samsung features baked into the GS4.

WHY?

Because I am 100% certain, the fingerprint sensor, the camera improvements and the 64-bit chip will work 100% of the time, and are USEFUL to me (taking photos is one of my main uses of my smartphones and being able to bypass entering my passcode to unlock or passwords to make purchases is SUPER convenient).

Conversely, as I mentioned, I've disabled 100% of those Samsung features, not even because they aren't useful to me BUT because THEY RARELY WORK. Honestly, I'd like keep a few of them enabled for the "cool" factor because it'd be neat to show off, even if not terribly useful in my everyday use. Problem is, I could never get them to reliably work.

Anyways - would love to see some well constructed arguments/answers to this post.

 

[Prototypical]

Sticking with Apple and getting the 5S.

Curious though, is the screen size the #1 complaint here? IF the new iPhone was the exact same as the 5S but had a 4.5 inch screen. Then what?

You know the Android masses would still find something to crucify it over. Complimenting an iOS device is akin to surrendering.

But seriously - I wasn't bowled over by the 5S but I'm still intrigued. Coming from a 4S, the 5S is still a significant jump forward (bigger screen, exponentially faster, fingerprint sensor, etc). And I'm more invested in the Apple ecosystem than I ever was in the Android ecosystem.

That said - If I jump ship, Samsung would be the last place I'll go. I don't care for their marketing tactics, their gimmicks, or their attitude. I probably would have gone Nokia but now I'm not comfortable with where the hardware is going. The fact that I'm on Verizon makes the choice even harder, as all they seem to carry is Same-sung and the childish Droid line.

The HTC One or next Nexus, I guess?

 

[Cnasty]

Sony really needs to work on the look of that phone.

it seems so much space is wasted on those bezels and bottom area that it makes it look and feel larger than necessary.

They trim that up and make the screen more appealing and it can be a contender.

 

[gotluck]

I Dont use the gs4 motion features either as they Dont exist on the Google edition of the device. I just Dont see any compelling reasons to choose the 5S unless you prefer iOS ecosystem or a smaller device. I'd rather have the IR blaster, nfc and SD card than 64 bit. The fingerprint scanner is useful and will be better when it has third party APIs. 5s is for people that want a small flagship as there isn't much competition at that size.

 

[tbayrgs]

I have a quick question I'd love to see how many of you answer.

A big knock on Apple is their lack of forward thinking features. Let's ignore the fact that Apple gave us two HUGELY useful upgrades with the camera features and the fingerprint sensor (not mind blowing or innovative, but EXTREMELY USEFUL).

I'll use Samsung as an example because they are blowing every other Android maker's doors off - Samsung is lauded for "innovative" technologies like Air Gestures and Smart Stay and all the other "Air" and "Smart" features that, to quote one of my favorite posters here "put the SMART in smartphone".

YET....

Apple is the FIRST to release a smartphone built on a 64-bit chip architecture, and the talk is still "what a pathetic release" and "more of the same" yadda yadda yadda.

It's funny, I've seen many, who were quick to praise Samsung for the above mentioned "innovations", question why a 64-bit chip is necessary in the new iPhone 5S. "What does it matter?" they asked. "How does this help?" Apple makes a leap forward to get AHEAD of the game (and mind you, smartphone chips will be moving to 64-bit, its only natural as they begin to replace desktops), while offering an impressive 2X CPU and GPU increase (most analysts predicted a modest 30% bump) and the response?

"Ehh the iPhone was fast enough" or people ignore the announcement entirely and make the standard "A fingerprint sensor and spec bumps are it?".

My question then: WHY, when releasing a technology AHEAD of everyone else, does APPLE get the raw end and SAMSUNG is praised? Arguably, a 64-bit architecture is INFINITELY more useful than the Smart and Air features (100% of which I have disabled on my GS4).

Apple releases phones with features that are USEFUL. Every so often, they revolutionize some industry with an innovative product (the iPhone, the iPad, potentially the iWatch) - but their bread and butter is REFINEMENT. I can tell you right now, being an equal user of the GS4 and iPhone 5 (and soon the 5S), I am INFINITELY more excited about the THREE things Apple announced in the 5S, than ALL the various Samsung features baked into the GS4.

WHY?

Because I am 100% certain, the fingerprint sensor, the camera improvements and the 64-bit chip will work 100% of the time, and are USEFUL to me (taking photos is one of my main uses of my smartphones and being able to bypass entering my passcode to unlock or passwords to make purchases is SUPER convenient).

Conversely, as I mentioned, I've disabled 100% of those Samsung features, not even because they aren't useful to me BUT because THEY RARELY WORK. Honestly, I'd like keep a few of them enabled for the "cool" factor because it'd be neat to show off, even if not terribly useful in my everyday use. Problem is, I could never get them to reliably work.

Anyways - would love to see some well constructed arguments/answers to this post.

Well, I can only respond to a small part of your inquiry. I'm not a fan of most of Samsung's devices as I generally don't like their design (hardware or software) and similarly dislike their recent philosophy of 'let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.' They also seem to forgoe refinement for pure horsepower. I will admit though that their recent Note offerings seem to reverse this trend a bit.

I also do have a huge problem with the iPhone, per se. I continue to like Apple's design style and think Apple is still the best at offering refined, beautiful devices. They are also the best at getting the most from their hardware. As many are very quick to point out, on paper the iPhone is a middleweight amongst heavyweights, yet continues to offer arguably the quickest, smoothest user experience. My only real problem is with the hardware is display size, but that is my preference. I think Apple could still offer a pretty small device yet provide a larger display--look at what Motorola was able to do with the X.

I have no idea what benefits 64bit processing provides so I can only go off what others more knowledgeable in this area offer and for the most part it seems the benefits are lost on a phone, at least now. Yes, it may be forward thinking but what's the benefit now? It's like an auto manufacturer claiming they've developed this revolutionary new engine that will offer extraordinary speed when it runs on rocket fuel, yet there's a low speed limit and nobody sells rocket fuel yet.

My disappointment stems primarily from the software side, and yesterday's offering did nothing to resolve those issues. I guess I seek more from the OS on my phone than most Apple consumers require on theirs and that's fine--everyone should get what works best for them. What I'm noticing though is more and more people now are starting to feel like I do. Apparently, not enough to change Apple's thinking regarding the iPhone, but if this pattern continues, it may.

 

[jrswizzle]

Well, I can only respond to a small part of your inquiry. I'm not a fan of most of Samsung's devices as I generally don't like their design (hardware or software) and similarly dislike their recent philosophy of 'let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.' They also seem to forgoe refinement for pure horsepower. I will admit though that there recent Note offerings seem to reverse this trend a bit.

I also do have a huge problem with the iPhone, per se. I continue to like Apples design style and think Apple is still the best at offering refined, beautiful devices. They are also the best at getting the most from their hardware. As many are very quick to point out, on paper the iPhone is a middleweight amongst heavyweights, yet continues to offer arguably the quickest, smoothest user experience. My only real problem is with the hardware is display size, but that is my preference. I think Apple could still offer a pretty small device yet provide a larger display--look at what Motorola was able to do with the X.

I have no idea what benefits 64bit processing provides so I can only go off what others more knowledgeable in this area offer and for the most part it seems the benefits are lost on a phone, at least now. Yes, it may be forward thinking but what's the benefit now? It's like an auto manufacturer claiming they've developed this revolutionary new engine that will offer extraordinary speed when it runs on rocket fuel, yet there's a low speed limit and nobody sells rocket fuel yet.

My disappointment stems primarily from the software side, and yesterday's offering did nothing to resolve those issues. I guess I seek more from the OS on my phone than most Apple consumers require on theirs and that's fine--everyone should get what works best for them. What I'm noticing though is more and more people now are starting to feel like I do. Apparently, not enough to change Apple's thinking regarding the iPhone, but if this pattern continues, it may.

On the 64-bit part....

I agree completely. I'm not trying to make a case that 64-bit processors are necessary, only that I find it ironic that Apple is lambasted for forward thinking here and others aren't - with arguably less useful features.

I won't pretend to know about 64-but processors. But I guess I assume (given my experience with 32 and 64-bit desktops) this will open the door for vastly more robust apps and graphic intensive games. Right now? Its a doubling of speed and graphics performance, but I'm all for ANY feature that allows devs to create more powerful apps.

And also, please don't misinterpret - the iPhone and iOS are not perfect. No OS is. Sometimes people like to assume I'm saying they are....there are features I would like Apple to.implement as well, but I find the 5S to be a great refinement of an already great smartphone option.

 

[dojoman]

There are a lot more better Android phones than Note 3 and S4. Why the poll only limits to those against 5S? Makes no sense.

 

[AppleRobert]

http://timothyheffernan.net/2013/09/11/what-most-missed-in-apples-iphone-5s-5c-announcement/

Boring is dependent on what the specific user's focus towards features/hardware are. If that isn't met no matter how innovated new features and hardware are, ....

I have an HTC One. I wanted a larger screen than what the iphone offers. I like Blinkfeed and Sense has grown on me. The camera is good enough, it has 32gb, the audio is outstanding, the build quality is outstanding, etc. etc

 

[Technarchy]

Yeah I feel the same way about the S4. I like it but I definitely do not love it. Its like a member of the family I tolerate because they are good at some things and are handy to have round, but wouldn't be too upset if they emigrated and I never saw them again....

lol, sounds about right.

Samsung doing a 4.3 update soon and cleaning up their software a bit would go a long way in ensuring I get another iPhone later rather than sooner.

I'm interested in what the nexus 5 has to offer, and I am sure the galaxy S5 will have big specs, but odds are I'll be happily back with the iPhone in 2014.

The "android-isms" are just too distracting and too frequent compared to all the things people brag about Android being capable of that I really don't care about.

 

[The Game 161]

There are a lot more better Android phones than Note 3 and S4. Why the poll only limits to those against 5S? Makes no sense.

No there aren't.

HTC sure.