Which new smartphone do I buy?

[BankShot]

I'm moving from T-Mobile to Verizon next week, and with a 2-year activation (standard) I have a ton of options for my next phone.

For the last 3+ years I've been using Android on a Samsung Vibrant, which for the most part has been good.... other than the shoddy service that T-Mobile provides in my area.

Everyone that I know who owns an iPhone says why not switch to an iPhone... especially since the price-point is the same as any high-end Android phone ($200).

With that being said, I have been very satisfied with Samsung products in the past (LED TV, LCD TV, Blu-Ray Player, Smartphone) so I'm not completely sold on abandoning that for what seems to be simply popular opinion.

I like how iPhones seem to be at the forefront of the app market, as there have been many instances of certain apps in which I have had interest being unavailable on the Android.

As of yet I haven't used my mobile device for hardly any gaming, so its not a huge selling point either way.... but I'd like the camera to be solid. Other than that I really only use it for calls/texts, mobile internet, mobile e-mail, and a number of non-essential apps.

Lets hear it ISH. Please refrain from fanboy/anti-fanboy nonsense.... I'm really just looking for some real info on a future purchase.

:cheers:

[aj1987]

HTC One. You won't be disappointed. Looks better than 99% of the phones out there and is powerful with a pretty decent battery.

[HoopsFanNumero1]

Any screen-size preferences? Do you need the phone to have a micro-SD card reader?

[BankShot]

Any screen-size preferences? Do you need the phone to have a micro-SD card reader?

For screen size... not really.... but with that being said I saw some at the Verizon store today that looked way too big, but on first glance the iPhone 5 seemed a bit small compared to my old Samsung Vibrant (larger than average)

As for the micro-SD..... I guess my initial answer is no... but I don't know. What use does it have?

[BankShot]

HTC One. You won't be disappointed. Looks better than 99% of the phones out there and is powerful with a pretty decent battery.

Okay.... so "looks" and "power" sounds good... but what exactly does that mean?

As for battery I charge it overnight, every single night, so that really shouldn't be an issue for me in 2013

[HoopsFanNumero1]

For screen size... not really.... but with that being said I saw some at the Verizon store today that looked way too big, but on first glance the iPhone 5 seemed a bit small compared to my old Samsung Vibrant (larger than average)

I'm guessing you're talking about one of those phablet phones, like the Galaxy Note 3.


As for the micro-SD..... I guess my initial answer is no... but I don't know. What use does it have?

It's inexpensive storage whereas Internal memory is more of a rip-off. I'm pretty sure the Vibrant has a micro-SD card slot. How much storage space do you have on that phone and is it enough for you?

[Meticode]

personally to save money I would get a Samsung Galaxy S3, root the son-of-a-bitch and run Cynoganmod on it. It'll run super-smooth without bugs. Otherwise if you're looking for a great Flagship phone i would suggest either the S4, HTC One, Motorola X or the Galaxy Note 3 coming out soon.

The Note 3 will have 2 quad core processors in it. :oldlol:

Great review on Note 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NSBB-kFDGQ

Also S3 rooted aka SuperNexus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQy0NeVnxLo

[HoopsFanNumero1]

Okay.... so "looks" and "power" sounds good... but what exactly does that mean?

As for battery I charge it overnight, every single night, so that really shouldn't be an issue for me in 2013

It has an aluminum body so the phone feels more premium. I know a lot of people complain about Samsung phones because their body feels fragile.

As for power, it doesn't matter much. In this day and age, any high-end phone will more than handle anything you throw at it.

[BankShot]

How much storage space do you have on that phone and is it enough for you?

On my current phone I have a number of non-essential apps, and maybe 20 albums and I've never had any storage issues. I don't really use my phone for music storage so the amount of music I can store isn't really an issue... and I know for the most part the practical storage capability of, say, a 16 GB iPhone 5s

So with that being said the storage capacity of the phone really isn't a huge issue, as I can only assume that at this point any high-end smart phone will have a decent amount of storage space :confusedshrug:

[BankShot]

personally to save money I would get a Samsung Galaxy S3, root the son-of-a-bitch and run Cynoganmod on it. It'll run super-smooth without bugs. Otherwise if you're looking for a great Flagship phone i would suggest either the S4, HTC One, Motorola X or the Galaxy Note 3 coming out soon.

The Note 3 will have 2 quad core processors in it. :oldlol:

Great review on Note 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NSBB-kFDGQ

Also S3 rooted aka SuperNexus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQy0NeVnxLo

That sounds fun and all, but honestly I don't use my phone for nearly enough to go through with "rooting" or have to worry about bugs, or really even too much detail about the processing power.

For the most part its a calls/text/email/internet/fun machine :confusedshrug:

[HoopsFanNumero1]

On my current phone I have a number of non-essential apps, and maybe 20 albums and I've never had any storage issues. I don't really use my phone for music storage so the amount of music I can store isn't really an issue... and I know for the most part the practical storage capability of, say, a 16 GB iPhone 5s

So with that being said the storage capacity of the phone really isn't a huge issue, as I can only assume that at this point any high-end smart phone will have a decent amount of storage space :confusedshrug:

Yeah, pretty much any high-end phone out there will have at least a 16 GB model, which sounds like it's enough for your needs.

I doubt you want to look at Windows phones, so these are the high-end phones on the market right now with a high-end camera:
1) Galaxy S4
2) HTC One
3) iPhone 5s

I used to have a Galaxy S2, but going by the hardware aesthetics and the software UI, I'd recommend either the HTC One or the 5s. It really depends on which OS you're more familiar with and which screen size you prefer.

[BankShot]

Yeah, pretty much any high-end phone out there will have at least a 16 GB model, which sounds like it's enough for your needs.

I doubt you want to look at Windows phones, so these are the high-end phones on the market right now with a high-end camera:
1) Galaxy S4
2) HTC One
3) iPhone 5s

I used to have a Galaxy S2, but going by the hardware aesthetics and the software UI, I'd recommend either the HTC One or the 5s. It really depends on which OS you're more familiar with and which screen size you prefer.

I was at my local Verizon store today and those were the three options that stuck out the most.... Samsung for being relatable, iPhone for being the most popular, and the HTC was what the service rep talked up the most (outside of the fact that he said he owned an iPhone)

[HoopsFanNumero1]

I was at my local Verizon store today and those were the three options that stuck out the most.... Samsung for being relatable, iPhone for being the most popular, and the HTC was what the service rep talked up the most (outside of the fact that he said he owned an iPhone)

Yeah. I'd say go with the HTC One since imo it's the best Android phone out right now and it has a bigger screen, which personally is why I wouldn't go with the 5S.

[BankShot]

Yeah. I'd say go with the HTC One since imo it's the best Android phone out right now and it has a bigger screen, which personally is why I wouldn't go with the 5S.

For what reasons would you go Android over iPhone?

I don't really watch videos or game on my phone (so less or very little need for a large screen) and I haven't like in the past how some apps (social games, social apps, certain GPS apps) haven't been available on the Android market

[gts]

I've had zero problems with the iPhone. sounds like you use a phone about the same as I do, phone calls, texts, emails some social media stuff and plug it into the car now and again for the music. It's a good product...

[HoopsFanNumero1]

For what reasons would you go Android over iPhone?

I don't really watch videos or game on my phone (so less or very little need for a large screen) and I haven't like in the past how some apps (social games, social apps, certain GPS apps) haven't been available on the Android market

I'm just used to Android now so I'm more productive with it.
- I use the file manager a lot,
- I can just connect it to any PC and use it as a USB storage
- It's more customizable. I don't like the home screen on iOS, which is basically just a grid of icons. Also, the fact that I can change default apps.

You mentioned you won't use it for media, so the only place a bigger screen will make a difference for you would be web browsing. Honestly, if none of this matters to you, go with the 5S. It's a solid package and is very well-built. The hardware design, UI, camera, it's a complete package. Not to mention, it's future proof since you're guaranteed to get software updates for a long time.

[Doctor Rivers]

Nexus 5.

Google is announcing it this week.

[KevinNYC]

For what reasons would you go Android over iPhone?

I don't really watch videos or game on my phone (so less or very little need for a large screen) and I haven't like in the past how some apps (social games, social apps, certain GPS apps) haven't been available on the Android market

You're not asking about which phone, but which OS/environment is better.

I know three guys who work on phone stores and they use the HTC One.

[sunsfan1357]

Really it sounds like you would be fine with any of the new flagship phones that are out. I use the phone about the same as you it sounds like and I've been happy with my Windows Lumia 920 (great cams on these phones), but I cracked my screen over the weekend and have to shop around. Think I'll go with the One, but hoping to get some good info from others in this thread.

[BankShot]

I'm just used to Android now so I'm more productive with it.
- I use the file manager a lot,
- I can just connect it to any PC and use it as a USB storage
- It's more customizable. I don't like the home screen on iOS, which is basically just a grid of icons. Also, the fact that I can change default apps.

You mentioned you won't use it for media, so the only place a bigger screen will make a difference for you would be web browsing. Honestly, if none of this matters to you, go with the 5S. It's a solid package and is very well-built. The hardware design, UI, camera, it's a complete package. Not to mention, it's future proof since you're guaranteed to get software updates for a long time.

I didn't want to mention this, as to keep away the iHaters away.... but I'm on a MacBook so the iPhone would have the advantage in the ease of connectivity

Thats the one thing that has lacked with my Galaxy in the past. It has been a hassle to connect with and move files among my phone and my laptop

[BankShot]

You're not asking about which phone, but which OS/environment is better.

I know three guys who work on phone stores and they use the HTC One.

Thats both true and not true.... I suppose the first question is iPhone vs. Android, and the from there if I go with Android its what kind of Android phone I would want to get.

[BankShot]

I'm just used to Android now so I'm more productive with it.
- I use the file manager a lot,
- I can just connect it to any PC and use it as a USB storage
- It's more customizable. I don't like the home screen on iOS, which is basically just a grid of icons. Also, the fact that I can change default apps.

You mentioned you won't use it for media, so the only place a bigger screen will make a difference for you would be web browsing. Honestly, if none of this matters to you, go with the 5S. It's a solid package and is very well-built. The hardware design, UI, camera, it's a complete package. Not to mention, it's future proof since you're guaranteed to get software updates for a long time.

As of now, thats the way I'm leaning... for the reasons you mentioned, as well as the App market, and the ease of connection with my MacBook.... but given my positive experience in the past with the Samsung brand, as well as my familiarity with Android and the Google-brand web services I'm not quite ready to make the jump.

Hence the OP :D

[Doctor Rivers]

Nexus 5.

Google is announcing it this week.

nvm I just read that you're switching to the big red so the Nexus is out of the question.

If you're well entrenched in the Google ecosystem it might be best to stick with Android. The HTC One is generally considered to be slightly better than the Galaxy S4, but you can't go wrong wither way. I wouldn't worry too much about the updates--the S4 is slated to be updated to 4.3 within the next month. The iPhone definitely gets iOS updates in a more timely manner but I feel that advantage can be mitigated by the increased hardware requirements.

[HoopsFanNumero1]

nvm I just read that you're switching to the big red so the Nexus is out of the question.

If you're well entrenched in the Google ecosystem it might be best to stick with Android. The HTC One is generally considered to be slightly better than the Galaxy S4, but you can't go wrong wither way. I wouldn't worry too much about the updates--the S4 is slated to be updated to 4.3 within the next month. The iPhone definitely gets iOS updates in a more timely manner but I feel that advantage can be mitigated by the increased hardware requirements.

Google has most of their apps available on iOS as well, so I don't think that's too big of a deal.

[aj1987]

Okay.... so "looks" and "power" sounds good... but what exactly does that mean?

As for battery I charge it overnight, every single night, so that really shouldn't be an issue for me in 2013
The phone is completely made of aluminum (except the glass screen, obviously). It looks and also feels like a high end phone when you hold it. The speakers are incredible. The screen is absolutely gorgeous. It has the highest resolution among the current phones, if I'm not mistaken. By power, I mean that it can handle any app/game without any issue. The camera on the One is pretty good as well. Not the best, but gets the job done.




I didn't want to mention this, as to keep away the iHaters away.... but I'm on a MacBook so the iPhone would have the advantage in the ease of connectivity

Thats the one thing that has lacked with my Galaxy in the past. It has been a hassle to connect with and move files among my phone and my laptop
I've used 2 iPhones and 2 Android phones in the last one year. I love the iPhone over the Galaxy line phones, but the HTC One is MUCH better than the 5 (haven't used the 5s/5c). Connecting the One to your MacBook isn't an issue. I use one a MBP as well and it works well with my One.

[KevinNYC]

I don't have a lot of experience with other phones, but I really like my HTC ONe.

[andgar923]

If you're not going with an Iphone go with an HTC One. Samsungs are garbage.

Btw

[Doctor Rivers]

Google has most of their apps available on iOS as well, so I don't think that's too big of a deal.
Oh yeah the gap between Android and iOS with app offerings isn't really an issue today (quality of those apps is another issue), but I meant it more in terms of someone being invested in all the Google services (Gmail, Calendar, Drive etc.) trying to move over to the iOS counterparts.

[rezznor]

Nexus 5.

Google is announcing it this week.
this. wait a few days.



htc one is pretty damn nice too, that's what i'm using right now but i'll probably switch to the nexus next week.(i also use it in conjunction with my MBA, but i'm replacing that with an acer s7 today)

[General]

I would recommend getting the Nokia Lumia 925. It's basically a Lumia 920 but much thinner and lighter. Looks great too.
http://blog.mobile24.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/lumia_925_dimensions.jpg

[rezznor]

I would recommend getting the Nokia Lumia 925. It's basically a Lumia 920 but much thinner and lighter. Looks great too.
http://blog.mobile24.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/lumia_925_dimensions.jpg
except then you would be stuck using windows phone

[Jailblazers7]

I just bought a Note 3 and I really like it so far. The size really isn't that big of a deal and the screen is great. I'm a big fan of the stylus so far too.

[DukeDelonte13]

icloud plus iphone has been the best phone experience i've ever had. I'm an ex android user. Just about at the two year mark for me and the phone has performed bug free and maintained its battery life. I'm very pleased.

[Jet]

HTC One

[redhonda76]

I would stick with the Samsung Galaxy lines or the HTC Ones. As a former iPhone user, I found that the IOS is so boring and out-dated. Even with the new IOS 7, it's still very unappealing. Most of the new features in the IOS7, Android already has it. Best thing is to try it out in the Apple store and see if the iPhone is right for you. It is really personal preference.

[EnoughSaid]

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the best smartphone out right now if you don't count the Galaxy Note 3 which is just not a phone anymore.

For me I think it has everything you need to have:
-Large, high quality screen and the phone is incredibly thin
-Android 4.3 is awesome, and with the Kit Kat coming out soon? iOS7 doesn't compare.
-Great google integration as well, which helps with almost all the apps you need.

Only thing I'd say the iPhone is better at is iMessage and some apps in the Appstore. Other than that? Android is the way to go.

[Stuckey]

can someone explain to me why Samsungs are garbage? cause I'm wanting a Note 3 pretty bad

[Bucket_Nakedz]

htc one max or nexus 5. i am so in love with my htc one... fukk samsung and apple

[aj1987]

can someone explain to me why Samsungs are garbage? cause I'm wanting a Note 3 pretty bad
They're not bad, but they're made of plastic which gives a "cheap" (they're certainly not cheap) feel.

[plowking]

personally to save money I would get a Samsung Galaxy S3, root the son-of-a-bitch and run Cynoganmod on it. It'll run super-smooth without bugs. Otherwise if you're looking for a great Flagship phone i would suggest either the S4, HTC One, Motorola X or the Galaxy Note 3 coming out soon.

The Note 3 will have 2 quad core processors in it. :oldlol:

Great review on Note 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NSBB-kFDGQ

Also S3 rooted aka SuperNexus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQy0NeVnxLo

Can someone explain to me why rooting your phone is a good idea? What are the benefits? Does it allow me to do more? If so, like what?

[aj1987]

Can someone explain to me why rooting your phone is a good idea? What are the benefits? Does it allow me to do more? If so, like what?
http://gizmodo.com/5982287/reasons-to-root-your-android-device

[andgar923]

can someone explain to me why Samsungs are garbage? cause I'm wanting a Note 3 pretty bad
Shitty build quality
They infect and warp the Android OS with their TouchWiz (or whatever it's called), which is laggy
Horrid customer service
Short lifespan
Gimmicky features that are half assed and don't work properly (if at all)
Shitty screen

[plowking]

http://gizmodo.com/5982287/reasons-to-root-your-android-device

Thanks, repped.

EDIT: I'm not sure its really something I need. I just text and talk for the most of it. My HTC One does that, so, meh. I'm not really fussed, but I can see the appeal for a lot of people. I'm just not on my phone that much. I'd be fine with one of the old Nokia bricks even today.

[shallehalle]

i'm getting samsung galaxy note 3

[The_Yearning]

Get the iPhone 5S.

Mines coming on Wednesday.

[LJJ]

can someone explain to me why Samsungs are garbage? cause I'm wanting a Note 3 pretty bad

Samsung is Apple's main competitor, so Apple fanboys find reasons to dog Samsung.

You see, some people take this personal. They feel intense loyalty towards a company, and when a competing company take a huge portion of market share and releases mocking commercials like (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFGrGClB_sA) they see it as a personal affront.

It's all fanboy horseshit really, Samsung makes great phones.

[andgar923]

Samsung is Apple's main competitor, so Apple fanboys find reasons to dog Samsung.

You see, some people take this personal. They feel intense loyalty towards a company, and when a competing company take a huge portion of market share and releases mocking commercials like (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFGrGClB_sA) they see it as a personal affront.

It's all fanboy horseshit really, Samsung makes great phones.

Sure

[LJJ]

I struck a nerve I see. :lol

[Doctor Rivers]

[quote=andgar923]Shitty build quality
They infect and warp the Android OS with their TouchWiz (or whatever it's called), which is laggy
Horrid customer service
Short lifespan
Gimmicky features that are half assed and don't work properly (if at all)
Shitty screen

[andgar923]

I struck a nerve I see. :lol

So stating the truth is stricking a nerve?

[andgar923]

i have a galaxy s4, andgar make it sounds like samsung phones are the devil, i assure you that not every single thing about samsung is bad. does it have its problems like every phone out there has problems. sure, absolutely

my daily driver right now is an iphone 5s, but a month ago it was a galaxy s4.

I have a galaxy s4, motorola x, iphone 5s and a blackberry q10. I help develop and maintain an App and mobile services for a branch of credit unions. and i frequently freelance work for people, previously i worked with a real estate agency in creating a new website and app for them.
so yes i mingle with and use different phones on a fairly routine basis for work and for pleasure. my preference is android stock devices

iphone 5s is a good phone, im using it now just because its what i got most recently. Im usually using my galaxy s4 or what ever phone Os platform i find myself working most in at the time. my manager and employees all use iphones right now, so its most convenient as well (imessage going to my phone/ipad/macbook)
without a doubt iphone 5s has the best camera imo. ios 7 is quite a nice change and improvement from its predecessor.

galaxy s4 is also great and i use it alot. yeah you can complain about screen over saturation, but that was primarily with s3 and below. S4 and newer samsungs have better OLED and more natural contrast (still not as good as iphone 5/5s ips screen truthfully speaking). s4 has different screen modes you can choose from, but by default it has 'adapt display' which is what i recommend using. since it will intelligently choose how to display your screen depending on what kind of environment/setting you are in.
the galaxy s4 has a much higher pixel density (easily noticable when put side to side with an iphone retina display, im doing it right now lol), and has better viewing angles.
so its display has its advantages and disadvantages.
normal usage, its not laggy, its a fairly bad misconception. i can revert my galaxy s4 to stock out of the box, and make a video of me zipping through screens. its fine. if you put big ass interactive widgets on every page, then yeah maybe it might stutter.
i know a handful of people who use both galaxy s4 and iphone 5/5s, and they love both the same. every high end/flagship phone out there right now is pretty damn good.

i have better battery life on my galaxy s4, but it really just comes down to the fact that the galaxy s4 has a much higher capacity than the iphone battery. 2600maH vs 1570 maH battery, although the galaxy s4 has to power a higher pixel dense screen. both will get you through the day no problem. i just found that will the galaxy s4 i had slightly more juice left than i do with my iphone 5s.

truthfully, the deciding factor will prly come down to screen size, and if you're currently invested in any os ecosystem (google or apple).
day to day usage, you will generally have a good experience with almost any phone you go with.
i thought i would offer my opinion, because its fairly bad information when someone tells you that a fairly good phone is absolute shit and bad in every way.



good luck choosing your phone sir!

oh yeah, like others have mentioned HTC One is a great phone and of course the new Nexus is going to be announced before the end of this month (some people think october 15th, but thats today/tomorrow lol)


Good for you if you like it.

I've tried all versions and even tho I tried the new one briefly, it was cheap. The great features it touts didn't work consistently and when they did work they were as if they were still in beta 1.

Again, cheap feel to the phone and OS. It truly feels like an Asian knockoff, a product with poor quality control and high tolerance.

I suppose some people are ok with that.

The Windows phones by comparisons are a world of difference. Smooth, clean, even tho they're made of plastic they don't feel cheap. The HTC One is a beast on all fronts, the only Android phone I'd switch too.

[rufuspaul]

You see, some people take this personal. They feel intense loyalty towards a company, and when a competing company take a huge portion of market share and releases mocking commercials like (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFGrGClB_sA) they see it as a personal affront.



I find the whole thing rather humorous. People are so touchy about their phones. They'd rather you called their mother a whore than say anything negative about the toy they carry in their pocket.

[imdaman99]

HTC One :rockon: this thing is sexy AF

But then again, the HTC One X is right around the corner. Before this phone (I got 2 weeks back) I had never used Sense. All the HTC Phones I had, I rooted and installed CM 10.1-10.2 real quick. I don't need to do that with this one, Sense 5 is wonderful. Good luck, let us know what you do end up getting :cheers:

[rezznor]

HTC One :rockon: this thing is sexy AF

But then again, the HTC One X is right around the corner. Before this phone (I got 2 weeks back) I had never used Sense. All the HTC Phones I had, I rooted and installed CM 10.1-10.2 real quick. I don't need to do that with this one, Sense 5 is wonderful. Good luck, let us know what you do end up getting :cheers:
sense is ALOT better then it used to be. it's good to see that most OEMs are moving away from their own bloated versions of android and getting closer to stock.

was never that big of a deal since you can always rom it, but it's a step in the right direction.

[bdreason]

I'm still using an HTC MyTouch 4G. Been thinking about upgrading for awhile now, but haven't been impressed with the new phones. I like the size of the iphone, but don't want to switch over to Apple. I like the Windows OS, but apparently the app store is limited, and T-Mobile only offers a couple Windows phones. HTC One is nice, but too big for my taste.

What I'd really like is to pick up a waterproof / gorilla glass / lifeproof Android phone about the size of the iphone. the only waterproof phone T-Mobile offers right now is a Sony I think.

[Jailblazers7]

The build quality and feel of the iPhone is what made me almost get the 5s. The feel of the iPhone is unparalleled. I do like the fake leather design on the Note 3 tho. It feels much better and it doesn't get dirty with finger prints like the old glossy ones did. I think it is a really nice improvement.

[andgar923]

touchwiz is fine, like i mentioned, its fluid and responsive, specifically on galaxy s4 and above. i think a lot of the widgets are kind of useless, but noones forcing you to use them. but some people will want to use them...

i know just as many people who complain about their iphone homescreen because they think its bland and just rows of icons

everyone has their own personal preference. i personally prefer the avenue of being able to do whatever the hell i want with my phone, and if theres anything i dont need, i wont use it.

as for galaxy s4 features, yeah i dont use them all, but they work fine.
i pretty much dont use the eye tracking stuff, cuz i find it more of a nuissance and not needed.
but air hover is good, and being able to use my touchscreen with gloves/mitts is good (yeah i have harsh winters)
being able to swipe my hand over the phone when its off without pressing or touching anything to see my notifications is handy. once again, if you dont like it, just turn it off. but i find it useful.

not to bust your balls, but ios is more closer to asian OS knockoffs lol. the most popular asian android os is miui, and its much closer to ios than touchwiz. but to befair miui is good, and xaomi is doing big things in china.

irregardless of all that, touchwiz could be improved by taking a more simplistic approach. but they prefer to give you more, and let users disable what they dont want. when you first turn on your galaxy s4, you get to see all the 'features' and you can decide what you want on or off. so no, you are not handcuffed to these features.

i defintely like the strides HTC took with Sense. Sense 5 was a great improvement, i think they hit a great balance of functionality, simplicity and design. sense 5.5 is also shaping up and looking to be quite nice

as for design/build. i agree wholeheartedly that the build and finish of the iphone 5/5s is quite a ways better than samsung. but by no means do i think galaxy s4 is 'cheap', but it just doesnt feel premium. which i think isnt good, because it is their flagship device after all. truth be told, lot of phones look/feel cheap next to an iphone, only one that can rival the iphone in this department is the htc one. but this is deliberate by samsung, because there is still a demographic of users who enjoy having a replaceable battery and removable storage. frankly, i would rather have a great premium build/design instead of replaceable battery and removable storage.

samsung phones will probably be a bit different in a couple of years. the reason why their touchwiz is so dauntingly different from stock android is because they clearly want to break off from android and transition to their own homemade OS 'tizen' and make it as seamless as possible. although their 'Tizen' OS doesnt look too appetizing at this point :lol

You misunderstood me.

I like the features that Samsung provides, I actually would love to have them. But they're poorly implemented and coded, that's the issue. At times they work at times they don't, and when they do work they aren't all that great or smooth. So it isn't about personal taste, it's about functionality and working properly.

Everyday at lunch I wish I had those features, make it easier on me to browse the net while my fingers are full of grease.

This is how I see Samsung.

Somebody has an idea, they throw it in, they might test it a bit but f*ck it it works good enough I suppose so they release it. They just throw shit out there without proper testing or development.

So sure, it might take Apple a year or two to adapt certain features, but they're 'usually' well implemented. No OS is gonna be perfect, but Samsung's offerings are very poorly coded and rushed. They try to throw the kitchen sink for the sake of filling the spec and features list and ignore quality.

For example, they're gonna add 64 bit chip on their next Galaxy phone in January. Who knows if they've even done the proper work and testing for it, they're just gonna throw it out there because they want to fill the spec sheets and say they have it too.

But once you know about their CEO it all makes sense.

The same company that's been caught fixing their benchmark scores, bribing journalists, paying trolls to post favorable comments and diss competitors, etc.etc.

They take the kitchen sink approach by throwing everything.

[rezznor]

I'm still using an HTC MyTouch 4G. Been thinking about upgrading for awhile now, but haven't been impressed with the new phones. I like the size of the iphone, but don't want to switch over to Apple. I like the Windows OS, but apparently the app store is limited, and T-Mobile only offers a couple Windows phones. HTC One is nice, but too big for my taste.

What I'd really like is to pick up a waterproof / gorilla glass / lifeproof Android phone about the size of the iphone. the only waterproof phone T-Mobile offers right now is a Sony I think.
they have mini versions of the flagship android phones that are close in size to the iphone

[magic chiongson]

we can all see who is the fanboy in this thread :D

[redhonda76]

This is how I see Samsung.

Somebody has an idea, they throw it in, they might test it a bit but f*ck it it works good enough I suppose so they release it. They just throw shit out there without proper testing or development.

So sure, it might take Apple a year or two to adapt certain features, but they're 'usually' well implemented. No OS is gonna be perfect, but Samsung's offerings are very poorly coded and rushed. They try to throw the kitchen sink for the sake of filling the spec and features list and ignore quality.



I have no idea what you are talking about. I have the S3 for almost a year and the features works fine like NFC/S Beam, Samsung Remote, All Share Play.
Is Apple maps well implemented? Siri cannot compete against Google voice. What about fingerprint scanner? Hackers had overcame that safeguard.
Every company has it's fault and you made it like Apple is perfect in every way. This is why you are a perfect example of a Apple fan boy.

[redhonda76]

we can all see who is the fanboy in this thread :D

yup

[BankShot]

yup

I'm pretty sure andgar has a staunch history of hating Apple products, the Apple business model, and thinks that iUsers are iSheep.

He apparently very much dislikes Samsung smart phones too.

So i'm not exactly sure who's the fanboy here. :roll:

[BankShot]

Great conversation by the way.... giving me a lot to think about before next week.

I guess my next step is to head into Best Buy and play around with as many models as possible, and really think about what I want and need out of my phone.

Seeing as how this is a 2+ year item for me, I'd like to make a solid informed decision.

[Meticode]

I owned a HTC Rezound and a Samsung Galaxy Nexus which both came out around the same time within 1 month of each other. I still use my Nexus today and still like it even though it's almost 2 years old now.

[gts]

Great conversation by the way.... giving me a lot to think about before next week.

I guess my next step is to head into Best Buy and play around with as many models as possible, and really think about what I want and need out of my phone.

Seeing as how this is a 2+ year item for me, I'd like to make a solid informed decision.


Best Buy is good. If you're thinking about the iphone and you're close to an apple store go there to play with the iphone, they're all hooked up to the wireless and you can see how they interact with other apple products.

[magic chiongson]

Great conversation by the way.... giving me a lot to think about before next week.

I guess my next step is to head into Best Buy and play around with as many models as possible, and really think about what I want and need out of my phone.

Seeing as how this is a 2+ year item for me, I'd like to make a solid informed decision.

anyway as to the original point of this thread :D


As of yet I haven't used my mobile device for hardly any gaming, so its not a huge selling point either way.... but I'd like the camera to be solid. Other than that I really only use it for calls/texts, mobile internet, mobile e-mail, and a number of non-essential apps.

does size & battery life matter to you? if you want something small with a good camera the iphone 5/5x or galaxy s4 mini will be it.

if you don't mind bigger phones then get the best android devices (s4, htc one, lg g2,xperia z) mentioned here they usually have the best cameras, or thaatnokia windows phone.

personally for me i'd settle for something in between..like the xperia zr

[HoopsFanNumero1]

You misunderstood me.

I like the features that Samsung provides, I actually would love to have them. But they're poorly implemented and coded, that's the issue. At times they work at times they don't, and when they do work they aren't all that great or smooth. So it isn't about personal taste, it's about functionality and working properly.

Everyday at lunch I wish I had those features, make it easier on me to browse the net while my fingers are full of grease.

This is how I see Samsung.

Somebody has an idea, they throw it in, they might test it a bit but f*ck it it works good enough I suppose so they release it. They just throw shit out there without proper testing or development.

So sure, it might take Apple a year or two to adapt certain features, but they're 'usually' well implemented. No OS is gonna be perfect, but Samsung's offerings are very poorly coded and rushed. They try to throw the kitchen sink for the sake of filling the spec and features list and ignore quality.

For example, they're gonna add 64 bit chip on their next Galaxy phone in January. Who knows if they've even done the proper work and testing for it, they're just gonna throw it out there because they want to fill the spec sheets and say they have it too.

But once you know about their CEO it all makes sense.

The same company that's been caught fixing their benchmark scores, bribing journalists, paying trolls to post favorable comments and diss competitors, etc.etc.

They take the kitchen sink approach by throwing everything.

Dude, you sound exactly like one of those brainwashed sheep I used to see at MacRumors that go around saying $amDung :lol

Tell the truth. You don't what you're talking about. Firstly, Samsung doesn't make their own OS. They just develop the front-end interface known as TouchWiz. Personally, I think they new to hire a new UX team and give their whole UI an overhaul, but it has some nifty features in their Note series.

As for the 64-bit chips, Samsung always uses the state of the art technology for their high-end phones. And your comment about doing the proper work and testing is just :facepalm . Are you really questioning whether one of the World's largest chip manufacturing companies does proper testing?

[rezznor]

ios7 is getting killed. apple just dropped another shiny turd. read the comments as well, and keep in mind bgr is usually a ver pro-apple blog. the article doesn't even mention all the bugs and performance issues that have been reported




http://bgr.com/2013/10/15/ios-7-review-user-experience/


is Apple’s biggest visual design change since Apple first released the operating system in 2007. Despite initial reservations from users to the colorful, flat update, iOS 7 has been adopted at a faster rate than any previous update to Apple’s portable devices. Still, there are significant issues with iOS 7, some simply side effects of a recent software launch, others intrinsic to Jony Ive’s design itself. Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) has written an extensive “user-experience appraisal” of iOS 7, highlighting each and every minute detail that makes iOS 7 more engaging, as well as the features and changes that make for unpleasant, frustrating experiences.

NNG covers the biggest revision first: the flat design. The lack of skeuomorphism might be easier on the eyes, but it makes usability much more challenging. Buttons that used to stand out now blend in with the background. Links that used to be very visible on the screen are now more easily mistaken for plain text. Even the iOS picker (scrolling dropdown menu to pick from multiple options, such as date or time) has become more difficult to navigate. NNG also believes that Apple has not given app developers clear guidelines in order to maximize ease-of-use for end users, and it shows.

The next category, swipe ambiguity, is one that plagues all touchscreen devices, but its implementation in iOS 7 is especially egregious. Three of the four edges on an iOS 7 device can be swiped to either open a menu or complete an action depending on what the user is doing.

Although NNG understands the obvious benefits of having an easily accessible Control Center, the act of swiping up, from any part of the screen, is one that iPhone and iPad users have been performing for years in order to see more content. Now, without careful placement of the fingers, scrolling on Safari can be constantly interrupted by the Control Center — though iOS 7 can be configured so that Control Center is not available while apps are open.

Spotlight Search and Notifications cause similar problems from the top edge of the screen. Even the seemingly innocuous “back button” feature of swiping from the left edge of the screen in Safari can interfere with basic website interaction.

There is no question that NNG sees major flaws in iOS 7, enough to warrant the claim that “Apple has demolished millions of hours of user learning by changing the icons.” The research group has seen improvements as well though, such as unlimited folder space, background updates, cleaner browser design and a polished settings menu. The group’s conclusion is still grim, however: Apple needs to reevaluate the user experience on iOS 7.

[BankShot]

Best Buy is good. If you're thinking about the iphone and you're close to an apple store go there to play with the iphone, they're all hooked up to the wireless and you can see how they interact with other apple products.

I figured Best Buy would be a good place to go because they have pretty much all phones and carriers, and since I've seen that most high-end phones are pretty much the same price with a 2-year activation there wouldn't be too much of an incentive to push one particular brand over another.

Also, I have had good experiences in the past at my local Best Buy with very knowledgable floor employees with HDDs, PS3 stuff, Blu-Ray, etc...

[BankShot]

anyway as to the original point of this thread :D


does size & battery life matter to you? if you want something small with a good camera the iphone 5/5x or galaxy s4 mini will be it.

if you don't mind bigger phones then get the best android devices (s4, htc one, lg g2,xperia z) mentioned here they usually have the best cameras, or thaatnokia windows phone.

personally for me i'd settle for something in between..like the xperia zr

Battery life isn't an issue at all. I don't do heavy lifting on a daily basis with my phone, and I literally charge it absolutely every single night on my night stand, so I've never had a problem with batteries outside of needing a new one after 2-3 years with my current phone (maybe $8 on Amazon)

I don't really care about the specifics aesthetics or display of the phone, since I don't really game or use it for video display. At the time of purchase, my current Samsung was considered a very large display and it was fine with me.

As an update, my current standing is probably:

70% iPhone 5S
15% Samsung something
15% HTC something

[aj1987]

Battery life isn't an issue at all. I don't do heavy lifting on a daily basis with my phone, and I literally charge it absolutely every single night on my night stand, so I've never had a problem with batteries outside of needing a new one after 2-3 years with my current phone (maybe $8 on Amazon)

I don't really care about the specifics aesthetics or display of the phone, since I don't really game or use it for video display. At the time of purchase, my current Samsung was considered a very large display and it was fine with me.

As an update, my current standing is probably:

70% iPhone 5S
15% Samsung something
15% HTC something
What exactly do you want?

[BankShot]

What exactly do you want?

Read the the thread :facepalm

High-end, reliable, product, for basic phone functions. Battery life, storage space, and screen size are non-issues. The question is more iPhone vs. Android, and hearing info on both and posters give their opinion/experiences.

[embersyc]

Don't know if you already made your decision, but right now the HTC One is hands down the best phone on Verizon.

The Sense 5.0+ is so much better than stock Android. Blinkfeed will change your life.

Plus the phone is just solid in every imaginable way. Quad core processor Dual front facing speakers, Beats audio, Beats earbuds free in box.

My only complaint is no removable battery, expansion slot.

If HTC had better marketing they would be dominating.

Oh, also the HTC One has an infrared transmitter, so you can use it to control your TV/Cable Box, and the TV Guide is pretty cool. You can select exactly what channels you get and it will show you what movies and shows are on, whats coming up, etc... That's stock software built into the phone.

[andgar923]

haha well if a big company like Apple can release a phone with a bad antenna design where signal can be severely dropped by holding it in the wrong area, im sure anything is possible.

but then again, Apple assured us we are just holding our phones wrong and there was nothing wrong with the phone.
except that they gave everyone free cases and were found guilty in a class action lawsuit :hammerhead:

how about that for quality control and testing :lol

EVERY phone had antenna issues, but nobody cared. And even then the issues were mostly due to the way the signal was displayed not the reception itself (for the most part).

Apple at least made it an effort to please customers. If Android phones made the news for everything that was wrong with them, we'd never finish hearing the end of it.

[andgar923]

Dude, you sound exactly like one of those brainwashed sheep I used to see at MacRumors that go around saying $amDung :lol

Tell the truth. You don't what you're talking about. Firstly, Samsung doesn't make their own OS. They just develop the front-end interface known as TouchWiz. Personally, I think they new to hire a new UX team and give their whole UI an overhaul, but it has some nifty features in their Note series.

As for the 64-bit chips, Samsung always uses the state of the art technology for their high-end phones. And your comment about doing the proper work and testing is just :facepalm . Are you really questioning whether one of the World's largest chip manufacturing companies does proper testing?

why you arguing semantics? you know exactly what I meant regarding touchwiz.

They may use the highest technology but they do so at the expense of something else. And YES they don't do proper testing, they're known for it. They rush shit to market, it's SAMSUNG that's what half those Asian makers do!

[andgar923]

Apple is known for this too. Siri was not great when it came out, and i wont even get started on Apple Maps.
you know its bad when your CEO has to write and apology letter to all of its users, and theres a page on Apples website solely for this apology

name which samsung features dont work?
only 'feature' that doesnt work perfectly all the time is anything to do with the eye tracking. but i dunno, its something that in theory wont work perfectly unless you situate your eyes properly at the sensor. its a part of technology that cant always be perfect, just like how voice recognition can never be 100% perfect.


As for 64 bit processing... of course Samsung was going to move to it. you do realize that iphone's current SoC was manufactured by Samsung. its not a far step for Samsung, manufacturing the chip is not hard to do, theyve already done it.
Android already has support for 64 bit, the linux kernel has supported 64 bit processing for years.
your argument is really baseless here due to your lack of understanding of how android/linux works.

Siri was still in BETA (it said so in their web page) up until the latest iOS release.

Manufacturing a chip is completely different than 'designing' it. Apple designs its internal hardware with closer collaboration with their OS department. Everything is integrated, that's what they're known for. So they design they're own basically almost everything to work together and maximize it's performance.

I'd like to see another manufacturer get the same battery life, performance, screen, in the same size phone. There's a reason why the Android phones are as big as they are. They were originally bigger to fit a bigger battery and 4G antenna. A bigger battery is needed because 4g drains your battery life, specially when it first came out.

When the 5s came out, there was some making excuses and complaining that 64 bit chip won't work because of this and that. That it's useless because there was many different factors that were needed etc.etc. but they were proven wrong. It will take Samsung a while before they truly are a 64 bit phone. It needs Google to do the coding for it, then there's other factors that need to be put in place for it to work, such as giving developers the proper tools.

What features don't work in Samsung phones? try almost all of them.

They don't work with any sort of consistency. They tend to get slow and choppy, and did I say LAG?

Imagine of Apple phones had anywhere near the same performance issues? the world would explode. But for some reason Samsung gets a pass.

[andgar923]

I have no idea what you are talking about. I have the S3 for almost a year and the features works fine like NFC/S Beam, Samsung Remote, All Share Play.
Is Apple maps well implemented? Siri cannot compete against Google voice. What about fingerprint scanner? Hackers had overcame that safeguard.
Every company has it's fault and you made it like Apple is perfect in every way. This is why you are a perfect example of a Apple fan boy.

I agree, every company issues products with bugs.

Biggest difference is, Apple will actually accomodate it's users when it does. You at least get an update immediately, one that most of the users can download and install ASAP.

if there's an issue, Apple will release an update by the end of the week (give or take a week depending on the issue of course).

With Android offerings, you need to wait months and that's IF your OEM will carry it.

Android phones (specially Samsung) are notoriously known for their bad lifespan. And YES this is amongst Android phone/fanboys as well.

People wanna shit on maps and ignore the fact that Google which has been doing maps for a longer time, has issues itself.

In regards to Siri, Google talk aint much better (if at all). I do like that it is local and doesn't need network connection, that to me is something I wish Siri was like. But they both have their pros and cons, so using Siri isn't the best argument. Tests results will always vary, there's different factors involved. Again, Google voice's advantage is it's local offline service, but it isn't something that's dramatically superior.

Just how Apple maps at times displays things better than Google maps and vice versa. But nobody cares that Google maps is also inaccurate and buggy.

[Jameerthefear]

I know this is a bit offtopic but Nexus 5 is too much for me to consider buying it :cry: I need to buy a Nexus 4 off someone because Google isn't going to stock them anymore :facepalm

[andgar923]

ios7 is getting killed. apple just dropped another shiny turd. read the comments as well, and keep in mind bgr is usually a ver pro-apple blog. the article doesn't even mention all the bugs and performance issues that have been reported




http://bgr.com/2013/10/15/ios-7-review-user-experience/

EVERY OS generation has issues and bugs. Doesn't matter what platform the software is. It can be phones, computers, tvs, DVRs, etc.etc. I've yet to come across a single item that was perfect in every way for every user.

And this applies to this latest iOS release.

It's a new overhaul that is new to most people, so it's gonna be weird for some. There's gonna be bugs, as is the case with EVERY OS release, new or otherwise. That's not an excuse, that's a fact.

I haven't had any issues, I don't know anybody with issues. My mom needed a day to get used to it, but she's fine now. Everybody I know of loves it and finds it more useful.

But do you really wanna go and compare usability? Android phones are know for being hard to use and hard to understand. I'm a tech geek and I find myself lost in them whenenver I'm asked to do something on any of them (which is often enough). They all tend to vary on where things are located and even how to use them. There's also the back button on teh hardware that's always confusing and never works consistently. THAT can't really be changed because it's hardware, it will always be there. Even when phone reviewers do reviews they mention the back button as an issue.

But with Android phones one just gets used to having shitty OS and usability. Because the updates don't come soon enough if at all. Most Android users don't even update at all, because they're unaware that there was an update, some don't even get an update to the newest OS let alone maintenance update.

iOS 7 isn't perfect, but look for it to mature and evolve. Look for new features and refinements. And more importantly, the vast majority of its users will benefit from any changes. We can't say the same about Android users.

[HoopsFanNumero1]

why you arguing semantics? you know exactly what I meant regarding touchwiz.

They may use the highest technology but they do so at the expense of something else. And YES they don't do proper testing, they're known for it. They rush shit to market, it's SAMSUNG that's what half those Asian makers do!

I'm not. First of all, Samsung isn't just some random "Asian maker". (Can't believe you just said that :facepalm ) Secondly, you're mixing up hardware and software. Samsung is known for their hardware, not their software. I strongly doubt you have any idea how stringent their testing process is for their hardware.

Software's a different issues. I really don't care for their UI, but the functionality is there. You keep saying some features don't work on Samsung phones, but you never really specify anything. Then in another response you say none of the features work and use consistency as your reasoning. Come on man. Function and consistency are two very different objectives. Once again, you don't know what you're talking about but you like to pretend you do.

[andgar923]

I'm not. First of all, Samsung isn't just some random "Asian maker". (Can't believe you just said that :facepalm ) Secondly, you're mixing up hardware and software. Samsung is known for their hardware, not their software. I strongly doubt you have any idea how stringent their testing process is for their hardware.

Software's a different issues. I really don't care for their UI, but the functionality is there. You keep saying some features don't work on Samsung phones, but you never really specify anything. Then in another response you say none of the features work and use consistency as your reasoning. Come on man. Function and consistency are two very different objectives. Once again, you don't know what you're talking about but you like to pretend you do.

Samsung nor any other OEM work like Apple does.

The don't design their hardware and software in unison. Which is why the iPhone doesn't need 4 gigs of RAM to actually be 64 bit capable like some critics initially stated.

You just said that Samsung works on the hardware but agreed that their software isn't up to par

[aj1987]

Read the the thread :facepalm

High-end, reliable, product, for basic phone functions. Battery life, storage space, and screen size are non-issues. The question is more iPhone vs. Android, and hearing info on both and posters give their opinion/experiences.
Why would you want a high-end phone, only if you're using the basic phone functions?

[PHX_Phan]

iPhone is the best bet for OP. For reliability, iOS will beat out Android's fragmentation any day of the week. If you don't have the flavor of the month Android phone, you'll be lucky to get any updates in a timely matter, if at all.

My last three phones were Android and while the phones themselves were great, the software was compromised after a few months of use. My last phone went from being the top reviewed model to discontinued with zero support less than 6 months later and within a year I was two major updates behind. Even basic things like texting was a hassle and the phones were all buggy and laggy.

Most of my friends have an S3 or S4 and none of them use apps that I can't, or get any real use out of the exclusive gimmicky features. I think they've used the dap file sharing feature once, out of curiosity.

[The_Yearning]

iPhone 5S user here.

Best phone on the market.

But iOS 7 is garbage. That animation time is killing me. I don't a fvck about animation. I do not want to wait even a split second to swipe after unlocking the phone etc.

Bring back the fluidity of iOS 6 please.

[andgar923]

so EVERY single phone has problems where if you hold a phone a certain way, your signal drops considerably?

you do know.. the issue was due to the antenna design ... where your hand could bridge the two different antennae? thats why having a case fixed this issue. (obviously was fixed in 4s)
lol name one prominent phone where you could hold your phone a certain way and almost completely kill your signal.
im sorry, but when your own CEO responds to one of his own customers and tells him to avoid holding a phone that way.... :lol
its just silly that you say Samsung doesnt test phones and just releases phones untested... I guess Apple forgot to test their antenna design on the iphone 4.

and if you actually thought you could smell from your galaxy s4 screen... it was obviously a joke in the commercial :roll:

YES every phone had issues due to the location of its antenna.

[LJJ]

As a non-native speaker, I never fully understood the phrase "ether, that shit that make your soul burn slow".


Until I saw andgar's post history in this thread, that is. Now I understand completely. Wow.

[rezznor]

so EVERY single phone has problems where if you hold a phone a certain way, your signal drops considerably?

you do know.. the issue was due to the antenna design ... where your hand could bridge the two different antennae? thats why having a case fixed this issue. (obviously was fixed in 4s)
lol name one prominent phone where you could hold your phone a certain way and almost completely kill your signal.
im sorry, but when your own CEO responds to one of his own customers and tells him to avoid holding a phone that way.... :lol
its just silly that you say Samsung doesnt test phones and just releases phones untested... I guess Apple forgot to test their antenna design on the iphone 4.

and if you actually thought you could smell from your galaxy s4 screen... it was obviously a joke in the commercial :roll:

i would just give up arguing with andgar about iphones. he will never admit their faults

[rezznor]

YES every phone had issues due to the location of its antenna.
yes, if those phones were held in a deathgrip..whereas the iphone would drop it's signal with just one finger placed in the right location. how hard is that to understand or admit?? :facepalm

[andgar923]

Phones in general had reception issues. Some phones had it on the side, others on the back, the ones without issues were those that had it on the top (antenna).

The iPhone wasn't the only one.

But it was also part of the software not displaying the bars correctly. If you touched that spot the bars would drop but signal was still there. it was a mixture of bug that was fixed and antenna not being located on the proper area, but the iPhone wasn't the only one that suffered from bad reception due to antenna placement.

Or are people gonna conveniently gloss that fact over as if over phones didn't suffer from the same antenna issue?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5OPgvJp0p0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXAHABv43XQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4zbQ3f7H0U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zft3-Lwh2bo

Naturally, there's more but ya'll still won't care.

I also never denied that there was antenna gate. I simply pointed out the fact that they weren't the only phone with that issue. Every phone has that issue, it just depends on where the antenna is located. The best bet is at the top where people normally don't touch it while talking.

[andgar923]

As a non-native speaker, I never fully understood the phrase "ether, that shit that make your soul burn slow".


Until I saw andgar's post history in this thread, that is. Now I understand completely. Wow.

So it's wrong of me to reply back?

Somebody needed help, I gave an opinion like everybody else. I corrected/replied to posts, so people can make a decision on all the information.

[BankShot]

Why would you want a high-end phone, only if you're using the basic phone functions?

Why wouldn't I??

If i use a product multiple times a day, every day, for at least two years, I want it to be top-of-the-line now so that in a year or two its not completely obsolete or outdated.

Plus in terms of the price point, it looks like i'd be spending $175-$200 on the high-end models (with activation contract, but also will be less considering promotions)..... vs. $75-$100 for a mid-level phone. Whats $100 extra for something I use every day?

[aj1987]

Why wouldn't I??

If i use a product multiple times a day, every day, for at least two years, I want it to be top-of-the-line now so that in a year or two its not completely obsolete or outdated.

Plus in terms of the price point, it looks like i'd be spending $175-$200 on the high-end models (with activation contract, but also will be less considering promotions)..... vs. $75-$100 for a mid-level phone. Whats $100 extra for something I use every day?
Wouldn't you be spending a bunch of money on the data plan as well?

Anyways, as I said on the first or second page, I've used the iPhone 5, HTC One, and the S3. I'd take the HTC One.

[MMM]

I'm thinking of getting a blackberry but i find the media perception of BB interesting. Their Hub and preview notifications should give them more pub then they've been getting, heck their OS form what i understand is pretty good as well.. Is the lack of apps really that important to people???? I mean sure it is a concern but I'm not aware of people who use that many apps in their daily lives.

[BankShot]

Wouldn't you be spending a bunch of money on the data plan as well?

Anyways, as I said on the first or second page, I've used the iPhone 5, HTC One, and the S3. I'd take the HTC One.

As far as I know, the difference in usage on the actual data plan is nominal between phones.... and I'm on a family plan so increased data usage isn't going to be an issue.

The HTC one definitely caught my attention, but the specs on the digital camera wrecked it for me.

I have a 32 GB iPhone 5s ordered and it should ship tomorrow. I was tempted to go with a Galaxy because of its superior camera and customizable operating system and all that.... but in the end I currently am on Android and have done little to make it "my own" so iPhone it is.

[pauk]

The best one... Samsung Galaxy S4... or if you are willing, Samsung Galaxy Note III (Note II wouldnt be bad either)...

A couple of smartphones have speed, quality, has everything & can do everything top notch just like the new Galaxies..... but once you feel & use that sleek, epic, massive display you will never look at another phone again... i mean, you aint gona just use the phone for.. only phoning.... so that display size & graphics dont matter? You will be surfing, playing, watching videos etc... it does matter...

I have an iPhone 5 and a Galaxy S4... iphone 5 feels just like my iphone 4s imo, didnt really feel like i upgraded... but with the Galaxy S4 i did, big time...

[imdaman99]

As far as I know, the difference in usage on the actual data plan is nominal between phones.... and I'm on a family plan so increased data usage isn't going to be an issue.

The HTC one definitely caught my attention, but the specs on the digital camera wrecked it for me.

I have a 32 GB iPhone 5s ordered and it should ship tomorrow. I was tempted to go with a Galaxy because of its superior camera and customizable operating system and all that.... but in the end I currently am on Android and have done little to make it "my own" so iPhone it is.
They are 4 ULTRA Pixels. It's a great camera on the phone, has nothing to do with megapixels.

Check the comparison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKdcdNpnLG4

Cameras are around the 12 minute mark.

[BankShot]

i mean, you aint gona just use the phone for.. only phoning.... so that display size & graphics dont matter? You will be surfing, playing, watching videos etc... it does matter...


Unless of course you don't use it for gaming or videos.... in which case a 5" display isn't a game changer

[Just2McFly]

I'm thinking of getting a Z10 or the Xperia Z... just trying to decide whether or not I want to go back to Android fully.

I know the camera is nicer on the Sony but I'm really intrigued by the BB10 OS.

[Meticode]

I'm thinking of getting a Z10 or the Xperia Z... just trying to decide whether or not I want to go back to Android fully.

I know the camera is nicer on the Sony but I'm really intrigued by the BB10 OS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUgOgMCKXqs

Camera has some good points, but also some bad ones.

[rezznor]

BTW iphone's battery life ranks as the worst out of comparable phones


http://bgr.com/2013/11/05/iphone-5s-android-battery-life-comparison/

[QUOTE]2:35 PM
The iPhone 5s might be one of the most powerful smartphones on the market, but that power comes at a price. Which? Tech Daily tested eight flagship handsets to determine which phone had the longest battery life during calls and while browsing the Internet and Apple

[SacJB Shady]

no disrespect to technology but what are all these buttons? I can't go anywhere, all these kids have camera cell phones