I m planning to buy galaxy s3 i 9305 or i9300 or nexus 4 but i am really confused.please help me. i have heard that almost everyone that owns a nexus has a yellow tint or yellow patch problems.are there any who got rid of it and moreover nexus has a battery life disaster and supports otg only with power.on the other hand s3 has less configuration,less custom roms and mods but is better with battery and screen issues.
Now the price is almost same for both the devices.
keeping the current issues and solutions in mind,please reply as i have to purchase one soon.
Regards
=_= get an iphone. problem solved
You need LTE. Go for the Samsung.
R: [Q] Need Help Galaxy s3 vs Nexus 4
reaperzero said:
=_= get an iphone. problem solved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did you sign up on this forum???
Anyways, there is no comparison. I9300 all da way!
Nexus 4 = less performance, but better initial configuration.
S3 = more performance and screen space, but awful initial configuration (gotta have the balls to tweak it yourself!)
and s3 has got TONS of roms, tons of customization features, and overall better ui (except for some launcher stuff..touchwiz isnt great but its got stuff nexus doesnt, like cool notification area...).
Plus its got better camera and sd card slot.
So no comparison amongst nexus 4 and s3...
About the i9300 and i9305(or something like that)... i9300 is international and i9305 im assuming usa.
First off, many people have said 2 gigs ram is better than quad core..but not so much, plus you can always expand ram (some shops do that).
Plus you get more rom compatibility with i9300 and its what most users actually use, many developers arent from usa...
Therefore i would go, excuse me, HAVE gone, for the galaxy s3 i9300.
I feel like a boss with this phone, still using stock but as soon as i get my hands on custom foxhound (tons of features, overall best for s3) its gonna be even swifter than nexus 4's rom.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
killbubble said:
Anyways, there is no comparison. I9300 all da way!
Nexus 4 = less performance, but better initial configuration.
S3 = more performance and screen space, but awful initial configuration (gotta have the balls to tweak it yourself!)
and s3 has got TONS of roms, tons of customization features, and overall better ui (except for some launcher stuff..touchwiz isnt great but its got stuff nexus doesnt, like cool notification area...).
Plus its got better camera and sd card slot.
So no comparison amongst nexus 4 and s3...
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Click to collapse
I'm going to have to say that that's a complete load of bull. The Nexus 4 has better performance than the S4 any day and that's a fact. Not only do benchmarks prove that the S4 Pro is far superior to the Exynos in the international GS3, but I have both devices (GS3 running stock 4.1) and the difference is VERY noticeable. Compared to the N4 I see loads of frame drops on the GS3 and opening apps is slower. The screen space issue can easily be solved with root access (if you're allowed to talk about sorting out TouchWiz with a custom ROM then I think I can talk about sorting out one tiny issue with root ) and aside from that the N4's software is near perfect. TouchWiz has a few mediocre and gimmicky but ultimately useless features, but that doesn't make up for how ugly it is everywhere. Combined with the awful oversaturation of Super Amoled TouchWiz is indescribably ugly when compared to AOSP or even Sense. As for your next point, the GS3 has tonnes of ROMs and stuff but the N4 will always be the king in development because it's a nexus.
Sure, the GS3 has an SD slot and better camera but are they really needed? In my personal opinion 16GB is more than enough and I rarely use my camera anyway, so no. You haven't mentioned the cons of the GS3 at all though. It's going to be late with software updates (and even when it gets them it'll have TouchWiz on top), the Amoled display is awfully oversaturated, the design is inferior to the N4 and the plastic feels very cheap.
I actually love the GS3 but I don't think you should give incorrect and biased advice. Both devices have their pros and cons and it's entirely a matter of opinion as to what the OP chooses.
R: [Q] Need Help Galaxy s3 vs Nexus 4
Nigeldg said:
I'm going to have to say that that's a complete load of bull. The Nexus 4 has better performance than the S4 any day and that's a fact. Not only do benchmarks prove that the S4 Pro is far superior to the Exynos in the international GS3, but I have both devices (GS3 running stock 4.1) and the difference is VERY noticeable. Compared to the N4 I see loads of frame drops on the GS3 and opening apps is slower. The screen space issue can easily be solved with root access (if you're allowed to talk about sorting out TouchWiz with a custom ROM then I think I can talk about sorting out one tiny issue with root ) and aside from that the N4's software is near perfect. TouchWiz has a few mediocre and gimmicky but ultimately useless features, but that doesn't make up for how ugly it is everywhere. Combined with the awful oversaturation of Super Amoled TouchWiz is indescribably ugly when compared to AOSP or even Sense. As for your next point, the GS3 has tonnes of ROMs and stuff but the N4 will always be the king in development because it's a nexus.
Sure, the GS3 has an SD slot and better camera but are they really needed? In my personal opinion 16GB is more than enough and I rarely use my camera anyway, so no. You haven't mentioned the cons of the GS3 at all though. It's going to be late with software updates (and even when it gets them it'll have TouchWiz on top), the Amoled display is awfully oversaturated, the design is inferior to the N4 and the plastic feels very cheap.
I actually love the GS3 but I don't think you should give incorrect and biased advice. Both devices have their pros and cons and it's entirely a matter of opinion as to what the OP chooses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That saturation stuff on screens is complete nonsense...many people make video reviews on how the screen looks or if its close enough to the surface and stuff, but once u own the phone u dont notice any of that stupid stuff...
More sd card space IS needed. It is needed to:
Download roms
download movies
Download any big files in general
Keep music
keep pictures
Really i cant believe u manage to survive with 16gigs on nexus...maybe that has something to do with you already owning an s3:beer:
Plus i cant imagine backups and restores through recovery without sdcard...
So you say s3 is slow? Mine isnt, ive configured it very well and it is fast, once you remove some bloatware and autostarting apps, even more so.
Flash a custom rom and your comparisons are soon nulled.
Ok maybe youre right, samsung doesnt make such good roms for theirs cells, but as long as there are custom roms(and there ARE many), the phone will always be updated JUST as the nexus. It doesnt matter if the rom isnt from samsung, people just want the stuff to work, not pretty names: brands are for ios users.
(Plus youre telling me nexus 4 users dont use other custom roms as well?)
The cool features abou touchwiz are the ripple screen, the home screens behaviour, the notification area shortcuts(nexus shortcuts are lousy and not as quickly accessible as s3), theyre missing a quick-memory manager(if i want to quickly manage apps, see my free space left on sdcard or phone, free up ram, all i have to do is keep pressed home button).
About the root fix ure sayin: how are you going to manage without software keys? You can restrict them, but they will still be there, taking up some space of the already small screen(smalle than s3 at least).
If it appears/is faster, its also because of screen size.
And WHO is the screen manufacturing queen company? (I believe u know the answer.., so dont say the screen looks ugly, you might scare some android newbies)
And dont argue about the fact that s3 owners/developers had to copy from nexus to get better roms, i might remind you of an operating system that copied off of apple to achieve better results....
About the plastic case: maybe its plastic becausr it absorbs percussions more easily and it makes the phone lighter?
I dunno if youve ever had a phone break, or an iphone(perfect example), but the best cases arent those made of hard plastic, but the flexible ones. the best cases are made of thick rubber, which is even more flexible and absorbs even more percussions, but rubber cant be used to cover up the battery can it?
Samsungs plastic makes the phone lighter(it hits the floor less hard) and more easily likely to bounce when dropped, thus producing an aelastic impact, so the phones damage is reduced. Here falls the fairy tale about samsungs cheap hardware (which is more tested than many other companies', perhaps the most).
And as far as it goes, it seems you didnt mention any flaws about the n4 either...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 07:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:47 PM ----------
And might i add i've read in the past of many cases of nexus 4 back covers breaking up because of the screen lg/google put there to make it look cooler...but i suspect not many users like to hold up their phones with a broken screen(even if its the back)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
s3 or wait until the s4 comes out
R: [Q] Need Help Galaxy s3 vs Nexus 4
The s4 looks just like the s3 with little stupid features....it's the perfect changce to get the s3, as soon as the s4 comes out the prices will drop.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
killbubble said:
That saturation stuff on screens is complete nonsense...many people make video reviews on how the screen looks or if its close enough to the surface and stuff, but once u own the phone u dont notice any of that stupid stuff...
Oh really? Compare the screens of the GS3 and an LCD display phone, the GS3 is ridiculously oversaturated and unrealistic. Some like that, I don't.
More sd card space IS needed. It is needed to:
Download roms
download movies
Download any big files in general
Keep music
keep pictures
I have a fair amount of music, a movie, two big games (more than 1GB each) as well as a fair number of other games and apps, around half a gig of pics, a CWM backup and a titanium backup on my phone and still have over a gig free.
Really i cant believe u manage to survive with 16gigs on nexus...maybe that has something to do with you already owning an s3:beer:
The S3 is my Dad's, has nothing to do with my Nexus I'd flash it if he'd let me.
Plus i cant imagine backups and restores through recovery without sdcard...
So you say s3 is slow? Mine isnt, ive configured it very well and it is fast, once you remove some bloatware and autostarting apps, even more so.
Flash a custom rom and your comparisons are soon nulled.
Never said it's slow but you said in your original post that it's faster than a N4 and that simply is NOT true in any comparison. The S3 is still fast, I was just pointing out that the N4 is faster
Ok maybe youre right, samsung doesnt make such good roms for theirs cells, but as long as there are custom roms(and there ARE many), the phone will always be updated JUST as the nexus. It doesnt matter if the rom isnt from samsung, people just want the stuff to work, not pretty names: brands are for ios users.
(Plus youre telling me nexus 4 users dont use other custom roms as well?)
That doesn't matter, the fact is that if you don't want to use a custom ROM (which is the majority of users and it's quite possible that the OP doesn't either) then you're stuck with the worst manufacturer skin available.
The cool features abou touchwiz are the ripple screen, the home screens behaviour, the notification area shortcuts(nexus shortcuts are lousy and not as quickly accessible as s3), theyre missing a quick-memory manager(if i want to quickly manage apps, see my free space left on sdcard or phone, free up ram, all i have to do is keep pressed home button).
Ripple screen is a gimmick, don't actually know what you mean about the home screen behaviour, the notification area shortcuts are almost as good on the Nexus (and bear in mind they don't take up space for your notifications like the GS3's ones do) and the N4 has a memory manager without having to long press anything.
About the root fix ure sayin: how are you going to manage without software keys? You can restrict them, but they will still be there, taking up some space of the already small screen(smalle than s3 at least).
No, no they won't. You get rid of them completely and use PIE controls or LMT Launcher controls (which are essentially the same thing). Also, the screen sizes are practically the same (4.7 vs 4.8 inches)
If it appears/is faster, its also because of screen size.
Dafuq? That makes no sense whatsoever.
And WHO is the screen manufacturing queen company? (I believe u know the answer.., so dont say the screen looks ugly, you might scare some android newbies)
But the screen DOES look ugly. That's my point. Not only that, but the resolution and pixel densities are lower on the SGS3 and the fact that it uses a PenTile subpixel arrangement makes pixels visible in a few rare cases.
And dont argue about the fact that s3 owners/developers had to copy from nexus to get better roms, i might remind you of an operating system that copied off of apple to achieve better results....
Never said anything about that, Android is open and free for devs to use.
About the plastic case: maybe its plastic becausr it absorbs percussions more easily and it makes the phone lighter?
They're almost the same weight, but yes plastic is more durable. I personally take care of my phones very well (my HD2 saw two years of use with no scratches or dents) with a pouch case. I can use the phone as it was meant to be used (no ugly cases and screen protectors) but have it safe in my pocket.
I dunno if youve ever had a phone break, or an iphone(perfect example), but the best cases arent those made of hard plastic, but the flexible ones. the best cases are made of thick rubber, which is even more flexible and absorbs even more percussions, but rubber cant be used to cover up the battery can it?
Samsungs plastic makes the phone lighter(it hits the floor less hard) and more easily likely to bounce when dropped, thus producing an aelastic impact, so the phones damage is reduced. Here falls the fairy tale about samsungs cheap hardware (which is more tested than many other companies', perhaps the most).
None of this changes the fact that the phone feels very cheap in the hand when compared to the N4, iPhone 5 and other flagships.
And as far as it goes, it seems you didnt mention any flaws about the n4 either...
I acknowledged the potential lack of storage for some people and the fact that there's no removable battery. The camera is also sub-par.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
And might i add i've read in the past of many cases of nexus 4 back covers breaking up because of the screen lg/google put there to make it look cooler...but i suspect not many users like to hold up their phones with a broken screen(even if its the back)
If you mean people have had the glass on the back shattering then of course they have if they drop it.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't be bothered to individually quote each bit so I answered your points in red
R: [Q] Need Help Galaxy s3 vs Nexus 4
Im using xda app, using red ti quote would have me writing down htmls every 5 secs, plus i cant quote the already quoted, so ive numbered the answers:
Too long....
1)the screen looks just fine, lock away your s4 for a week and use the s3, after the week has passed you will notice you dont notice anything wrong about the screen anymore, screen color comparisons are nonsense, becuase you wont notice the difference unless u own another phone(like u). If you thinks its oversaturated, theres an option in stock rom to change 4 colors, 4 options actually...
2)wow i cant believe you actually have a gig left...
I own one nandroid backup(dont need more)
2 movies(watched and deleted the others)
Something like 40 youtube videos
1.4gigs offline wiki
6.8 gig of music
662mb of images and camera vidS
112mb of random download stuff ive never had the time to delete
1.9gigs of stuff i got ready to flash in case i need it(roms or gapps and stuff)
+other coding stuff random junk
Ive got 11.6gig free on sdcard, and since on my internal storage i only keep apps, ive got 4gigs free.
Dont think u gonna watch many more movies with 1gig
3)i think s3 i believe to be faster, but i cant be sure cause ive never owned both cells.
4)guess people looking for help on xda know the goodies can be found in custom roms, so no real obstacle here. stock rom is a problem for people that barely know what a smartphone is and dont tweak/use it that much. In that case, s3 will still be just fine, its fast even without tweaking if its not loaded...
5)ripple effect is cool and with added ink mod effect it just rocks. Guess its gimmocks to you cause you DONT HAVE it
Nexus notification area is light years from samsung's, i would find it difficult to use it, it takes even longer than ios' sbsettings tweak.
By homescreen effects i mean the way the pages look, theyre cool.
About memory manager...i dont know what n4 has got, do you mean automatic memory management? I was instead speaking of quick access to features like free space left of uninstall apps or cleanup ram..
6)(apart from the fact that 0.1inch is not small deal for a smartphone) i dunno how comfortable it would be to handle the smartphone eith gestures...just like ubuntu mobile or blackberry...i think it kinda sucks and takes longer than pressing a button.
Have YOU removed touch buttons from your phone?
7)about when i wrote that if screen is smaller phone will work faster....obviously i meant just that. If gpu needs to elaborate less pixels, the reactions will be faster, its one of the reasons why apple's weak A-chips make their phone look fast...they dont the screen is just REALLY small...
8)wha...the....is pentile subpixel arrangement nonsense?????
I use my ohone everyday, i can tell "legible" from not legible. And s3's screen is VERY sharp.....
Enough with these 'small-detail' comparisons (just like in youtube videos), no one can say the s3 screen looks so bad it is noticeable when using it. It looks almost just like n4, the fact it is SLIGHTLY more hd just means....nothing really! I can not notice any zigzag lines if i bring the screen close up to my face, so theres no point in speaking of screen sharpness. Ive already watched hd 720p and full hd videos on this phone, i dont recall not enjoying it because of low pixel visibility or whatever. Plus with the new full hd smartphones, talk about screen sharpness is becoming stupid, because the human eye is not even capable anymore of detecting single pixels at such high ppis.
9)i can use my phone without any cases or screen protectors as well. Matter of fact i dont use any screen protectors and some weeks i dont wear a cover at all, the only reason i DO usually wear a cover is becuase i remember the times when i had an ipod and everyone's was always breaking, but mine never broke because of its great rubber cover...therecore i feel like the cover would save my screen if i were ever to make it fall down the stairs, pkus s3 har great aerodynamics.
And the phone DOES NOT feel cheap AT ALL! it feels extremely light and made of long lasting material, even though the plastic makes it look otherwise...
10)now you completely acnowledge some s4 defects, good to know.
11)ive dropped my s3 a couple of times, bounced like it was going to shatter into pieces but ended up lying on the floor as if it were sunbathing, not one scratch.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Before this gets out of hand............OP it is your money. Go to the Dev threads and check them out yourself. Specs are readily available for both. Which is best for you is only something that you can decide.
Thread Closed
^I thought this thread was going to be locked? Anyway this is the last OT post from me, as Woody said the choice of phone is entirely down to opinion and nobody can really decide for you (OP). @killbubble, you can PM me if you really want to discuss further after this.
1. I noticed it as soon as I picked up the GS3, not once I compared it to another phone. With TouchWiz's colour scheme (bright green and orange everywhere) it's very noticeable and quite ugly.
2. Well, I do. Different people have different usages for their phones, that's just the way it is. Some need the storage, others are perfectly content with even the 8GB N4.
3. Read my earlier post. Not only do benchmarks prove that the N4 has a superior chipset, but my usage also tells me this.
4. The people who don't use custom ROMs = 95% of consumers if not more. Since the OP had to ask this question, the likelihood is that he falls into this category.
5. The ripple effect is a matter of opinion completely. I can honestly say that even if I had it I'd turn it off because it's useless and I think that it's gimmicky. I have no issues whatsoever with the notification shade, a two fingered swipe down or a swipe from the area with all of the icons (battery, WiFi etc.) brings up quick settings, a normal swipe brings up the notifications. Samsung have done NOTHING special here, they've just changed the design. As for the homescreens, they look exactly the same as the homescreens on any other Android device; if anything worse as the app drawer icon is off-center. If I hit multitasking on my phone I get all of my recent apps and the ability to either kill all of them or swipe an individual app off. There's also an option to show the free/used RAM if I want to, but I don't have that on since I don't see any need for it.
6. If you don't know how it would be then you can't comment on it. Some people can use the PIE controls very well and just as quickly if not more quickly than normal controls. It's definitely faster than having to use a physical home button (once you get used to it that is). It's not natural to have a completely touch-based OS then have a physical home button, it just doesn't feel right. I personally don't use PIE, I just have my softkeys set to 70% of the normal size which is right for me.
7. You're talking about screen RESOLUTION, which is higher on the N4 than the S3. Your argument is completely invalid. Also, a bunch of off-screen benchmarks can quite easily prove that the N4 has a more powerful GPU. When you say that Apple's chips are weak, do you even know what you're talking about? The A6 in the iPhone 5 is a brilliant chip and the A6X in the iPad 4th gen was easily the best until recently.
8. Hey, you said that the GS3's screen is superior, I'm just pointing out that that's not true.
9. The phone DOES feel cheap, which is why every single tech reviewer has mentioned it time and time again. I never said it isn't durable (my Dad has managed to drop his down the stairs twice somehow with not a single dent) but it's not as nice to use as other phones.
10/11. Nothing to say here.
R: [Q] Need Help Galaxy s3 vs Nexus 4
Im not gonna reply, even though i've got some...
I appreciate all answers, but it really is down to op, the debate i opened up was just to try and help establish some valid differences between the devices and deal breakers - to make a choice the ot needs to get this information all sorted out...
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coolkakucool said:
I m planning to buy galaxy s3 i 9305 or i9300 or nexus 4 but i am really confused.please help me. i have heard that almost everyone that owns a nexus has a yellow tint or yellow patch problems.are there any who got rid of it and moreover nexus has a battery life disaster and supports otg only with power.on the other hand s3 has less configuration,less custom roms and mods but is better with battery and screen issues.
Now the price is almost same for both the devices.
keeping the current issues and solutions in mind,please reply as i have to purchase one soon.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S3 for sure! Nexus 4 has more raw power, but no added features. ..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Crazy Tapatalk fail.
Thread Closed (again)
Related
Before I begin please let me say that his is not meant in an way to bash HTC, the Rezound, nor this community in any way. This is simply a review, if you will, comparing the two. I loved the Rezound so I wanted to give my $.02
Let's start with the physical appearance. (I'll including screen review with hardware) There are two things that are quite obvious: The GSIII is, of course, a larger screen at 4.8" with the Rez at a 4.3". The S3 seems to have a smaller bezel in comparison which is certainly made possible due to one thing I've always wanted to have: No Verizon branding on the front. The Galaxy S III simply has "SAMSUNG" resting below the main ear piece and between the LED and the sensors/camera. While the HTC Rezound has four red soft keys at the bottom, the GSIII as an oval home button and that is all you see. When the phone is on, you are greeted with a menu key on the left and back on the right, both giving a soft white glow. I've sat there for about twenty minutes trying to see any kind of outline for the keys and found none. I have to tip my hat to Samsung for making them "discrete."
The Rezound has the power button on the right corner of the top of the phone, making it very easily accessible with it's 4.3" display. The GSIII has the power button on the right side of the phone closer to the top, making it easy to hold your phone and keep your thumb either on or around the button. (The home key is a hard key, not soft, so it can be used to turn your screen on.) The volume rocker is a single piece that can be easily pushed in either direction. While the rocker on the Rezound seemed a bit low profile, the GSIII's sticks out nicely and doesn't give me an trouble.
The back of the GSIII is made of polycarbonate, giving it a nice "firm" feeling instead of the traditional cheap plastic feel. Since you hold the phone more towards the bottom, Samsung has put the speaker next to the camera, whereas the Rezound had it at the bottom. This was never a problem for me with the Rezound due to how I held it, but I no some people aren't a fan, saying it's placement was awkward. I will say that it provides a lot of noise that's clear and doesn't sound too distorted, as opposed to the Rezound where I felt like it was somewhat muted and crackly. The Rez sports a dual-LED flash while the GSIII has a single. Now, while it seems that the flash on the GSIII is brighter, I've noticed a big issue: It sits kind of "low." Because of that, when I have my flash turned on I have light spilling out at the top through the gap between the battery door and the phone. While this isn't bothersome since you can't see it from the front of the phone, it is annoying because it doesn't flow with the polished design that Samsung tried to give.
Now, hardware!
The Galaxy S III has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU that clocks in at 1.4GHz, while the Rezound uses a Snapdragon S3 clocked in at 1.5GHz. For those that aren't too familiar with CPUs: Even though the Rez is clocked in a .1 higher, the S4 is newer and has the upper hand. The GSIII has 2GB of RAM (while the international version just has 1GB but a quad-core over dual) and the Rezound has 1GB. I've come to quickly realize it's because of how much memory Touchwiz uses. At the moment of me typing this, I have every app closed on my GSIII (minus the launcher) and I have 803MB of my RAM used. That being said, I never run into an issue of almost running out of RAM (I'll get into management later when I review software.)
Both phones use 8MP camera on the rear capable of recording in HD. However, as known, a higher MP count does not automatically mean a better camera. No matter what ROM I use, I seem to have issues getting my GSIII to focus from time to time. Even when I can get it to focus, it just seems that the Rezound takes a slightly better picture. I would post comparison shots but I no longer have my Rezound.
Now, for the screens. The Rez uses a 720p SuperLCD IPS display and packs a whopping 342DPI, making it one of the best displays out. The GSIII uses an HD Super AMOLED with a 720p resolution. While it has a smaller DPI count (320) it provides very crisp (but not as sharp compared to the Rez) images with "true" colors. I did a side-by-side comparison of a few images at full brightness and the GSIII was superior. Now, as I said though, it isn't as "crisp" as the rezound. However, unless you have the phone an inch from your eyes, you can't really tell.
On a side note, I would like to point out that the radio isn't as bad as everyone was saying it is. I've honestly noticed no difference in signal strength from my Rezound to my GSIII.
EDIT: Forgot to talk about battery life. The Rezound has a 1,620mAh battery while the GSIII has a whopping 2,100mAh. The difference is understandable given the screen size. However, I've noticed that with LTE on, screen at max brightness, and all of the motion controls and "Smart" actions, I'll get around 12 hours with a screen on of about 3 1/2 hours and be at about 25-30%. And AOSP battery life just isn't fair lol.
Software! When it boils down to it, we mainly care about our user experience and how quickly we can get things done. Since the GSIII is using newer hardware, I'll just point out features (With Sense 4, to make it fair.)
Sense 4 out of the box is customizable compared to other OEM skins. Being able to swap skins on the fly is very handy. The only issue I ever had was not being able to swap individual components (Navbars, clocks, lock rings, etc.) but still loved the fact that I could. My biggest pet peeve with Sense 4 relates to animations and the fact that they only really happen when you're using Rosie. If you use Rosie and open Messages, you get something along the lines of a flying out animation. A simple animation that's nice, but I don't know why HTC restricted it to Rosie. Stock TouchWiz implements the AOSP ICS animations that are very fluid, giving the UI a nice snappy-feel while keeping it smooth. When it comes to sharing in Sense 4, you have a lot of standard options. An example being Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Email, Picasa...but I always hated that it missed a simple one system-wide: Texting. I wasn't a fan of how it was selective about what you could share via text (such as facebook photos and photos from different websites) so I have to give this one to TouchWiz seeing as it gives you every option you can think of at all times.
While Sense 4 does provide a nice user experience with the apps included and how you can stream (just as on previous iterations), Samsung upped the ante for all other OEMs with a flood of amazing user-friendly features (possibly in response to Apple saying "You don't innovate.") Your GSIII is sitting in another room and you get a text? As soon as you come back and pick up your phone, it will vibrate to let you know you have a notification then flash a blue LED to let you know it's a text. Get a text that says "Call me?" you just swing your phone up to your ear and the phone will automatically call that person (can also be done while just viewing the contact.) You have the ability to be playing a video on your phone and just have it "popped up" in the corner of your screen so you can watch it while, say, typing an e-mail. The limitation I've noticed is it has to be a video saved on your phone. Another interesting thing I've found is being able to set the vibration pattern for a single contact or groups. You have a few stock patterns but have the option to make your own very easily. The way the S3's task manager handles things seems to be a bit more solid than others. I never notice an choking of my system. Doesn't matter much, seeing as a fresh application still loads like it had been quietly running the entire time.
In short, Sense 4 is a great UI experience compared to earlier versions of Blur, Touchwiz, and Sense itself. But Samsung really went the extra step with "Nature UX" to blow the competition out of the water. While I do understand that many don't like the color scheme of Touchwiz/Nature UX (whatever you want to call it.) but it is by far the best UI I've ever dealt with. It's smooth, VERY smooth and provides features that simply make you and your phone feel more connected.
This all being said and done, I love this phone. How it feels in my hand, the styling of it, the hardware. I haven't had a Samsung since the first Omnia running WM 6.1 and I have to say I'm more than impressed and very happy.
Thank you for this, make me more jelly lmao
Sent from my aokp_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2
Funny thing is i went to nexus after having the rezound. Nexus was great but random service drops got me sooo annoyed. So i bought a gs3 yesterday. Little do you know a jb leak with radios comes out and i havent dropped service yet. Now my nexus is a great phone. But i might return my gs3 maybe not i like newer toys. But great review. The rez screen beats both imo tho
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Thadrow said:
Funny thing is i went to nexus after having the rezound. Nexus was great but random service drops got me sooo annoyed. So i bought a gs3 yesterday. Little do you know a jb leak with radios comes out and i havent dropped service yet. Now my nexus is a great phone. But i might return my gs3 maybe not i like newer toys. But great review. The rez screen beats both imo tho
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's one of the reasons why I turned down the Nexus and went for a GSIII. That and I heard the III had better battery life so I figured "why not?" I don't think a leak has come out for the GS3 for Jellybean. Well, one has for the T-Mobile version but not Verizon's. Glad to hear it helped you out, though. And thanks! Yeah. The viewing angle and sharpness are better, but I love color depth, so I'm sold. First time I pulled up Power Amp on my GSIII my eyes were in love haha. The main theme is black with blue trim so it looks stunning.
I think this would be more appropriate in the SIII forum possibly, if people wanted to find out more about the SIII i don't think they would go here.
edit: well at least now i know what to tell people when they ask me what's a new good phone.
RoryHe said:
I think this would be more appropriate in the SIII forum possibly, if people wanted to find out more about the SIII i don't think they would go here.
edit: well at least know i know what to tell people when asking me for what new phone's are good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, but I think it goes here too. Many people are talking about the GS3, so it is good to hear what a Rezound owner thinks.
RoryHe said:
I think this would be more appropriate in the SIII forum possibly, if people wanted to find out more about the SIII i don't think they would go here.
edit: well at least know i know what to tell people when asking me for what new phone's are good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you see the are you switching to the gs3 thread? This could of went there but pointing out that it's relevant.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
blestsol said:
Did you see the are you switching to the gs3 thread? This could of went there but pointing out that it's relevant.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be me but I don't understand what you just said.
When I get mine ill post a review in here.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
RoryHe said:
It might be me but I don't understand what you just said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a popular thread talking about moving to the gs3. This thread could of just been added in that thread. I'm pointing this out to show you that the thread is relevant and people do care, even though it's the rezound forum.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
blestsol said:
There's a popular thread talking about moving to the gs3. This thread could of just been added in that thread. I'm pointing this out to show you that the thread is relevant and people do care, even though it's the rezound forum.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people just automatically think that because a thread is about a different phone that it's the worst thing in the world, even if it is to inform people. You're probably right, though. Can a mod just move the OP into that thread or should I just flag this one to be deleted and post the review in that thread?
Love the hardware... hate the software... miss my sense 4 roms.... but one glaring issue that has me contemplating selling and going bk to using my rezound as my dd is the radios are horrid.... constant data drops and slow speeds are killer on this phone... and yespecially I've tested in about 4 huge markets across t he us.... so def miss my rezound in certain aspects
Sent from my unlocked VZW Galaxy SIII
vdChild said:
Love the hardware... hate the software... miss my sense 4 roms.... but one glaring issue that has me contemplating selling and going bk to using my rezound as my dd is the radios are horrid.... constant data drops and slow speeds are killer on this phone... and yespecially I've tested in about 4 huge markets across t he us.... so def miss my rezound in certain aspects
Sent from my unlocked VZW Galaxy SIII
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just love the simplicity of TouchWiz, really lol. I can understand different tastes. Just send your S3 in to Samsung (if you have warranty.) I have great service with mine. I found out I'm pulling faster speeds, actually. I managed to hit 39.6/14.1
Glad the OP likes his new phone but I always get the feeling when I read things like this whether the person is trying to convince him or herself rather than us that they made a good purchase. Don't get me wrong, I think we all have that need especially when it comes to electronics. It's funny to see how the GNote2 blows the GS3 out of the water already so shortly after the latter's release and if the rumors are true about LG's next superphone it seems like we will only have to wait a short while before the latest Galaxies are a distant memory again. If only I was a celebrity..I'd show my face on each and every one of these new device announcements just to get the freebies.
@ all: I would just remind you a couple of things:
1st Do not try to make Mod job, if you don't like a thread just refrain yourself to post no sense words.
2nd Moderate your language, words like dbag or fag are not tollerated against another user.
Thank you.
I see ive been moderated.......oops!
Anyway, thanks for posting the review. Ive been looking at the gs3 too.
I think we all knew how this story, ahem review was going to turn out. I doubt a flagship device such as the SG3 was going to lose out in this comparison. Just the fact that its a shiny new toy wins it a few brownie points. That being said I think the rezound still holds up well after almost a year since release, and now that we have kernel source and fully functional AOSP on the near horizon our little device has never looked better
You're in denial. Switched myself and 100x faster, cool as all get out and oh the screen.: ) and stable cm 10. The rezzy was great but I must say you can't say the s3 isn't baller
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The galaxy nexus is also a good option to switch to. The new jellybean radios are nothing short of a miracle. No data drops, crazy speeds, and great reception now. Its smoother than touchwiz especially on jellybean. New radios also improved battery a ton. They are also much more likely to exchange a defective rezound for the nexus as well.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
blackhand1001 said:
The galaxy nexus is also a good option to switch to. The new jellybean radios are nothing short of a miracle. No data drops, crazy speeds, and great reception now. Its smoother than touchwiz especially on jellybean. New radios also improved battery a ton.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gotta agree here. With the radio kinks worked out, I'm tempted to find the nearest nexus on craigslist. No way am I paying retail price.
I know there are probably a lot of these threads all ready l, but this is this is a tough decision for me. I've had a hard time finding a comparison of the two devices that goes beyond the gimmicky Samsung features and the screen. My decision really has come down to a few things.
1) Development. Reading around here it seems cyanogen himself has bought this phone and will be working on it. I have a history of Samsung phones and development has always been very active on them. It's too early for me to guess which will have more ROM availability and system stability . which brings me to the next point.
2) The battery. I always am running some flavor of AOSP and love AOKP, but in all my phones I have had system freezes that require me to pull the battery to get out of it. Not to mention misclicks into download mode which required a battery pull to get out of it. Does the One have a way to force the phone to shut off in the event of a total freeze?
3) The screen. Everyone seems to be raving over the super amoled vs superlcd. The annoying terms don't tell me anything and never have I complained about the color detail of the screen. What I care about is if the screen can get dark enough so I can use it in a dark room without blinding myself and in sunlight and see the screen.
4) the SD card I will adjust to. Its 32 GB and I've never needed more than that anyway. I'd complain about this if it were only 16GB.
Besides that I've read enough to know both are awesome phones but its a tough decision.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I faced this decision today at Costco. Wait for the 4 or get the one. Low and behold I walked out of Costco with the one in hand for 185 on a upgrade. I've had every Samsung s1 s2 skyro s3 even had the infuse. Time for a change I think. So far so good
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
hampsterblade said:
I know there are probably a lot of these threads all ready l, but this is this is a tough decision for me. I've had a hard time finding a comparison of the two devices that goes beyond the gimmicky Samsung features and the screen. My decision really has come down to a few things.
1) Development. Reading around here it seems cyanogen himself has bought this phone and will be working on it. I have a history of Samsung phones and development has always been very active on them. It's too early for me to guess which will have more ROM availability and system stability . which brings me to the next point.
2) The battery. I always am running some flavor of AOSP and love AOKP, but in all my phones I have had system freezes that require me to pull the battery to get out of it. Not to mention misclicks into download mode which required a battery pull to get out of it. Does the One have a way to force the phone to shut off in the event of a total freeze?
3) The screen. Everyone seems to be raving over the super amoled vs superlcd. The annoying terms don't tell me anything and never have I complained about the color detail of the screen. What I care about is if the screen can get dark enough so I can use it in a dark room without blinding myself and in sunlight and see the screen.
4) the SD card I will adjust to. Its 32 GB and I've never needed more than that anyway. I'd complain about this if it were only 16GB.
Besides that I've read enough to know both are awesome phones but its a tough decision.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I'd say development is fair game for both phones. The One looks like it's going to receive quite a bit of support, while the S4 looks like it's going to sell well no matter what due to Samsung's marketing. I'd say that both phones are going to receive quite a bit of development. I'd say it's only a matter of whether you prefer Sense or TouchWiz, in case you need the option of using a stock-based rom every now and then.
2. The battery in the S4 is supposedly just slightly better, according to some reviews I've read. The One battery is not removable, but you can force a "battery pull"-like action with the phone by holding down volume up, volume down, and power at the same time for several seconds. It worked for me when I tried to use Aroma installer and it froze.
3. I'm not really sure what to tell you on this. I'd say it's a matter of preference. On one hand, the One's screen does look better, but on the other hand, it's definitely a bright screen. Not to mention if you wanted to use a smart cover-like accessory, only the S4 would work with that given the super amoled technology.
4. If you're a real junkie, the S4 probably has you covered with expandable storage. But if 32 is really enough, you can go for either phone, really. AT&T also offers the 64GB flavor in case you want to never worry about your storage.
Hope this helped.
I would take the HTC One over the S4 just cuz the premium design seems more durable and nicer looking. Plus most of the S4 apps seem a bit gimmicky to me while the HTC One seems to have less of that, though the new Sense system is still bloatware.I would root the device and go AOSP anyways.
What did it for me was the screen. The HTC One's screen out shines the S4 all the way. But every user is different you might prefer a removable battery. The simple fact that the HTC One from AT&T is the same as the international opens a wide source of ROMs and will attract more developers. Also the fact that it would appear they are not locking the bootloader. As of now they just confirmed that the S4 is locked and it took them over a month to unlock the bootloader on the S3.
I think from a development stand point the HTC One is a great addition. Something to keep in mind, you said you like the pure android feel (AOKP, AOSP, CM10.1). In the past those roms could not use the image chip in the HTC One X, there may be a chance if you get this phone and run it on AOKP you will only have a 4 MP shooter, which may be a deal breaker for you. Or they may unlock the full power of that camera and it be even better.
Both are great phones and will make you happy
htc One is Great SuperPhone
htc One is My Next Phone 100%
Thank you for all your answers. Definitely reinforces that both phones are great. I think I'll give it a few weeks so I can see how far development has come along then.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
hampsterblade said:
Thank you for all your answers. Definitely reinforces that both phones are great. I think I'll give it a few weeks so I can see how far development has come along then.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind, not only does Cyanogen himself have an HTC One, but so do a couple of other major CM devs from other phones - h8rift from the One XL (who did amazing things), and sk8erwitskil from the LG Optimus G.
Hell, there's already an early alpha for CM10.1:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2248116
Development is going to be awesome for the One. I'm sure it'll be great for the S4 too, of course, but I wouldn't worry about the One.
My view of the phones is basiclly the phone is just a shell, we decide what roms to put on it. 2gb of rams on both same with a quad core processor. Those where the driving forces behind me choosing, I wanted a solid build quality that wasn't plastic. CM10.1 is coming to both
Silellak said:
Keep in mind, not only does Cyanogen himself have an HTC One, but so do a couple of other major CM devs from other phones - h8rift from the One XL (who did amazing things), and sk8erwitskil from the LG Optimus G.
Hell, there's already an early alpha for CM10.1:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2248116
Development is going to be awesome for the One. I'm sure it'll be great for the S4 too, of course, but I wouldn't worry about the One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also designgears and graffixnyc have the One. Maybe not CM devs, but great devs. Sk8erwitskil did great things with the recovery for the sgs2 skyrocket.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
I'm so torn. The screen for the S4 looks so much bigger and nicer but the locked bootloader and bloat on it sucks.
hampsterblade said:
I know there are probably a lot of these threads all ready l, but this is this is a tough decision for me. I've had a hard time finding a comparison of the two devices that goes beyond the gimmicky Samsung features and the screen. My decision really has come down to a few things.
1) Development. Reading around here it seems cyanogen himself has bought this phone and will be working on it. I have a history of Samsung phones and development has always been very active on them. It's too early for me to guess which will have more ROM availability and system stability . which brings me to the next point.
2) The battery. I always am running some flavor of AOSP and love AOKP, but in all my phones I have had system freezes that require me to pull the battery to get out of it. Not to mention misclicks into download mode which required a battery pull to get out of it. Does the One have a way to force the phone to shut off in the event of a total freeze?
3) The screen. Everyone seems to be raving over the super amoled vs superlcd. The annoying terms don't tell me anything and never have I complained about the color detail of the screen. What I care about is if the screen can get dark enough so I can use it in a dark room without blinding myself and in sunlight and see the screen.
4) the SD card I will adjust to. Its 32 GB and I've never needed more than that anyway. I'd complain about this if it were only 16GB.
Besides that I've read enough to know both are awesome phones but its a tough decision.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Decision ain't tough simply because you can't go wrong picking either of them
I currently have the One but it will be going back on Saturday to be exchanged for the S4. Although I like the aluminum feel and overall design of the phone some minor issues are making me jump ship... The phone gets somewhat hot after playing games like Nova 3 and modern combat 4 for a few minutes, battery life is just so so, and my phone has a small gap on the top between corner and power button (nothing huge but enough to bother me).
I like the microSD card slot (I have a new SD card it will be a waste not to use it) and on the s4 and although it's make of plastic and not aluminum like the One once they both are in a case I will forget about that issue.
It's definitely a tough decision and I hope I don't regret it later, but I also know that if I don't trade this phone in within the first 14 days I will always wondered if i missed out by not going for the s4. Anyways my thoughts
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
soritong said:
I'm so torn. The screen for the S4 looks so much bigger and nicer but the locked bootloader and bloat on it sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, the screen is only a part of the equation, the one is a much better looking device with superior build quality. My wife has a g3, and honestly the build quality isn't comparable.Both will be in the same ballpark performance wise, and the s4 has removable battery and as card support,I have the 64gb version, I'm not worried about storage, I do have doubts about plastic phones, and the appearance of the galaxy series of phones don't appeal to me
I love htc's build and its speakers, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. i am returning my htc one for s4, because my phone heats up a lot and my it doesn't connect to my car via usb or the aux cable(nexus 4, iphone and xperia z work fine with it).
The three dot menu is driving me madddddddddd
eav1026 said:
I currently have the One but it will be going back on Saturday to be exchanged for the S4. Although I like the aluminum feel and overall design of the phone some minor issues are making me jump ship... The phone gets somewhat hot after playing games like Nova 3 and modern combat 4 for a few minutes, battery life is just so so, and my phone has a small gap on the top between corner and power button (nothing huge but enough to bother me).
I like the microSD card slot (I have a new SD card it will be a waste not to use it) and on the s4 and although it's make of plastic and not aluminum like the One once they both are in a case I will forget about that issue.
It's definitely a tough decision and I hope I don't regret it later, but I also know that if I don't trade this phone in within the first 14 days I will always wondered if i missed out by not going for the s4. Anyways my thoughts
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, you're going to regret it and will most likely be back before you know it.
Bigjim1488 said:
The three dot menu is driving me madddddddddd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Horrible solution to w problem of htcs creation.
No one mentions the vibration on phones. Htc uses a pretty nasty vibrator motor
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
To all who are complaining about heat..
You do realize the heat is generated mainly from the processor and that the S4 has the exact same one right?
The S4 will have the same amount of heat..
soritong said:
I'm so torn. The screen for the S4 looks so much bigger and nicer but the locked bootloader and bloat on it sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen does not look bigger to me and in reality it's only .3" bigger.. It don't think the S4 screen looks nicer. It's cartoon'ish and standard Samsung over saturation..
For those of you who are thinking about going S4... check out this thread and remember, locked bootloader!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2249581
Hi Guys,
After owning several iPhones back in the day (up to the 3GS) and then Nexus One, Nexus S and Nexus 4 (skipped the Galaxy Nexus) and a Nexus 7 tablet, always on (unrooted) stock Android, I couldn't resist the temptation and got myself a 32GB LG G2 (European version).
Why not wait a few weeks for the Nexus 5 ?
The main reason is that the LG G2 has just the perfect hardware specs for me, there is nothing I would realistically want more. The Nexus 5 will have smaller screen and smaller battery. Also, the last 3 versions of Android did not bring any significant useable stuff to the table in order to make me really want to update, so the newest Android update is not so important to have.
The other reason is that I am really bored of stock Android. There are some things that Google will stubbornly never add or change, and I'm not one to install custom ROMs all day. For example, I can't set different sound volumes for the call ringtones and notification ringtones. And the notification LED is so neglected by the stock Android (on phones that have it). I gave my "old" Nexus 4 to my girlfriend, and although she loves to speed over her old Galaxy S Advance, she immediately begun asking where are the "gimmicks" that Samsung included into its software and that she used all the time. This is saying something.
One minor reason is that I have had hardware problems ALL of my Nexus devices, despite the fact that I take great care of them: the Nexus One's power button became loose and broke over time (HTC support really sucks !), the Nexus S capacitive sensor burned in a corner (display assembly replacement), the Nexus 7 speakers broke and now sound is very distorted. The Nexus 4 screen was a bit yellowish when I received it, I read that it's from the glue bonding the glass layers, it improved over time but never had the correct colors, it always had a subtle yellow tint to it.
Why LG G2 ?
Just a quick glance at the competition and my previous experience with various brands made me choose the G2. The iPhone is really out of question due to the microscopic screen and lack of notification LED (it's incredible how a business user can live without a notification LED), the Galaxy S4 and HTC One have outdated hardware (I mean, if I pay the same price, why not get the latest hardware), the HTC One has a microscopic, unusable notification LED (and I don't wish you to need something from the HTC technical support !), the Galaxy Note 3 is really too big. I have never used a spare battery with any of my phones, and never used a microSD card, so these missing features are just not minuses for me. The lack of removable battery (and thus the inclusion of a bigger battery) is in fact a huge plus.
The Motorola MotoX has a very nice notification feature, but it pulsates too slow (indicating battery concerns) and the rest of the hardware is too average and I can't see it as an upgrade over the Nexus 4 (plus it's not available in Europe although I could get it if I really wanted to).
The LG G2 hardware
I will say that the excellent, biggest-in-class display, the impressive battery life and the very small bezels (phone fits in my front jeans pocket !), combined with the killer 'Knock On' feature make this phone an easy choice over any other phone right now, hardware-wise. Not to mention the newest Snapdragon 800 processor. I am even pleased by its camera capability, pictures always look very sharp because of the optical stabilization, although there is too much noise reduction and loss of detail (however resized for web/facebook, pictures look great). The fact that it has an FM radio is a huge plus for me, because I needed a radio to listen to my favorite talk show between the parking lot and my home, and it's proven to do its job great so far
The LG G2 software
Believe me when I say this, the stock Android is extremely boring compared to LGs software. It's so refreshing to see many user-needed features included in their software. I don't care for most of them, but they don't get in the way either. However, some of them are really useful and I never see Google implementing them in their stock Android. For example, I can now set different ringtone volumes for notifications and calls, I can access the phone files from my computer over my home network, I have a very customizable battery saver that kicks in when needed, etc.
There is only one thing that bothers my in LG G2's software: the notification drawer has some items that you can never remove from there, like the screen brightness, ringtone volume and a row with some shortcuts. It's not unbearable, but I prefer that to only be used for notifications. At least they could move their bloatware controls *after* all the notifications instead of before them.
Conclusion
I really like the LG G2. I think it trumps every other phone at this moment, but this is not the important thing. The important thing is that I don't have to charge my phone every day (it sometimes lasts 3+ days !), it has a great screen for web reading and browsing and it's just a well-designed phone.
Good review, vanilla android was a performance necessity when phones weren't power houses. I too enjoy the gadgetry of mfg skins. I still like stock android for my tablet, but for my primary device, I like the bells and whistles.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Thnx for this review. I love my g2 more lol!
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk 2
Well i suppose the camera is better than just for facebook and instagram. Its a 13mp for god's sake!
Fille84 said:
Well i suppose the camera is better than just for facebook and instagram. Its a 13mp for god's sake!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The megapixel count really doesn't matter, if you take a picture with an old 5 Megapixel Canon DSLR you will blow any smartphone out if the water. The pixel size / sensor size and lens quality does matter a lot.
The LG G2 camera is quite surprisingly good for a smartphone camera with a 1/3 inch sensor. The lens seems very good. But the resulting image is heavily post-processed to eliminate noise due to small pixel phtosites. Unfortunately fine detail is gone as well, but this is only visible on full-size images. Basically the camera software is optimized for instant picture sharing with little to no user post-processing, which is a correct thing to do in a smartphone.
I for one would prefer a noisier but more detailed image which I could post-process with a dedicated suite like Adobe's Lightroom. But I guess this is what big cameras are for...
Thanks for this review. I like it
Nexus 5 = Crap
This are the technical characteristics of the upcoming Nexuseless 5, I prefer LG G2 ever.
4.95″ 1080p display
32GB and 16GB internal storage
2GB RAM
MSM8974 aka Snapdragon 800 at 2.3GHz
8MP OIS rear camera
1.3MP front camera
2300mAh battery <<<<<<---- Why are they still using this crap battery!!?????
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity/Ambient Light, Pressure
Slimport compatibility
Micro SIM slot
Notification light
Wireless charging
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth 3.0 was also listed, but this is most likely an error.)
UMTS/GSM/CDMA/LTE compatibility
More details of the Nexuseless 5 here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/173744848/LG-D821
I cant make my mind up about the LG g2 or the nexus 5 the nexus 5 looks nicer but the G2 has better specs.
G2 in my opinion looks so sexy and honestly that's one of the many reasons I bought it. Its different with the home button setup on the back and has the specs to last a long time for me. Also running stock and with 5 hour screen time I'm way over 24 hours of use
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
blair287 said:
I cant make my mind up about the LG g2 or the nexus 5 the nexus 5 looks nicer but the G2 has better specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks is Subjective, IMO Nexus 5 just has two advantages over G2, Price and Timely Updates. That is it.
My views are that personally the phone is just a little to big for me to use comfortably. I would have preferred say 5" screen with the narrow bezzels making the device slightly narrower and easier to hold - but thats just a personal preference. I would have also liked a textued back to the phone (at the moment i am using a skin to give it texture) as this phone is on the maximum edge of what is comfortable to me i dont want to add to the size with a case, i also dont want to lose the look ad feel i have from the device (the 'in the hand feel') you get.
All in all however these were not a deal breaker for me as there was nothing else out for me to consider at the time (like the moto x but not available in uk) so bought the g2 sim free.
After a couple of weeks of use i started to dislike elements of the lg software and its design and just found that adding a launcher just gave me other issues. What is great now is that the dev community is really picking up for this phone and roms are starting to appear so you now have the option to pretty much have whatever you want on your phone. You can go pretty much bare bones android without any of Lg's bloat but you an also add whatever elements of Lgs stuff you like to the vanilla rom so giving you the best of both worlds.
So to sum up.....for me the device has awesome specs, latest processor, excellent camera, amazing battery life, great development options to customize to your personal liking. Only thing for me is the size but maybe thats just because i have short stubby fingers
At the end of the day its all about choices, beauty is that now you have choices so if the hardware tickles your fancy you can customize till your hearts content and end up with your perfect device
hpsauce37 said:
My views are that personally the phone is just a little to big for me to use comfortably. I would have preferred say 5" screen with the narrow bezzels making the device slightly narrower and easier to hold - but thats just a personal preference. I would have also liked a textued back to the phone (at the moment i am using a skin to give it texture) as this phone is on the maximum edge of what is comfortable to me i dont want to add to the size with a case, i also dont want to lose the look ad feel i have from the device (the 'in the hand feel') you get.
All in all however these were not a deal breaker for me as there was nothing else out for me to consider at the time (like the moto x but not available in uk) so bought the g2 sim free.
After a couple of weeks of use i started to dislike elements of the lg software and its design and just found that adding a launcher just gave me other issues. What is great now is that the dev community is really picking up for this phone and roms are starting to appear so you now have the option to pretty much have whatever you want on your phone. You can go pretty much bare bones android without any of Lg's bloat but you an also add whatever elements of Lgs stuff you like to the vanilla rom so giving you the best of both worlds.
So to sum up.....for me the device has awesome specs, latest processor, excellent camera, amazing battery life, great development options to customize to your personal liking. Only thing for me is the size but maybe thats just because i have short stubby fingers
At the end of the day its all about choices, beauty is that now you have choices so if the hardware tickles your fancy you can customize till your hearts content and end up with your perfect device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what kind of issues did you encounter when adding a launcher? and what launcher?
I appreciate everyone's reviews here!
sdsubball23 said:
what kind of issues did you encounter when adding a launcher? and what launcher?
I appreciate everyone's reviews here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You name it i tried it!
Nova, smart launcher, Aviate, Adw.....
To be fair to these launchers though they probably were not really issue's. Just little things that frustrated me about them, could have been the inability to do something or set something up with them, notifications, different custom options etc.
Most people would probably not even have experienced it or have issue with it.
The thing i was leading to really was the fact that now with a good dev community coming on board with this device (been quite overlooked generally in my opinion until now - availabilty in some countries may have been the reason for this though) that there are many choices for people now.
If the hardware of the device fits the bill then you are no longer tied with elements of the stock build you dont like and pretty much change every bit about it one way or another - just means taking that step of rooting and flashing. Dont get me wrong im no developer or expert in this field but as someone who is particularly fussy and difficult to please with phones and software etc (must be my ocd) everyone has options and its really not that difficult once you have done it a few times.
Bottom line is if someone dosent like the stock ui/experience you can change and have whatever you want
I know my comments above may seem obvious to many especially as we are on a developer site however a lot of people come to the site for opinions and information and who may have thought about making changes but never actually taking the final steps. I did and now i have changed the things that frustrated me without the need to just change the device again! Like i said i am major ocd and fussy about phones but it does at least give a little more longevity to the device if these options are here.
Hope this makes sense lol
ps - sorry didnt mean to hijack or step on the thread.
Thanks :good:
hpsauce37 said:
My views are that personally the phone is just a little to big for me to use comfortably. I would have preferred say 5" screen with the narrow bezzels making the device slightly narrower and easier to hold - but thats just a personal preference. I would have also liked a textued back to the phone (at the moment i am using a skin to give it texture) as this phone is on the maximum edge of what is comfortable to me i dont want to add to the size with a case, i also dont want to lose the look ad feel i have from the device (the 'in the hand feel') you get.
All in all however these were not a deal breaker for me as there was nothing else out for me to consider at the time (like the moto x but not available in uk) so bought the g2 sim free.
After a couple of weeks of use i started to dislike elements of the lg software and its design and just found that adding a launcher just gave me other issues. What is great now is that the dev community is really picking up for this phone and roms are starting to appear so you now have the option to pretty much have whatever you want on your phone. You can go pretty much bare bones android without any of Lg's bloat but you an also add whatever elements of Lgs stuff you like to the vanilla rom so giving you the best of both worlds.
So to sum up.....for me the device has awesome specs, latest processor, excellent camera, amazing battery life, great development options to customize to your personal liking. Only thing for me is the size but maybe thats just because i have short stubby fingers
At the end of the day its all about choices, beauty is that now you have choices so if the hardware tickles your fancy you can customize till your hearts content and end up with your perfect device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 5.2" G2 isn't that much bigger then the Galaxy Nexus 4.65". It is thinner but taller/wider by a few millimeters. Not much difference.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
[/COLOR]Awesome to see a "stock android fan" praise LG's UI..Great review from someone who obviously knows what the android experience should be....i have a vid on my channel on how you can keep the notifications down a few lines and stays were you leave it, all as long as you have a few notifications, you never need look at the top part.....some ppl do not realize this : )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaMdxvvZYFE
Ms D.
Cst79 said:
Hi Guys,
Why LG G2 ?
Just a quick glance at the competition and my previous experience with various brands made me choose the G2. The iPhone is really out of question due to the microscopic screen and lack of notification LED (it's incredible how a business user can live without a notification LED), the Galaxy S4 and HTC One have outdated hardware (I mean, if I pay the same price, why not get the latest hardware), the HTC One has a microscopic, unusable notification LED (and I don't wish you to need something from the HTC technical support !), the Galaxy Note 3 is really too big. I have never used a spare battery with any of my phones, and never used a microSD card, so these missing features are just not minuses for me. The lack of removable battery (and thus the inclusion of a bigger battery) is in fact a huge plus.
The Motorola MotoX has a very nice notification feature, but it pulsates too slow (indicating battery concerns) and the rest of the hardware is too average and I can't see it as an upgrade over the Nexus 4 (plus it's not available in Europe although I could get it if I really wanted to).
Conclusion
I really like the LG G2. I think it trumps every other phone at this moment, but this is not the important thing. The important thing is that I don't have to charge my phone every day (it sometimes lasts 3+ days !), it has a great screen for web reading and browsing and it's just a well-designed phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well said...
welcome to the club! (happy owners of G2)
Hi all!
I have a Note 2 with ATT and will be moving to Tmobile soon and have been thinking about the Note 3 even though Samsung let me down with the lame .18" increase in size after the rumors of a 6" screen.
Now, my concerns about the Sony are...non replaceable batteries. I always have like 3 batteries extra for my phones. No real Spen like apps unless you guys have some already that are similar to the Spen stuff.
Also, I assume there is some multi window feature like on the Note, right?
Of course what I like about the Sony is the huge screen. I know is not the same type as the Note but I think it looks great on its own way so no big deal. I used to tame down the colors on my note 2 anyway.
It has 1GB less RAM but from what I have seen, it does not affect it that much in real life.
I would love to have some OCing kernel as I have always been a tweaker but I will check that later.
I saw Amazon selling them for $450 which is cheaper and even a used Note 3.
Anything I should be concerned about?
shaolin95 said:
Hi all!
I have a Note 2 with ATT and will be moving to Tmobile soon and have been thinking about the Note 3 even though Samsung let me down with the lame .18" increase in size after the rumors of a 6" screen.
Now, my concerns about the Sony are...non replaceable batteries. I always have like 3 batteries extra for my phones. No real Spen like apps unless you guys have some already that are similar to the Spen stuff.
Also, I assume there is some multi window feature like on the Note, right?
Of course what I like about the Sony is the huge screen. I know is not the same type as the Note but I think it looks great on its own way so no big deal. I used to tame down the colors on my note 2 anyway.
It has 1GB less RAM but from what I have seen, it does not affect it that much in real life.
I would love to have some OCing kernel as I have always been a tweaker but I will check that later.
I saw Amazon selling them for $450 which is cheaper and even a used Note 3.
Anything I should be concerned about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the Note, and then S4.
When using my note i did use the sPen sometimes. (not very often)
Mostly for accurate points in sketching. But realistically not very often. The pencil feels better and is more accurate. Just make sure you have a screen protector. As it will scratch the glass.... (and stock Sony protector)
I never used additional batteries, so can't comment in that respect.
I find that the Ultra lasts as long as my S4 did. Considering the massive screen that's pretty good.
With 2Gb of RAM i find that great. I'm a heavy multitasker and have never experienced lag or slow down.
There is currently an overclocked kernel for CM. And works great with Carbon ROM. by krabapple.
There will not be as many ROM's for the Ultra than for the Note 3. Thats just due to marketing and sammy sheep.
I've loved my change from Samsung, and unless sammy do something amazing like the Ultra, I can't see me going back.
Well I dont really mind much about having too many Roms, I usually stick to one or two anyway, specially with Note, I dont use anything but sammy ROMS to keep all the featuers intact.
thanks!
hamdogg said:
I came from the Note, and then S4.
I never used additional batteries, so can't comment in that respect.
I find that the Ultra lasts as long as my S4 did. Considering the massive screen that's pretty good.
With 2Gb of RAM i find that great. I'm a heavy multitasker and have never experienced lag or slow down.
There is currently an overclocked kernel for CM. And works great with Carbon ROM. by krabapple.
There will not be as many ROM's for the Ultra than for the Note 3. Thats just due to marketing and sammy sheep.
I've loved my change from Samsung, and unless sammy do something amazing like the Ultra, I can't see me going back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a note 3 for a week, not to long but to me it was enough to sell it.
The screen of the z ultra is eons better, its not pentile (every review said it was a non-issue, but to me it was noticeable), the colors are equaly saturated, but better, specialy whites, in the note 3 they where greenish and depresing. And the size is perfect for gaming, reading and sketching, i cannot put it in any pocket, but the same was true with the note..
The non repleaceable battery its an issue, the first day of use was better in this one, but nothing compares to having a spare battery for long journeys.
Taking notes on the z ultra was better than i expected, its not a replacement for a true wacom pen, but it gets the job done... I recomend papyrus, it has an unlimited canvas and it recognices the finger as a secondary input when using a pen, so you can write with a pen and pan with the finger, pretty usefull.
ZU stock rom doesnt have multiwindows, a shame really, but you can always try omnirom, its not as polished, but i feel like it will be better with time. If you want to let it stock it has the advantage of showing a lot of apps in tablet mode, or semi-tablet mode, the note 3 behaves like the note 2 in that regard.
For now the z ultra feels much snappier, if i where you i will not worry to much about that gigabyte extra,
Maybe my note unit was faulty, but i didn't have any warranty, and i tough it will be better to try the zu before buying another note, and im very happy with my desicion at the moment.
PD: Sorry about my english, if you have any question feel free to ask me, im on vacations
pustulio22 said:
I had a note 3 for a week, not to long but to me it was enough to sell it.
The screen of the z ultra is eons better, its not pentile (every review said it was a non-issue, but to me it was noticeable), the colors are equaly saturated, but better, specialy whites, in the note 3 they where greenish and depresing. And the size is perfect for gaming, reading and sketching, i cannot put it in any pocket, but the same was true with the note..
The non repleaceable battery its an issue, the first day of use was better in this one, but nothing compares to having a spare battery for long journeys.
Taking notes on the z ultra was better than i expected, its not a replacement for a true wacom pen, but it gets the job done... I recomend papyrus, it has an unlimited canvas and it recognices the finger as a secondary input when using a pen, so you can write with a pen and pan with the finger, pretty usefull.
ZU stock rom doesnt have multiwindows, a shame really, but you can always try omnirom, its not as polished, but i feel like it will be better with time. If you want to let it stock it has the advantage of showing a lot of apps in tablet mode, or semi-tablet mode, the note 3 behaves like the note 2 in that regard.
For now the z ultra feels much snappier, if i where you i will not worry to much about that gigabyte extra,
Maybe my note unit was faulty, but i didn't have any warranty, and i tough it will be better to try the zu before buying another note, and im very happy with my desicion at the moment.
PD: Sorry about my english, if you have any question feel free to ask me, im on vacations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about multitasking need, but i'm fine with standard recent apps switcher on Android navbar on XZU. I like mini apps too, but they are not that natural for me so not very often that i have been using it. In Samsung devices a multitasking pane is required since they don't even migrate to On Screen button that Google recommends manufacturer to move into. Not that Samsung can't do recent app switcher (it's just a long click at home) but such delay to switch app will surely hinder people from using it, so that's why multitasking window is a must feature for Samsung devices. So no, i'm fine with how Sony follows Google and done with it.
To OP, yeah there is a Mini Apps to make you able to multitask, but as i said earlier, clicking recent app switcher from navbar is more than fine to compensate for that multitasking. About Battery, well i came from a RAZR Maxx so it's a little downgrade for me but it's not that bad, a full workday can be handled with it. Not having a removable battery is way of the future i think, so i have adapted into it. But because of that we need to learn to prolong battery life (which is good) by not draining it like crazy. It is best to combine it with Sony's powerbank which is a real slim device so i think no hassle to do a routine charging on the go.
pustulio22 said:
PD: Sorry about my english, if you have any question feel free to ask me, im on vacations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You feedback was perfectly clear and detailed. I appreciate your input!
I think for me so far the small screen of Note 3..well, I mean really not even .2" bigger than Note 2 is what matters the most because for all the power the device has, I just feel that the real state is not enough to fully use it.
I held a Galaxy Mega and felt that was a perfect size for me so I am thinking that will translate to the Ultra Z as well. :good:
hansip87 said:
To OP, yeah there is a Mini Apps to make you able to multitask, but as i said earlier, clicking recent app switcher from navbar is more than fine to compensate for that multitasking. About Battery, well i came from a RAZR Maxx so it's a little downgrade for me but it's not that bad, a full workday can be handled with it. Not having a removable battery is way of the future i think, so i have adapted into it. But because of that we need to learn to prolong battery life (which is good) by not draining it like crazy. It is best to combine it with Sony's powerbank which is a real slim device so i think no hassle to do a routine charging on the go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the explanation on the multi apps too. I think for the most part I use multis when watching a video and someone sends a message and I dont want to interrupt the video or when using GPS and want to also play some video to keep my passenger entertained for example.
Which of course that big screen will be even better at.
With my Note 2, I have to push brightness to the max some times when in the car holder. I hope the Ultra is better at that.
The sony powerbank sounds like a good alternative if not as practical but still I feel better knowing I got the spare power if needed. :good:
The screen on the Z Ultra is SO MUCH BETTER.
once you use it and look back to your note device you will not believe the different.
The Note screen looks like the Wii on an HD TV compared to a blueray movie being the Z
I am really wanting to buy it but now I just found out the C6802 I was going to get for $475 is only going to give me 3G.
I dont really care about LTE speeds but not sure what 3G will be like for ATT.
As long as I can do Netflix, youtube without issues waiting to load forever, I dont care about having super LTE speeds since its a bit pointless to me.
I chatted an ATT tech and he "promised" 3G is not super slow that he even watched youtube HD videos with it..I am so close to going for that C6802!
Regarding the screen, I used to have a Note and I liked its screen, but I used my friends S4 yesterday and my eyes started to bleed. Holy Saturation Batman!
I prefer LCDs now. They are much more natural and nice to look at.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
These Sony small apps there aren't that many and its not every app like note 3 I've not found a way to have split screen for video and other apps it's all just like a small stopwatch window small calculator nothing interesting. Tbf if I had the money I would have went for a note 3 as my second phone but then this phone is ALOT more premium then note 3 it does feel great it's just as someone did mention support of rooting roms recovery does seem quite small smaller then what I expected but I don't no if that's the handset or what.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
shaolin95 said:
I am really wanting to buy it but now I just found out the C6802 I was going to get for $475 is only going to give me 3G.
I dont really care about LTE speeds but not sure what 3G will be like for ATT.
As long as I can do Netflix, youtube without issues waiting to load forever, I dont care about having super LTE speeds since its a bit pointless to me.
I chatted an ATT tech and he "promised" 3G is not super slow that he even watched youtube HD videos with it..I am so close to going for that C6802!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm on att in NY and I came from note 2 and i don't miss LTE. so far i like watching netflix on the Ultra better the screen is my bread and butter.
my buddy has the note 3 and i was upset because of the lack of "true" improvements like new look, screen size like the mega.
like someone mentioned a few post back is that the Z isn't as popular compared to samsung with the roms, but i don't miss that.
i do notice some samsung guys are on some serious hate with the Z ultra. with the so called flaws of the ultra which justify the fact that the phone is water proof. i'd say go play with it at a Sony store, you won't be disappointed. i guarantee that if sammy made the ultra they would talk the phone up. sammy=apple in my eyes now
So if I wanted to have GPS and say, youtube playing, there is not really a way to split the view other than the small app or using like that supertube app maybe?
nathlynn22 said:
These Sony small apps there aren't that many and its not every app like note 3 I've not found a way to have split screen for video and other apps it's all just like a small stopwatch window small calculator nothing interesting. Tbf if I had the money I would have went for a note 3 as my second phone but then this phone is ALOT more premium then note 3 it does feel great it's just as someone did mention support of rooting roms recovery does seem quite small smaller then what I expected but I don't no if that's the handset or what.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget that you can make your own small apps by tapping the up arrow and the plus sign (check the attachment for an example)
shaolin95 said:
So if I wanted to have GPS and say, youtube playing, there is not really a way to split the view other than the small app or using like that supertube app maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, not out of the box at least. You'll have to flash Omni ROM if you want it today.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
No biggie flashing roms..I am addicted to that lol
shaolin95 said:
No biggie flashing roms..I am addicted to that lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, problem "solved"
And order placed!
Decided to go with the cheaper C6802 and use 3G...no issue for me since LTE is a waste that just gets me faster to over 5GB anyway
First no Samsung phone since my Captivate.
If Note 3 was 6" it would have been my choice but Samsung let others steal their thunder! Maybe Note 4...or Ultra Z 2 ...we will see when the time comes
Now time to get a case and read a lot for what I will need. It will be here Thursday!
shaolin95 said:
And order placed!
Decided to go with the cheaper C6802 and use 3G...no issue for me since LTE is a waste that just gets me faster to over 5GB anyway
First no Samsung phone since my Captivate.
If Note 3 was 6" it would have been my choice but Samsung let others steal their thunder! Maybe Note 4...or Ultra Z 2 ...we will see when the time comes
Now time to get a case and read a lot for what I will need. It will be here Thursday!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if you get the dock included? If you don't get one; get one. I can count the times i've opened a cover port (USB/SIM etc. port) on one hand, and it's so nice to not have to open one every time i have to charge it. It's also nice to have when i'm in bed and watching stuff on it while it's on my nightstand. Mini TV!
LordManhattan said:
Don't forget that you can make your own small apps by tapping the up arrow and the plus sign (check the attachment for an example)
Nope, not out of the box at least. You'll have to flash Omni ROM if you want it today.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did see that that you can use widgets and get more from play store but when.I tried looking for more on play store found nothing and also can't get like video and navigon up at the same time?
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
nathlynn22 said:
I did see that that you can use widgets and get more from play store but when.I tried looking for more on play store found nothing and also can't get like video and navigon up at the same time?
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, same here. It seems like there's a tiny error when it tries to search. I found them all by searching manually on the play store though. I don't know if there is a "mini video" small app out there yet since i haven't looked for it.
HEY! What's this?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ru426.android.small_app_mediaplayer
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
I am on the fence here..Had Note 3 love Amoled but hate Tw and the plastic...I did have the M7 loved it, but camera was bad....Did not like the G3 ...thinking of the M8 or Note 4 ...I don't use the spen and want a premium phone!! Help!!
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
I loved my S3 but the M8 is light years ahead of samsung in my opinion. It's fast and just works like it's supposed to. Keep in mind that Samsung is locking all bootloaders and I don't know about you but waiting on safestrap only to flash modded stock roms doesn't do it for me. My only complaint is that it works too well and I don't find myself looking for mods and flashing new things, which is good, but bad if you like that diversion.
I am also comparing the g3 and the m8. Att is swapping out my s5 for another phone of my choice. Both phones seem nice. I guess I need to hit the store and play with them both.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium HD app
Intub8 said:
I am also comparing the g3 and the m8. Att is swapping out my s5 for another phone of my choice. Both phones seem nice. I guess I need to hit the store and play with them both.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the G 3 for three days ..did not like it....It's very laggy, heats up quickly..I rooted mine , debloated with xposed and still was slow. Another issue was wireless charging .Att&t only uses pma chargers and they make you buy their charging cover and base....no thanks.....m8 is light years better than the g3.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
A few things
1. I'm going on 2 days without charging and I'm still at 20% - Amazing
2. Just look at the back of the "new" iPhone. Look familiar? Ya, that's what I thought. The design of the M8 is revolutionary.
3. What other cell phone has 2 forward facing speakers? And they sound better that anything out there.
4. Sense 6 is probably the best Android OEM skin ever. I'm with others that say while flashing ROM's is fun and the developers are great and make amazing ROM's but I've not had a reason to unlock and flash.
5. Just go hold one in your hand. Compare it to the plastic feel of other phones. No contest.
GalaxyNotesTx said:
I am on the fence here..Had Note 3 love Amoled but hate Tw and the plastic...I did have the M7 loved it, but camera was bad....Did not like the G3 ...thinking of the M8 or Note 4 ...I don't use the spen and want a premium phone!! Help!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a Samsung S 5 Active and an HTC One M8 at the same time, the S5 for my wife as we have different needs.
The S5 camera is better, is more waterproof and I prefer the hard-buttons (home, back, menu/windows.) In every other way, the M8 is better. Even though the S5 has a faster processor, the M8 seems faster. M8 feels slimmer and nicer (than either S5 model), battery lasts nearly double the time. And I happen to really like Dot View (and the ease of turning the display off by closing it. )
And iPhone wielding coworkers fondle the M8 in ways they wouldn't touch an S5.
In most ways, though, it's just different. I really don't like the Samsung interface, and replaced it on my Tab Pro, so it's no surprise that I don't like how the S5 menus and screens are laid out. Sense/Blink is okay, but I don't need either kind of live-feed so I put Nova on it anyhow.
I think the M8 is better. Like an Audi is better than a Honda - it doesn't get you from point A to B better, but the ride is more enjoyable. But you can be happy with either one.
I hope no one minds me adding a small question to this thread, as I'm also about to buy an M8:
I've read in many places that the finish on it makes it very slippery. How true is it? Do owners usually use a case or not? It would be a shame to put a case on such a nice looking phone!
if no case - is the back cover replaceable? If after a year mine gets all scratched, can I just replace it with a new one like I do on my S3?
thanks!
Well just tried to buy m8 two different stores and lte would not light up..says no apn settings. I'm in Houston...huge lte here..Never had this problem with any other phones before..looks to be HTC issue?
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
Slartibartfast_ said:
I hope no one minds me adding a small question to this thread, as I'm also about to buy an M8:
I've read in many places that the finish on it makes it very slippery. How true is it? Do owners usually use a case or not? It would be a shame to put a case on such a nice looking phone!
if no case - is the back cover replaceable? If after a year mine gets all scratched, can I just replace it with a new one like I do on my S3?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the problem with such a beautiful device. You don't want to cover it up with a case but want to protect it from everyday use. I use a thin TPU clear case at work and when I'm out but take it off when I'm home just to feel the quality of the M8. As far as slippery, yes it's a little slippery but not too bad. The back is not replacable like on a phone with a removable battery if that's what your thinking. E-bay (and I'm sure other places) have backs for sale but you'll have to take the phone apart to change it out since the phone is 90% one piece metal. Check out ifixit.com for the teardown and see if you can do it. Personally I don't think it is as bad as they say it is but I'm a mechanic and field service engineer so taking stuff apart and fixing them is what I do for a living.
---------- Post added at 06:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:53 PM ----------
GalaxyNotesTx said:
Well just tried to buy m8 two different stores and lte would not light up..says no apn settings. I'm in Houston...huge lte here..Never had this problem with any other phones before..looks to be HTC issue?
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Maybe but I don't have that problem where I live (Washington DC area).
GalaxyNotesTx said:
I am on the fence here..Had Note 3 love Amoled but hate Tw and the plastic...I did have the M7 loved it, but camera was bad....Did not like the G3 ...thinking of the M8 or Note 4 ...I don't use the spen and want a premium phone!! Help!!
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I had an m8 and "please don't bash me for this m8 owners" the camera is absolutely horrible. Huge letdown with the m7 then again with the m8. I had the m8 and tried to convince myself that I loved it. As far as root and s-off, the m8 is awesome. The camera is horrible and the phone is too tall. I switched to the s5 once I heard they had root and couldn't be happier. These are just my opinions.
an0ther said:
I had an m8 and "please don't bash me for this m8 owners" the camera is absolutely horrible. Huge letdown with the m7 then again with the m8. I had the m8 and tried to convince myself that I loved it. As far as root and s-off, the m8 is awesome. The camera is horrible and the phone is too tall. I switched to the s5 once I heard they had root and couldn't be happier. These are just my opinions.
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I agree the camera could be better out of the box but if you play with the setting in manual mode you will get amazing results. Most users are just casual photogs so they need point and shoot and never mess with the other features. I only use my phones camera as a conveiance because when I go to events etc. I take my point and shoot and my HD camcorder. I too thought the form factor of this phone would be too big but after having it for a month or so it's really not that big feeling. It actually feels smaller than my Vivid in my pocket. We won't take your comments as a bash, at least you didn't go with the iPhone Plus.
S5 or M8?
I'm trying to decide between the S5 and the M8 also.
Sounds like everybody is generally in love with the M8 because of the look and feel. Personally, I have trouble understanding why people complain about the plastic on the Samsung phones. If you plan to use the phone naked, then the look would make a difference. I never feel comfortable using these flimsy phones without a TPU case, and once you put a case on it, you rarely see the back of the phone. To me that makes all of that lovely metal a waste.
Otherwise, the waterproof qualities of the Samsung are a plus and most people seem to think the camera is better. Also, the lack of an easily replaceable battery on the M8 is a concern for me.
It seems that Sense UI, the speakers, and the general experience of using it is the big advantage for the M8. Also unlocked bootloaders and the availability of multiple stock roms is a plus. I'm not sure which phone wins out on battery life, but the Samsung has the bigger battery.
All in all, I'm leaning toward the S5, but it's a very close call.
Do you use a case on your M8? If so, what's the advantage of the pretty back?
Just got the M8 love it...very fast , very clean ui..no junk touchwiz here.... no complaints....This phone is very nice...only second generation...M9 will be even better....S5 feels and looks like my 9 year old niece designed ...good luck!
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I too was in a position to choose between the M8 and S5 when my Galaxy Note II decided to finally give up the ghost only after 18 months of use. Despite a full restore it just kept freezing up and corrupted not only my 64 GB SD card, but also the internal memory. Because my phone is my lifeline, I couldn't afford to take any more time to try to fix it, and bought a replacement - the M8.
I have never had as many issues or physically destroyed a phone as quickly as the Note II. While I enjoyed the plastic at the beginning due to making the weight of the phone lighter, it was also more prone to scratches, cracks, abrasion marks, etc. Although I liked the Touchwiz features, I hated the FischerPrice design. Why are all of the icons huge on the screen? Nova launcher quickly became my friend.
I temporarily reverted to my Iphone 4 while shopping for a new phone. While I also hate IOS7, i did realize that I missed the feel and sturdiness of the metal chassis design. This swayed me to look at the M8 after I found out that the new model was almost all metal, unlike the M7.
I viewed the reviews and specs of both the M8 and S5. While the better camera on the S5 was definitely important, these were the factors that made me choose the M8:
1) Metal iPhone like build. I'm not too rough on my phones, but the even more plastic flimsy build of the S5 didn't seem like it would hold up any better than my Note 2 did. i also hated the new Band-Aid like design. The S5 looks like a toy.
2) Dual stereo speakers. I am a musician and DJ. Music is my life. While the volume of the Note 2 and S5 were "ok', there is no doubt that the M8 was not only superior in sound quality, but offered the rare stereo experience.
3) Camera - the M8 is adequate, but not up to par with other phones, especially the S5 and new LG. However, I weighed this against my use of the device for music. I rarely take photos or videos with my phone. Yeah, every once in a while as a spur of the moment keepsake, or to send to someone, but never to save and print, etc. I realized that the camera was the least important feature to me, so even though the S5 would win in this category, the M8 was sufficient for my needs. That being said, some of the camera features are very nice, and if you use manual mode, you can get some pretty decent shots.
4) Size - Although I liked the bigger screen on the S5, and prefer the technology, I found my Note 2 to be just a tad too big every once in a while. The slightly smaller M8 seemed to still give me the larger real estate that I wanted (compared to the minuscule iPhone 4, which I found unusable for non mobile web browsing). I was not mistaken.
5) Interface. I was very surprised with how clean the Sense 6 interface was. Although I don't use BlinkFeed (not customizable enough for me) it seems like so much more a native android experience. I don't feel like it gets in the way like TW did. I don't even use Nova anymore, simply because I love the weather clock widget. It was designed with simplicity in mind, but not to a point of making it toy like. If anything, it is elegant.
6) Internal memory. The S5 only has 16 GB of internal memory. The M8 has 32. Let's face it, there's a lot that can not be stored on an external SD card.
Other factors -
I really like the dot view case. While I thought it was gimmicky at first, I really find it helpful. The scrolling caller ID, the tap to view time/weather, the quick voice call feature, auto on/off when opening/closing the cover. Actually all very useful.
I do miss having a full RGB led notification indicator. However I'm finding it less important than I did on the Note 2.
I actually like the stock music player. I used Google Play Music on the Note, but now only use it for cloud based stuff (21K songs LOL). Otherwise I've been using the native player. I like the Music Channel feature with the scrolling lyrics.
One thing that almost made me overlook the M8 was that the M7 did not have a removable battery or SD slot. The M8 now features a micro SD slot (up to 128 GB!) so that's no longer an issue. While the M8 still does not have a removable battery, I find the battery life of the phone to be amazing. I do tend to have it on a charger most days, but yesterday I spent 14 hours at the casino. Even with constantly checking my phone, using it for several calls, texts, etc., I still had 20% at the end of the day without using power saver mode. My note would have been dead in 6-8 hours.
Even with the announcement of the New iPhone 6, I do not regret my choice of the M8. I really enjoy using this phone. YMMV, but the best thing to do would be to evaluate the features and how they fit your needs.
Both the M8 and G3 are badass phones. I have both and keep switching. Converted M8 to Dev and of course updates are like they are supposed to be. G3 no unlocked bootloader, can be a problem for some. The lag that those complain about on the G3 is virtually non-existent but sometimes can be seen. I think once LG issues an update, and they will, it won't even be a conversation anymore. I think LG is going straight to L, and will address everything at that point. Of course HTC will issue the same updates, probably faster too, but in the end, if LG fixes some of the "nagging" issues, it will be so much better.
---------- Post added at 08:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 PM ----------
GalaxyNotesTx said:
Just got the M8 love it...very fast , very clean ui..no junk touchwiz here.... no complaints....This phone is very nice...only second generation...M9 will be even better....S5 feels and looks like my 9 year old niece designed ...good luck!
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Now that's funny. I say the same about my wifes Note 3, so cartoonish.
theandies said:
I agree the camera could be better out of the box but if you play with the setting in manual mode you will get amazing results. Most users are just casual photogs so they need point and shoot and never mess with the other features. I only use my phones camera as a conveiance because when I go to events etc. I take my point and shoot and my HD camcorder. I too thought the form factor of this phone would be too big but after having it for a month or so it's really not that big feeling. It actually feels smaller than my Vivid in my pocket. We won't take your comments as a bash, at least you didn't go with the iPhone Plus.
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I haven't had any trouble with camera and I prefer the luxury finish that gives the M8 over the S5.
I was gonna open a new thread but this is what I was looking for
Used iPhone 3G > Captivate > S3 > Note 2 ----> Got bored of Android, and more so with constant rooting and roms, and a times frustrating lag and crashing. So I bought into the hype and paid 1K for an iphone 6 64GB ( was waiting from Carrier too and then sell t but wait was 6 weeks ) , used for 3 days and realized I miss the Android control and usage. I sold the iPhone for 940, lost money and ordered an M8 from my Carrier - since I know its premium finish and I simply want to root it
I have been reading about GPE but most people say the stock is best itself
Have I picked the right phone as I want to stay away from the same Rom game and needs a smooth phone
inningsdefeat500 said:
Have I picked the right phone as I want to stay away from the same Rom game and needs a smooth phone
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Only you can answer if its the right phone for you.
But what I can say, is the stock experience is smooth, snappy and won't disappoint. To be honest, I've felt like HTC has gotten very close to having a great stock ROM experience for some time now. And that is pretty much realized with Sense 6, especially combined with the hardware on the M8. I mean, there is always tweaking that can be done with custom ROMs, and whether you want a custom ROM or not completely depends on your own preferences and usage. But I really feel that we are at a point where the stock software is stable, fast and smooth, and a custom ROM is not needed to get basic functionality or to overcome lag caused by Sense (as has been the case for older devices).
That being said, I went to a custom ROM early on (second day I owned the M8) because I can't stand AT&T's bloatware and limitations (blocked tethering if not on a tethering plan). But that is really another matter. Lag and performance are not an issue on the stock software.
Also, you can't really compare the M8 with Samsung devices. I have a current Samsung tablet (Tab Pro 8.4) and it lagged and crashed on TouchWiz, and all but forced me to go AOSP (which made it much faster and more stable). So don't take the Samsung experience as being indicative of all Android devices. The M8 is simply snappy in comparison.
redpoint73 said:
Only you can answer if its the right phone for you.
But what I can say, is the stock experience is smooth, snappy and won't disappoint. To be honest, I've felt like HTC has gotten very close to having a great stock ROM experience for some time now. And that is pretty much realized with Sense 6, especially combined with the hardware on the M8. I mean, there is always tweaking that can be done with custom ROMs, and whether you want a custom ROM or not completely depends on your own preferences and usage. But I really feel that we are at a point where the stock software is stable, fast and smooth, and a custom ROM is not needed to get basic functionality or to overcome lag caused by Sense (as has been the case for older devices).
That being said, I went to a custom ROM early on (second day I owned the M8) because I can't stand AT&T's bloatware and limitations (blocked tethering if not on a tethering plan). But that is really another matter. Lag and performance are not an issue on the stock software.
Also, you can't really compare the M8 with Samsung devices. I have a current Samsung tablet (Tab Pro 8.4) and it lagged and crashed on TouchWiz, and all but forced me to go AOSP (which made it much faster and more stable). So don't take the Samsung experience as being indicative of all Android devices. The M8 is simply snappy in comparison.
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tx man, I have 8.4 Tab Pro too. Lot of the comments on this thread are so similar to my past usage with Samsung - man it feels good to be back with Android. I was SO missing the back button the iphone and unlocking with fingerprint was a bore, had to wait till it opens, keep eye on the phone to swap channels on Tune in radio whereas in droid, u can simply swipe w/o looking. Lot of other small things make the difference
I was deeply torn between an S5 and the M8. My wife actually poked fun at me for not being able to decide. They are both solid phones, but ultimately I wasn't able to give up the freedom to tinker. The S5 is locked down hard on AT&T, and while it has root, at some point it's going to be totally closed - or at least developers are going to be stuck on the last officially supported kernel until people get tired of it. There is safestrap, and I looked into it, but it sounds like people are already getting weary of development on the locked versions. Thus, there will likely never be a non-TW ROM for it. The T-mobile version isn't locked, but apparently doesn't perform as well on AT&T networks, and you would have to find a way to get one without switching carriers.
The M8, on the other hand, has a future. Even once HTC gets tired of supporting it, being able to unlock the bootloader (either officially or unofficially) and S-off means that people will be creating new ROMs for it until it, like my old Skyrocket, just get so old that no one has them anymore. That was the deciding factor for me, especially in light of the fact that I switched to Cyanogenmod a long time ago on my Skyrocket, and never looked back. So, in a way, firewater (and ultimately Sunshine) sold me on the M8.
Now, the fact is that I have come to really like Sense. Sure, it doesn't have every option I'm used to in CM, but it's a solid skin that doesn't get in the way. I opted for a full (including CID) conversion to the Developer Edition, and have stuck with it for now. Thus, the ultimate irony is that I have the ability to do whatever I like to my phone, and I'm so happy with stock that I've not installed a single alternate ROM. However, I am also happy knowing that one day I will be able to.