Nexus 4 vs S4

[Zendroid1]

I come to this forum because I want to be convinced to get the N4 over the S4. I was at the store yesterday and had the S4 pulled and ready to pay and I decided to walk out of the store and think. I just am severely bothered by the bloat and overlay (touchwiz) of the S4. There are some things on the s4 that are superior to the N4 such as battery life (i think?), some gimmicky gestures, the camera, the screen, better feel/design (in my opinion) and maybe others.

The benefits of the N4 to me are: I'd get updates asap. No overlay or bloat (minimal bloat at least). I highly value the vanilla feel of the N4 and the ability to get updates faster. It is probably good enough to get me by until the next nexus comes out. I am a tech geek to the extreme and I like having the latest and greatest but at this point I'm not sure the S4 offers me much over the N4. The camera isn't a huge deal to me as I always have my Fuji with me. I'm just mainly concerned with screen, battery life and feel of the phone.

How is the camera on the N4 compared to the S4?
The Screen?
The battery life?
The form factor/feel etc...?

 

[chestont]

I can't speak fairly in comparison between the two because I have only gotten to play around with an S4 in a store for several minutes. But I can say that I think the screen is great on the N4 and I get full day of battery life pretty easily.

Where the N4 shines is the software experience. I can't really put it properly into words, I guess the best word I can come up with is smooth. Using vanilla android on decent hardware is such a great and easy experience. If you're concerned with having the latest from Mountain View there is no other option.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[RumoredNow]

I think probably the biggest consideration is Will You Be Able to Get LTE in your area, with your carrie?. That data speed might be make or break right there and tip you over to S4...

I've not touched an S4 so the rest is just going by what's on paper. Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 vs. LG Nexus 4 E960 - GSMArena.com

The S4 does have a larger screen and higher pixel density/resolution. It's Super AMOLED vs the N4's True HD IPS which is a more efficient tech if I read reports right.
+ S4 has 2600 mAH vs N4's 2100 mAH battery.
I think with the larger screen the battery life would be about even...

If camera is important to you, S4 has a better quality and reportedly Samsung added in some very nice software features to make it even better.

They both have 4.2.2 and I'd be willing to bet that as a flagship model, S4 would get KLP pretty soon after it's release...

However, there is all that bloat. Try reading this thread: http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...avid-i-switched-android-wish-i-never-did.html A new Android user posts about his reaction to the S4 and more than a few experienced users talk about TouchWiz, various fixes and complaints. Might be some appropriate advice in there as well.

 

[Rizy7]

The S4 is better in nearly every aspect except the vanilla android feeling and OTA updates straight away. I would expect it to be better as it is a newer device and should have the latest and greatest technology. However, the difference in specs between the two devices is not huge at all. The Nexus 4 is already blazing fast, with no lag. The S4 is only fractions of a second faster in terms of speed. Both the screen and battery are better on the S4 but they're not terrible on the N4. I think only real eagle eyed owners can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. The battery for the Nexus 4 is a huge talking point and there are often many threads about it around here. For me at least, my battery life is very sufficient, it even lasts me over 2 days sometimes.

If you want the best device possible atm, I would say go for the S4. If you want a device that will last you a bit longer, I would say go for the S4 as well. But if you are constantly changing your devices then I would recommend the N4. The way I see it is the N4 is around half the price of the S4, but no way is it half the phone!

 

[planoman]

Gotta get both! Now that ATT has announced the 32GB, I will probably pull the trigger on the S4. I will keep my N4. Only the N5 can replace my N4.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[Jnorton2724]

I come to this forum because I want to be convinced to get the N4 over the S4. I was at the store yesterday and had the S4 pulled and ready to pay and I decided to walk out of the store and think. I just am severely bothered by the bloat and overlay (touchwiz) of the S4. There are some things on the s4 that are superior to the N4 such as battery life (i think?), some gimmicky gestures, the camera, the screen, better feel/design (in my opinion) and maybe others.

The benefits of the N4 to me are: I'd get updates asap. No overlay or bloat (minimal bloat at least). I highly value the vanilla feel of the N4 and the ability to get updates faster. It is probably good enough to get me by until the next nexus comes out. I am a tech geek to the extreme and I like having the latest and greatest but at this point I'm not sure the S4 offers me much over the N4. The camera isn't a huge deal to me as I always have my Fuji with me. I'm just mainly concerned with screen, battery life and feel of the phone.

How is the camera on the N4 compared to the S4?
The Screen?
The battery life?
The form factor/feel etc...?

The screen on the N4 is very good but of course won't be as nice as the S4 new 1080p display and the S4 will have a more saturated display so colors really pop which alot of users enjoy. The battery life of my S3 is very similar to my N4 and I would expect the same from the S4. I personally prefer the feel and design of the N4 after using the S4 but thats just my opinion. The N4 camera is decent at best. It does take good photos in certain lighting but the extra features and photo quality blow the N4's camera away, hands down, if you need a good smartphone camera don't get the N4.

When it comes to LTE, it really wasn't that big of a deal for me to switch from having LTE to not having it. Yes the speeds are dramatically faster on LTE when compared to HSPA+ but, given the carrier you use and your location, the speeds are more then enough for daily use. If you want a carrier free experience with vanilla Android then a Nexus device is the best choice, of course. If you don't mind waiting for updates and dealing with carrier bloat but getting a slightly higher spec'd device then get the S4.

The overall experience is better on the N4, in my opinion.

 

[anon5664829]

I come to this forum because I want to be convinced to get the N4 over the S4. I was at the store yesterday and had the S4 pulled and ready to pay and I decided to walk out of the store and think. I just am severely bothered by the bloat and overlay (touchwiz) of the S4. There are some things on the s4 that are superior to the N4 such as battery life (i think?), some gimmicky gestures, the camera, the screen, better feel/design (in my opinion) and maybe others.

The benefits of the N4 to me are: I'd get updates asap. No overlay or bloat (minimal bloat at least). I highly value the vanilla feel of the N4 and the ability to get updates faster. It is probably good enough to get me by until the next nexus comes out. I am a tech geek to the extreme and I like having the latest and greatest but at this point I'm not sure the S4 offers me much over the N4. The camera isn't a huge deal to me as I always have my Fuji with me. I'm just mainly concerned with screen, battery life and feel of the phone.

How is the camera on the N4 compared to the S4?
The Screen?
The battery life?
The form factor/feel etc...?

The screen you can calibrate with a custom kernel and Franco kernel updater, You can have better battery life with a custom kernel( Franco kernel is best) and the Nexus 4's glass ****'s all over the cheap feeling plastic.

You can't say I am a troll because I am in my favourite sub forum and the OP needed encouragement

 

[startup8100]

I love everything about my nexus 4 except it's battery life...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[startup8100]

I am using cm10.1 with Franco kernel though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[anon5664829]

I am using cm10.1 with Franco kernel though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Franco kernel gives me 5 to 6 hours on screen time.

Posted via Android Central App using my Nexus 4

 

[Fairclough]

s4 feels a bit nicer in the hand and the menu/home i find very smooth and nice, haven't really had much of a play on it but thats what i remember about it compared to my nexus 4

 

[TroyDeAz]

Nexus 4 battery can be good dependent on what you do with it.

 

[startup8100]

Hi chetan, can I know which build cm and kernel you using ?
And what are you settings?

Thanks

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[anon5664829]

Hi chetan, can I know which build cm and kernel you using ?
And what are you settings?

Thanks

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Stock rom with the voltage of the 1512 MHz speed under volted to 1075 and the Max speed under clocked to 1330mhz.
Am using Franco kernel stable M2.

Posted via Android Central App using my Nexus 4

 

[dEris]

I would go with the S4. I currently own the Nexus 4 and LOVE it but I really am hating the fact that I don't have removable storage. I do a lot of flashing of roms and the nandroids take a lot of space. Yes, I can store them online but that is just inconvenient especially if my ROM crashes and I cant boot.

I do not regret buying the N4 but I would get the S4 if I were to buy it today.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Until the new Nexus comes out, this is an unfair comparison. The N4 is from a previous generation than the S4.

 

[maryjane2300]

Until the new Nexus comes out, this is an unfair comparison. The N4 is from a previous generation than the S4.

And then the nexus 5 comes out and it won't be fair until the s5 comes out.

Sent from my ATT Galaxy S4

 

[anon5664829]

And then the nexus 5 comes out and it won't be fair until the s5 comes out.

Sent from my ATT Galaxy S4

Yeah these two smart phones are released are released in different upgrade cycles.

Posted via Android Central App using my Nexus 4

 

[Tall Mike 2145]

No matter how hard I try, I can't find a single other Launcher / GUI that beats stock vanilla Android 4.2.2 on my N4.

 

[SeanJamesWright]

I played around on the S4 for the first time today as my colleague at work just received his after selling his iPhone 5. I can honestly say this is the first Samsung device I got excited about and boy was I impressed! The screen is stunning as expected but looking not as big or tall as I thought it would be with the naked eye yet feeling good in the hand at the same time however, carrier bloat ware has always put me off from ever purchasing such a device no matter the high end specs. I enjoyed the gimmicks of smart stay and swiping your hand over the screen to see the time whilst at your bedside but I prefer the stock Android experience overall to which I feel the N4 shines and as we all know is no slouch either with a solid build quality. The choice is yours, either way its a win win just personal preference

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums