I hope I can put this in a way you all will understand and not upset anyone. That's certainly not my intention at all.
Last year I didn't get the S3 until it was out for several months. I really liked it and it became one of my favorite phones. I've read that it also had lag/stutter issues when it first came out. I didn't experience any of that since I got it later after the updates. I like the S4, but my main issue is the hype around it. I wasn't expecting it to have any lag/stutter issues like I've had.
I understand that it will get updates, but for all the hype & advertising that Samsung puts into this phone I expected more. If they're going to make fun of the Iphone and their users through commercials, I expect more. I guess this is something that's been building up with me reading these forums for the past few years. I'm a big Nexus fan, borderline fanboy I admit. When the Galaxy Nexus came out I remember a lot of people saying how the S2 was so much better. It may have been spec-wise but for me it's about the experience.
I like the Galaxy line of phones but after having several other phones, I don't view them that much better than the rest. It seems like the hype builds it up more than it is. Don't get me wrong, I really like the S4. I've been using it everyday trying to get familiar with it for my review but, also because I do like the phone. I still lean toward the HTC one but if the S4 gets those updates I've been hearing about it will be a much harder decision to choose between the two.