Android perception/Samsung Galaxy S4 newbie

[dave25A]

Ok, so at this moment in time i'm an iPhone user (4S), but i'm planning on getting the Samsung Galaxy S4, when i mentioned this to my iPhone, Windows and BlackBerry user friends, they all replied saying "Don't do it" and "Android is full of bugs and laggy as hell" But from what i have seen in YouTube videos, the Samsung Galaxy S4 seems fast and very responsive. Is this just how Android is perceived or are my friends in fact right? I want to get as much information as possible, before i go out and spend ?579 on a device that i will also be keeping for 2 years (just like i have with my current iPhone 5S).

 

[friedtators]

people do not like change and fanboy friends are no help. lots of iphone users leaving. android is awesome because it does stuff. best maps and navigation. siri has not seen anything like Now. all the integration you need and more to try. butter smooth. the laggy is because some sensor is waiting for the user to do something. it has so many helpful features like the one where it watchs where you are looking to keep the screen on. lots to learn, discover and enjoy. just dont leave your phone out around it will walk off

 

[madlaw1071]

Go to a store and try one for yourself. Only way to find out as opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one.

 

[dave25A]

people do not like change and fanboy friends are no help. lots of iphone users leaving. android is awesome because it does stuff. best maps and navigation. siri has not seen anything like Now. all the integration you need and more to try. butter smooth. the laggy is because some sensor is waiting for the user to do something. it has so many helpful features like the one where it watchs where you are looking to keep the screen on. lots to learn, discover and enjoy. just dont leave your phone out around it will walk off

That's why the S4 grabbed my attention because of its features and with being a university student some of them will come in handy. The phone seems to have and do stuff that the iPhone cant, don't get me wrong the build quality on the iPhone is good, but its not customisable to the extent i want.

 

[dave25A]

Go to a store and try one for yourself. Only way to find out as opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one.

That is true, here in the UK tho our phone shops don't really let you test the features out, a lot of them are display models that don't even turn on :-/

 

[briankbart1]

love mine.....dumped my iphone 5 for it and wont go back

 

[prodigy1814]

I came from a blackberry 9930 to the S4 (my first non-blackberry smartphone). I could not be any more pleased with the level of speed of the S4. I have experienced ZERO lag/checkerboarding when I scroll on webpages. Even on content-heavy webpages. This was one of my biggest peeves with Blackberry devices. The screen is very responsive and amazingly crisp. I've had no problems. Also, the potential for customization on Android is FAR beyond any other smartphone OS. I am amazed at how I have been able to customize my desktop and settings to fit ME. I would recommend Nova Launcher. My only warning is that I spent the last two weeks with endless tinkering with Nova Launcher trying out different layouts. I finally got it to how I want it. Minimalistic, efficient, and functional. One thing I do not like about the S4 is that you cannot add widgets to the lockscreen if the lockscreen has security enabled (pin, pattern, password, etc). I've found some lockscreen apps that can do this. But not in the way that I'm seeking. I have to keep looking.

 

[madlaw1071]

That is true, here in the UK tho our phone shops don't really let you test the features out, a lot of them are display models that don't even turn on :-/

what about carrier stores?

 

[dave25A]

I came from a blackberry 9930 to the S4 (my first non-blackberry smartphone). I could not be any more pleased with the level of speed of the S4. I have experienced ZERO lag/checkerboarding when I scroll on webpages. Even on content-heavy webpages. This was one of my biggest peeves with Blackberry devices. The screen is very responsive and amazingly crisp. I've had no problems. Also, the potential for customization on Android is FAR beyond any other smartphone OS. I am amazed at how I have been able to customize my desktop and settings to fit ME. I would recommend Nova Launcher. My only warning is that I spent the last two weeks with endless tinkering with Nova Launcher trying out different layouts. I finally got it to how I want it. Minimalistic, efficient, and functional. One thing I do not like about the S4 is that you cannot add widgets to the lockscreen if the lockscreen has security enabled (pin, pattern, password, etc). I've found some lockscreen apps that can do this. But not in the way that I'm seeking. I have to keep looking.

I will be trying to customise the S4 when i get it, it will probably take me a while to do so and to even get use to the phone, i don't mind experimenting and taking the time to get use to the device. I'm looking forward to some of the features as well, such as the air view. I think my friends are either confused or its the perception they have been given by Apple, MS and BlackBerry. All in all i want a phone that can last me 2 years until i next upgrade, has some brilliant features and is customisable. So many things on the iPhone that i cant do frustrate me, plus the screen size will help.

 

[prodigy1814]

I will be trying to customise the S4 when i get it, it will probably take me a while to do so and to even get use to the phone, i don't mind experimenting and taking the time to get use to the device. I'm looking forward to some of the features as well, such as the air view. I think my friends are either confused or its the perception they have been given by Apple, MS and BlackBerry. All in all i want a phone that can last me 2 years until i next upgrade, has some brilliant features and is customisable. So many things on the iPhone that i cant do frustrate me, plus the screen size will help.

I get the feeling that the S4 can last most people beyond 2 years. I would like for it to last me for 4 years without upgrading. The phone is already 5 inches with a 1080p screen, 2GB RAM, quad/octo-core processor, and Verizon is releasing an S4 update to use the new AWS LTE signals. At this point, I cannot imagine the NEED for any higher specs on a smartphone. Anything higher is probably overkill. (But certainly, this is ignoring any major advancements is software.) Who would ever NEED a 4K screen on their smartphone? The only reason I could imagine having to upgrade in 2 years would be for a device compatible with VoLTE (voice over LTE).

 

[aggie]

Lol at Blackberry fans calling Android laggy. Or even having anything negative to say about Android for that matter. I love BB10. Hated to get rid of my z10 and will try it again once most of the apps that I consider essential appear. But I'm betting your friends are using older versions of BB. While it could be fast at times a lot of times the hourglass kept wanting to spin on the screen till the magic solution of a battery pull occurred.
Give the s4 a try. Or the HTC One. Both are excellent devices. The in store displays may have some lag at first due to the constant prodding by people in store so do a fresh reboot and then play with it. The One offers a smoother experience out of the box but once you tweak the s4 to your liking it operates as smooth as the One. With either of those options I think you are doing yourself a favor in picking them over iPhone, windows phone, or bb

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dave25A]

I get the feeling that the S4 can last most people beyond 2 years. I would like for it to last me for 4 years without upgrading. The phone is already 5 inches with a 1080p screen, 2GB RAM, quad/octo-core processor, and Verizon is releasing an S4 update to use the new AWS LTE signals. At this point, I cannot imagine the NEED for any higher specs on a smartphone. Anything higher is probably overkill. (But certainly, this is ignoring any major advancements is software.) Who would ever NEED a 4K screen on their smartphone? The only reason I could imagine having to upgrade in 2 years would be for a device compatible with VoLTE (voice over LTE).

The reason i said 2 years was because that's how often i upgraded with my iPhone's, i had the 3GS and now i've got the 4S. Also i did this because with IOS you only get the latest software features (for example IOS6 and Siri) if you have a phone thats no more than 12-24 months old. I would love to be able to buy the S4 and for it to last longer, i would save money in the long run.

 

[dave25A]

Lol at Blackberry fans calling Android laggy. Or even having anything negative to say about Android for that matter. I love BB10. Hated to get rid of my z10 and will try it again once most of the apps that I consider essential appear. But I'm betting your friends are using older versions of BB. While it could be fast at times a lot of times the hourglass kept wanting to spin on the screen till the magic solution of a battery pull occurred.
Give the s4 a try. Or the HTC One. Both are excellent devices. The in store displays may have some lag at first due to the constant prodding by people in store so do a fresh reboot and then play with it. The One offers a smoother experience out of the box but once you tweak the s4 to your liking it operates as smooth as the One. With either of those options I think you are doing yourself a favor in picking them over iPhone, windows phone, or bb

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

My friends do have different phones, a couple of them have BlackBerrys (the old black one with the plastic keyboard) one of them has a Windows phone and the majority have iPhones. My argument is that i want to leave iPhone because i feel that for ?529 Apple charge hear in the UK, Apple are giving me nothing new just tweaked internals, and a slightly larger screen (iPhone 5) also they don't allow me to customise my phone, what if i want to change the theme? what if i want widgets? and so on. iPhones have good build quality and mine as been more than stable these last 2 years, but i want more from a phone that what Apple are currently giving.

I under stand that WWDC is on Monday and Apple will be showing off IOS 7 but i still don't think they will give users the options they want (i.e customisation)

 

[aggie]

My friends do have different phones, a couple of them have BlackBerrys (the old black one with the plastic keyboard) one of them has a Windows phone and the majority have iPhones. My argument is that i want to leave iPhone because i feel that for ?529 Apple charge hear in the UK, Apple are giving me nothing new just tweaked internals, and a slightly larger screen (iPhone 5) also they don't allow me to customise my phone, what if i want to change the theme? what if i want widgets? and so on. iPhones have good build quality and mine as been more than stable these last 2 years, but i want more from a phone that what Apple are currently giving.

I under stand that WWDC is on Monday and Apple will be showing off IOS 7 but i still don't think they will give users the options they want (i.e customisation)

agree with everything you said. while i'm a gadget fan in general I was a die hard iPhone fan until the 4s was unveiled. The iPhone 4 was the last iPhone I purchased. I traded for an iPhone 5 after it was released and only had it about a week and sold it and got a Note 2. I'm very interested in what will be unveiled at WWDC but Apple better have something that blows people away or I can see alot of people jumping ship like yourself. They will still sell millions upon millions but it is clear where the momentum is at the moment.

 

[dave25A]

I'm very interested in what will be unveiled at WWDC but Apple better have something that blows people away or I can see alot of people jumping ship like yourself. They will still sell millions upon millions but it is clear where the momentum is at the moment.

I'm also interested to see what Apple unveils at WWDC, however from early rumours it doesn't look like something that will blow people away, at the moment theres rumours of an iRadio service, a flatter IOS 7 and maybe some Flicker integration. Apple need to listen to its customers, they are very reluctant to give people a bigger screen (one of the reasons i'm wanting to jump) and to give customers the power of customisation. From what I've seen Android offers a lot more customisation.

 

[garublador]

Keep in mind that something like half the Android devices out there are still on Gingerbread (2.3) and the newest OS is Jelly Bean (4.2). In many ways Android has come a long way between those OS's. My Droid X2 that was on Gingerbread got real slow by the end of its life but it was never really a flagship phone like the S4. Those older OS versions did not age well but JB seems like it has a good chance to be better. We'll just have to wait and see, though.

The reason i said 2 years was because that's how often i upgraded with my iPhone's, i had the 3GS and now i've got the 4S. Also i did this because with IOS you only get the latest software features (for example IOS6 and Siri) if you have a phone thats no more than 12-24 months old. I would love to be able to buy the S4 and for it to last longer, i would save money in the long run.

So far phone companies have done a worse job at updating their devices with the latest software than Apple has. Again, Android has come a long way since then, but I wouldn't buy a phone expecting more than one OS update for it. It may happen, but there Isn't much of a precedent for it besides the "Google" phones. I see no reason to think that the S4 won't last at least 2 years, or at least hold up as well as any other phone on the market.

The animations with Android probably won't be as smooth as with iOS 100% of the time. The actual speed of how everything gets done will be top notch, though.

 

[dave25A]

The animations with Android probably won't be as smooth as with iOS 100% of the time. The actual speed of how everything gets done will be top notch, though.

I dont expect it to be 100% all of the time, iPhones are not 100% all of the time if people are honest, i have had apps close on me and return to the home screen for no reason, and the phone just freeze. I just don't want to buy the S4 and then have problem after problem is what i mean, for example i commute to university so at the moment i have an app on my iPhone that allows me to pay for my bus fare in advance (so i can pay for a months worth) Arriva app (here in the UK), i don't want to be standing at the bus stop and the app keeps crashing or fails to let me open it. At the moment it works brilliant on the iPhone, and i have seen the same app available for the S4. That's the kind of thing i mean. The OS on the iPhone is fast and responsive.

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The animations with Android probably won't be as smooth as with iOS 100% of the time. The actual speed of how everything gets done will be top notch, though.

I dont expect it to be 100% all of the time, iPhones are not 100% all of the time if people are honest, i have had apps close on me and return to the home screen for no reason, and the phone just freeze. I just don't want to buy the S4 and then have problem after problem is what i mean, for example i commute to university so at the moment i have an app on my iPhone that allows me to pay for my bus fare in advance (so i can pay for a months worth) Arriva app (here in the UK), i don't want to be standing at the bus stop and the app keeps crashing or fails to let me open it. At the moment it works brilliant on the iPhone, and i have seen the same app available for the S4. That's the kind of thing i mean. The OS on the iPhone is fast and responsive.

 

[_X_]

I dont expect it to be 100% all of the time, iPhones are not 100% all of the time if people are honest, i have had apps close on me and return to the home screen for no reason, and the phone just freeze.

I don't believe he's referring to apps closing or stability but referring to the UI lag. I've personally never noticed it, well I did but it never registered as a lag. It's the graphics engine difference between iOS and Android.

As far as bugs, stability, and whatever FUD your friends are saying about Android, it's just not true. Version 4.2.2 is a very polished and stable version of Android. This is really the best time to join Android the phones are top notch and so is the OS AND Android is only going to get better.

I have the Note 2 and I will say Samsung has really gotten their act together the OS is very stable and some of the features they add are great. I have noticed their gimmicky stuff doesn't really work well. But they will continue to push enhancements to make them work. Samsung has also gotten better about supporting their flagship products and keeping them relevant. For instance the S3 and Note received 4.1 update as well as the latest samsung enhancements. Yes they don't come out right away but they are supported.

One food for thought is as a student I would recommend the Note 2 over the S4. With the Note you have the pen, the lagers screen, and bigger battery. That will help you in your studies more than the iPhone/S4. I wish I had the Note2 during my school days.
=X=

 

[dave25A]

As far as bugs, stability, and whatever FUD your friends are saying about Android, it's just not true. Version 4.2.2 is a very polished and stable version of Android. This is really the best time to join Android the phones are top notch and so is the OS AND Android is only going to get better.

I have the Note 2 and I will say Samsung has really gotten their act together the OS is very stable and some of the features they add are great. I have noticed their gimmicky stuff doesn't really work well. But they will continue to push enhancements to make them work. Samsung has also gotten better about supporting their flagship products and keeping them relevant. For instance the S3 and Note received 4.1 update as well as the latest samsung enhancements. Yes they don't come out right away but they are supported.

One food for thought is as a student I would recommend the Note 2 over the S4. With the Note you have the pen, the lagers screen, and bigger battery. That will help you in your studies more than the iPhone/S4. I wish I had the Note2 during my school days.
=X=

Its good to know I'm hoping my transition to Andriod will be a good experience. The reason I decided on the S4 instead of the note 2 is because I have an iPad for actual uni work. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the features tho like air view and so on, also looking forward to the customisation options that I don't have at the moment.