T-Mobile - Time to pick a phone - GS4/HTC One/Nexus4

[awilisch]

Now that I'm officially released from my Verizon contract I plan on moving to T-Mobile at the end of the month and it sounds like I'm going to have some good new options.

I had always planned on getting the Nexus 4, mainly because I've always liked stock android. It's clean, simple, not a lot of custom crap clogging up the memory, and it lives on the cutting edge.

But now it looks like the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One will be available. I'm coming from a GS3 now and while I really HATE Touchwiz, I like the phone itself. I've always liked having the option for external storage and even though I haven't made use of it, having a removal battery seems like a good option. But I love HTC phones, and the One looks like it's the current top of the line phone.

I'm leaning towards the HTC One, but I would be interested in hearing everyones opinions about the three phones, what you would pick and why.

Thanks in advance!
--Aric

 

[Larkin85]

Hi,

with Nexus 4 you may be a bit dissapointed with the screen colors. If you are moving from SGS3 then they may seems to be too washed out... The next downside is that its glass scratches a bit too easily. There are NO other disadvantages that I know of. My 3 folks are quite happy with their purchase and are impressed with its performance. It's a beast - even comapring it to SGS3 that one of them moved from.

I have a little experience with HTC One but I LOVED its SCREEN when I've got an opportunity to play with it at MWC 2013 earlier this year. Really, really great color reproduction... Also the build quality is really impresive. For me it's really hard to choose which one (HTC One or aforementioned Nexus 4) is greater masterpiece
BTW - check out the black version of HTC One also, as you may find it more appealing. Pics on the web may not be convincing, but trust me - it's worth to see it in person ;-)

I have no experience with SGS4 so far but while it's performance won't be disappointing (I suppose) then it's main strength here is the Super AMOLED screen and it's color reproduction (regardless of whether it's the best one or not) that you may already be used to after being a happy user of SGS3

Personally I would go for Nexus 4 or HTC One - even with theirs non-removable battery. It's a struggele to choose between those two, but I am leaning towards HTC One because of the screen quality.
But hey - whatever your final choice will be - you should be happy with any of them I suppose ;-)

Cheers,
Tomasz

 

[badbrad17]

I hear a lot of people mentioning the washed out screen but I never saw this. Even people saying the color correction was off. I came from The SGS2 AMOLED and I will never go back after using my Nexus 4. The HTC devices are similar technology for the screen and are soooooo gorgeous. The One is a work of art. The only concern would be the battery life, but I can't imagine it being any worse than the Nexus 4.

The other thing to consider is that the N4 can be purchased off contract for only $350. If you went this route you have more options to upgrade to the Nexus 5 when it comes out. You could sell your Nexus 4 and practically pay for the Nexus 5.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[return_0]

The other thing to consider is that the N4 can be purchased off contract for only $350. If you went this route you have more options to upgrade to the Nexus 5 when it comes out. You could sell your Nexus 4 and practically pay for the Nexus 5.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

Yeah, especially since T-Mobile moved completely to no-contract plans, you have to take the unlocked price into account. It's a really close call if you're going by the phones alone, but the price makes the Nexus 4 the clear winner.

 

[RavenSword]

I currently have a nexus 4 and like it a lot. Great phone. The thing is, I think if your not going to be hurt too much by paying 600 dollars plus for the newer phones or don't mind financing for 20 dollars a month (of course, this is assuming your going the no contract way on tmobile) then I would probably go with the S4 OR HTC ONE because there more up to date phones. Both those phones are able to do LTE (although on tmobile that's not really a factor yet since it's only in a handful of areas right now) and they have better displays. Not sure if hardware on those is better, but probably is compared to nexus 4.

I'm kinda interested to see if HTC basically being on the brink of death is going to effect perception on buying either phone. Like, would you want the phone that has the better build quality, but the company might struggle with support because of its financial problems (HTC) Or do you want the phone with the lesser material build quality, but it's from the company that's basically going head to head with apple on market dominance and success (samsung)

The reason I went with nexus4 was because I didn't want my iPhone anymore, but couldn't upgrade to a different one. And nexus 4 was the best and really only option for that. But I also really liked it's affordability because money is tight for me right now.

 

[zorak950]

I'm a Nexus guy myself, but assuming the GS4 bootloader gets unlocked that may be the way you want to go, especially if you're a fan of removable batteries and SD cards. There's no good reason you can't swap out Touchwiz for custom firmware like CM. Of course, you're looking at a wait for the phone to be unlocked and third-party ROMs to come out, and though I think both are a good bet, there are no guarantees on either. So if uncertainty and patience aren't your thing you should be prepared for the possibility you'll have to live with Touchwiz if you go the S4 route.

The One is beautiful, as long as you don't mind losing the flexibility of removable battery and storage. I've never owned an HTC device, but they're the vanguard of Android design in my book. It definitely makes a statement, though there's nothing under the hood that would make me recommend it more than an S4 unless you're particularly enamored of Sense or its features.

The Nexus 4 isn't cutting-edge anymore as far as hardware is concerned, but bear in mind that six months down the road, neither will be the S4 or One. Also, there's every chance that in two months the Nexus will have a new version of Android. The others won't.

All three phones have current-generation specs, and I don't think any are going to let you down capability-wise within the next two years. As always, chasing the latest hardware is a recipe for discontent, so don't be afraid to buy the phone you love today. In a couple weeks you'll be able to hold all three in your hand, so if you're unsure, I encourage you to wait until then and make a choice based on your own experience.

 

[nickndfl]

The S4 is the superior phone, but since you are out of contract I would go with the N4. HTC phones never fit me well.
Hopefully, your T-Mobile coverage will be good. I left them for Sprint. I also have Verizon for business which is the best service in Florida.

 

[bob13bob]

I would wait a bit, nexus 4 supposed to get an update announced at google io (lte support) with larger storage.

imho, the best and most impressive thing about the galaxy s4 is the screen to phone size ratio.

The htc one wastes space on speakers for most of my needs.

Also, it looks nice but not ergonomic and pleasant in the hand. the s4 is supposed to be more so.

if htc goes out of business, it will affect perception and resale value of htc one if that matters to you.

 

[zorak950]

if htc goes out of business, it will affect perception and resale value of htc one if that matters to you.

If HTC goes out of business, it'll probably become a collector's item.

 

[badbrad17]

I would wait a bit, nexus 4 supposed to get an update announced at google io (lte support) with larger storage.

imho, the best and most impressive thing about the galaxy s4 is the screen to phone size ratio.

The htc one wastes space on speakers for most of my needs.

Also, it looks nice but not ergonomic and pleasant in the hand. the s4 is supposed to be more so.

if htc goes out of business, it will affect perception and resale value of htc one if that matters to you.

All the reviews I've read say the HTC One feels amazing. I just went and checked one out at the store and I think it felt amazing.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[bob13bob]

I played with all three. I'm going with the n4. The ui seemed faster, cleaner, more.logical. plus its $300 cheaper. I bet stock android.will just work, very skeptical about ui of other phones. Google io coming, new android update and nexus 4 supposed to get hardware update as well

One had too blue white balance. And it.has large bezels.

S4 had better wb but it was so bloaty and the ui seemed slow.

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk 2

 

[badbrad17]

I played with all three. I'm going with the n4. The ui seemed faster, cleaner, more.logical. plus its $300 cheaper. I bet stock android.will just work, very skeptical about ui of other phones. Google io coming, new android update and nexus 4 supposed to get hardware update as well

One had too blue white balance. And it.has large bezels.

S4 had better wb but it was so bloaty and the ui seemed slow.

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk 2

Love my Nexus 4. Install Nova launcher and set the transitions to faster than light. It screams. No more waiting for updates is so amazing too.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[RavenSword]

I'm curious if htc financial problems is maybe a reason to avoid the one for now. I would be kind of worried of continued support

 

[Dflash]

I got the Sony xperia z and I'm on T-Mobile it's the best

 

[Christopher Nelson]

As someone from T-Mobile that has owned a Samsung Galaxy S3, Nexus 4, and an HTC (in that order), I can give you some pointers. I have also spent an extended amount of time on the S4, which is really just a small feature/hardware upgrade on the S3.

1. Nexus 4's UI simplicity is awesome. The screen colors are not washed out (or weren't on mine at least). The camera is weak, and although it is 8mpx, it still looks grainy most of the time when compared to other flagship phone cameras. The build quality is very nice, and the back of the phone is unique and a conversation piece. If you like to get your android updates quickly and you like the simplicity of vanilla android and don't mind the lack of camera quality, this could be a good phone for you.

2. Samsung Galaxy S3/S4 are pretty much the same phone. Obviously the S4 is a step up in hardware and features (features that you may not use). I miss some of these features, such as swiping my hand across the screen in order to take a quick screenshot. They are thin, light, and fast. All of these phones have good UI, but Samsung's Touchwiz is my least favorite. These phones also have some of the best smartphone cameras on the market, if not the best (as far as daylight pictures go). The phone itself feels almost like a demo phone, given how light it is. It kind of feels like a toy. If this doesn't bother you, and you are interested in pure specs and features to show off, the Samsung Galaxy S4 may be the phone for you.

3. In my opinion, the HTC One is the best all-around option. It's 4mpx camera may be smaller resolution, but the detail, color, and low-light sensitivity more than make up for it. I have been incredibly impressed by HTC's "zoe" pictures, video highlights, and gallery features that are included. The default homescreen's "blinkfeed" is also very useful for me. I can navigate all my news, social stuff, etc. right there along with weather, etc. The screen is the highest resolution on the market at the moment, although I would argue that anything over 400 ppi is hard to tell at this point. The front-facing speakers sound amazing. It does not sound like music/video is coming from a mobile phone. The design of the phone is stellar. The build quality just "seems" very high, and it feels like it costs a lot of money, vs the GS4 does not.