[Evan_S]

Nexus 5 vs LG G2 vs HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S4

IMO, these are the best ~5 inch display android smartphones (that are not overly large like the note 3) as of right now.
At the moment, I am leaning most towards the Nexus 5, which I have been getting very hyped for in the last couple of months. Now that it is out, however, I am staring to rethink my inclination because of the few shortcomings of this phone. It has amazing specs (at least, in processing power, display, and memory) that just honestly cannot be argued against. And also, I love the new Android 4.4, and the complete stock, google android look just seems so amazing.
I know people are very critical of the speakers, but this topic does not apply to me whatsoever, because I almost never use speakers on my phone anyways.
However, one problem that could potentially be a very annoying issue is battery life - although it isn't a small battery, I have heard the 2,300 mAh battery is very unreliable and never lasts a full day. This concerns me because one of the largest problems with my current iPhone 4s is the terrible battery life, and I really want a phone whose battery life I don't constantly have to be monitoring/worrying about. If anyone has personal experience with the battery, please share it.
Also, I have heard complaints about the camera; however, in many comparisons that I see the Nexus 5, although its camera has definite flaws, has pretty good quality photos. But I want to hear from people who have experience with the other phones' that I listed camera. Even though I don't take a crazy amount of photos with my phone, is it so much of a difference that I would start to want to take photos with a different phone and not be inclined to take photos with the Nexus 5?

So, this thread is basically asking to compare the Nexus 5 to the other top-quality phones that I listed. I'm almost about to get the Nexus 5 - can anybody give me either any reasons against this or finalize my choice.

[anon(847090)]

where is the moto X???

[JRDroid]

where is the moto X???

I chose the HTC One in the poll, but agree that the Moto X deserves a slot on the list.

Reasons to choose the HTC One over the Nexus 5:
Better looking screen
Choice of Sense or Google Experience
Superior camera

[Evan_S]

where is the moto X???

Well, I was considering putting that on there, but if I were to get a google phone, it would just definitely be the nexus 5. From what I remember and have seen, the n5 is just more impressive on paper and I've heard a lot more good things about the nexus 5 than I have about the moto x.

[tippmann15]

The g2 has the best hardware on the list, the nexus 5 doesn't really compare to the g2 (unless you want vanilla).

Note 3 + Nexus 5

[zobog]

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/...ltimate-guide/

Yea not including the Moto X is fail. It gets my vote. And I am not the only one.

Posted via Android Central App

[chadthebuilder]

I chose the HTC One in the poll, but agree that the Moto X deserves a slot on the list.

Reasons to choose the HTC One over the Nexus 5:
Better looking screen
Choice of Sense or Google Experience
Superior camera

The HTC One does not have a superior camera. The low amount of pixels, just ends up making pictures that aren't as sharp as the N5. I really hope the One successor has an 8 megapixel ultrapixel camera.

Posted from the awesome new Nexus 7

[JRDroid]

The HTC One does not have a superior camera. The low amount of pixels, just ends up making pictures that aren't as sharp as the N5. I really hope the One successor has an 8 megapixel ultrapixel camera.

Posted from the awesome new Nexus 7

Pictures taken on the HTC One are pleanty sharp when viewed at most sizes. If you're looking at them at 100%, yes you will notice the difference in detail. But lets be honest, that is not how most people look at photos. On a 4.7"-5" phone? Not so much. Even if you print 4x6 prints, you aren't going to notice the difference in resolution. And if your uploading to social networks, all the lower resolution on the One means is that your pictures will be going through less compression.

[DroidGuy1990]

I got to go with the HTC One on this one...It might no longer be the best spec'd phone or have the best camera but for me personally build quality is just as important as software and that is where this phone excels at. HTC Sense has came such a long way from my Droid Incredible days and the all aluminum uni body design is just beautiful. Keep in mind this phone has been getting updates as promised and its RAM degradation has been very minimal compared to the S4. You are going to be holding a phone in your hands possible for 24 months. Yes, the camera is not the best but if you are doing more than just posting on Instagram or Facebook, should you really be using a smartphone camera in the first place? This phone has also withstood the test of time as being it is still one of android top competitor well after 6 months being on the market

[chadthebuilder]

Pictures taken on the HTC One are pleanty sharp when viewed at most sizes. If you're looking at them at 100%, yes you will notice the difference in detail. But lets be honest, that is not how most people look at photos. On a 4.7"-5" phone? Not so much. Even if you print 4x6 prints, you aren't going to notice the difference in resolution. And if your uploading to social networks, all the lower resolution on the One means is that your pictures will be going through less compression.

I realize that; however, all the shots I've seen from both, seem to favor the N5.

Posted from the awesome new Nexus 7

[JRDroid]

I realize that; however, all the shots I've seen from both, seem to favor the N5.

Posted from the awesome new Nexus 7

DISCLAIMER: I no longer even own an HTC One and do not own a Nexus 5, so I do not have a horse in this race.
I know I'll likely get blasted for this, but here it goes anyway. Picture quality is not the sole determiner of camera superiority. I've said this before, but if you are mostly taking still lifes and scenery shots, the Nexus 5 is the better camera. However, that is not how a lot of people use their cameras. Most of the pictures I take are of my daughter, and most are spontaneous, not staged. I need fast focus and a quick shutter to capture the moment. I do not care if the picture the Nexus 5 takes looks better if it is a picture of what my daughter was doing half a second or a second after she was doing something cute or funny I wanted a picture of. I'd rather have the inferior but still usable picture of the moment I wanted to capture than the more visually impressive picture of the moment after the moment I wanted to capture. Again, that is just one use case, but it is the main reason the HTC One's camera is superior to the Nexus 5 for me. If they address focus and shutter speed in a software update for the Nexus 5, that changes. Until then, it is too slow of a camera to be useful to me.

[chadthebuilder]

DISCLAIMER: I no longer even own an HTC One and do not own a Nexus 5, so I do not have a horse in this race.
I know I'll likely get blasted for this, but here it goes anyway. Picture quality is not the sole determiner of camera superiority. I've said this before, but if you are mostly taking still lifes and scenery shots, the Nexus 5 is the better camera. However, that is not how a lot of people use their cameras. Most of the pictures I take are of my daughter, and most are spontaneous, not staged. I need fast focus and a quick shutter to capture the moment. I do not care if the picture the Nexus 5 takes looks better if it is a picture of what my daughter was doing half a second or a second after she was doing something cute or funny I wanted a picture of. I'd rather have the inferior but still usable picture of the moment I wanted to capture than the more visually impressive picture of the moment after the moment I wanted to capture. Again, that is just one use case, but it is the main reason the HTC One's camera is superior to the Nexus 5 for me. If they address focus and shutter speed in a software update for the Nexus 5, that changes. Until then, it is too slow of a camera to be useful to me.

Yes, I understand what you mean. The slow capture, and the hit or miss shots from the N5 make me very hesitant to get one myself. Unfortunately the LG G2 has the weird button placement, otherwise I would go ahead and spend for the superior camera and battery.

Posted from the awesome new Nexus 7

[JeffDenver]

I chose the HTC One in the poll, but agree that the Moto X deserves a slot on the list.

Reasons to choose the HTC One over the Nexus 5:
Better looking screen
Choice of Sense or Google Experience
Superior camera

Superior camera? This is from Android Central's own comparison photos. HTC One is on the bottom, Nexus 5 on top.



Source: The Nexus 5 vs. the HTC One | Android Central

[JeffDenver]

Well, I was considering putting that on there, but if I were to get a google phone, it would just definitely be the nexus 5. From what I remember and have seen, the n5 is just more impressive on paper and I've heard a lot more good things about the nexus 5 than I have about the moto x.

LOL you just stirred a hornets' nest with that comment.

[JRDroid]

Superior camera? This is from Android Central's own comparison photos. HTC One is on the bottom, Nexus 5 on top.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/att...hts-one-vs.jpg

Source: The Nexus 5 vs. the HTC One | Android Central

Yes, please ignore the post I made in this very thread explaining why I thought the One's camera was superior (at least for my use case) than the Nexus 5's camera. I'll quote it for you below:

DISCLAIMER: I no longer even own an HTC One and do not own a Nexus 5, so I do not have a horse in this race.
I know I'll likely get blasted for this, but here it goes anyway. Picture quality is not the sole determiner of camera superiority. I've said this before, but if you are mostly taking still lifes and scenery shots, the Nexus 5 is the better camera. However, that is not how a lot of people use their cameras. Most of the pictures I take are of my daughter, and most are spontaneous, not staged. I need fast focus and a quick shutter to capture the moment. I do not care if the picture the Nexus 5 takes looks better if it is a picture of what my daughter was doing half a second or a second after she was doing something cute or funny I wanted a picture of. I'd rather have the inferior but still usable picture of the moment I wanted to capture than the more visually impressive picture of the moment after the moment I wanted to capture. Again, that is just one use case, but it is the main reason the HTC One's camera is superior to the Nexus 5 for me. If they address focus and shutter speed in a software update for the Nexus 5, that changes. Until then, it is too slow of a camera to be useful to me.

[JeffDenver]

Pictures taken on the HTC One are pleanty sharp when viewed at most sizes.

This is what Android Central had to say about it:

"One of our biggest complaints about the HTC One is the over-processed look it gives pictures, and while we know that comes out of necessity with only having a 4MP camera it just comes off looking wrong to our eyes. In both auto and HDR mode, the One took consistently brighter pictures than the Nexus 5, but did so at the expense of adding lots of processing and grain to pictures — often over-exposing them far more than we'd like."
Source: The Nexus 5 vs. the HTC One | Android Central

Is it good enough? Sure, I think so. But it's far from the best in that list.

Even if you print 4x6 prints, you aren't going to notice the difference in resolution.

Having printed many many smartphone photos, I can say this is wrong in my experience. Resolution matters a lot if you are printing. It matters a lot less when viewing on a computer.

And if your uploading to social networks, all the lower resolution on the One means is that your pictures will be going through less compression.

Not really. The same image in 8MP or 4MP will look better with an 8MP source, all else being equal. Less resolution is never a good thing.

In theory, the One's images are supposed to be better because the processing is supposed to make up for the size. And when it came out, this was probably true. But the One is getting long in the tooth, and it is apparent in the camera IMO.

[JRDroid]

This is what Android Central had to say about it:

"One of our biggest complaints about the HTC One is the over-processed look it gives pictures, and while we know that comes out of necessity with only having a 4MP camera it just comes off looking wrong to our eyes. In both auto and HDR mode, the One took consistently brighter pictures than the Nexus 5, but did so at the expense of adding lots of processing and grain to pictures — often over-exposing them far more than we'd like."
Source: The Nexus 5 vs. the HTC One | Android Central

Is it good enough? Sure, I think so. But it's far from the best in that list.


Having printed many many smartphone photos, I can say this is wrong in my experience. Resolution matters a lot if you are printing. It matters a lot less when viewing on a computer.


Not really. The same image in 8MP or 4MP will look better with an 8MP source, all else being equal. Less resolution is never a good thing.

In theory, the One's images are supposed to be better because the processing is supposed to make up for the size. And when it came out, this was probably true. But the One is getting long in the tooth, and it is apparent in the camera IMO.

I read their comparison. I don't disagree with the points they made. Yet, you still ignored the post about shutter speed. I don't do still life photos or portraits with my phone. Never. I have a real digital camera for that. I use my smartphone to capture spur of the moment photos which are almost always of people in action doing things. This requires a quick launch, a quick foucus, and a quick shutter. Everyone seems to agree that to get the best pictures from the Nexus 5, you need to use HDR+, which basically relaunches the camera app, so there is added time to shot. Everyone agrees it has slow focus, so there is added time to shot, and everyone agrees (including the spec sheet) that the HTC One has a faster shutter. As I said before, I will take the good enough photo of the moment I wanted on the HTC One over the visually more stunning photo of the moment after that that I would get with a Nexus 5. I said that others use cases would vary, but for me, the slowness of the Nexus 5 camera makes it basically useless.

[JeffDenver]

Yes, please ignore the post I made in this very thread explaining why I thought the One's camera was superior (at least for my use case) than the Nexus 5's camera. I'll quote it for you below:

Yeah if you want speed, then the Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5S is probably the best right now IMO. They have the best quality of the phones that are fast.

[JRDroid]

Yeah if you want speed, then the Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5S is probably the best right now IMO. They have the best quality of the phones that are fast.

I do agree that they are superior cameras in nearly every way to either the Nexus 5 or HTC One, but I've tried iOS, it isn't for me and I hate TouchWiz with a firey passion that many find unreasonable. Camera isn't the only deciding factor for me. It is in the top 5, but not the only one.

[JeffDenver]

I do agree that they are superior cameras in nearly every way to either the Nexus 5 or HTC One, but I've tried iOS, it isn't for me and I hate TouchWiz with a firey passion that many find unreasonable. Camera isn't the only deciding factor for me. It is in the top 5, but not the only one.

I don't think they are necessarily better. All the reviews have been mixed. The iPhone has an awful Macro mode IMO. (iPhone 5s on top, Nexus 5 on bottom...click link to get the full crop, it's even more obvious)

Full Crop: http://forums.androidcentral.com/att...-full-crop.jpg
Source: Nexus 5 camera samples appear (compared with iPhone 5s)

Based on the actual samples I have seen, I don't see that the GS4 or iPhone 5s photos are really better than the Nexus 5. They are in some ways, and not in others.

This guy did an extensive comparison between the GS4 and nexus 5 cameras.

[JeffDenver]

I read their comparison. I don't disagree with the points they made. Yet, you still ignored the post about shutter speed.

I don't ignore it at all. A faster shutter speed does not make the camera good. Quality makes the camera good. If all you want is a fast shutter speed, lots of cameras already do that. The GS3 has great shutter speeds and it's well over a year old.

I don't do still life photos or portraits with my phone. Never.

I have taken pictures of people with it as well. Only HDR mode requires them to stand still.

Everyone seems to agree that to get the best pictures from the Nexus 5, you need to use HDR+, which basically relaunches the camera app, so there is added time to shot. Everyone agrees it has slow focus, so there is added time to shot, and everyone agrees (including the spec sheet) that the HTC One has a faster shutter.

Everyone agrees that the problems are in the software. Software problems can be fixed. But you cannot add new hardware. The One will never get OIS, or more MP.

[JRDroid]

I don't think they are necessarily better. All the reviews have been mixed. The iPhone has an awful Macro mode IMO. (iPhone 5s on top, Nexus 5 on bottom...click link to get the full crop, it's even more obvious)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/att...-full-crop.jpg
Full Crop: http://forums.androidcentral.com/att...-full-crop.jpg
Source: Nexus 5 camera samples appear (compared with iPhone 5s)

Based on the actual samples I have seen, I don't see that the GS4 or iPhone 5s photos are really better than the Nexus 5. They are in some ways, and not in others.

This guy did an extensive comparison between the GS4 and nexus 5 cameras.

That is why it is really hard to answer the question, "What phone has the best camera?" A lot of that will depend on your use case. For me, the combo of OIS, really great low light performance, and relatively quick pictures make the One line up with how I use a cellphone camera. However, a lot of people use their cameras very differently from me and may not get to see the One's camera strengths, only its weaknesses. Each company approaches cameras a little differently, so each one shines in different conditions.

[JRDroid]

I don't ignore it at all. A faster shutter speed does not make the camera good. Quality makes the camera good. If all you want is a fast shutter speed, lots of cameras already do that. The GS3 has great shutter speeds and it's well over a year old.


I have taken pictures of people with it as well. Only HDR mode requires them to stand still.


Everyone agrees that the problems are in the software. Software problems can be fixed. But you cannot add new hardware. The One will never get OIS, or more MP.

The One has OIS. It was the first Android phone to have it. I did acknowledge that the Nexus 5 camera issues were mostly software and that an update could drasticly change my opinion on the camera.

That’s right, the HTC One is 16:9 natively, not 4:3. In addition the HTC One includes optical image stabilization on two axes, with +/- 1 degree of accommodation and a sampling/correction rate of 2 kHz on the onboard gyro.

Source:AnandTech | How the HTC One's Camera Bucks the Trend in Smartphone Imaging

[JeffDenver]

That is why it is really hard to answer the question, "What phone has the best camera?"

Well, I do agree that quality is not at the top of the list for everyone. I think thats a valid point. But I think it is for most people, which is why reviewers focus on it.

The Nexus 5 is capable of awesome photos, but it is annoying to get them because you have to wrestle with it. They might fix this later, or a 3rd party app might fix it, but either way, thats how it is right now.

[JRDroid]

Well, I do agree that quality is not at the top of the list for everyone. I think thats a valid point. But I think it is for most people, which is why reviewers focus on it.

The Nexus 5 is capable of awesome photos, but it is annoying to get them because you have to wrestle with it. They might fix this later, or a 3rd party app might fix it, but either way, thats how it is right now.

I do not think most people would just quality over ease of use like that. To a degree yes, but if it comes down to having to install a 3rd party camera app to get good pictures, your average consumer isn't going to do that. Not to mention there are other downsides to that solution, like not being able to launch the camera from the lockscreen if you have a PIN lock (which should have). I think all the evidence that you need that people will take an okay but easy to use camera over an excellent but complex camera is the fact that the number one camera used to take pictures posted to flickr is the iPhone. People are okay taking a hit to picture quality if it means they don't have to fiddle with the camera.