I don't understand this phone...

b_slow1

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I thought that the big draw of the Galaxy S4 was all of its features (features that are found within TouchWiz). I'm referring to the additions to the camera, the air gestures, and so on.

But with the Google Edition phone, there is no TouchWiz, so all of those added features are removed, right? I understand that you instead get the stock Android "experience" and that you receive OS updates through the Play Store, but all of the features that made the S4 special are gone.

So what is the draw to this phone as opposed to the Nexus 5 for half the price?

I don't mean for this to come off as a post attacking those of you who purchased this phone. I just don't get it; I think I must be missing something. Thanks!
 

B. Diddy

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Not everyone is a fan of TouchWiz. Some feel it's too bloated, and has too many features that aren't necessarily useful or practical for everyone. Just look at how much storage memory is taken up by the OS, TouchWiz, and other bloatware in the mainstream S4--for those who have a 16 GB phone, I think they only have 8 GB available to use, which means a full 8 GB are taken up by the system.

The S4 is a nice powerful phone, so the Google Edition allows people to take advantage of that powerful processor, great display, and excellent camera, without being encumbered by software that they're not interested in.
 

SactoKingsFan

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Some people hate TouchWiz and the Google S4 is the closest thing to a Nexus device with removable battery and SD card slot. It also has a better camera than N5.
 

b_slow1

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Not everyone is a fan of TouchWiz. Some feel it's too bloated, and has too many features that aren't necessarily useful or practical for everyone. Just look at how much storage memory is taken up by the OS, TouchWiz, and other bloatware in the mainstream S4--for those who have a 16 GB phone, I think they only have 8 GB available to use, which means a full 8 GB are taken up by the system.

The S4 is a nice powerful phone, so the Google Edition allows people to take advantage of that powerful processor, great display, and excellent camera, without being encumbered by software that they're not interested in.

Yes, I think the usable storage is about 8GB. I get that. I also get the desire for updates to the OS as quickly as possible. But other than the lackluster camera on the Nexus 5, wouldn't it make more sense to lean in that direction if you were going to scrap all of the TouchWiz stuff? It has the newer CPU/GPU, and a 1080p screen that is just as nice, from what I understand. And it costs $350, as opposed to $650 for the S4 on Google Play.

I watched the Samsung conference announcing the S4. They spent nearly the entire conference talking up the TouchWiz features. That's how they were marketing the phone, so I'm just surprised that there would be value in the phone itself without all of the things that Samsung itself seemed most proud of.
 

b_slow1

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Some people hate TouchWiz and the Google S4 is the closest thing to a Nexus device with removable battery and SD card slot. It also has a better camera than N5.

AH, the removable battery and SD card slot. I forgot about that. I know that is a feature a lot of people like about the S4.

Its something you don't see on too many phones anymore...
 

B. Diddy

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But other than the lackluster camera on the Nexus 5, wouldn't it make more sense to lean in that direction if you were going to scrap all of the TouchWiz stuff?

The N5 isn't available on all networks yet (ahem, Verizon). And the S4 has been around for a while longer than the N5, which just came out.
 

Google_Superuser

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It's almost a Nexus phone (with slightly slower updates) but you get a removable battery, sd slot and hardware buttons (if you are into those)

Also a wider variety of accessories.
 

anon(4838081)

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For me the reason to choose the GS4 over a Nexus 5 are:

1) Better Camera - I use the camera frequently on phones and the Nexus cameras (and Motorola) are notoriously bad in comparison. I really hope someone like Motorola focuses on camera quality and optics for the next version of the Nexus.

2) Battery - The GS4 has a better battery and also a removable/swappable battery. My wife has an S4 as well and we constantly swap batteries with a spare battery/charger we keep by the door. It is great to be leaving for a night out, realize you battery is low, and just swap it out. Makes life easier.

3) SD Card - In theory this should be a big advantage, but the reality is its not supported very well by Samsung and Google in the GS4 builds.

4) Higher Distribution of phone - The S4 is a huge seller, which means better support, tips, and most importantly accessories.
 

JoeMcJoe

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I have both this s4 GPe and the n5, the camera in the s4 is many times better than the n5.

The n5 comes with 32GB, the s4 GPe comes with 16 GB, but the SD card issue just about makes the SD slot useless.

The battery on the s4 GPe is slightly better than the n5, but I'm not one to keep changing batteries, I'd rather have a phone that is thicker and a longer battery life. These slimline phones don't make sense to me.
 

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