Galaxy S4 Design

[AlphaVictor87]

But what about the corners of the phone (where they usually land when dropped) or the screen? Those aren't easily replaced at all.

I'll agree with this, however the one video i watched of the HTC one drop test (yes entertainment purposes only not for determining my actual phone choice) that when it did drop on its corner, not only was the phone damaged as an S4 would no doubt be damaged as well, but the speaker grill popped off. If an S4 drops and the back pops off, no biggie, pop it back on. Can't exactly do that with the speaker grill.

If i got either phone i wouldn't want a case for either, and that would have been a huge deciding factor if i was still trying to determine which one i wanted, and i saw that a little fall can make the grill pop off like that even if it didn't damage the phone that much.

Just throwing in my 2 cents is all! =)



I just kind of wish we weren't getting to that point where the material of your phone didn't determine the "status" you are being perceived with. Lots of people will stick with the "high-end premium" phone that is the iPhone because they still perceive it as a status symbol while those of us using or switching to Android (like me) have the option to choose from many different phones and whatever suits our needs, be it looks or function, which is a great feeling to finally get away from iOS and Apple.

I'm not going to rag on anyone who chooses an HTC One or stick with Apple because i'm getting an S4. I do say the HTC One really does LOOK like a nice phone and so does the iPhone, but i prefer certain aspects of the S4 over those other 2.

 

[exempli_gratia]

Once peeps put a case on the One it loses it's sexiness. Once peeps put a case on the S4 it's no longer a "cheap plastic child's toy".

The Galaxy S's can swap back covers, right? At least I see a bunch of replacement covers for the S3 on Amazon.

In that case, why not think of the S4's back as just a really well integrated and sleek case.

 

[exempli_gratia]

Speaking of ergonomics, to the folks here with the One, how well does its curved back work lying on a table/desk? Do you have to pick it up to check notifications, browse, type (to avoid it rolling? Or is it stable enough with a light enough touch?

 

[Michfan4837]

I know this is the S4 forum, and I am currently a One owner, but the reviewer bashing seems a tad unfair to me. I like to buy and sell my phones often. I have enjoyed my time with both HTC Phones and Samsung phones. I went from the Note 2 on Verizon to the AT&T One last week and I am debating trading in the One for the S4 tomorrow, but this is a very difficult decision. When I picked up the One I knew I could make the trade, so it is almost like I wanted to give them both a shot. I have read all the reviews also. I do understand exactly why the reviewers are enamored with the One. Reviewers haven't spent weeks with phones inside cases. They are most likely using the phone bare. No matter what anyone says here, the One feels damn nice and even though it is heavier and thicker in the middle, it is designed so well that it feels incredibly sleek. It is not all about the aluminum. It is the two forward facing speaker grills, the lines, and, even the design on the volume controls. The camera is not awkwardly protruding out like on the Galaxy line. It simply looks and feels like nothing Android has seen before. In addition, it has that incredible sound from the speakers and from the second amp in the headphone jack. And the screen is beautiful. The camera is also innovative. Sure 4 giant mega pixels may not capture 13 MPs worth of the resolution, but it is so fast, and so good in bad lighting. So you take the design, the front-facing speakers, the camera innovation and the radically simplified Sense software, and you have a phone going in an entirely new direction for Android. I think it is wrong to knock the reviewers for liking this phone better. I have really loved Samsung's phones, and I technically think they suit me better as 1) I use a case 2) I like to watch video off my memory cards 3) I use alot of Samsung's features that many do not, 4) I like the durability of plastic and 5) I am sucker for over-saturated, eye-popping cheesy amoled colors (although I hear this has been toned down). So even though the S4 is better suited for me, it is hard to let the One go, simply because it is so novel and fresh. So even if I go to the S4 and return my One, I won't knock the One, as it very well may be the more innovative phone.

 

[EverNap]

I am debating trading in the One for the S4 tomorrow, but this is a very difficult decision. When I picked up the One I knew I could make the trade, so it is almost like I wanted to give them both a shot.

I agree with the points in your post, but aren't you making HTC/Samsung/another manufacturer lose money every time you trade the phone for another. You bought the One and used it for a few days, so when you trade the phone (i'm guessing, at no cost to you), HTC can't just package it up and sell it back to another customer. They have to sell it as 'refurbished' or something like that, and hence have to sell it for a lower price.

I could be completely wrong with my assumptions in this post, but if not, why is it ok for you to make the company lost money because you wanted to 'try' out both phones?

Cheers

edit: I'm not talking about trading in your phone if there's a problem. I'm talking about trading in your phone because you want to 'try' a phone out. No offense intended. I'm just curious as to why it's ok to do this.

 

[gruppe3942#AC]

I've been using the One for a week and this is absolutely true. Once peeps put a case on the One it loses it's sexiness. Once peeps put a case on the S4 it's no longer a "cheap plastic child's toy".

I wish more people would think of what you just stated before they get upset that the s4 is plastic. Most people put a huge case on their phone anyway so what's the point?

 

[Eric Kane]

I wish more people would think of what you just stated before they get upset that the s4 is plastic. Most people put a huge case on their phone anyway so what's the point?

Because apparently aesthetics have now become more important than functionality on a mobile phone?

 

[SCjRqrQCnBQ19QoYCtdl]

S4 is great. The One is great. I see some posters in here saying "i am using the one and it is awful". They are the same posters that were in the One threads before it came out trying to talk it down as well.

There are a lot of happy One users out there. If you are considering an S4 vs. One you are considering the two best phones available. Either is a great choice. Both have their own pluses and minuses but don't listen to the trolls, make up your own mind based on seeing the phones yourself.

 

[dustinfrank]

Love the post...I'm also frustrated a little by the reviews in part by what you're pointing out with the comparisons to the One build materials. But also because I wish they would review the S4 on its own merits as if the S3 didn't exist. I understand its not a giant leap from the S3, but this is building on a brand and I for one appreciate building on success but still offering some substantial upgrades. For me, I think I found the CNET review to be the most fair and honest review of the S4 all around. Yes they talked about the almost overwhelming amount of features, but didn't write the phone off because of them. Personally, I tend to USE my phone more than look at it so the aesthetics of the One, although certainly visually appealing, are just not high up on my list of what I want in my next phone.

As for all the negative talk about plastic being for toys... If plastic is for 'toys', then I watch all my TV and movies on a 51inch TOY every day... why do we not care that anything else we use for entertainment is made or wrapped in plastic?

 

[Eric Kane]

When you're trying to tear something down, Dustin, you dismiss it's strengths and turn them into weaknesses. Being able to answer a call by waving my hand over the phone is a weakness. Or having the ability to interact with the screen without touching it is negative because it's "gimmicky". Of course it is; it couldn't possibly be the beginning stages of technology that will be even more useful down the road, could it? Let people hate on the S4 all they want. The majority of them have no business even discussing the topic and the rest are doing so just to justify their choice of buying the One.

 

[robsawalker]

I have to say that I agree to a large degree. I think the S4 is a good looking phone, certainly. Plastics can be premium, and everyone comments on how light it feels. Let's face it, you're not going to be unhappy buying one, are you?

But I do also think that, unlike the iPhone and HTC, it does just look like a piece of electronics, where the other two look more like a piece of, well, jewellery I suppose. The S4 is a geeks wet dream where the HTC is likely to be seen in the hands of Victoria Beckham (although poor David probably has to use Samsung's). It does look better, no question, but that doesn't mean the S4 looks bad.

The only other thing is that, for me, it's boring because I've already got the S3 and it is so similar. That's why I have an HTC coming...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[05GT]

It's not annoying as much as stupid. I'm using a One right now and I can tell you the button placement and functionality is horrendous. The home and back button work about 1/3 of the time and have a mind of their own when it comes to lighting up. The power button is too flush and in the absolute worst place for a right hander.

This is the reason that I returned mine. The button placement actual function of the capacitive buttons was annoying at times.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JohnJSal]

My choice to get the One over the S4 was based mostly on the difference between Sense 5 and Touchwiz and LCD vs AMOLED. They're two very important parts of a phone that couldn't be any different between the respective units.

I'd love to hear your reasons for your choice, as I'm still trying to decide between the two phones. I've had the original EVO and now I have the EVO 4G LTE, so I'm very familiar with Sense (and I like it). But there's also the "newness" factor of the S4 for me. It won't be "yet another" HTC phone for me, whereas I'm sure it's the opposite feeling for many people who already have the S3.

Plus, I'm thinking about using an alternate launcher like Nova Prime anyway, so I'm not sure I'd use the Sense vs. TouchWiz reasoning for myself (although I can easily see why you would choose Sense).

But what about the screen? I thought it used to be said that AMOLED screens were better in the sunlight, but everything I'm reading now is making me think I'm completely wrong about that. Of course, both of my HTC phones were horrible in the sunlight, and they had LCD screens. I'm not too concerned about the sunlight issue, but are there other factors with the screen? Is it really that big of a difference between the two?

Thanks!

 

[worknman]

You're kidding yourself if you think people don't buy phones as a status symbol. Premium feel is just that. A PREMIUM feel. It honestly has nothing to do with durability. Some people just prefer the feel of aluminum over plastic, because it doesn't FEEL as cheap. Cost isn't a factor, build quality isn't a factor (though both with likely be built well), premium feel is an individual thing. I feel like aluminum is more premium, and higher quality than plastic, and I'm sure plenty of people with both agree and disagree with me.

So essentially what you're saying is that aluminum FEELS more premium, even though it really isn't. As other posters have pointed out, it's probably not going to fair much (if any) better in a drop test than the S4. So it basically boils down to the fact that 'premium feel' is little more than marketing mumbo-jumbo, and you're the first person who has admitted that you were actually dumb enough to fall for it

Despite how it may seem, I don't hate the One, but I hate why people are buying it. If you buy it because you like the boom sound, prefer the camera's low light prowess, are impressed with the Blinkfeed bloatware, etc, then fine. But that's not why people are buying this phone. It's like the video that AC recently put up, where the first chick said she'd by the HTC One over the S4 for no other reason than it is silver. And this kind of thing drives me bonkers. Not that I care why people are choosing their phones, but when so many are basing their decisions on this kind of superficial bull****, manufacturers like HTC catch onto this, which is the reason why the aluminum body is the first item on their marketing bullet points. It causes them to focus lots of attention to things like what color the phone is, instead of things like functionality... you know, the stuff that actually matters. For this reason, the S5 will probably be aluminum, which will make the phone heavier for no good reason than to appease a bunch of dumbasses who think that plastic feels cheap, even though we have already established that this has absolutely no relation to durability.

And the HTC One is like a huge magnet for sheeple who care more about what the phone looks like than what's on the inside. If the HTC One was a person, we would call people shallow for choosing it soley based on this criteria, but since it is an inanimate object, then 'sex appeal' is a factor that people really should be considering And if the HTC One was plastic, I think even its biggest fanboys would admit that most folks wouldn't even give it a second look.

 

[madlaw1071]

So essentially what you're saying is that aluminum FEELS more premium, even though it really isn't. As other posters have pointed out, it's probably not going to fair much (if any) better in a drop test than the S4. So it basically boils down to the fact that 'premium feel' is little more than marketing mumbo-jumbo, and you're the first person who has admitted that you were actually dumb enough to fall for it

Despite how it may seem, I don't hate the One, but I hate why people are buying it. If you buy it because you like the boom sound, prefer the camera's low light prowess, are impressed with the Blinkfeed bloatware, etc, then fine. But that's not why people are buying this phone. It's like the video that AC recently put up, where the first chick said she'd by the HTC One over the S4 for no other reason than it is silver. And this kind of thing drives me bonkers. Not that I care why people are choosing their phones, but when so many are basing their decisions on this kind of superficial bull****, manufacturers like HTC catch onto this, which is the reason why the aluminum body is the first item on their marketing bullet points. It causes them to focus lots of attention to things like what color the phone is, instead of things like functionality... you know, the stuff that actually matters. For this reason, the S5 will probably be aluminum, which will make the phone heavier for no good reason than to appease a bunch of dumbasses who think that plastic feels cheap, even though we have already established that this has absolutely no relation to durability.

And the HTC One is like a huge magnet for sheeple who care more about what the phone looks like than what's on the inside. If the HTC One was a person, we would call people shallow for choosing it soley based on this criteria, but since it is an inanimate object, then 'sex appeal' is a factor that people really should be considering And if the HTC One was plastic, I think even its biggest fanboys would admit that most folks wouldn't even give it a second look.

Generally agreed. I posted elsewhere that an argument could be made that the One is HTC's attempt to become Apple. A phone that is a status symbol first communications device second. By so watering down Sense and stripping away the out of the box ability to customize and tweak, Sense is almost iOS like in it's simplicity and yes fluidity. I'm not knocking it but it's why I left iOS and came to Android. I like tweaking settings and playing with widgets. Sense 5 is a step away from that. On top of that, they took a page from Apple and threw in some clever gimmicks like Blinkfeed, BoomSound and UltraPixel and make them seem revolutionary so people will latch on to the buzzword and hopefully sell alot of units. It seems like they are gearing the One towards a much younger crowd that would otherwise buy an iPhone rather than a dominating Android device.

That being said, the One is an amazing achievement and I will be sorry to see it go tomorrow when I get my S4 but at least it will stay in my family. My 17 year old is absolutely lusting after the sexiness of the One and cant wait to show her friends. Mission accomplished HTC.

 

[Eric Kane]

I had originally chosen the One over the S4, but I'll be making the switch to the S4 tomorrow. If you're on the fence, and this is purely opinion on my part, I'd go with the S4.

Although its not better in sunlight, the AMOLED screen has vibrant colors and in the S4 has adaptive modes that can be tailored to your preferences. Plus the screen is larger and because of the menu button, it doesnt have that black strip on the touchscreen that cuts away a portion of the screen on the One in most apps.

Android 4.2.2 has some great features (lock screen widgets, quick settings, etc) you won't find on the One.

Removable battery and expanded storage are also present on the S4 and while there seems to be a lot of people downplaying their importance, having the ability to get an extended battery or max your storage out at 128 GB is appealing. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung or another third party came out with a 2800-3000 mah battery that will fit with either a very small increase in thickness or none at all.

The camera on the S4, while not as good in low light, is more versatile than the camera on the One. At 13MP, shots in good lighting look incredible and if you ever plan on cropping photos or using them outside of social media, the S4 is the easy choice.

The features on the S4 are endless. Again, you'll hear a lot of people say they're gimmicky, but I'd much rather have the ability to use them and not than want to and can't.

Finally, I feel like the S4 is going to be more comfortable to hold. The edges of the One and the aluminum body look great, but aesthetics and functionality are two different things. This one is purely subjective, though; everyone will have their own preference.

Anyways, I hope that helps. There's not really a wrong choice, but I'd go with the S4 personally.

Sent from my HTC One using Android Central Forums

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

So essentially what you're saying is that aluminum FEELS more premium, even though it really isn't. As other posters have pointed out, it's probably not going to fair much (if any) better in a drop test than the S4. So it basically boils down to the fact that 'premium feel' is little more than marketing mumbo-jumbo, and you're the first person who has admitted that you were actually dumb enough to fall for it

Despite how it may seem, I don't hate the One, but I hate why people are buying it. If you buy it because you like the boom sound, prefer the camera's low light prowess, are impressed with the Blinkfeed bloatware, etc, then fine. But that's not why people are buying this phone. It's like the video that AC recently put up, where the first chick said she'd by the HTC One over the S4 for no other reason than it is silver. And this kind of thing drives me bonkers. Not that I care why people are choosing their phones, but when so many are basing their decisions on this kind of superficial bull****, manufacturers like HTC catch onto this, which is the reason why the aluminum body is the first item on their marketing bullet points. It causes them to focus lots of attention to things like what color the phone is, instead of things like functionality... you know, the stuff that actually matters. For this reason, the S5 will probably be aluminum, which will make the phone heavier for no good reason than to appease a bunch of dumbasses who think that plastic feels cheap, even though we have already established that this has absolutely no relation to durability.

And the HTC One is like a huge magnet for sheeple who care more about what the phone looks like than what's on the inside. If the HTC One was a person, we would call people shallow for choosing it soley based on this criteria, but since it is an inanimate object, then 'sex appeal' is a factor that people really should be considering And if the HTC One was plastic, I think even its biggest fanboys would admit that most folks wouldn't even give it a second look.

Well, this thread is about design. So yeah, I'm talking about design, not the rest of the stuff the One has going for it. I personally would never choose a phone purely based on design. It has to do what I need and want it to do first.

For not caring why people choose a phone you sure did go on and on about it.

Name calling is for children.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Generally agreed. I posted elsewhere that an argument could be made that the One is HTC's attempt to become Apple. A phone that is a status symbol first communications device second. By so watering down Sense and stripping away the out of the box ability to customize and tweak, Sense is almost iOS like in it's simplicity and yes fluidity. I'm not knocking it but it's why I left iOS and came to Android. I like tweaking settings and playing with widgets. Sense 5 is a step away from that. On top of that, they took a page from Apple and threw in some clever gimmicks like Blinkfeed, BoomSound and UltraPixel and make them seem revolutionary so people will latch on to the buzzword and hopefully sell alot of units. It seems like they are gearing the One towards a much younger crowd that would otherwise buy an iPhone rather than a dominating Android device.

That being said, the One is an amazing achievement and I will be sorry to see it go tomorrow when I get my S4 but at least it will stay in my family. My 17 year old is absolutely lusting after the sexiness of the One and cant wait to show her friends. Mission accomplished HTC.

Curious as to how they stopped you from customizing it. Did they take away your ability to change launchers? Or change SMS apps, keyboards, dialers, galleries, etc?

Also, it wasn't HTC that got sued for copying Apple. AND Samsung lost. Now they are adopting a very similar business strategy, which is great for making money. And honestly, that's all these companies care about.

 

[madlaw1071]

Curious as to how they stopped you from customizing it. Did they take away your ability to change launchers? Or change SMS apps, keyboards, dialers, galleries, etc?

Also, it wasn't HTC that got sued for copying Apple. AND Samsung lost. Now they are adopting a very similar business strategy, which is great for making money. And honestly, that's all these companies care about.

Nothing stopped me. Like I said its the out of the box experience they changed. Most people will never deviate from a standard setup and therefore will have a device in many ways similar to the iPhone. Again I not saying that's a bad thing.

 

[bdmridgback]

My last 4 phones were...

HTC EVO 4G
HTC EVO 3D
Samsung S2
Samsung S3

With that said, the one thing I really liked about the S3 was the feel of it in my pocket. It was a bigger phone than all the others but with the rounded edges and soft corners, it felt way better in my pocket than say my EVO or S2. I think the HTC ONE will have that bigger phone feel because it has pointed corners on it. I'm glad that they didn't change the shape of the S4 over the S3.
Going tomorrow to try to nab one....hopefully.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums