How did the critics not mention lag/stuttering issues in S4 reviews?

[alus415]

I recently traded my HTC One for a Galaxy S4 , I used the HTC One for 3 weeks and I was satisfied with it but I had 2 major issues with it the phone got too hot and the battery life ( was decent and took forever to charge) . After reading tons of reviews I decided to find someone to swap the S4 for my ONE. why? simply cause it has a larger battery, will probably have better rom support and updates I thought. Besides I'm used to Touchwiz as I have owned all the galaxy phones .

So I found someone to trade the phone and started setting it my S4 when i started noticing stutter and lag... I used android before so I immediately turned off animations , S voice off the Home button, gestures (odd that i have to turn off the gimmicks that this phone is sold for) and I still experience lag , slow downs and stuttering , also when browsing the internet that's when it gets worse, even on LTE 30 mbps + speeds the browsing experience is just bad, zooming in and out is jerky and even crashes , I also tried different browsers. What I'm upset is that all these so called credible reviewers don't mention this. The HTC ONE did not lagged once I think (least that i noticed) everything ran smooth ( with the same processor and lower speeds, so obviously software optimization is an issue here for the S4) . Several threads on XDA some fanboys claim that their S4s are not lagging (highly doubt it) , this phone is lagging hard and thus why many people are posting about it , I'm not a Samsung or HTC fanboy , I'm a fan of good phones and i usually try to get the best one out there.

At this point I'm wresting with myself at what to do . Keep the S4 and wait for Samsung to release software updates (smh at Samsung), devs to release better roms , wait for the Nexus S4 Rom to come out and see if it can be ported to the ATT version and hope it runs smooth or get the HTC One again and deal with it's limitations. I think performance > gimmicks.

 

[willthetech]

Re: How did rcritics not mention lag/stuttering issues in S4 reviews?

What phone were you using before the htc? I came from an iPhone 5 and adapting to android on GS4 is hard. I was told to disabled all of the gimmicks and visual effects also, but yesterday i turned everything back on and I cant tell the difference. The worse part right now is the keyboard, Jesus Christ !!! the stuttering is so bad I sometimes give up typing all together...

 

[alus415]

Re: How did rcritics not mention lag/stuttering issues in S4 reviews?

I have used all flagship phones really but most recently before i had the Iphone 5 which I sold for the HTC ONE , I'm leaning of selling the S4 for the ONE but might want to wait to see what the devs do with the S4 nexus .

and yup its disappointing that no one is really talking about this issue, or that the fanboys will defend it just becuase they like a brand. oh well samsung with the S5 you will not fool me again.

 

[madlaw1071]

Re: How did rcritics not mention lag/stuttering issues in S4 reviews?

You might have a bad unit. Most people that had lag lost it after US carriers pushed an update. Also, some reviews including the AC review and phone dog mentioned lag, so the info was right in front of you.

 

[jonathan2677]

Yeah I also saw reviews that mentioned lag so if you researched you'd see, but I got mine after the update was out and experience no lag, and I'm not a fan boy the only time anyone's said that to me it was about all my apple products, but again no issues on my s4

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

 

[snookasnoo]

Most of the reviewers are wanting Samsung ad dollars and we know some are being paid by Samsung to write favorable reviews. I find Anandtech to be the most even handed and knowledgable. Android Police willalso say something is bad if it is.

This is why I think most iPhone owners will be more satisfied with the Nexus 4. Clean and simple and almost lag free. But no LTE and not on Verizon.

What phone were you using before the htc? I came from an iPhone 5 and adapting to android on GS4 is hard. I was told to disabled all of the gimmicks and visual effects also, but yesterday i turned everything back on and I cant tell the difference. The worse part right now is the keyboard, Jesus Christ !!! the stuttering is so bad I sometimes give up typing all together...

 

[Nreeldeep]

I recently traded my HTC One for a Galaxy S4 , I used the HTC One for 3 weeks and I was satisfied with it but I had 2 major issues with it the phone got too hot and the battery life ( was decent and took forever to charge) . After reading tons of reviews I decided to find someone to swap the S4 for my ONE. why? simply cause it has a larger battery, will probably have better rom support and updates I thought. Besides I'm used to Touchwiz as I have owned all the galaxy phones .

So I found someone to trade the phone and started setting it my S4 when i started noticing stutter and lag... I used android before so I immediately turned off animations , S voice off the Home button, gestures (odd that i have to turn off the gimmicks that this phone is sold for) and I still experience lag , slow downs and stuttering , also when browsing the internet that's when it gets worse, even on LTE 30 mbps + speeds the browsing experience is just bad, zooming in and out is jerky and even crashes , I also tried different browsers. What I'm upset is that all these so called credible reviewers don't mention this. The HTC ONE did not lagged once I think (least that i noticed) everything ran smooth ( with the same processor and lower speeds, so obviously software optimization is an issue here for the S4) . Several threads on XDA some fanboys claim that their S4s are not lagging (highly doubt it) , this phone is lagging hard and thus why many people are posting about it , I'm not a Samsung or HTC fanboy , I'm a fan of good phones and i usually try to get the best one out there.

At this point I'm wresting with myself at what to do . Keep the S4 and wait for Samsung to release software updates (smh at Samsung), devs to release better roms , wait for the Nexus S4 Rom to come out and see if it can be ported to the ATT version and hope it runs smooth or get the HTC One again and deal with it's limitations. I think performance > gimmicks.

So the next time you're in the market to trade, you'll do your due diligence and research. Go to the store and play with the device you hope to trade for. Before trading, spend some time playing with the device before you actually trade. This is an investment. Treat it wisely.
Ultimately, you're responsible for the decisions you make. That responsibility doesn't fall in the lap of online critics.
Relying solely on other people's opinions without going hands on yourself, sets you up for possible disaster. As is your case.

 

[skiner5246]

At this point I'm wresting with myself at what to do . Keep the S4 and wait for Samsung to release software updates (smh at Samsung), devs to release better roms , wait for the Nexus S4 Rom to come out and see if it can be ported to the ATT version and hope it runs smooth or get the HTC One again and deal with it's limitations. I think performance > gimmicks.

Are you on AT&T with the S4 currently? They did release an OTA software update a little over a week ago to fix some of the lag issues. Some posters here (myself included) have seen a difference in performance. They are the only carrier (that I'm aware of currently) that has done this though.

 

[smooth4lyfe]

If your phone is lagging THAT bad then you need to factory reset...it's not THAT bad
Atleast with me...I only see .5-1 second stutters
The only thing that I noticed is that the camera takes a while to open sometimes...but I can wait for an update

 

[weblou]

It's been 3 days now with my S4 and haven't noticed lag.
Only lag i get is when apps update
Other then that phone is amazing

 

[Johnny Roberts]

It's been 3 days now with my S4 and haven't noticed lag.
Only lag i get is when apps update
Other then that phone is amazing

Same here. When I got my phone T-mobile did a factory reset right off the bat. Along with the update, I have minimum stuttering and no lag.

There are so many things to love about this phone (great camera, colors that pop, feature packed) that some minor stuttering (which all phones do) is not even noticable. Amazing phone.

 

[droric]

I have had my S4 since the AT&T brick and mortar release date and have a few things to say about the stuttering/lag. I can't speak for the HTC One but I do have an iPad 3 (First Retina Ipad) and it definitely feels just as stuttery or laggy as the S4 if not more. I noticed certain activities like swiping to the search page always generates animation freezes and launching apps typically takes much longer on the iPad then it does on the S4. As an owner of Android devices since the Motorola Milestone/Droid I think devices have come such a long way for what they accomplish now.

 

[Rich Spangler]

The problem is lag is subjective depending on the person and some people just don't want to admit it is there on their perfect phone.. I picked up the S4 and applied the updates from ATT and it can be laggy at times but still usable. I should not have to try 100s of things to reduce the lag. It should not have this given it has the fastest processor to date in a mobile. There are a few times when I am typing with the keyboard and the letters will come up slowly for a few letters then its fine again. I currently switched back to the iphone 5 and am much happier. Its does not have all the eye candy and gimmicks the S4 has but I have no lag at all and no bloatware garbage. I still think the S4 is the best Android to date. I ordered the nano to microsim adapter so I can switch back and forth when I get bored with either. If and when they release a lag fix I may switch to the S4 permantly at least until the next iPhone comes out.

 

[shoii]

Jesus put a launcher on it.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Johnny Roberts]

Yeah, what some people call lag, others barely notice or simply don't care. To me, for something to be a serious issue it has to hinder most people's use of the phone. Otherwise, it's just a "tech" talking point on a forum.

 

[alus415]

Are you on AT&T with the S4 currently? They did release an OTA software update a little over a week ago to fix some of the lag issues. Some posters here (myself included) have seen a difference in performance. They are the only carrier (that I'm aware of currently) that has done this though.

Yes I have the att version but i checked to see if there is an update and it tells me its alreadyupdated to latest version. Mind if I ask what version should I be for those that did received the update. Thanks

 

[jlh73]

I also did the att update last week. While it is better I still see lag. A few days I saw my ram drop from 1.5 to about 700 to 800. Now again when I check its always back up to about 1.5 or 1.6. Cant figure that one out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Android Central Forums

 

[TheyStoleMyName]

I also did the att update last week. While it is better I still see lag. A few days I saw my ram drop from 1.5 to about 700 to 800. Now again when I check its always back up to about 1.5 or 1.6. Cant figure that one out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Android Central Forums

The galaxy lines have a small amount of lag no matter when it comes to using the home button and some feature, its set up to have a time delay but what u r experiencing might get cured from a master reset and making sure alot of the excessive features are turned off. The one might have been defective. I gave the one to my wife now and before that i have never had it get hot or take forever to charge. Were u using the wall charger it came with or hooked to a computer?

Sent from my LG-E970 using Android Central Forums

 

[gummyjelly]

Download clean master and clear cache with that app (in history of clean master). I do that every 2-3 days n phone runs very smooth! If the lag keeps on, exchange it for another, that's not normal. As for the keyboard, get swift keyboard or kii keyboard, both r very smooth and have auto correct like the iPhone's.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Android Central Forums

 

[monsieurms]

Yeah I also saw reviews that mentioned lag so if you researched you'd see, but I got mine after the update was out and experience no lag, and I'm not a fan boy the only time anyone's said that to me it was about all my apple products, but again no issues on my s4

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Ditto...I keep reading these posts, I have no idea what anyone is talking about. It's the fastest phone I've seen--which btw echoes Pc Magazines' objective tests and comments this month's issue, where they said exactly that. I have the quote if anyone's interested...

"The Galaxy S4 is the fastest smartphone we've benchmarked so far, thanks to its 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. ... The Snapdragon torched the processor -dependent AnTuTu benchmark, but it also did unusually well on Basemark OS, which launches real applications, and on the GLBenchmark graphics benchmark."...I topped off performance testing with the hideously heavy Need for Speed: Most Wanted game, which ran like butter....Spectacular speed results carried over to network testing, too."​

I guess they're paid by Samsung to write reviews.

Of course, they are also running controlled equipment tests whereas we may have different stuff going on, networks, etc.