Even though I chose the galaxy s4, I would have a hard time arguing their decision. Both are great devices. I could have easily flipped a coin and been happy with either.
Sent from my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4
Either phone is surely a worthy choice... but I wonder if the GS4 they used that experienced the lag they describe was on a carrier that later received the OTA update that many forum users claimed fixed their lag? I'm on a VZW GS4 and cannot find lag at all (i've been looking based on the forum comments on it). I suppose its possible that VZW baked in the fix prior to release (doubt it). One difference i did notice is that on the VZW GS4 the double-click home button is NOT set to launch S-Voice by default.
Since it seems the 'lag issue' was the deciding factor in their analysis, would this have come out as a tie or advantage Samsung if their device had been updated?
They clearly meant the 16GB model S4 was runner up...the 32 GB model is numero uno! At least that is my story!
The ac team has rarely picked the best phones every year. They do not want the android phone that everyone has!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
They are comparing the aluminum body vs plastic body mostly, which is almost an invalid point because any sane person will use protective case. Also plastic body is lighter in weight.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
This is really at the heart of most of the love for the One. Put the One in the S4 body and it won't win a single comparison. Is the camera better? No. Does it have good ergonomics? No. Is the battery better? No. Can you tweak the LED? No. Does it have a black menu bar across the bottom of many apps? Yes. Not even going to the removable battery and sd card.
That being said the build materials are exceptional and if the good folks at AC put a premium on the premium build then it is with good basis.
2nd place is really just the 1st loser!
SENT FROM ANDROID CENTRAL'S TOP SMARTPHONE OF 2013!! WOOT WOOT!
Please read THIS, THIS, and THIS. Historically the choices have been primarily Samsung devices, with a few others sprinkled in here or there. I saw far more recommendations for the S3 last year from anyone at AC than I did the One X (or pretty much any other phone other than a Nexus).
Before you go making claims like you made you should probably make sure you have your information straight.
Oh yeah, be sure to check out the top two picks in THIS ROUNDUP for International devices. It seems as though AC has a bias for Samsung.
So not smoothness of software, ui design and zoes? I think people did make a huge deal out of aesthetics and build materials (mistaking this often for being the same as build quality), but may have been raving about the software experience while disparaging the experience with TouchWiz (bloat, lag, etc). I think it's a little bit of a total package argument, that software on that screen with that camera, etc. versus the other combination; making it entirely subjective.
This also plays on the relative expectations of each: HTC relieved us by not releasing a total let down and keeping their dog in the fight, while Samsung was perceived to release an "s" version. That's been talked about quite a bit, and realistically I agree the S4 is MUCH better than the S3, but the expectation was of a total redesign/refresh of the line (not sure why, but I was hoping for it too). This seems to make people more critical of Samsung's choices and more willing to give HTC a pass on similar decisions.
I can still make an argument for either of these two or the Nexus 4 being the top phone in existence, but where Samsung leads on the spec sheet, it's the hardest to argue in favor of, out of those three. I have no problem recommending it to previous Samsung owners, but it's harder to do it justice for people on iOS, older HTC, LG and Moto devices.