Coming from iP5 to 1st Android phone; Question is One or GS4?

[go3go]

I came from an iphone 4 to the one. I've had it a few days and it definitely matches the premium feel material wise that you get with the iphone family. As far as the camera goes, I think it's fine for most applications (I haven't played around with it a ton), but I did go out and compare it to my gf's iphone 5 a little the other day. Colors seemed a bit more natural on the one, but overall they're very comparable (I'm no photography buff, so take what I say with a grain of salt).

sample photo:

not sure how uploading to photobucket will affect the quality. There seems to be a little lack of detail in the leaves. It's on full auto with no messing with the settings, I have read that it takes better pictures with the sharpness reduced.

Overall though, the big selling points are the screen (gorgeous display), the looks, the speakers (super loud and clear) and the ui (for me at least). Still figuring everything out since I've never owned an android device.

I think your best bet is to go in a mess with them both. You should already be able to go in and look at display models for the one. You'll likely be happy with either though as said above. They both seem to be amazing phones.

 

[Nguyenning]

I went from an iphone 4s to a Galaxy S3 and reaaaally hated the crappy build quality/plastic. It felt so cheap in my hand after so long with the iPhone 4s. Now I have an iPhone 5 and am highly considering the HTC One.

 

[mcpricex]

I made the mistake last year of going from a Iphone 4s to the HTC one x last year. It was a nice phone, but it had a lot of issues. Number one the antenna was crap, was on Edge speed with it while the Iphone got 4g(not LTE). Aside from that I found it wouldn't sync with my car BT and it just had random bugs. I ended up getting a Samsung Galaxy 3 and WOW it was easily a better phone IMO in almost every way and the antenna is solid and gives me 4G Lte where the one x could not. Is the Htc One better than the Samsung 4 I doubt it. Sure like last year reviews and word of mouth will be hyping the HTC One like it's the best ever but when push comes to shove Samsung is the top dog in android phones, the SG4 is going to be an amazing phone that will dominate like the SG3 did last year. I would make sure to compare both very closely in store before you buy.

Interesting point, but it has to be said that the One X is a completely different phone and that reception in any given location will always vary, even on the same phone. My HTC One, for example, gets much better reception in several locations where my S2 had previously struggled. I also found that the S2 (and to be fair, my sons S3) would often vary in reception even when stationary, jumping from hspda+ all the way through 3g to edge and back again, like it was hunting for the best signal without really locking on to any, where my One seems to be more consistent.

 

[mcpricex]

Thanks to all the people who reviewed, but I was wondering, if you put a case on your phone (as most people do) isn't build quality really pointless?

Build quality can imply different things to different people, for some it is the asthetic of form and materials while for others it could mean the quality of construction. In the case of the One you have a solidly constructed and (so far!) very well put together phone with premium materials and design. So the phone does beg to be handled and shown off to the world, but, being ham fisted, sausage fingered, shaved apes that we are, accidents happen. Nobody enjoys that slow motion sick feeling that you get as your pride and joy miraculously jumps from your hand and makes a kamikazi style break for the nearest patch of solid concrete (why do phones never fall on soft carpet?) so a case is always a good idea.

 

[anon(4697585)]

I went with the HTC One. Coming from the iPhone which undoubtedly is the best quality phone out there the HTC made me feel a little more comfortable on the switch as it is a very close second!

 

[Newtoandroid99]

Interesting point, but it has to be said that the One X is a completely different phone and that reception in any given location will always vary, even on the same phone. My HTC One, for example, gets much better reception in several locations where my S2 had previously struggled. I also found that the S2 (and to be fair, my sons S3) would often vary in reception even when stationary, jumping from hspda+ all the way through 3g to edge and back again, like it was hunting for the best signal without really locking on to any, where my One seems to be more consistent.

I had heard the X issue was a design issue that effected x amount of phones. I had to get rid of the phone because the constant signal drops in multiple locations was to much of a hassle to deal with. I hope the One does not have the same issues as the X did.

 

[VelfarreClubber]

I've been an iPhone user since the first gen in '07 all the way up till the iPhone 4. Switched to the GS3 but was between the One X at the time, I never liked the AMOLED screen on the GS3 and always favored the One X for it's display. However, because of the hype surrounding the GS3 with it's removable battery and SD card I chose to go with the Samsung. 6 months later I'm now gladly switching the the HTC One (2013)

Reasons:
Not a fan of the GS3 AMOLED screen it's colors are unnaturally vibrant, no crisp whites but photo's and movies look amazing because of the deep blacks. There are people who prefer this type of display but not me.
OS: With Ice cream sandwich and Jelly bean apps are limited to the phones internal storage (fail) in my case 16gb. I bought the GS3 thinking I can always buy more memory and make space but when you have games especially from Gameloft they allocate a lot of space. Each game can be about ~1.5 gb

I made a pre-order for a 64gb One, there will be ample room for apps, media and photos. I also had an opportunity to play with the phone at the AT&T store last week, the phone felt very much like the first iPhone which I still think carries the best aesthetics in hardware design. The HTC One 1080p screen is brilliant and everything on the phone worked amazingly fast with everything I threw at it.

Am I concerned about the non removable battery on the HTC One? Not really but it was never a problem for me with all iPhones I had and with the positive reviews for the One I feel confident the phone will last me most of the day. Honestly I have 2 batteries for my GS3 and with in the 6 months of ownership I swapped the batteries twice because I forgot to charge my phone overnight or was using the phone too heavily throughout the day. I am usually around a charger most of the day in my office and have a car charger should I need to use it.

Make note this is maybe just me but I think in comparison with the iOS and the GS3 the iPhone email client works best as it pushes my yahoo and gmail email's in a timely efficient manner as opposed to the one that comes with the GS3. I have found work arounds in android by using 3 email apps but it is somewhat cumbersome having to switch around apps.

If your used to using an iPhone I think you will be overall satisfied to make the switch to the HTC One with it's hardware and software implements to android.

 

[Marcus Robinson1]

HTC one has untouchable sound bad software doesn't feel good in your hand sounds retarded but when you use a phone for a year or two you gotta get what you like the s4 is just the best all around phone if you want sound go get a good pair of bluetooth headphones. I wanted the s4 but when I went to get it they only had the one so I said I'd take it regret it bad going back tomorrow for a white s4.

 

[truthteller10]

Let me offer my unbiased opinion. This coming from a long time Samsung user. If you like a fluid non stuttering software system thats new and refreshing go with the HTC One and you won't go wrong.

 

[Gunrack]

I've had every iPhone from day one. I'll back up. I didn't have the 5. My last one was the 4s. My wife has the 5 though and I've used it a lot. Not a big enough jump from the 4s to the 5 for me. Okay, that said I've had the HTC One now for about 2 weeks. My first android phone. I really, REALLY like it! Yes the build quality and features are outstanding. The screen is one thing I absolutely love. The larger size and resolution puts everything else to shame IMHO.

I did see and play with the Galaxy S4 on Saturday though and I thought after reading all of the reviews it would have a cheap feel to it but I didn't get that. It really felt like a nice phone to me. The one thing I did like about the S4 was the home button at the bottom that would turn the display back on. Much like the iPhone home button would do. I do miss that one feature. Not so much that I'd switch at this point though.

I'm very happy with the ONE and android! I'm a tinkerer and I think these phones are made for people who like to customize their phones. I was constantly jailbreaking my iPhones but that was always only as good as the next iOS update. I can now tinker to my hearts content.

I don't think you can go wrong with either phone and if you like to customize your OS you'll love the android OS.

 

[raziel]

If this is your first Android device and you had to pick between the two, I suggest the HTC One. As I have said in other forums, the HTC One is a great device right out of the box. It's fast, smooth, and a little more familiar if you are coming from the iPhone.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 on the other hand, in my own personal experience (I know everyone is different), was frustrating and laggy and I have been using Android devices since Eclair. However, after rooting, and flashing a custom ROM such as MDOB or GoldenEye (made by the same ROM chef), the experience is much better and is on par if not better than the HTC One. So it's just a matter of how much time you are willing to invest in tweaking your devices!