Decision on HTC One

[nickthorley]

I am looking at getting my first android phone in a few weeks and torn between the HTC One and the S4. I know you are all going to say get the One in this forum but I wanted to list what I see as the + and - points and if you all would like to comment then please feel free.

- HTC Company stability - It worries me the amount of staff leaving the company and also that HTC appears to me to only look after the current phones ie as soon as there is a new model out that updates to the software get fewer and far between. I am buying this phone for 2 years and hence I want to know HTC and the updates will be there for that time period
- Non removeable battery - I wont swap a battery daily but its nice to know in the S4 that if I charge and discharge the battery so much that its lifespan is reduced that I can swap the battery quickly.
+ Better and clearer screen
+ Build quality and the look and feel of the body of the phone
- Slow charging - I read that HTC disabled the quick charge option so as to make the battery last longer - I am in agreement that this is a good move but when you are on the go all day and only have a short amount of time to charge the phone before a night out then this could come into play. Charging over night is not a problem obviously
+32 and 64GB versions available - the S4 in the UK is only available in 16Gb.
- No memory card - While most files will get stored on the device, its nice to know an sd card is an option to add 64gb of storage for video, music etc

If anyone has any different plus or negative points or wishes to expand on the above then please feel free - it may form a buying guide for everyone

Thanks

 

[nickf126]

nick, I am basically in the same boat as you. I am just absolutely sick of Verizon, so I am switching to T-Mobile. I think that their plans are more customer-orientated.
That leaves me in the choice for a phone, which happens to be the same as you, S4 or HTC One. I have the S3 now and I am happy with it, and the way that they have supported it. I love the way the One looks, and I have seen glowing reviews about it. I just don't want to get stranded if HTC goes belly up. That being said, I really should not think about it so much because I usually upgrade my phone every 9 to 12 months, so even if they do go out of business, I can just upgrade to something else.
I can only address your build quality of the One. I went to a store and I found it to be of excellent quality. The screen is beautiful, and the aluminum body really lets you know that you have a premium device.

 

[jlh73]

Had the s4. Now have the one. Imo it's faster and not as sluggish. Screen is beautiful. Pics turn out very good. Battery life is as good as my s4. I also have plenty of storage left. So no removable battery or sd card isn't an issue with me

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

 

[nickthorley]

jlh73: Did you miss / use any of the S4's gestures?

 

[jlh73]

I used some. Is was ok at first. But eventually just turned them off. Basically just to show people. But don't miss them.

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

 

[jlh73]

Eye scrolling always scrolled the page before I was even finished reading a topic.

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

 

[jlh73]

I think the screen is sharper and definitely brighter than the s4 and can see it if in sunlight.

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Almeuit]

The battery takes forever to charge and also can't be replaced... Also no SD (I don't need but some do) Those are the negatives in my book. Other than that the HTC One is an amazing phone. The S4 is amazing as well though... My gf has it and I like to mess around with it.

Play with both of them in the store to see what your preference is!

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[nickthorley]

Almeuit: when you say takes for ever can you quantify it - say from 50% to 100% and how much slower than your gf's S4 is it (appreciate they are probably at different levels when you put them on charge). Does it seem any worse at holding charge ie with the same amount of browsing, facebook etc does the one seem to drop more or less than the S4?

 

[Almeuit]

Almeuit: when you say takes for ever can you quantify it - say from 50% to 100% and how much slower than your gf's S4 is it (appreciate they are probably at different levels when you put them on charge). Does it seem any worse at holding charge ie with the same amount of browsing, facebook etc does the one seem to drop more or less than the S4?

They seem to drain near the same from what I can tell. Me and her are on tmobile so same network in the same areas. It's just once mine is down going from 50-100 can take an hour to an hour and a half whereas for her it seems like 30-45minutes. I really miss the charge time of the galaxy phones... But other than that both are excellent phones. I never thought I'd use Blink feed but.. It grew on me .

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[FaisDogg]

They seem to drain near the same from what I can tell. Me and her are on tmobile so same network in the same areas. It's just once mine is down going from 50-100 can take an hour to an hour and a half whereas for her it seems like 30-45minutes. I really miss the charge time of the galaxy phones... But other than that both are excellent phones. I never thought I'd use Blink feed but.. It grew on me .

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

My dad got Galaxy S and I got HTC one, I did his initial setup since it's his first android phone, HTC one charges as faster if you compare them with 1amp charger, I believe GS4 comes with a 2 amp charger that's why it charges faster.
HTC one is also compatible with 2 amp charging (not sure why HTC didn't ship with 2 A ac charger) if hi use 2 amp charger, HTC charges very quickly

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

 

[Almeuit]

My dad got Galaxy S and I got HTC one, I did his initial setup since it's his first android phone, HTC one charges as faster if you compare them with 1amp charger, I believe GS4 comes with a 2 amp charger that's why it charges faster.
HTC one is also compatible with 2 amp charging (not sure why HTC didn't ship with 2 A ac charger) if hi use 2 amp charger, HTC charges very quickly

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

Regardless of charger amp the HTC One will not allow more than 1 amp from what I've read. This is due to quick charge being off within the kernel... HTC did this to save on battery life for the usual 2 years people have them.. Samsung enabled the feature (quick charge) because the battery is replaceable.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[-Scienide-]

Honestly, I don't think it matters which phone you get. They are both at the top of the game right now. You won't find much better phones on the market. I've had Windows Phone 8 and several iPhones over the few years and all of them have pros and cons but the HTC One is right up there with the best phones I've ever had. I have never liked Android after some bad experiences with older phones but man has it changed. Its lightning quick, easy to use and with the HTC Sense running over the top it looks stunning. It's made me change my opinion of Android phones completely.

Seriously, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be amazing and so is the HTC One. Biggest plus point for me is the incredible build quality of the One. People are always really impressed with it. It looks and feels great.

If the battery thing is an issue then go for the S4 but i'd take the One every time but then you knew that, that's why I'm in this forum haha.

 

[AMG_Roadster]

I was test driving both phones at the same time. Short answer is you can't go wrong with either. Just pick the one that best fits your needs. There is a great thread on the S4 forum where someone else compared the phones for ~2 weeks. He decided on the HTC One.

For me I am still trying to decide which phone to keep. I have returned the S4 but have a couple of more weeks before I am locked in with the HTC One.

For me the biggest plus' with the S4 are the camera and the extra screen size. It does not sound like much but I found it very noticeable when using the phones. However I am not a fan of touchwiz and hate the stock dialer (beeps instead of touch tones). The phone and camera also are a bit laggy. However you can add Google Wallet to the phone if you root it. The fast charge is nice compared to the slower charge on the HTC One (done to extend the life of the battery). The S4 has many more accessories. The S4 feels rather cheap. GPS is a bit slower to acquire a signal than the HTC One. I had issues with Google Play not streaming data properly via bluetooth.

The HTC One is much better built, I did not think I would use them much but I am liking the front facing speakers more and more. The phone is smooth and fast. The aCalendar widget is a great addition to the phone. I do not like being limited to only 5 home pages. I really, really hate the black bars on some apps. It makes the screen feel small and wastes valuable real-estate. I like like Sense and Blinkfeed. The phone is fast a smooth. A lot of people really like Zoe - I have not use it much. The camera is disappointing - just not enough mp's to use digital zoom which is unavoidable at times to get the picture.

 

[Gator352]

Regardless of charger amp the HTC One will not allow more than 1 amp from what I've read. This is due to quick charge being off within the kernel... HTC did this to save on battery life for the usual 2 years people have them.. Samsung enabled the feature (quick charge) because the battery is replaceable.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

Believe it or not, when I charge with my car charger (sprint version from amazon...6 bucks) it charges twice as fast and it's only 900ma.

Amazon.com: Technocel MV9MCDUO-SP OEM Sprint Car Charger - Black with USB Port: Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[nickthorley]

Amg roadster if you see the thread again then will you post it please?

 

[mhunter6378]

Amg roadster if you see the thread again then will you post it please?

I believe this is the thread he was referring to.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/294297-my-s4-htc-one-comparison-ongoing.html

 

[DS1331]

You have to remember old phones charged faster because the battery was TINY. You're powering a monster here mine doesn't take long anyway though idk why everyone says that maybe I'm just used to it

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Almeuit]

You have to remember old phones charged faster because the battery was TINY. You're powering a monster here mine doesn't take long anyway though idk why everyone says that maybe I'm just used to it

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

Because have you tried a Galaxy phone? Battery not tiny.. Charge very fast.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[ffejjj]

My Htc One charges at a rate of (about) 1% per minute and 30 seconds. Plenty fast enough for me

On the other hand my friends s4 seems to charge faster. That being said the battery on my One hold's very well thru the day so its not even an issue