So I'm saving up for a new phone as my aging Galaxy Nexus is showing it's age, and I'm split between the S4 and the Find 5. I will most likely buy either one for full price. So for this, I am considering either a 16 gig version of the S4 or the 32 gig version of the Find 5. I'm in US (New York), and on T-Mobile.
Here's what's important to me and what I don't really care about:
What I like about both phones:
- have a 5 inch 1080p screens
- have 2 gigs of RAM
- have great cameras: from the photos I've seen, they both look great to me
What I don't really care about when it comes to both phones:
- OS version and software: I will probably root and flash a custom ROM the same week, so OS version and all of the UI overlays are not important to me. Although, if I do decide to keep it stock for a while, I find Oppo's UI to be much more polished. The new Touchwiz seems like a cluttered mess.
- Processing power: Oppo Find 5 has a Snapdragon S4 Pro and Galaxy S4 has Snapdragon 600. Even though the 600 is faster, both are proven beasts. And both are miles ahead of the crappy Texas Instruments CPU in my Galaxy Nexus.
- LTE: I don't browse much when I'm out and about, but when I do, I find that HSPA+ works fine for me.
- Battery life and removable battery: they both have good-sized batteries, so battery life is a non-issue for me. It's nice to have a removable battery, but I don't really swap batteries, so again, a non-issue.
- Expandable storage: 32 gigs is enough for me, and Oppo comes with that, and I can simply get an SD card for the S4. If I have at least 15-20 gigs available for my music, I'm a happy camper.
What I like about the S4:
- camera features: although I mentioned that I don't really care about the OS version and features, this is one part of the S4's software that I am interested in. I like taking random photos and it's nice to have a lot of camera features to play with.
- SAMOLED display: I like those bright and saturated colors. But (see next part)
What I don't like about the S4:
- SAMOLED display: washed out whites, they look either blue or yellow. Difficult to see in direct sunlight, even at full brightness.
- design: it's a generic slab of a phone. It's boring, uninspired, and looks completely generic. Plus the physical home button is just awkward.
- feel and build quality: I had a Nexus S for over a year, so I know what Sammy's shiny plastic feels like - like a cheap *** toy. And judging by the S3, the S4 still uses the same exact plastic.
What I like about the Find 5:
- design: it's subtle but unique enough to stand out
- the uniqueness of the phone overall: I like the fact that very few people have heard of Oppo. I never heard of them before this device. I guess I'm a bit anti-mainstream, so I like unique things.
- display: sure, I've never actually seen the phone up close, but from all of the reviews I've read and watched, the Find 5 has one of the best, if not THE best 1080p screen on a phone.
What I don't like about the Find 5:
- unproven (?) track record with mobile: Oppo has only a handful of phone models and they're not really for sale in US, none that I've heard of. Will this phone be officially supported in 6 months? Will developers, hackers, and tinkerers support this phone in 6 months? I think it's an understandable concern for someone who likes to flash customs ROMs from time to time.
Some extra notes: I listen to music pretty much everywhere I go. I mostly use ATH-M50 headphones and sometimes Koss PortaPro's. I expect the sound quality to be good on both phones, but if anybody knows for a fact which is better, let me know. I also love customizing the hell outta my phone. I'll probably download Apex and Nova launchers day one, and customize them with UCCW, Zooper, and custom icons. With everything said, I'm leaning more towards the Find 5.
So, any thoughts?
Here's what's important to me and what I don't really care about:
What I like about both phones:
- have a 5 inch 1080p screens
- have 2 gigs of RAM
- have great cameras: from the photos I've seen, they both look great to me
What I don't really care about when it comes to both phones:
- OS version and software: I will probably root and flash a custom ROM the same week, so OS version and all of the UI overlays are not important to me. Although, if I do decide to keep it stock for a while, I find Oppo's UI to be much more polished. The new Touchwiz seems like a cluttered mess.
- Processing power: Oppo Find 5 has a Snapdragon S4 Pro and Galaxy S4 has Snapdragon 600. Even though the 600 is faster, both are proven beasts. And both are miles ahead of the crappy Texas Instruments CPU in my Galaxy Nexus.
- LTE: I don't browse much when I'm out and about, but when I do, I find that HSPA+ works fine for me.
- Battery life and removable battery: they both have good-sized batteries, so battery life is a non-issue for me. It's nice to have a removable battery, but I don't really swap batteries, so again, a non-issue.
- Expandable storage: 32 gigs is enough for me, and Oppo comes with that, and I can simply get an SD card for the S4. If I have at least 15-20 gigs available for my music, I'm a happy camper.
What I like about the S4:
- camera features: although I mentioned that I don't really care about the OS version and features, this is one part of the S4's software that I am interested in. I like taking random photos and it's nice to have a lot of camera features to play with.
- SAMOLED display: I like those bright and saturated colors. But (see next part)
What I don't like about the S4:
- SAMOLED display: washed out whites, they look either blue or yellow. Difficult to see in direct sunlight, even at full brightness.
- design: it's a generic slab of a phone. It's boring, uninspired, and looks completely generic. Plus the physical home button is just awkward.
- feel and build quality: I had a Nexus S for over a year, so I know what Sammy's shiny plastic feels like - like a cheap *** toy. And judging by the S3, the S4 still uses the same exact plastic.
What I like about the Find 5:
- design: it's subtle but unique enough to stand out
- the uniqueness of the phone overall: I like the fact that very few people have heard of Oppo. I never heard of them before this device. I guess I'm a bit anti-mainstream, so I like unique things.
- display: sure, I've never actually seen the phone up close, but from all of the reviews I've read and watched, the Find 5 has one of the best, if not THE best 1080p screen on a phone.
What I don't like about the Find 5:
- unproven (?) track record with mobile: Oppo has only a handful of phone models and they're not really for sale in US, none that I've heard of. Will this phone be officially supported in 6 months? Will developers, hackers, and tinkerers support this phone in 6 months? I think it's an understandable concern for someone who likes to flash customs ROMs from time to time.
Some extra notes: I listen to music pretty much everywhere I go. I mostly use ATH-M50 headphones and sometimes Koss PortaPro's. I expect the sound quality to be good on both phones, but if anybody knows for a fact which is better, let me know. I also love customizing the hell outta my phone. I'll probably download Apex and Nova launchers day one, and customize them with UCCW, Zooper, and custom icons. With everything said, I'm leaning more towards the Find 5.
So, any thoughts?
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