GS4 vs One: Made up my mind.... HTC One it is

[AMG_Roadster]

Well the Play Store 4.1.10 update has addressed several of my complaints - Location is now showing correctly, Waze is working, etc. This is a step in the right direction.

 

[mr_sushi]

Deciding between the One and S4 was certainly not an easy decision for me!

I went with the One in the end. Camera quality is the most important feature to me, but yet I went with the One instead of the S4! Admittedly, the S4 had a better rear facing camera (except in low light) but I thought that didn't outweigh the other benefits of the One (boomsound, zoe, highlights, better UI, more natural looking screen etc).

Further, both front-facing cameras are on par: strangely NOBODY has ever compared the front cameras in all the camera comparisons I've read. And given that I use the front camera as much as the rear camera, I decided that the S4's superior rear camera wasn't such a decisive point for me.

Anyway I think the One's rear camera is more than fine: just look at the thread elsewhere in this forum where people post pics taken with the One!

 

[SCjRqrQCnBQ19QoYCtdl]

I do agree that Samsung's camera is superior overall. I don't even think that's arguable but the key for me was the One camera being sufficient in most situations. There are rarely situations where I take pics where the GS4 would be 10x better. Maybe slightly, but not much when considering the other things I prefer about the device. Here's a pic I took almost fully zoomed in on a spider on the side of my house. I was standing about 6 feet away. Is it the best? Certainly not. But it came out good enough to capture what I wanted.

Hehe, you should have just moved closer and got a macro without zooming.

 

[SCjRqrQCnBQ19QoYCtdl]

I am continuing to test drive the HTC One and I still really one to like it. I am hoping that the Google Play 4.1.10 update takes care of most of my complaints.

Yesterday I took a number of pictures with the phone. What I noticed is that with any kind of zoom the quality became pretty unacceptable. Now I do not expect much from digital zoom and do not use it on a camera. However using zoom on the HTC one resulted in pictures significantly worse than using zoom on my old Galaxy S2. In every other way the HTC One is a significant improvement over the GS2 but I am a bit disappointed in the camera.

Yeah, digital zoom is not going to be your friend on this one. But, the camera is very capable and the only reason I chose the One over the s4

 

[zkSharks]

Well with the rumors of Samsung considering optical zoom on the next Note, we may see a trend of smaller cameras with optical zoom. It's hard (or not possilbe) to do in super-thin phones, but it will drastically improve image quality when zooming.

Also, I came here to read about the One and S4, and I get a photo of a spider. I hate spiders.

 

[SCjRqrQCnBQ19QoYCtdl]

Does this functionality consume much battery life on standby?

Auto screen on has had surprisingly little impact to battery for me if GSam is to be believed. It shows it is using well less than 1% of my battery.

 

[scorpiodsu]

Hehe, you should have just moved closer and got a macro without zooming.

I just got some mulching done down the side of the house (about 4ft outward) which is probably why it's on the side now. But I wasn't going to walk over the mulch anyway with that thing there LOL.

 

[Noel Eiffe]

I know the purpose of these threads is to make us feel good about our decisions, but I made the opposite decision. First, I heartily agree that both these phones are great devices. And I totally agree that the screen and sound on the HTC One are far superior to the S4 - the one screen in sunlight is amazing.

But the Sense thing just weighed me down in a way that even TouchWiz doesn't, and I found the fussiness of the on/off button (ie, the IR Blaster) super irritating, and the extra heft of the device kind of oppressed me. I just felt those issues would bother me more over time than the cheesiness. And lag? Well, I've had a little but nothing unbearable. (One exception: Handcent took 2 minutes or more to send and receive text messages. Go SMS, no issues.)

Even weirder, coming from the iPhone 5 and reading all the reviews, I fully expected to love the One, but just couldn't get along with it. Still, no one who picks one of these phones should have regrets. Each is a great device in its own way and everybody should try them both and follow their instincts, as there's no wrong decision.

 

[trandz]

I do agree that Samsung's camera is superior overall. I don't even think that's arguable but the key for me was the One camera being sufficient in most situations. There are rarely situations where I take pics where the GS4 would be 10x better. Maybe slightly, but not much when considering the other things I prefer about the device. Here's a pic I took almost fully zoomed in on a spider on the side of my house. I was standing about 6 feet away. Is it the best? Certainly not. But it came out good enough to capture what I wanted.

EXACTLY! Its a damn PHONE. IDK but I take pics mostly to capture a moment or what not. I've been widely impressed with everything about the camera on the One. I just dont get people that expect this to be a DSLR camera of some sort and than moan and complain that its not. Both GS4 and the One take amazing pics. I had the GS4 also for a short while before selling it and taking advantage of the 100$ ATT credit for my 2 old phones to go back to the One. Not ONCE have I thought "oh man...the One would never be able to take pics like this. Yeah its 4MP and you cant blow the pic up in Photoshop but does anyone that is seriously in photography actually do this with their phone camera and not a dedicated high-end camera?

People, stop acting like the One is some Blackberry Curve from 2009 and the GS4 is the best thing ever.

 

[GadgetGator]

But the Sense thing just weighed me down in a way that even TouchWiz doesn't, and I found the fussiness of the on/off button (ie, the IR Blaster) super irritating, and the extra heft of the device kind of oppressed me.

Well, the Google edition or a custom Rom would take care of the Sense issue. And there's some apps you can use to avoide the button. But yeah, nothing that can be done about the weight of the device.

 

[trickifiedpat]

sir if you could help me decided. im stucked and torn between the gs4 and the htc one. i watched all the reviews and read everything that i needed to know. i just have some issues for gs4 some users says it a little bit laggy, the plastic look (even though there are aftermarket aluminum protectors) and the auto correct that is not available. For htc one i really love how it looks and the functionality im just amazed at the features of the samsung s4. Considering that im a student and im buying it cash (hard earned cash) what can you recommend me? the one or the s4?

 

[madlaw1071]

sir if you could help me decided. im stucked and torn between the gs4 and the htc one. i watched all the reviews and read everything that i needed to know. i just have some issues for gs4 some users says it a little bit laggy, the plastic look (even though there are aftermarket aluminum protectors) and the auto correct that is not available. For htc one i really love how it looks and the functionality im just amazed at the features of the samsung s4. Considering that im a student and im buying it cash (hard earned cash) what can you recommend me? the one or the s4?

They are both GREAT phones and it's hard to make a mistake with either. The best thing to do, is go to a store and use them both.

IMO, the One is all about style over functionality. The One looks good and feels good to the touch but has lousy ergonomics and lacks basic functionality that many users deem important. It really depends on what you deem important.

The best analogy is that the One is like a sports car. Looks good, goes really fast and impresses your friends but you wouldnt want to drive it every day because it's just not practical.

 

[trickifiedpat]

They are both GREAT phones and it's hard to make a mistake with either. The best thing to do, is go to a store and use them both.

IMO, the One is all about style over functionality. The One looks good and feels good to the touch but has lousy ergonomics and lacks basic functionality that many users deem important. It really depends on what you deem important.

The best analogy is that the One is like a sports car. Looks good, goes really fast and impresses your friends but you wouldnt want to drive it every day because it's just not practical.

thanks for answering. it's just that the phone that i'll get will be in my pocket for a long time.

i have read the pro's and con's of both phones. i'm really new to these phones and i want the one that'll be my daily driver. functionality is what im after. The HTC One and the Galaxy S4 sure hits me alot.

 

[madlaw1071]

thanks for answering. it's just that the phone that i'll get will be in my pocket for a long time.

i have read the pro's and con's of both phones. i'm really new to these phones and i want the one that'll be my daily driver. functionality is what im after. The HTC One and the Galaxy S4 sure hits me alot.

Everyone values features differently. For example, some people do not care that the LED on the One cannot be customized whereas the S4 can be adjusted to any color of the rainbow for various notifications. Some people like the physical Home button on the S4, some do not. Some people LOVE the BoomSound speakers on the One while others only listen to media with headphones so it's nothing more than a gimmick. Some people like to be able to access the notification shade while in full screen apps(S4 can, One cannot) others dont care.

The list is endless but usage varies. I'm lucky to have both and can enjoy each.

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

You can get auto screen on. Works great.

Those photos are absolutely Awesom!!. Were those all taken with -1 sharpness? Are there any other constants that you used in your photos along with the sharpness adjustment to create such cool pics? I think i read somewhere to reduce the contrast by 1 as well. I have annointed you the HTC One camera expert LOL..and any help you might have would be appreciated..

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

They are both GREAT phones and it's hard to make a mistake with either. The best thing to do, is go to a store and use them both.

IMO, the One is all about style over functionality. The One looks good and feels good to the touch but has lousy ergonomics and lacks basic functionality that many users deem important. It really depends on what you deem important.

The best analogy is that the One is like a sports car. Looks good, goes really fast and impresses your friends but you wouldnt want to drive it every day because it's just not practical.

And , your contraindications to the SG4????

 

[madlaw1071]

And , your contraindications to the SG4????

The S4 has a better camera, but lacks Zoes and Highlights which are AWESOME, so far irreplaceable features. The One is faster, smoother. How's that?

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

They are both GREAT phones and it's hard to make a mistake with either. The best thing to do, is go to a store and use them both.

IMO, the One is all about style over functionality. The One looks good and feels good to the touch but has lousy ergonomics and lacks basic functionality that many users deem important. It really depends on what you deem important.

The best analogy is that the One is like a sports car. Looks good, goes really fast and impresses your friends but you wouldnt want to drive it every day because it's just not practical.

I've really not heard that analogy before about the One regarding being able to really go fast but not practical. Can you explain why It's more practical to wave your hand to answer a phone than to just press a button and answer, or why it's more practical to scroll a webpage with your eyes rather than your finger? Can you explain why it's more practical to remove an unwanted artifact from a picture before you know it's there than after? Can you explain why it's more practical to store really large pictures on limited on board storage as opposed to mobile sized pictures on 3 times(after software) phone storage? I don't really follow how the One is less functional or practical than the SGS4! Againi get that you have the best of both worlds in having both phones, but other than the HTC One looking really cool, i really haven't been able to detect a single advantage it has over your SGS4 based on your posts. I keep asking myself why do you have both? You've not been a fan of Blinkfeed. You've considered Boomsound as gimmecky. You've considered the One to have an inferior camera. And, despite many accounts to the contrary, you've even stated that the One has an inferior screen in direct sunlight compared to the SGS4. I'm genuinely interested to know exactly what's the advantage of having the One over the SGS4 other than saying you have both phones with nearly every post?

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

The S4 has a better camera, but lacks Zoes and Highlights which are AWESOME, so far irreplaceable features. The One is faster, smoother. How's that?

Ok, sounds good! LOL!

 

[scorpiodsu]

I've really not heard that analogy before about the One regarding being able to really go fast but not practical. Can you explain why It's more practical to wave your hand to answer a phone than to just press a button and answer, or why it's more practical to scroll a webpage with your eyes rather than your finger? Can you explain why it's more practical to remove an unwanted artifact from a picture before you know it's there than after? Can you explain why it's more practical to store really large pictures on limited on board storage as opposed to mobile sized pictures on 3 times(after software) phone storage? I don't really follow how the One is less functional or practical than the SGS4! Againi get that you have the best of both worlds in having both phones, but other than the HTC One looking really cool, i really haven't been able to detect a single advantage it has over your SGS4 based on your posts. I keep asking myself why do you have both? You've not been a fan of Blinkfeed. You've considered Boomsound as gimmecky. You've considered the One to have an inferior camera. And, despite many accounts to the contrary, you've even stated that the One has an inferior screen in direct sunlight compared to the SGS4. I'm genuinely interested to know exactly what's the advantage of having the One over the SGS4 other than saying you have both phones with nearly every post?

As I stated in the first post, I much preferred the One to the S4 after using both. The S4 features are not important to me and the camera, although better, was a downer that all the settings have to be used before you take the pic and then it wouldn't work all the time if the conditions weren't "ideal". Who has time for that? Moments of our lives happen in a couple of seconds and it's not going to wait until you change the camera to right setting and it might work. That's not practical. Just my opinion on that. And in my opinion, Sense 5 > touchwiz in almost every way. Touchwiz isn't terrible, just not as good as sense and clean looking. All the gestures are cool too a point but many of them aren't practical either which negates the purpose. Conditions have to be "ideal" to use them. And most of the time you have to create these condition or force yourself to use them so you feel like you're actually using the device for it's advertised features. Having said that, either is a good choice. You have to decide which one is better for you and this is where Sense and Touchwiz make the difference. Everyone has different preference. The S4 is an excellent device but nothing truly exciting in my opinion.