Forgive me if the thread title has been used before 
.. but it's one of my favorite movies.
Thought I'd share my experience in case anyone else is in the same boat (It's a bit long, but I'm bored, so here goes):
Background: I owned an iPhone years ago and tried to make the jump to Android but was always turned off by the lag I noticed in Android phones compared with iOS. As time passed by and Android phones got better, I made the jump with the Galaxy line (S2, S3, S4,) I liked them but after a few months of use, the lag got pretty bad. When I finally tried an HTC phone (M7 and then M8), I loved the software so much better than touchwiz. It just seemed much smoother to me. I loved everything about the M8 except for the camera. As a previous iPhone user, I was pretty spoiled by good cameras but I thought it was worth the sacrifice. That was until recently....
Buying the G4: In February of this year, I had my first child. I actually bought a DSLR camera (Canon 70D in case anyone is interested) and loved it. I thought I'd be OK with the Canon DSLR and the M8, but alas, I was not. Inevitably, I found myself in situations that I needed my camera phone. After I took this picture (our first picture as a family), I realized how much I need a new camera phone.
So the search began. Back then the G4 was not released and I decided I would not go with Samsung because I couldn't stand using a physical home button... that and I hated Samsung software (I use Nova but didn't like the way it ran on the S4). I decided to go with the iPhone 6+. Well, that lasted 2 months and I was cursing Apple so I went back to the M8 and waited for the G4). I decided against the M9 because of the camera reviews.
When I got the G4, I loved the screen size. The size and aspect ratio are perfect for me. I've never liked a phone design as much as I like the G4. I'm always paranoid about buying a piece of electronics that might have a defect, so when I buy a phone I obsessively check everything to see if I can find anything wrong before the return period is up. The first day I had it, I noticed the missed taps. Then there were missed swipes. Then a bit of lag. This surprised me because the reviewers all had nothing but praises for the phone. I began to worry I had a bad unit but then noticed many people on the forums having the same problem. Then the youTube videos of the issues came out and I was convinced it was design (software or hardware). I mulled over the decision for a long time and then decided I'd take the phone back because "I"m a software guy" and "my phone needs to be smooth first and foremost". I found out that LG software has never been "that good" and the G4 was the best they've had so far (this was discussed on the Android Central Podcast as well... reference Jerry's comments). So it all made sense. I ended up returning the phone and was back on my M8. The change in the software was so noticeable that I loved the M8 all over again.
I researched the Nexus 6, thinking about making the jump to AOSP (I hate carrier bloatware and there is no manufacturer UX that I like/use). The only thing about the N6 was the screen was too big. Then I found out that it didn't have an LED light (which I love). Then I read that people didn't like the camera software.
I thought about it some more and finally thought: when my daughter is older and I look back, am I going to be happy with great pictures or 10 - 12 months of "good phone software"? The more I thought about it in that perspective, the more I realized I that in the end, what I really wanted was a good camera. That, and I kept trying to push buttons on the back of the M8. Damn, why doesn't every phone have buttons on the back? Once I used them, I don't want anything else
Anyway, I went back and picked up another G4. But this time around, I didn't obsess over the missed taps, swipes, and lag (they were all there, the same as the first phone and the same as most people report in the forums). This time around, I took pictures of my daughter every time I came across a moment I wanted to capture and I'm really happy with the pictures and the fact that when I need a good camera, the G4 is there. I got a 128 gig SD card (something you can't do on N6). Just like with my Canon, I save the pictures in RAW and adjust the exposure/white balance/whatever else I want on the pictures in Adobe Lightroom. The missed taps don't seem so bad now... the hardest thing about this was typing a password that was encrypted (so I couldn't see the letters on screen) and missing a letter, not knowing it, and getting the password wrong. Now I turned on the tapping sounds so I know if I don't hear a sound, it missed a tap. That helps.
Anyway, I love the screen size, the buttons on the back, the screen quality and dimensions, and most of all the camera. I can deal with "janky software" (as Jerry put it). A few years down the road, I'm sure I'll forget all about the missed taps, but I'll have some great photos.
.. but it's one of my favorite movies. Thought I'd share my experience in case anyone else is in the same boat (It's a bit long, but I'm bored, so here goes):
Background: I owned an iPhone years ago and tried to make the jump to Android but was always turned off by the lag I noticed in Android phones compared with iOS. As time passed by and Android phones got better, I made the jump with the Galaxy line (S2, S3, S4,) I liked them but after a few months of use, the lag got pretty bad. When I finally tried an HTC phone (M7 and then M8), I loved the software so much better than touchwiz. It just seemed much smoother to me. I loved everything about the M8 except for the camera. As a previous iPhone user, I was pretty spoiled by good cameras but I thought it was worth the sacrifice. That was until recently....
Buying the G4: In February of this year, I had my first child. I actually bought a DSLR camera (Canon 70D in case anyone is interested) and loved it. I thought I'd be OK with the Canon DSLR and the M8, but alas, I was not. Inevitably, I found myself in situations that I needed my camera phone. After I took this picture (our first picture as a family), I realized how much I need a new camera phone.
So the search began. Back then the G4 was not released and I decided I would not go with Samsung because I couldn't stand using a physical home button... that and I hated Samsung software (I use Nova but didn't like the way it ran on the S4). I decided to go with the iPhone 6+. Well, that lasted 2 months and I was cursing Apple so I went back to the M8 and waited for the G4). I decided against the M9 because of the camera reviews.
When I got the G4, I loved the screen size. The size and aspect ratio are perfect for me. I've never liked a phone design as much as I like the G4. I'm always paranoid about buying a piece of electronics that might have a defect, so when I buy a phone I obsessively check everything to see if I can find anything wrong before the return period is up. The first day I had it, I noticed the missed taps. Then there were missed swipes. Then a bit of lag. This surprised me because the reviewers all had nothing but praises for the phone. I began to worry I had a bad unit but then noticed many people on the forums having the same problem. Then the youTube videos of the issues came out and I was convinced it was design (software or hardware). I mulled over the decision for a long time and then decided I'd take the phone back because "I"m a software guy" and "my phone needs to be smooth first and foremost". I found out that LG software has never been "that good" and the G4 was the best they've had so far (this was discussed on the Android Central Podcast as well... reference Jerry's comments). So it all made sense. I ended up returning the phone and was back on my M8. The change in the software was so noticeable that I loved the M8 all over again.
I researched the Nexus 6, thinking about making the jump to AOSP (I hate carrier bloatware and there is no manufacturer UX that I like/use). The only thing about the N6 was the screen was too big. Then I found out that it didn't have an LED light (which I love). Then I read that people didn't like the camera software.
I thought about it some more and finally thought: when my daughter is older and I look back, am I going to be happy with great pictures or 10 - 12 months of "good phone software"? The more I thought about it in that perspective, the more I realized I that in the end, what I really wanted was a good camera. That, and I kept trying to push buttons on the back of the M8. Damn, why doesn't every phone have buttons on the back? Once I used them, I don't want anything else
Anyway, I went back and picked up another G4. But this time around, I didn't obsess over the missed taps, swipes, and lag (they were all there, the same as the first phone and the same as most people report in the forums). This time around, I took pictures of my daughter every time I came across a moment I wanted to capture and I'm really happy with the pictures and the fact that when I need a good camera, the G4 is there. I got a 128 gig SD card (something you can't do on N6). Just like with my Canon, I save the pictures in RAW and adjust the exposure/white balance/whatever else I want on the pictures in Adobe Lightroom. The missed taps don't seem so bad now... the hardest thing about this was typing a password that was encrypted (so I couldn't see the letters on screen) and missing a letter, not knowing it, and getting the password wrong. Now I turned on the tapping sounds so I know if I don't hear a sound, it missed a tap. That helps.
Anyway, I love the screen size, the buttons on the back, the screen quality and dimensions, and most of all the camera. I can deal with "janky software" (as Jerry put it). A few years down the road, I'm sure I'll forget all about the missed taps, but I'll have some great photos.
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