The Phone wars are over...Samsung just won

[GKWANNABE]

Very few are going to spend $650 on a phone.

People already pay that amount through T-Mobile either in the span of 2 yrs or pay for the phone outright. If they are new to T-Mobile or upgrade. Shoot, we all pay for our phones through all cell phone carriers, technically if you think about it. Sucks, but hey, they know people love, want or need the latest and greatest.


Nexus 7|Android Forums

 

[GKWANNABE]

Yeah I'm not convinced. I don't think the market will respond the way you think it will.

The "market" will respond to the new S4 well. All you have to do is talk about all the extra features the S4 will have *with* stock Android and viola... They get lost in it and forget about why they need a *phone* in the first place. I can just hear it now, "Well my phone does this... Blah blah blah."
IMO, stock android in a flagship phone within the galaxy series and samsungs name, is really the best Smartphone around.
Oh, and most people are already paying that much for their phones except in the span of 2 yrs, er 24 mos.

Nexus 7|Android Forums

 

[TheLibertarian]

People already pay that amount through T-Mobile either in the span of 2 yrs or pay for the phone outright. If they are new to T-Mobile or upgrade. Shoot, we all pay for our phones through all cell phone carriers, technically if you think about it. Sucks, but hey, they know people love, want or need the latest and greatest.


Nexus 7|Android Forums

Yes, but that's the point: people make monthly payments on their phones. The user you quoted is suggesting people won't want to spend $650 on a device upfront, without payments (which you have to do buying a device via Google Play).

 

[omniusovermind]

Literally the only thing the Nexus 4 has going it against this phone is the price tag. That's it.

For me that's a HUGE "it"
I love to chase new tech. While I can easily afford to drop $650 once per year, I would much rather drop half of that per year, even if it means giving up some things like LTE. For me to chase $650 phones every year keeps making me think in terms of it being almost a thousand dollar per year wage cut which really displeases the Scottish part of my heritage.

Once I started seeing Android phone releases pick up speed engaging in spec wars I made a decision to get out of carrier contracts, and OEM+Carrier controlled OS updates and stay in the sub-$400 range so that I'm gambling less on new phones being trumped by surprise announcements like this one. To be honest, even if that means switching over to sub-$400 Nokia Lumia WP8 phones, I will do it. The 720 is very close to the Nexus 4 in terms of the hardware you get for that amount of money (bearing in mind the system requirements of WP vs Android OS). I'll learn to live with the app gap.

However I have the utmost faith that there will be a Nexus 5 this Oct/Nov

 

[Suda]

I've read post that people already want to jump to this phone from their current s4s. What if it doesn't sell well because of the price and if by chance this doesn't have the same specs of the tmobile and att s4s how is it going to help development? Will there even be that many devs? That would mean it would be better to just stay with our current s4s since theres already a good amount of support for it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

Over on XDA it's been said it's the same as the T-Mobile model and we already know it's getting quite the support. It's the only S4 to currently have CM 10.1 up and running.

Seeing as how the GS4 is only packing a battery 300mAh larger than the Nexus 4, I'm not sure how much I'm buying into that battery test. Wait for a test to be run on the GS4 without TouchWiz... For all we know, TouchWiz handled it's power consumption far batter than stock Android. Just saying.

Galaxy S4 battery: Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery
Nexus 4 battery: Non-removable Li-Po 2100 mAh battery

Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 - Full phone specifications
LG Nexus 4 E960 - Full phone specifications

And who knows, the numbers might even be a little better since TouchWiz is generally regarded as one of the more heavier and resource tasking OSs on the market. And even if it were only 300mAh more, you'd still have the option of replacing it with a larger capacity battery. There's just no way of getting around it with a different conclusion.

 

[ConTejas]

I know yours was just an example of the cost for this phone, but let's say you do buy two Nexus 4s, you'll get 24GB of total storage separated across two phones with no LTE, lesser battery, inferior internals, 720p screen, and an even more fragile build quality. Or you could buy a Galaxy Nexus S4 with the potential of 80GB onboard with micro SD storage (with a directory bind or the app to sd application in the play store), 1080p screen, best CPU/GPU combo currently on the market, LTE, and a better battery with the option to switch to a larger capacity one. I don't think it's been confirmed what this phone really is, all we know is the surface of it and that it'll run stock Android. The phone that was held on stage with stock Android on it had the gesture and proximity sensors on it so there is the possibility of it having those features.

Literally the only thing the Nexus 4 has going it against this phone is the price tag. That's it.

Why do you non-Nexi owning fools insist on calling this Google Edition S4 a Nexus? It's not. My N4 has LTE. Not officially supported, who gives a hoot?! It works on Tmobile, and it works as well on LTE as any other LTE device I've owned (LTE gnex, SGS3, GN2). If you have a plastic device you call the N4 "fragile," huh? Well every other person on the planet that picks it up says "PREMIUM" build quality and materials. As I mentioned above, I've owned the plastic. There's no comparison. I run AOKP pub and usually latest franco. With franco's color control my screen is absolutely gorgeous. Much, much better than sammy's amoled(imo..of course). Yes, it's 720p and a fraction of an inch smaller. I dare you to find a pixel on it. 1080p is a gimmick unless you carry around a magnifying glass. That said, of course the N5 will be 1080p as it's now standard, but it's not a feature I'm after. I've used the S4 and One a good amount at this point. My N4 is faster than both (gimmicks off on S4)....quite noticably faster than the S4. So, despite the incremental hardware bump I'd say "maybe" the GE S4 will be as fast as my N4. I regularly get days and 4-5 hours SOT. I'll take better battery, but I certainly don't need it. I have 10GB free...use the cloud...download when I expect not to have service.Delete it when I'm back to civilization (or back from vacation). Imagine that. Works great. Never found my self wanting something I couldn't get in the years I've been doing it. Never once. The sd partition can negatively effect performance. No thanks. I could show you all the crazy things I can do with my softkeys that you can't do on a phone without them. Hardware/capacitive buttons and sd card = not a Nexus. Notice Wiki isn't updating it's Nexus page. Android is about choice and it's good to have yet another, just call it what it is, a S4 with vanilla Android and a "nexus like experience" in regards to software updates.

Google Nexus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost forgot, this GE S4 will never have remotely the developer support, in quality and quantity, that you have with Nexi devices. That is HUGE to many of us.

 

[LegalAmerican]

(I've already seen more N4s than Note 2s out in the wild)

That's definitely relative. I know of three people in my neighborhood with Note 2's. My brother also has it. I've never once seen a Nexus 4 in the wild and you can bet I notice what phones people use when I see them out. So I don't know that your situation or mine is a very accurate factor in popularity of either device.

 

[Ry]

Too expensive, it wont sell well. Hell i payed only $600 for my 32gb at&t htc one. And its sim & bootloader unlocked now, even has aosp roms. Google is nuts to sell this s4 for that price without even offering larger storage.

I don't think Samsung wants it to sell well.

 

[ConTejas]

People already pay that amount through T-Mobile either in the span of 2 yrs or pay for the phone outright. If they are new to T-Mobile or upgrade. Shoot, we all pay for our phones through all cell phone carriers, technically if you think about it. Sucks, but hey, they know people love, want or need the latest and greatest.


Nexus 7|Android Forums

There's a reason for that. It's a hidden cost that most people are unaware of and would not pay upfront. The majority of N4 owners don't pay a dime for their phones to their carrier (aka prepaid). I sure as heck don't with my $30 Tmobile prepaid lol.

 

[Ry]

That's definitely relative. I know of three people in my neighborhood with Note 2's. My brother also has it. I've never once seen a Nexus 4 in the wild and you can bet I notice what phones people use when I see them out. So I don't know that your situation or mine is a very accurate factor in popularity of either device.

Agreed.

I switch from the mobile/entertainment industry to medical devices. In my previous industry, we were all phone geeks. Now I work with more "regular" consumers. While some of my new coworkers are still into tech, their affection for smartphones just isn't at the level of my previous coworkers. Usual suspects in the office: iPhones (4S and 5) and GS3s are the common phones here with a good number having Note 2s. A couple just got GS4s and there's one guy with a One. Two people actually have Galaxy Nexus phones but both are with Verizon and would miss LTE so no one here has an Nexus 4.

Does this mean that no one has a Nexus 4? Nope.

 

[benhmadison]

People already pay that amount through T-Mobile either in the span of 2 yrs or pay for the phone outright. If they are new to T-Mobile or upgrade. Shoot, we all pay for our phones through all cell phone carriers, technically if you think about it. Sucks, but hey, they know people love, want or need the latest and greatest.


Nexus 7|Android Forums

Having worked for two of the major U.S. carriers I can tell you that .0001 percent of customers ever pay full price for devices. The ones that do are generally like us tech geeks who want the latest and greatest every few months. These 6/7/800 dollar "retail" prices on these modern devices are so inflated it's not even funny. They are inflated so wireless customers will believe they are getting an amazing deal when they sign a 2 year agreement and only pay 200. I'm not saying carriers don't deeply discount devices such as the S4, but to believe that these devices are worth 700 dollars is crazy to me. Had Google introduced the GE S4 at 499.00 plus tax they wouldn't be able to make them fast enough once they are released, but at 649 I just don't see them selling very many. Sure 499 would have undercut the price the carriers sell their version of the S4 for, but at the end of the day MOST regular wireless customers will opt for the 199 contract price of the S4 meaning in the end I guess if someone wants the GE S4 bad enough they will dish out the 649.

 

[Suda]

-snip-

All I got from this post is that is the same feeling I'm getting from seemingly a lot of elitist Nexus owners around the internet, threatened and butthurt. Especially from calling me a "fool" and a "non-Nexi owner", when I've iterated multiple times already that I own a Nexus 4. You can't take it that this phone is better than the Nexus 4 so to feel better about yourself you resort to name calling and dismissing any advantage that this phone has over the N4 by chalking it up as features you don't have to have. If you can't hold a discussion without name calling then don't engage in discussions, or better yet, pick up a passion for politics.

While this isn't a "Nexus" device per se they're one and the same because they both run stock and get updates straight from Google. The only different is the SD support and no on screen buttons. I don't care what Wikipedia has to say, it's not like pages can't be easily edited anyway. It's just easier to type "Nexus S4" instead of Samsung Galaxy S4: Google Edition every time I mention it by name. Nowhere did I make mention of the Nexus 4 having viewable pixels, I said Samsung stepped it up in terms of their pentile displays. It doesn't matter if you turn the gimmicks off, TouchWiz is still a heavy skin. While no one knows how this phone will compare to the N4 because no one has used this phone, I think it's safe to say you'll see better performance since they're both running the same skin but one has a more advanced chip set. That's just common sense. And that's great you can do all that with the cloud, that just means I'll have 80GB of native storage in addition to whatever I use with the cloud if I even choose to use the cloud. You have to use the cloud with the N4 if the space you're left with after the OS takes up some of the 16GB isn't enough.

This phone is just better than the Nexus 4 and if priced in the same range it would sell more than the N4 (not including T-Mobile store sales, although I'm sure the majority of N4 sales have come through the play store). I'm sorry you can't see these things, or yet, refusing to see them.

 

[Ry]

Almost forgot, this GE S4 will never have remotely the developer support, in quality and quantity, that you have with Nexi devices. That is HUGE to many of us.

But the developer support that matters are the developers making apps/games, not the developers making ROMs.

 

[JeffDenver]

All I got from this post is that is the same feeling I'm getting from seemingly a lot of elitist Nexus owners around the internet, threatened and butthurt.

THANK you. My feelings exactly. N4 owners need to get over themselves. I own the N4 and love it, but it has plenty of flaws. it is far from an ideal google phone IMO.

While this isn't a "Nexus" device per se

It is as much a Nexus device as the Galaxy Nexus...which is close enough IMO.

I think it's safe to say you'll see better performance since they're both running the same skin but one has a more advanced chip set.

I think the Google S4 will blow away the N4...it will not even be a contest. Even current comparisons have them roughly equal despite the fact that the current S4 is polluted with Touchwiz. Touchwiz is the entire reason the S4 does not already blow away the N4...it's hardware is clearly better in every way.

 

[RumoredNow]

Just, you know, in general...

 

[fernandezhjr]

That's definitely relative. I know of three people in my neighborhood with Note 2's. My brother also has it. I've never once seen a Nexus 4 in the wild and you can bet I notice what phones people use when I see them out. So I don't know that your situation or mine is a very accurate factor in popularity of either device.

Where I live a very high majority are on AT&T or Verizon and neither of those offer the N4. I think popularity is heavily influenced thru carrier subsidy. If both those carriers did offer it, I would expect a price point of $49.99 with two year contract. Then I would see them all over the place.

 

[Suda]

Just, you know, in general...

http://feeange.free.fr/images/site/items/yeah/z026.gif

Yeah, I know this is going nowhere. And I wouldn't have bothered responding because it's mightily hard to change someone's opinion when it's as steadfast as his, but I don't like being attacked in otherwise what's supposed to be a discussion amongst grown adults. These are just phones for christ's sake.

 

[NotJustAPhone]

Let's keep the discussion civil.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[RumoredNow]

Just, you know, in general...

http://feeange.free.fr/images/site/items/yeah/z026.gif

To be (more) clear. My comment is not directed at any one individual...

 

[Suda]

It takes two to tango. I'd just appreciate it if we would act like grown adults and not so obsessed over phones to the point of lashing out. These are just slabs of glass, plastic, and aluminium. I would've been better off not wasting time responding anyway.

The Nexus 4 for what it is offers the best specs at its price point. I don't see why, because of that, this phone has to be treated like a "bastardized child" or trash. If anything people should happy this happened because this means more companies like HTC or Sony might jump on board and do something like this in the future. But instead of you have people belittling it, and I don't get it. People get what they've been asking for and still aren't happy.