The Phone wars are over...Samsung just won

[Jnorton2724]

It is now. All the reasons the S4 was barely ahead of the N4 were because of the Touchwiz pollution. Now there is nothing holding Samsung's awesome hardware back.

It's camera will be significantly better. It will have SD (as well as 8 gigs more internal memory) and an upgradable battery. It will be a full 1080p display with a significantly higher pixel density. It will have a much faster CPU. Yes, that is well worth that IMO. The retail price is comparable to any other flagship phone except the N4.

Yes its vanilla Android on a high spec phone which is extremely awesome. I wouldn't downplay the Nexus 4 experience though, yes the camera sucks in comparison, but the phone is still a very good device and I'm enjoying it over my previous GS3 I still have. Again, a Galaxy phone with stock Android is awesome but I don't see myself jumping to the play store on June 26th to buy a GS4 for 649.99 just because of a 1080p screen or a better camera. $700 is a lot for a phone and I'm sure most would agree, thats why $199 for a GS4 on contract is the way to go for a lot of people.

 

[sw001]

How fast does Samsung update the OS (if ever)? One advantage, to me, would be to easily keep up w/ latest Android updates buy getting the Google version. I'm trying a Galaxy S4 now, and I've already disabled all the extra crap like air view, air gesture, etc. Since I'm new to Android, I don't know where the Samsung extras end though and the normal Android starts.

 

[Basscase]

Ah, but what about OS updates? I will choose Nexus every time just for the updates alone.

 

[ConTejas]

Jeff, I know you're new to Android, but you're way off the mark on this one. 99% of the S4s you will ever see in the wild will not be running vanilla Android. The "few' that are will be running AOSP based roms. Secondly, if this was a Google edition HTC One you may be on to something, but I still wouldn't trade my N4 for the S4 based on build quality alone. The screen and procesor are very minor upgrades, and I'm quite happy with my camera. Oh, and please educate yourself a bit before the "get what you pay for comments"....the N4 is worth WAY more than Google sells it for. You get WAY more, and pay WAY less. Samsung isn't down with that sort of thing. Lastly, unless you've been undr a rock your entire life, you'd realize technology keeps plugging forward. The next crop of devices, imo especially the next Nexus, will trump this special edition S4 in every way. Then it'll be the S5/HTC One 2's turn for a few months...then the Nexus 6...so on and so forth.


Lastly, it's a waste of money on Tmobile/Att. If this was available on Verizon or Sprint then it would be a very big deal.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

How fast does Samsung update the OS (if ever)? One advantage, to me, would be to easily keep up w/ latest Android updates buy getting the Google version. I'm trying a Galaxy S4 now, and I've already disabled all the extra crap like air view, air gesture, etc. Since I'm new to Android, I don't know where the Samsung extras end though and the normal Android starts.

Samsung is actually pretty good about updating their phones, but it will still be a few months after the initial announcement of a new version of the OS.

Personally I think this is good news for Android not because hey, stock on a GS4, but rather because it means we may see other phones with stock Android. Dimes to dollars you'll see a stock Motorola phone pop up on Google Play by the end of the year, too.

As for the vanilla SG4, it's neat but not an extra $300 neat. I'm willing to bet the next Nexus phone will best its specs for a superior price. For people who don't want to wait another six months and don't care about the $650 price tag, however, it's a perfectly good and viable alternative to the N4.

 

[The Hustleman]

The general public could care less.

HTC ONE ~ Android Central App

You mean COULDN'T care less right, it do you think they actually care?





Unless they add the features advertised on TV to stock Android it isn't worth it.

Why pay more out of pocket for fewer capabilities?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[jweimn]

Ah, but what about OS updates? I will choose Nexus every time just for the updates alone.

The s4 is updated directly by Google they even said it in the announcement today

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[gone down south]

You mean COULDN'T care less right, it do you think they actually care?


"I could care less" has been American idiom since the 60s.
Grammar Girl : "Could Care Less" Versus "Couldn't Care Less" :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?


Unless they add the features advertised on TV to stock Android it isn't worth it.

Why pay more out of pocket for fewer capabilities?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[fernandezhjr]

You get what you pay for.

The S4 is exactly the same price range as any flagship phone. My HTC Rezound was $700 retail when it came out.

You shouldn't really look at the fact that manufacturers and retailers jack up the price of the phone. Compare the cost of building the phones to get a better comparison. And no, Touchwhiz does not add any value to the phone. The only thing the N4 is lacking for me is LTE.

 

[TheLibertarian]

Until now they've had to reason to...the best phones never ran Vanilla Android. Now that we have a true flagship phone without being neutered by google, i think we will see a significant change.

The Nexus 4 packed the best hardware when it was released...

And no, Samsung didn't just win. They've been winning since the Galaxy S2. This vanilla S4 won't even remotely rival the standard S4 in terms of sales numbers. Without this device, Samsung would still be king. They bring in 90% of all Android smartphone profits.

The Nexus 4 was already selling out, and it was worse than the S4 in most ways. This has everything the N4 had plus more options plus (most importantly) the Galaxy branding.

Now we will no longer have to compromise on features/options or having vanilla Android. We can have both.

1) The Nexus 4 isn't selling out, or sold out.

2) You realize with vanilla Android you lose all of Samsung's features, right?

You keep comparing the S4 with the Nexus 4, and I don't know why. Not only are they not competitors in any way, but the S4 is six months newer than the N4... It SHOULD be better in every single aspect.

 

[RumoredNow]

Like so many other things in life... It is a matter of personal taste.

The news that S4 will be allowed to run Pure Google does nothing for me and I would not rush out and buy one over the N4 if I were making a purchase today.

Thankfully I live in a place where the phone police do not force me to buy what they think I should have.

 

[fernandezhjr]

The S4 is made by Samsung and the N4 is made by LG. They both run Android. LG has never been in any phone war with Samsung. I would think HTC would be a closer competitor. With the N4, it was just a good opportunity for LG to show they can make a flagship device and Google to get more pure vanilla goodness out. Neither was interested in raping the consumer with this device. The whole title of this thread is redundant.

 

[SC1]

$649... Hell no.. Guess this is the last Nexus device for me. HTC One or regular S4 here I come next year.

 

[HimOffTheTelly]

It's (almost) a Nexus but with a 1080p display, removable battery and sd card... And no doubt unavailable in the UK for the foreseeable future.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[TheLibertarian]

IMHO, this is not worth the $300 to "upgrade" from a Nexus 4.

I also hate physical buttons.

 

[guinnkevinr]

IMHO, this is not worth the $300 to "upgrade" from a Nexus 4.

I also hate physical buttons.

Exactly. For me, physical buttons ruin this so called "Nexus" experience. My favorite thing about nexus started with the galaxy nexus and came into the 4 and it's the software buttons. I don't know why but they make me feel like I'm using something a little more high tech when I'm pretty much only relying on the screen of my all touch device. Why have a huuge 5 in screen with buttons below?

Also, I had the S4 with TW from AT&T, and though it's certainly a money maker and a decent phone, it's not for me. True android purist here. Nexus is for me. No hardware buttons, no sd card slot, no removable battery and all... The experience, the feel of the phone, the geek factor, and the lush are what bring me knocking.

 

[txtoast]

Oh no. They are just getting started. Now we're gonna hear why Samsung sucks and the Nexus is better.

 

[chubb]

The s4 is updated directly by Google they even said it in the announcement today

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

The difference will be just like the Xoom. That was a G.E. device and wasn't updated immediately following announcement of an update, plus I believe some in Europe haven't received 4.2 yet. That was updated weeks later. Still not too shabby to wait a few weeks instead of months or never getting it.

 

[chubb]

$649... Hell no.. Guess this is the last Nexus device for me. HTC One or regular S4 here I come next year.

The Nexus 4 is still for sale. There will be a Nexus 5 later in the year so not all hope is lost for you.

 

[Ry]

You shouldn't really look at the fact that manufacturers and retailers jack up the price of the phone. Compare the cost of building the phones to get a better comparison. And no, Touchwhiz does not add any value to the phone. The only thing the N4 is lacking for me is LTE.

The developers and engineers that worked on TouchWiz's features would like to think they added value.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums