Why I am Switching to the S4

[jrasero23]

The HTC One was my ideal phone. Has great speakers, very good camera, iPhone esq design, and has a powerful Android operating system. When the device was first announced I was suspect about the hype since HTC was the maker since my experience with their phones: Incredible and Thunderbolt were disappointing with their many glitches and horrid battery life. With the One series HTC has seemed to cleanup their act by making slim, powerful, and usable phones with decent battery life. Being on Verizon we weren't graced with the phone until August and all I heard before launch was praise from people calling it the best Android device or almost perfect. I will admit the device is pretty great but I am writing to share my story of why I am switching to the S4 because of poor HTC quality.

One of the biggest draws for the One is the uni-body aluminum design that is almost like an iPhone 5. Many people have said the One sets a new standard for Android and makes phones like the S4 feel and look cheap. I agree with this notion that HTC has raised the bar, BUT we must be careful to equate build material with quality. Yes the One is aluminum but all three of my HTC One devices had some kind of defect. Yes, I said 3 devices. My first device couldn't hold a charge more than 6 hours but it also had really poorly finished ports and the power button wasn't flush with the opening, the second device had no physical defects but would get so hot it restarted while using GPS in my car plugged in, and finally the third device had the notorious gap issues and the purple/blue tint camera issue. Well done HTC.

I know there are many people who have perfectly good working HTC One phones but maybe it is my bad luck or the fact that HTC's quality control is **** poor. I am not saying this isn't normal in the industry considering the same thing happened with my three iPhone 5 replacements when it was first released, but at least with Apple I could go into any Apple store and they would exchange. With Verizon I had 14 days and they said I exceeded my limited for trade ins and if I wanted a new one it would have to be mailed, lame and questionable.

At the end of the day the one of the most alluring features of the One being it's design which I never really appreciated since it was wrapped in a case because of fear of dents and scratches like the iPhone. The S4 does feel cheap compared the iPhone and One but is that terrible thing if that means getting a perfectly flush case with parts that work?

Some things that bothered me about the One:

Sense is probably the best HTC skin yet BUT I hate Blinkfeed

The camera is very good but just lacks that extra detail and for some odd reason it struggles with lighted out door photos and makes the subject dark, but in dim lighted situations it is fine. Kind of annoying since most people take photos in the day/sunlight. I went on vacation with the One and was in Bahamas and all our faces had dark shadows on them. I know you can mix with the ISO speed but when taken a photo I don't have time to toggle back in forth.

Verizon version has no power saver mode





Still the One is one of the best Android phones and Verizon phones but I am tired of replacements. HTC your phone is great in theory but your quality control is horrid, you lost a customer but I partially blame Verizon with their return policy as well.

 

[Almeuit]

While your complaints seem legit the no power save is Verizon's fault.. Not HTC. Just FYI.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[puch96]

I'm sorry about all your bad experiences with the HTC One. I hope you find your S4 suits your needs. They are both great phones.

 

[josearmz10789]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Samsung Galaxy phones. Had the Epic and zero problems. Currently on the S4 and so far so good. Bought it the same day it came out. Hope you like it as much as I do and personally I do not care about the material of the phone as I always put a case on them. With that said its sad that the One had those issues it seemed like a good contender for the S4 and iphone.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Oofa]

I love reading why people decide to switch phones. There are so many good reasons to switch from any phone..... to any phone. I can give you a million reasons why phone X is better than phone Y and also give you a million reasons why phone Y is better than phone X. It all comes down to the personal details one needs on a phone at the moment.

I don't know why so many people think plastic equals cheap. It used to be that way but today there are such good, tough, durable plastics that I see plastic as equaling light and durable instead of cheap and fragile. There is nothing wrong with the plastic of the S4. I don't think it makes the phone look cheap at all. If anything, I would think that aluminum of the One scratches easily and would be more fragile. My real problem with the S4 is the glitchy system that seems to have a mind of it's own. Sometimes I can't answer calls, sometimes it turns itself off, sometimes it freezes...... I have to do more battery pulls on the S4 than I used to do on my BlackBerrys and that's saying a lot.

 

[jrasero23]

Everyone has different needs but what I thought was a main criterion for a phone (build) actually turned out to be a mute factor. I think I got wrapped up in the reviews and hype and the fact that my last phone was an iPhone 5, but in the end I see that battery and camera are more important to me than build material.

Just traded my One for a S4 and my initial reaction is can I wash my hands with this thing because they threw in everything including the kitchen sink, plus the plastic back gets super sweaty

It's true the One is just as fragile in ways as the S4. If I drop the One there is a great chance I would get a dent or scrape the paint and for the S4 a crack or scrape. The One defiantly feels sturdier but on comfort I pick the S4 because of weight and because it's not as rigid feeling.

Overall I am happy with the S4 because it does have slightly better battery, better camera, and so far no glitches like my HTC One(s)

 

[unstoppablekem]

Maybe try the Moto X or the Droid Maxx? Even better, the G2? I think you will enjoy those more than the S4.

 

[dad2paisley]

Moto X or iphone you might like

 

[Gator352]

Blah, Blah, Blah.

 

[neonworm]

While your complaints seem legit the no power save is Verizon's fault.. Not HTC. Just FYI.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

I am curious as to why they took it out.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

 

[freddyttt]

The HTC One was my ideal phone. Has great speakers, very good camera, iPhone esq design, and has a powerful Android operating system. When the device was first announced I was suspect about the hype since HTC was the maker since my experience with their phones: Incredible and Thunderbolt were disappointing with their many glitches and horrid battery life. With the One series HTC has seemed to cleanup their act by making slim, powerful, and usable phones with decent battery life. Being on Verizon we weren't graced with the phone until August and all I heard before launch was praise from people calling it the best Android device or almost perfect. I will admit the device is pretty great but I am writing to share my story of why I am switching to the S4 because of poor HTC quality.

One of the biggest draws for the One is the uni-body aluminum design that is almost like an iPhone 5. Many people have said the One sets a new standard for Android and makes phones like the S4 feel and look cheap. I agree with this notion that HTC has raised the bar, BUT we must be careful to equate build material with quality. Yes the One is aluminum but all three of my HTC One devices had some kind of defect. Yes, I said 3 devices. My first device couldn't hold a charge more than 6 hours but it also had really poorly finished ports and the power button wasn't flush with the opening, the second device had no physical defects but would get so hot it restarted while using GPS in my car plugged in, and finally the third device had the notorious gap issues and the purple/blue tint camera issue. Well done HTC.

I know there are many people who have perfectly good working HTC One phones but maybe it is my bad luck or the fact that HTC's quality control is **** poor. I am not saying this isn't normal in the industry considering the same thing happened with my three iPhone 5 replacements when it was first released, but at least with Apple I could go into any Apple store and they would exchange. With Verizon I had 14 days and they said I exceeded my limited for trade ins and if I wanted a new one it would have to be mailed, lame and questionable.

At the end of the day the one of the most alluring features of the One being it's design which I never really appreciated since it was wrapped in a case because of fear of dents and scratches like the iPhone. The S4 does feel cheap compared the iPhone and One but is that terrible thing if that means getting a perfectly flush case with parts that work?

Some things that bothered me about the One:

Sense is probably the best HTC skin yet BUT I hate Blinkfeed

The camera is very good but just lacks that extra detail and for some odd reason it struggles with lighted out door photos and makes the subject dark, but in dim lighted situations it is fine. Kind of annoying since most people take photos in the day/sunlight. I went on vacation with the One and was in Bahamas and all our faces had dark shadows on them. I know you can mix with the ISO speed but when taken a photo I don't have time to toggle back in forth.

Verizon version has no power saver mode





Still the One is one of the best Android phones and Verizon phones but I am tired of replacements. HTC your phone is great in theory but your quality control is horrid, you lost a customer but I partially blame Verizon with their return policy as well.

It seems you were getting pretty good battery on your first HTC ONE-. no gaps everything flush pretty perfect and had 30% battery left after 12 Hrs with Moderate use... thats not to bad if you asked me. and could have gotten better with tweeks-. I wonder if you wished you had kept the first one-. anywho. the S4 is a fine phone and I wish you luck-.

 

[SC1]

I had the S4 for a week before I returned it for the One. You maybe disappointed/frustrated with the ugly/clunky touch wiz.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[neonworm]

I had the S4 for a week before I returned it for the One. You maybe disappointed/frustrated with the ugly/clunky touch wiz.

Posted via Android Central App

You can always download a Launcher. I think that Nova Launcher would run great on an S4.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

 

[Gator352]

You can always download a Launcher. I think that Nova Launcher would run great on an S4.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

It does, but it defeats the purpose of getting the S4. Using a different launcher disables most, not all, but most of the tweaks that touchwiz touts. If anyone is buying a phone just to change launchers, then why buy the latest and greatest?? Why not buy a much cheaper phone (saving gazillions) and put a launcher on that? Nova ran just as good on my S3 as on my S4...no difference.

 

[freddyttt]

It does, but it defeats the purpose of getting the S4. Using a different launcher disables most, not all, but most of the tweaks that touchwiz touts. If anyone is buying a phone just to change launchers, then why buy the latest and greatest?? Why not buy a much cheaper phone (saving gazillions) and put a launcher on that? Nova ran just as good on my S3 as on my S4...no difference.

display for one thing. the difference is not gazillions more like 100.00.... while the S4 may suffer from lag using something like Nova could only benefit that...

 

[Almeuit]

It does, but it defeats the purpose of getting the S4. Using a different launcher disables most, not all, but most of the tweaks that touchwiz touts. If anyone is buying a phone just to change launchers, then why buy the latest and greatest?? Why not buy a much cheaper phone (saving gazillions) and put a launcher on that? Nova ran just as good on my S3 as on my S4...no difference.

Well you define latest and greatest solely on the launcher... Others don't.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[Cool Jeff]

I tried for 5 mins an S4 in a Samsung showroom yesterday,I really liked it,the Amoled screen makes things more lively and even with my eyes problem(can't see clear at short distance) I could easily read the menu and text (higher contrast).
The camera is slower though but can expand the photo much more than the tiny 4mp.
Also I have the purple tint ''bug'' on my One for a month now,I will give HTC a chance to fix that via software but I can't hide that the S4 really is tempting.
Note 3 which is the same size as 2 (body) will be too big,I tried single hand operation like calling with the Note 2 yesterday but it was painful.
Moto X? Well reviews said the camera and screen are a joke + it won't come in my country anyway.
G2 is an exellent choice but I dunno if it will have lot of roms and support at XDA,also will surely loose alot in reselling later,HTC and Sammy keep higher price

 

[BygSii]

Hi everyone. My name is BygSii. You may not know me, but I work at a Connection Center. I activate phones for people for a living. I'm here to help everyone decide which phone is better for you. I'll list six things to consider for each phone. I'll start with the Pros of the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Pros - Samsung Galaxy S4
1. Bigger Screen (4.99 inches).
2. Removable battery.
3. Expandable storage.
4. Software features. Such as Eye scroll and Hover.
5. Battery life. 2600mah battery.
6. More options for lock screen.

Pros - HTC One
1. Sharper screen (469 ppi).
2. Boomsound.
3. Wider field of vision on both front (Selfie mode) and back facing cameras.
4. Design was made to fit perfectly in the hand (curved back).
5. Blinkfeed. A little reminiscent of WP8.
6. Auto-fit Pages (zoom in on a paragraph from the web browser, text automatically adjust to the size of your screen, so you don't have to side scroll left and right to read each line of text.).

Both phones are great devices. I personally chose the HTC One. With it's better cameras and wider viewing angles, it's premium design similar to iPhone 5, it's better looking screen, it's blinkfeed reminiscent of WP8, awesome stereo boomsound speakers, the way it fits in my hand perfectly, and the better experience it has with web browsing. I would take all of those features over a faster processor, a bigger screen, expandable storage, removable battery, eye scroll features, narrow field of view cameras, and quiet speaker. But if you are into those kind of things, then good for you!

 

[cadzilla74]

I tried for 5 mins an S4 in a Samsung showroom yesterday,I really liked it,the Amoled screen makes things more lively and even with my eyes problem(can't see clear at short distance) I could easily read the menu and text (higher contrast).
The camera is slower though but can expand the photo much more than the tiny 4mp.
Also I have the purple tint ''bug'' on my One for a month now,I will give HTC a chance to fix that via software but I can't hide that the S4 really is tempting.
Note 3 which is the same size as 2 (body) will be too big,I tried single hand operation like calling with the Note 2 yesterday but it was painful.
Moto X? Well reviews said the camera and screen are a joke + it won't come in my country anyway.
G2 is an exellent choice but I dunno if it will have lot of roms and support at XDA,also will surely loose alot in reselling later,HTC and Sammy keep higher price

Turn off Power Saver on a ONE and bump brightness to max. Do the same on the S4. Take them both outside in broad daylight and tell me you still think AMOLED is better than LCD3. I can read emails on the ONE outdoors. I couldn't even see the spot to answer a call or turn on speaker with the S4 unless I moved into shade or covered the screen with my hat. I also liked the S4 display as you do until I tried to use it day to day outdoors. I'm thinking the "purple tint" thing is going to be a software correction and not a flaw with the camera's CCD. I think they got too aggressive with the "low-light" sensitivity in the software processing.

 

[Cool Jeff]

Turn off Power Saver on a ONE and bump brightness to max. Do the same on the S4. Take them both outside in broad daylight and tell me you still think AMOLED is better than LCD3. I can read emails on the ONE outdoors. I couldn't even see the spot to answer a call or turn on speaker with the S4 unless I moved into shade or covered the screen with my hat. I also liked the S4 display as you do until I tried to use it day to day outdoors. I'm thinking the "purple tint" thing is going to be a software correction and not a flaw with the camera's CCD. I think they got too aggressive with the "low-light" sensitivity in the software processing.

My friend has an S4 and when he put the brightness to auto it's just slightly better on the One,though still viewable on S4 (same level as One X).
For the purple tint I am giving till the October for HTC to fix it via software or I give it as gift to my gf