Considering buying a Note - Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General

Hi guys,
I am now a Htc Desire user. I used it for 2 years and I am considering buying a Note. I am coming from a 3.7 to a 5.3 inch screen ;-).
I have a couple of questions:
1. Do you have experience with the change of phones from a very small size like the desire to a note, screenwize? And what is your opinion about it.
2. I used to use a lot of roms for my desire, the development was really good. How is the development of the Note? What are the improvements if you root, other than that you can change roms? So what extra functionality does the note get if you root?
3. What about the build quality and the quality of the speaker?
4. What about the quality of playing movies on the Note.
As you can see i have a couple of questions before purchasing the note.
THANKS!!!
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium

I forgot to ask about the batterylife. How is the batterylife of the note? With average and heavy use?
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium

I am now a Htc Desire user. I used it for 2 years and I am considering buying a Note. I am coming from a 3.7 to a 5.3 inch screen ;-).
I have a couple of questions:
1. Do you have experience with the change of phones from a very small size like the desire to a note, screenwize? And what is your opinion about it.
After a day with the Note, you get really comfortable with it, and then you will never like a small screen again.
2. I used to use a lot of roms for my desire, the development was really good. How is the development of the Note? What are the improvements if you root, other than that you can change roms? So what extra functionality does the note get if you root?
Development is good. Root and Roms are the same as what you are use to on the desire.
3. What about the build quality and the quality of the speaker?
Build quality is solid. Its plastic, but it tight. The speaker is loud, especially when compared to the One X
4. What about the quality of playing movies on the Note.
I don't play many, but I enjoy the quality. Better than any other phone I have had.
Battery life gets me through my long 16 hour day with ease. Top notch
As you can see i have a couple of questions before purchasing the note.
THANKS!!!
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium[/QUOTE]

Desaf said:
Hi guys,
I am now a Htc Desire user. I used it for 2 years and I am considering buying a Note. I am coming from a 3.7 to a 5.3 inch screen ;-).
I have a couple of questions:
1. Do you have experience with the change of phones from a very small size like the desire to a note, screenwize? And what is your opinion about it.
2. I used to use a lot of roms for my desire, the development was really good. How is the development of the Note? What are the improvements if you root, other than that you can change roms? So what extra functionality does the note get if you root?
3. What about the build quality and the quality of the speaker?
4. What about the quality of playing movies on the Note.
As you can see i have a couple of questions before purchasing the note.
THANKS!!!
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think you will like the screen size, than you will immediate fall in love. If you are thinking it may be too big, than there is a tiny chance the size will put you off, but still you will most likely fall in love.
Roms are very decent, better than many of my previous phones for sure. Right now we are looking at official CM9 soon, iMilka's (discontinued) versions of AOSP and CM9 are pretty amazing all on their own though.
Build quality is basically the same as every other Samsung smart phone I have used. Very good quality, back plastics feel a little cheap to me, but other than that I have no complaints. Speaker is awesome IMO. One of the loudest phones I have owned and very good quality. The earpiece is somewhere in the middle. It's not amazing, but its good.
Watching movies/videos/games on the note is incomparable. It blows every other phone I have tried out of the water, mostly due to screen size, and my personal taste for Super AMOLED over that crap screen HTC uses (again my opinion).
Battery life - AWESOME. I get better battery life with this phone than any previous smart phone I have owned (see sig). It's still a powerful smartphone so if you use it really heavy you can still kill most of it off in a day, but with moderate usage this phone actually lasts 2 days for me, which none of my previous phones could do.

I had a desire for 18 months them I moved to the HTC sensation I got my note 3 days ago and I had the same concerns as you but I do not regret it one bit I love my phone more than any phone I have ever had
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Hi crawlgsx,
Thanks for the reply. I prefer a larger screen. I travel a lot so batterylife and watching movies are important.
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium

Note is a great start for a bigger screen
I came to Note from Dell Streak, the same display size.
Dell was pain in the as.... Every time you drop it - consider problems with screen.
The only detail I miss about Dell is MIUI theme.
Note works perfect.
I use Litening Rom v1.0
Hope MIUI will be ported))))

Desaf said:
Hi crawlgsx,
Thanks for the reply. I prefer a larger screen. I travel a lot so batterylife and watching movies are important.
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say go for it then, the chances of you being disappointed are less than 1% from the sounds of your concerns and needs.
The Note is truly an amazing phone, so much so that I have 0 interest in the upcoming S3 or the One X etc.. I will be holding off for "Note 2" and even then unless something changes I see absolutely no reason to move to another phone. The Note on ICS is blazing fast.

I realized I almost stopped visiting/reading mobile review sites. No interest in S3. I may skip Note2 too and directly go for Note3.
Sent from GNote.

If you like it at start you will be in total love in the end.. It grows on you...
When you have use a Note for a few weeks you will have hard let it go or use other phones.
I always get the new phones but in the end it is always my Note that stays and follow me everywhere..
Skickat från min GT-N7000 via Tapatalk 2

So you guys are that positive about the phone?
I saw something about pentile. Do you see that on your phones display?
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium

Desaf said:
So you guys are that positive about the phone?
I saw something about pentile. Do you see that on your phones display?
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some do and some don't. I returned my Note because of it. It really is a great device though which made the return a very tough decision.

Guys thanks for all the replies. I decided to buy the note but one last question.
Which colour should i get? Anyone bad experience with the black or white version? And bad experience in terms of seeing scratches etc.
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium

Although I'm not a Note owner, I'd like to share my opinion if you don't mind.
Black colors always show scratches more than white. However, deeper the cut the more it shows.
You can always buy a case If you're not completely satisfied with the color too.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA

i come from nokia 5800 touchscreen phone and once use g.note i fall dead for it...for my..it blow every phone in the market coz of the screen size ^_^...
as for color ...white seems to be the best as black color phone is kind of boring...haha
just my 2 cents

I have owned silver/black devices all my life until the note. Im a manly man, and thought white was for girls.
I decided to change my sgs2 from black to white when i decided to sell because it brought in more money. After seeing the white version, it openmy eyes.
I did the same conversion with my note after breaking screen(user error) and love the white even better than the black/blue now.
Just from what ive gathered from people is black makes the device seem bigger.
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intruda119 said:
I have owned silver/black devices all my life until the note. Im a manly man, and thought white was for girls.
I decided to change my sgs2 from black to white when i decided to sell because it brought in more money. After seeing the white version, it openmy eyes.
I did the same conversion with my note after breaking screen(user error) and love the white even better than the black/blue now.
Just from what ive gathered from people is black makes the device seem bigger.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm i always thought that white will looks bigger than black...especially with car.... ^_^

Don't be afraid to get your feet wet as the water is lovely and warm,
the difference is immense between the HTC desire and samsung s2 and note, I had the desire hd and I wouldn't go back to one, I upgraded to an s2 and won't go back to a dhd then I upgraded to a note and now I won't go back to an dhd or an s2, honest you won't be disappointed, also I will have more roms than you can shake a stick at, especially the s2.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I had been an HTC desire user myself. Its a good phone. When you are looking for an upgrade, think you have to take a look at the S3 in terms of
- advancements
- stock ics
- screen size (4.7in) with good ppi compared to S2.
- maybe better battery life (due to larger battery ,better processor)
If you are looking of good development in the XDA
- i will suggest to take a look at the S2 section as there is gr8 development.
I like my G-Note but would suggest the size of S3 or even the S2 as appropriate for a smartphone.

I've had the white and loved it. I had to sell for financial reasons, but recently picked up a black one and honestly there both beautiful. A nice sgp screen protector takes the worry out of scratches so either choice is great. Black to me looks professional and white looks Hollywood your amazed every time you see it

Related

N1 vs Nexus S

Which one is better and why? I'm really in need of new phone please help me.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
I go for LG optimus x2, it's a dual core phone.
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Depends on what you want out of an Android phone. You can't buy the Nexus One directly from Google, you can with the Nexus S though (and Best Buy). I still have the Nexus One and I really don't see myself even considering the S due to the lack of things I need (FFC is useless, plastic throws me off).
So if I buy N1 would it be upgradable to honeycomb? And is it fast compare to x10? That's what I currently have?
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the_ahmadzais said:
Which one is better and why? I'm really in need of new phone please help me.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the nexus one, but if i could choose now - I'll definitely go for the Nexus S without a doubt.
The touch screen on the nexus one is abysmal. It has multiple freezing issues, and a boatload of bugs that no one is bothering to fix. It's also much slower than the S... i've had a play on my brother's S, and it's so smooth, responsive.. amazing phone.
Also, you're guaranteed to survive at least 1 Android upgrade with the Nexus S, seeing as it's the flagship google dev phone as of now. The nexus one... not sure how much longer it can go. probably a while, but that would be do to the mod community and not the official channels.
Go Nexus S and don't look back.
the_ahmadzais said:
So if I buy N1 would it be upgradable to honeycomb? And is it fast compare to x10? That's what I currently have?
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
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Yes it will. You are basically comparing phones with the same hardware, both 1 GHz, 480 x 800, 5 MP, capacitive buttons, etc. Updates should be reasonably quick depending on how Andy Rubin runs things.
Oh and the major difference being that the Nexus One has dual noise canceling mics, phones calls are going to be crisp and better for the person on the other end. The Nexus S has a front facing camera, once Skype gets on Android, it might take off.
I have the Nexus One and my wife has the Nexus S. Neither is rooted. I find the USER EXPERIENCE on the Nexus S to be MUCH BETTER than the Nexus One. Larger and brighter display that you can use outside. Not the fingerprint magnet the Nexus One is. Much smoother touch screen experience. And I don't know what all the fuss is about the plastic case vs the metal case. I find it very sturdy and it even feels better in your hand. It's faster at almost everything. You can even hear the speakerphone. Don't get me wrong, I love my Nexus One. But if some one ask me if i would trade it for a Nexus S... Without any hesitation YES!
[email protected] said:
And I don't know what all the fuss is about the plastic case vs the metal case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fingerprinting on the battery door. If you get fingerprints all over the Nexus One battery door, I am surprised. On the Nexus S, not so much.
I had the n1 one for about a year and upgraded to the nexus s just 2 weeks ago. I find the battery life to be amazing (full day normal use) on the nexus s. The most important improvement has been the touch screen, not cause i play games, but for typing. I noticed that im making less mistakes on the nexus s and my speed has gone up substantially, i also had gingerbread on my n1.
Go with the Motorola Atrix or a new tablet.
peliROJO said:
Go with the Motorola Atrix or a new tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tablets are for sick people.
Both Nexus phones are great and both have their problems...but nothing is perfect!
I had the nexus S for about two weeks before I had to return it since T-Mobile service is horrible where I live.
I've gotta say that the S is better in most aspects. The screen is amazingly bright and easy to read in sunlight. The screen also registers fast typing much better, so I make a lot less mistakes.
Stock gingerbread is so fast and smooth.
However I didn't like the glossy plastic construction on the NS. It was a fingerprint magnet. Also, the quality control on new units were terrible.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
the only thing that I keep N1 is to stay with T-Mobile $5.99 old unlimited data plan.

Atrix User planning to get the note

Im planning to get one of these badboys replacing my atrix. is it worth the upgrade?
thanks
Umm ef yea
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I also owned an atrix. Its a no brainer.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I'm currently using both and I'm quite happy with my Note. Probably the only reason I still use my Atrix is when I require more pocket-ability even though the Note is quite pocketable. Performance wise the note on at&t 3G is almost the same as the Atrix. Also, the Note will supposedly get ICS and I highly doubt that Atrix will.
Atrix owner here. I can doubtlessly state this phone is far superior. The screen is incomparable, not only because of the size, but because u can use it with ease under direct sunlight, something you can't even dream of doing in the Atrix, and it's a worthy gaming/reading machine. The Atrix had extras, but they are, after months of use, easily identifiable as worthless.
I'm going to piggy back what everyone else is saying here. I also owned an Atrix from day 1 of its release and it was a great phone. This device blows it away. Batter life is actually better than it was on my Atrix! (and it was incredible for me on Atrix) The screen resolution and colors are incomparable, the Note is simply in a class of its own, the colors and images look painted on the screen, I remember when I first turned the phone on it took me by surprise. The more I use this phone, I find the diverse it actually is. Playing games, reading books/pdf/documents, watching video, streaming music, this phone does it all and does it amazingly. Wouldnt trade it for any other phone in the foreseeable future. Go for it, you will not regret it, and neither will your wallet
Thanks for the replies. Ill get it this coming weekend!
While I didn't own an Atrix (had a Desire before), after all the reading I came to one conclusion: as long as you can live with the size, the phone itself will be your best choice
Happy buying!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Love this thread because its about the 2 best phones of 2011.
Samsung NOTE - best performance, best screen, best battery + pen
Motorola Atrix - hands-down best phone of Q1 and Q2 and currently a great contender
I thought about buying an Atrix because of the accessories and then decided that it still would not replace my laptop so couldn't see the point. The Note doesn't try to replace a laptop but it does replace a phone and a tablet and that is what most people want. You will be able to carry the Note everywhere like the Atrix and enjoy the much better experience.
Go get the note ! I've had the Atric which was pretty good but Note is definitely better... Bigger screen, bright colours, ...
Go get it, NOW! )
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Possibly looking at the GS3, would like some opinions

I have a friend who is letting me use the upgrade on their line at the end of September to get a phone so I can keep my unlimited. As it sits right now I have a Galaxy Nexus. I love the phone but want something with newer tech. I had a few questions though.
The first being battery life of the phone compared to the GNex. I'm not at all satisfied with the performance of the Nexus regarding the battery. I average under 2 hours screen time and medium usage, and that sort of stinks. Since the S3 has the same size battery as my extended I have now, is the batter life good in those regards?
Secondly there are some good looking phones coming down the line. I'm a picky person when it comes to screens. Is the quality good regarding the screen? I have some burn in on my nexus and I don't know how the S3 is. Also, the nexus has an annoying issue where the screen loses sensitivity after a while. Does that happen on the S3 as well?
Would I be better waiting for the Note 2, RAZR maxx HD, or the HTC device or getting the S3?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Here's my personal opinion;
If you're looking for newer tech, why don't you wait for the new Nexus phone(s) coming around December? The S3 is bound to lag behind upcoming phones because technology is moving really fast.
Since the Galaxy S3 has the same screen as the Galaxy Nexus, it is bound to be affected by screen burns after a year or more. The screen quality is excellent but Super AMOLED screens are prone to burn-ins. The Note 2 has a better screen, in my opinion.
The battery life of the S3 is superb! Really. My friend's Nexus doesn't last long at all whilst my S3 can last for a long time!
Stick with the Nexus for now.
Thanks for the honest responses. I wish more companies would follow HTC and use super LCD2, the screen is awesome and crystal clear. I like the note 2 but I fear it might be just too big.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Just wait a bit for the optimus g or a bit more for the new nexus. The sg3 is great, but there are going to be a few better choises very soon, at least hardware-wise. Then razr maxx hd looks promising, It might be a good bet considering the google acquisition of moto...
I have never been a fan of LG, they always seem to be lacking. I heard a rumor about the new nexus being the 5 inch phablet from HTC. Not sure how I feel about having a super big phone. I'll have to check out the note 2 to figure out if I could handle it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
chrisjm00 said:
I have never been a fan of LG, they always seem to be lacking. I heard a rumor about the new nexus being the 5 inch phablet from HTC. Not sure how I feel about having a super big phone. I'll have to check out the note 2 to figure out if I could handle it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The razr maxx hd looks nice on videos and articles, but Its a bit thick and has a dual core cpu. Lg makes great hardware, but I've never liked the software and slow updates. There are probably going to be other devices with a s4 pro(quadcore) chip soon I would wait and go for one of those.
SGS3 is awesome... Best phone I ever had (and I had quite a few..).
Battery lasts me all day (just email, browsing & reading newsfeeds), no problem. Screen is nice, no complaints. The S3 is just gorgeous and really speedy. I use mine with a 64GB SD-Card, which is the reason why I passed on the GNex.. I need storage space for movies and music!
Best of all, I hook my S3 up to my 42in flatscreen TV (LG), and the picture is nice and crisp...
Did I already suggest you should get an S3 (Quad core)?
Sure, there will always be better & faster phones coming out, but this one just has everything you (probably) want.
Just one thing I really hate about the S3: the physical 'Home' button. HTC did that better on the Rezound (a crappy phone w/ a nice screen...), even though those morons gave it 4 buttons. - How dumb is that?
I certainly will never get another HTC as long as 'Sense' is around - even though I used to root all my phones and put Custom ROMs (preferably CM) on them anyway...
However, I have to admit that after using Samsung TouchWiz (in JB flavor) for the last 6-8 weeks, I have no desire switching to some always half-broken CM ROM anymore.
With TW, at least, all the features work.. right away!!!
Sent from my rooted GT-I9300 running Samsung's 'leaked' Android 4.1.1/JB [XXDLI7] using xda-developers app (blue)
Isnt there a new HTC one x5 coming out? (seeing as you said you like htc screens, this ones meant to be 5 inches and full 1080p) could be just a rumour but have a look: http://blog.gsmarena.com/the-htc-5-phablet-to-be-the-google-nexus-5/
I am having this phone and after using a store model I found it pretty smooth.
i have to honestly say this phone is amazing. not a single fault with it.
its heavily supported by the community, paranoid android is amazing too. etc etc etc.
but as always, just look at what you need. theres never any point looking for the greatest tech, because another this or that will come along in a month and be the new 'best'.
for me, external SD card was a must, removable battery is always nice, etc etc.
either take the dive and get an S3 which will be a really really solid phone for the next 12 months and probably longer, or wait another 6 and get the next big thing, be it nexus, galaxy, HTC <insert name here>... but just make sure it does what you need (and with the number of custom roms out there, this is becoming more and more flexible)
diz_dizane said:
i have to honestly say this phone is amazing. not a single fault with it.
its heavily supported by the community, paranoid android is amazing too. etc etc etc.
but as always, just look at what you need. theres never any point looking for the greatest tech, because another this or that will come along in a month and be the new 'best'.
for me, external SD card was a must, removable battery is always nice, etc etc.
either take the dive and get an S3 which will be a really really solid phone for the next 12 months and probably longer, or wait another 6 and get the next big thing, be it nexus, galaxy, HTC <insert name here>... but just make sure it does what you need (and with the number of custom roms out there, this is becoming more and more flexible)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, this phone is great, lots of fun and also needed an SD card and battery I could swap. Nothing worse than arriving somewhere and having to wait for the phone to charge!
I was thinking of jumping from the Sensation 4G with Tmo to the GS3 since they are offering an upgrade 2 months early...I think I will stay with my rooted Sensation a bit longer its awesome anyways but I think Tmo will be getting a new line up before Christmas...Im considering the Note 2 but it may be too big Im not sure yet...just dont wanna waste an upgrade and a month later the lastest and greatest hit the market....
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda app-developers app
A lot comes down to personal preference.
Like the first reply said why not wait until december.
I had the Galaxy S3 and I hated it.
Found it very uncomfortable to use. Impossible to operate in one had. I would try it out yourself, i wish i did, its not as smooth as everyone makes out. However, i was advised to do lots of things to it which would have made it smooth like rooting etc (i couldn't be bothered with the hassle of that)
Screen is very good but not as good as other phones and its really bad in sunlight. Almost unusable.
Dont know what battery other people have got but its not very good. You wouldn't get through a day with it thats for sure. Android fans had a tough time over the years with battery but this is an improvement.
Also, the device is not very pretty as others seem to think. Again this is personal preference. Its very plasticy and flimsy. One drop and its dead. Poor build quality.
As you can see my post is very negative due to the experience I had with it. Personally, if your an android fan wait til december.
The opposite of what he ^ said.
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antdawe said:
A lot comes down to personal preference.
Like the first reply said why not wait until december.
I had the Galaxy S3 and I hated it.
Found it very uncomfortable to use. Impossible to operate in one had. I would try it out yourself, i wish i did, its not as smooth as everyone makes out. However, i was advised to do lots of things to it which would have made it smooth like rooting etc (i couldn't be bothered with the hassle of that)
Screen is very good but not as good as other phones and its really bad in sunlight. Almost unusable.
Dont know what battery other people have got but its not very good. You wouldn't get through a day with it thats for sure. Android fans had a tough time over the years with battery but this is an improvement.
Also, the device is not very pretty as others seem to think. Again this is personal preference. Its very plasticy and flimsy. One drop and its dead. Poor build quality.
As you can see my post is very negative due to the experience I had with it. Personally, if your an android fan wait til december.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An opinion, that most people do not share. I would just wait for the next Nexus or look at what HTC is brining out. Something tells me the new Nexus phone may be a disappointment, I do hope I'm wrong though

[Comparison] HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S4

This looks like one of the hot comparisions out there right now. Many of you are probably wondering if you should get the One or S4. I was in the same boat as some of you guys before buying the HTC One. I had been using a nexus 4 which felt fast and good in hand, but after breaking the screen and getting quoted $250 to fix it, i decided to buy a new one. I didn't even look at any phones other than the HTC One, Galaxy S4 and XPeria Z. I removed the XPeria Z from my list after hearing that the snapdragon s4 feels laggy on the 1080p screen and the screen is a little washed out compared to the other two. It was really hard to choose from the remaining two, but here are things that i thought were pros and cons of both phones:
Galaxy S4 Pros:
- Has SD Slot
- Has Removable Battery
- Processor is clocked 200MHz higher at 1.9GHz (Doesn't make much difference)
- AirView is pretty cool and would be pretty useful if more apps implemented (I don't think the API is open though)
- Faster unofficial updates since Google announced they would be providing updates for the stock version of GS4 which means the roms can be ported faster.
Galaxy S4 Cons:
- Doesn't have a premium feel with plastic polycarbonate body (the phone's plastic felt like the plastic used on my motorcycle's helmet)
- Has too many gimicky features that just take up space but you can never use (the eye tracking features are useless at night or where there is no perfect lighting, Air gestures are not practical for most people.)
- Only 16GB of internal storage (at the moment), and only about 10 GB is free for users to use, which means you cannot download apps that are more than that on size. Almost all big games on the android market are at least 1GB and can go up to 3, and if you install like 5 or 6 of them, you will be pretty close to running out of storage for apps.
- When i held the device on my hand, it felt slimey (its kind of hard to explain) as if it was dipped in some kind of oil.
- Phone speaker is tiny. I don't listen to music through the speakers, but while trying my friends GS4's speakerphone to call while driving, i felt like the volume was little too low.
- TouchWiz is really cluttered. I checked how many apps that i didn't need were installed by default, and there were more than 20 apps that i would never use.
- Periodic Jitters. The phone seemed to freeze up for a quarter of second randomly while using the phone. And sometimes the UI would totally skip animations. These aren't big things, but they make the user experience feel less fun.
HTC One Pros:
- Smooth aluminum finish definitely makes the device feel premium in hand and gives overall better hand feeling.
- Ultrapixel camera works great at low light conditions.
- The infrared blaster merged into the power button just makes the device look less cluttered.
- The PPI is the higest out of anything i have ever used. The display is so sharp that it looks like you are looking at a printed photo when you are looking at the picture on the phone.
- HTC Sense 5 is great. I was always an aosp fan, but they have optmised sense so much that i like sense better than stock now.
- Boomsound speakers are great. I never thought i would be using speakers to watch videos on my phone, but the boom sound speakers are so loud and clear that i like using them over my $200+ headphones while watching movies and videos. The speakers are something that you will not notice how good they are unless you actually use them. Head down to a Sprint or Tmobile or ATT store and try it out.
- Beats Audio sounded like a gimmick at first, but it surprisingly works really well. Some songs sound so much better with beats turned on.
- It has a built in amp for the speakers, which helps the speakers perform really good.
- It is iPhone smooth. No matter what you guys say, i had never used an android phone that could match iphone's smoothness before using the htc one. The galaxy s4 is smooth, but the one feels a lot more smoother than the s4 when using side by side.
- Call Quality seemed much much better than S4 on my tests.
HTC One Cons:
- No Removable Battery. This definitely sucks.
- No SD Slot.
- Still uses 4.1.2 instead of latest version.
- Only 4 MP camera. Way more than enough on daily use, but if you want to print a photo in really large size, you might want to look for a real camera.
- It's almost impossible to repair.
Well these were pros and cons from my tests. I ended up buying the HTC one after a long research. Here are some deciding factors and solutions for HTC one's cons that made me get the HTC:
- The One came with 32 GB which was enough for me. And since i have good network and unlimited data with tmobile, i could always use cloud storage if i needed more.
- The One supports USB OTG like the S4 which means after buying a $1 cable from ebay, i could just plug in my USB flash drive and watch movies and other things from there. This would save me internal space, and i could always use the usb if i wanted to watch a movie. This would compensate the non removable storage in the HTC One.
- The non removable battery in the HTC One sucks, but according to a lot of reviews it would last for a day with moderate use which was good enough for me.
- The non removable battery problems could be solved by portable chargers.
- Even though the battery is non replaceable in the HTC One, i don't think i will need to replace it for at least 2 years, and i wont be using this phone for more than 2 years. The battery is rated for charging cycles of 1000 times. This means even if you charge and discharge your phone completely 3 times in two days (which we don't normally do), the phone would easily last 2 years. And the 1000 times rating is the minimum rating, the battery could last even longer.
- The One has much more premium feel in hand compared to the S4. If you hold both in hands at the same time, you can totally feel the difference.
- Samsung's 16GB internal storage feels like too low for apps. Since you can only use 10GB out of the 16, i feel like i am going to run out of internal storage pretty quick.'
- The Audio quality from headphone port as well as the speakers is much better than the S4. I tried both side by side and One was far better in terms or audio quality.
- The display in HTC One seemed better than the S4 probably because of the higher PPI or samsung's use of pentile display tech. You wouldn't notice this if you were just using one of the phones, but if you had both phones side by side, the difference was noticable.
- The display on the HTC One works much better on sunlight compared to the Galaxy s4's OLED display. The difference is pretty big.
- I noticed that most pictures that i took with my phone were in low light situations. HTC One was much better in low light, even when the Galaxy S4's night mode was turned on.
- I actually liked the looks of HTC's sense compared to Touchwiz. Touchwiz just feels cartoonish compared to Sense.
Let me know if there are any pros or cons or any of the phones that i missed to mention above.
P.S. I am pretty biased towards the HTC one on the last part (deciding factors) since those were the reasons i got one instead of other. But i've tried to be as fair as possible on the pros and cons.
Update: Check this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=41502507&postcount=27
Thanks for the info. I thought Verizon did me a favor and gave me one decision with the s4. Looks like there going to release it and I will have a decision. I've read all the pros and cons and you really have to hold the devices side by side and I did that yesterday for the first time.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Fstall303 said:
Thanks for the info. I thought Verizon did me a favor and gave me one decision with the s4. Looks like there going to release it and I will have a decision. I've read all the pros and cons and you really have to hold the devices side by side and I did that yesterday for the first time.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, both phones are pretty similar in terms of performance specs. But its the tiny little things that make a big difference. Try both phones and don't make your decision based on the fact that verizon doesn't have the one yet. Since sprint already got the CDMA version, verizon should be getting one pretty soon.
Yes, the HTC One is "feeling" good in the hand because of the aluminum. But how things works and functions is way more important than how things feels.
But that feeling comes with a big cost. Aluminum is spreading the heat way more than plastic does. And because the temprature on the HTC One is way higher than it is on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (according to NordicHardware here: http://tinyurl.com/brskpgw), then i wouldn't really say aluminum is a good thing to have on a phone when a phone gets that hot.
And good luck holding that phone under heavy usage, because you know, over 57 degrees celcius and aluminum is NOT gonna fell good in the hand at all.
You should write this down as a cons / negative side for the HTC One.
Tom-Helge said:
Yes, the HTC One is "feeling" good in the hand because of the aluminum. But how things works and functions is way more important than how things feels.
But that feeling comes with a big cost. Aluminum is spreading the heat way more than plastic does. And because the temprature on the HTC One is way higher than it is on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (according to NordicHardware here: http://tinyurl.com/brskpgw), then i wouldn't really say aluminum is a good thing to have on a phone when a phone gets that hot.
And good luck holding that phone under heavy usage, because you know, over 57 deagrees celcius and aluminum is NOT gonna fell good in the hand at all.
You should write this down as a cons / negative side for the HTC One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if you would think about what you just posted, you'd know that heat dissapation is a good thing. Both phones have more or less the same processor, so they heat up about equally. The heat you feel on metal means that the heat is getting sucked away from processor and other electronics inside, preventing them from overheating. :good:
Tom-Helge said:
Yes, the HTC One is "feeling" good in the hand because of the aluminum. But how things works and functions is way more important than how things feels.
But that feeling comes with a big cost. Aluminum is spreading the heat way more than plastic does. And because the temprature on the HTC One is way higher than it is on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (according to NordicHardware here: http://tinyurl.com/brskpgw), then i wouldn't really say aluminum is a good thing to have on a phone when a phone gets that hot.
And good luck holding that phone under heavy usage, because you know, over 57 deagrees celcius and aluminum is NOT gonna fell good in the hand at all.
You should write this down as a cons / negative side for the HTC One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey mate i been using htc one for 2 month and i wanna correct you even i watching movie and playing asphalt 7 or nova or modern combat
my battery highest rate will go till 41 degree and i never feel hot or watsoever just warm if u going to ask me how the hell i check now i teach u guys and that dont know just press *#*#4636#*#* if the device battery heat higher than 48degree will be consider defected battery as what HTC service center told me.lastly im not a HTC fanboy i own samsung s3 previous and my sister own s4 now,we compare side by side and my sister said wanna sell of s4 and get HTC one no offense and peace
OP, as you can see by reading the sticky by jotha in this very section, comparison threads aren't allowed in this forum.
Tom-Helge said:
You can't see ANY differences from 441 PPI to 468 PPI with the naked eye. It's that simple. You are only imagine in your head that you actually are seeing differences. But in reality, you don't. You can't see any differences here before you gets the screens under a microscope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Normally I would agree with you on this...But the fact that the S4 uses a pentile display I would have to disagree! I'm sure most people can tell a difference side by side.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
gutrrob said:
Normally I would agree with you on this...But the fact that the S4 uses a pentile display I would have to disagree! I'm sure most people can tell a difference side by side.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you should read about the new Pentile technology that are in the Galaxy S4 before you claim it's bad because of earlier pentile techologies: http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S4_ShootOut_1.htm
TLDR: The Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S4 are as good as the iPhone 5 screen is. It says enough.
Tom-Helge said:
Maybe you should read about the new Pentile technology that are in the Galaxy S4 before you claim it's bad because of earlier pentile techologies
TLDR: The Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S4 are as good as the iPhone 5 screen is. It says enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HTC One has a far superior screen compared to the iPhone 5! Your comment doesn't hold any water.
Find a article where the S4 screen is just as good as the One.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
gutrrob said:
The HTC One has a far superior screen compared to the iPhone 5! Your comment doesn't hold any water.
Find a article where the S4 screen is just as good as the One.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it's about PPI, then yes, HTC One are better than iPhone 5. But everything is not about the PPI on a screen.
Maybe you could find the article / proof that says the HTC One's screen are better than iPhone 5 when it comes to color accuracy?
HTC One and iPhone 5 uses the same screen technology (both have RGB stripes). So the only thing we can compare between those 2 are color accuracy.
And if you then can find me the proof that HTC One is doing a better job at color accuracy than the iPhone 5, then sure, i will use the HTC One over the iPhone 5 to compare the Samsung Galaxy S4's screen with.
gutrrob said:
The HTC One has a far superior screen compared to the iPhone 5! Your comment doesn't hold any water.
Find a article where the S4 screen is just as good as the One.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry if I'll make you upset or something but IMO the iphone 5 screen is one of the best LCD's out there.
It has excellent calibration, sunlight visibility is superior to everything out there (even better than HTC one), excellent viewing angles and very high (maybe even the highest) contrast among mobile LCD displays.
Yes, the SLCD3 (of Samsung and Sony) in the HTC one is excellent but it's not perfect and the only place it's superior to the iphone 5's screen is ppi. Other than that, it's on par or inferior.
Check it yourself, and I know I'll be backed up by you and any other person who've seen the iphone 5's in person.
BTW, I still prefer the HTC one display over the iphone 5 display.
Tom-Helge said:
When it's about PPI, then yes, HTC One are better than iPhone 5. But everything is not about the PPI on a screen.
Maybe you could find the article / proof that says the HTC One's screen are better than iPhone 5 when it comes to color accuracy?
HTC One and iPhone 5 uses the same screen technology (both have RGB stripes). So the only thing we can compare between those 2 are color accuracy.
And if you then can find me the proof that HTC One is doing a better job at color accuracy than the iPhone 5, then sure, i will use the HTC One over the iPhone 5 to compare the Samsung Galaxy S4's screen with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny how you keep bringing up the iPhone 5 when were talking about the S4 vs HTC One screen!
I'm done here Troll!
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
gutrrob said:
Funny how you keep bringing up the iPhone 5 when were talking about the S4 vs HTC One screen!
I'm done here Troll!
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If iphone 5's screen superior (or on par) than the HTC one's screen than we can bring comparisons (that already made) between him and the S4 instead of the s4 against HTC one which we don't have professional comparisons unless you count the GSMArena comparison (for example) which gave the s4 the winning spot in the screen part:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_vs_htc_one-review-913p3.php
sindresv said:
Tom-Helge:
Why do you come here and try to destroy a perfectly good thread? The OP was trying to help others in the same situation as he was in, and he was not blindly butchering the S4. He had many valid points both pro and cons on both devices, so I don't really see the problem.
You tell us the One's screen isn't that good compared to the S4, but yet the only phone you compare it to is the iPhone 5. I struggel to see your point as this isn't an iPhone 5 VS One thread.
And for the dark screen on the S4: when you compare phones, you have to do it in stock condition. Not everyone roots and flashes.. In fact most people don't..
I still don't get the fuzz over the battery not being able to be changed. I personally have never had the need to change a bettery, and neither have any of my friends.
I guess this thread will be closed, but I kind of liked it and found it useful
Ind just for your information: yes, the One gets a bit hot, but it's never been a problem holding it, and far from any discomfort!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, there's no a problem in showing the pros and cons of the devices but the list the OP listed is total biased towards the HTC one.
Almost all of the cons of the galaxy s4 and the pros of the HTC one was a matter of opinion and preference.
So yes, it's good for non-techy people to have such thread but not as biased toward the HTC one as this thread is.
Tom-Helge said:
I'm not destroying this topic. I'm correcting some points the op talked about witch isn't true.
When wasn't that allowed to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SGS4 screen was engineered with a pentigon style layout making the screen more green/blue than it should be , also making the whites more gray than it should be.
in reality the statments that you were bringing up do have some weight, but the SGS4 is a refreshed the SGS3.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Is there any reason that the only people who think that are owners of a S4?
EclipzeRemix said:
The SGS4 screen was engineered with a pentigon style layout making the screen more green/blue than it should be , also making the whites more gray than it should be.
in reality the statments that you were bringing up do have some weight, but the SGS4 is a refreshed the SGS3.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you seen the professional test of displaymate? The s4 (in movie mode) have accurate colors.
The "diamond" pentile use different sizes for each subpixel so in the end you can get accurate colors and in movie mode it actually have accurate colors as stated in displaymate tests.
sindresv said:
None of your points have been valid, and when you realise that, you just bring in another phone to compare it with...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my links that explains why the Galaxy S4 screen is that good as i say isn't any valid points?
I bring in the iPhone 5 because it have been the mainstreamphone to compare other screen on other phones to, because the iPhone 5 screen is pretty mu7ch one of the best screens out there (untilk proven wrong).
The fact that the display is perfect in some situations doesn't change the fact that it is s**t in other key functions. Not being able to use chrome is kind of a big deal for many people!
And you showed us a link telling us that the S4 display is s**t when browsing. Is that explaining how good it is?

Forgive the SONY user but need help!

Hi all, currently I'm Sony Xperia S user but after a year of usage I got tired of it, very unhappy with build quality and the speed of the device. The thing is I'm planning to get Nexus 4 (white) in about few weeks and I'd like to know the impression of N4 users. If you have some spare time please write something about the device, camera performance. Thanks in advance!
MADNJPN said:
Hi all, currently I'm Sony Xperia S user but after a year of usage I got tired of it, very unhappy with build quality and the speed of the device. The thing is I'm planning to get Nexus 4 (white) in about few weeks and I'd like to know the impression of N4 users. If you have some spare time please write something about the device, camera performance. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend has an xperia s and it lags like hell when he scrolls through the UI, he's on stock unrooted.
Get the nexus 4, it's a beast. Camera performance compared to some other phones is acceptable, but far from being the best.
There are many threads about impressions and thoughts around here, mostly you'll find satisfied users.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I upgraded from a XS to the N4 a month ago. You won't be disappointed The first thing you will notice is the screen is a lot better, but the colours do need adjusting for the best results otherwise it will look washed out. I've been getting the same battery life as I did with the XS so no issues there. The build quality is OK, not brilliant, but acceptable for the price.
I never had any speed/lag issue with the XS on SEMC ROM but the N4 does feel nippier. The camera seems faster on the N4 but I had issues with the XS camera so can't compare directly.
rayiskon said:
My friend has an xperia s and it lags like hell when he scrolls through the UI, he's on stock unrooted.
Get the nexus 4, it's a beast. Camera performance compared to some other phones is acceptable, but far from being the best.
There are many threads about impressions and thoughts around here, mostly you'll find satisfied users.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, thanks !! I've searched around the forum and liked the pictures taken with N4, also almost everyone is satisfied.
MADNJPN said:
Yea, thanks !! I've searched around the forum and liked the pictures taken with N4, also almost everyone is satisfied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm one of those unsatisfied with the camera , because i had a galaxy s3 before and i know what phone cameras are capable of nowadays. But anyways, it's a compromise, nexus line was never about cameras...
As for the screen, some people will tell you it's washed out and to mess around with it, i think it is a subjective thing, my phone is rooted,but i kept the stock colors because i like them.
Performance wise, nothing comes close to a nexus and a stock android experience.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
rayiskon said:
I'm one of those unsatisfied with the camera , because i had a galaxy s3 before and i know what phone cameras are capable of nowadays. But anyways, it's a compromise, nexus line was never about cameras...
As for the screen, some people will tell you it's washed out and to mess around with it, i think it is a subjective thing, my phone is rooted,but i kept the stock colors because i like them.
Performance wise, nothing comes close to a nexus and a stock android experience.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your impressions. I love XS, I love it's camera and it really performs very well that's why it's hard for me to switch from cameraphone to Performance monster.
I came from a S2 Skyrocket.
The camera is meh @ best. Samsung really does have rocking cameras. N4 is Okay in decent light. Sucks in low light conditions.
The pure android OS with the hardware this phone has for the price is awesome.
The screen is really crisp and I don't find the colors wash.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
mrhiab said:
I came from a S2 Skyrocket.
The camera is meh @ best. Samsung really does have rocking cameras. N4 is Okay in decent light. Sucks in low light conditions.
The pure android OS with the hardware this phone has for the price is awesome.
The screen is really crisp and I don't find the colors wash.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I held one of the Nexus 4 when I was in a shop and it looks and feels great, screen colors look very natural I liked them, but then I saw Xperia Z ... 13mp + microsd card slot + water resist ... makes me worry , should I risk and take SONY again ( Sony fan about 13 sony phones ) or take nexus ...

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