Database Users

GalaxyS just released in Spain with Vodafone

Hi all,
As I just said its been released in Spain and I was wandering if I should get it over the desire hd its in same price range so money ain't a problem but people seem to have major issues with the galaxy .
4" screen is more than enough for me but I saw the samoled in action and is amazing the camera I hear its good too, so what should I do?

I have a really hard time recommending the Galaxy S. I could really use a working gps and a cached map navigation. The lag is really frustrating as well but as you can see with the xda app it's still usable and games run smoothly. So to answer your question: it depends what you plan to do with the phone.
Also don't forget that the desires already have 2.2 and don't put your hopes up that samsung fixes current issues.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Schmich said:
I could really use a working gps and a cached map navigation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS accuracy improvements are on the way, and for map caching on sd card you can use this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=630887
To OP: No phone is perfect.
If you don't want to flash or root your phone, you would have to wait until 2.2 comes to fix the majority of the various bugs / improvements needed. Samsung is apparently working on it 24/7, hopefully we'll get a release by the end of October.
Compared to the Desire HD, the immediate difference is the screen quality.

Cached maps navigation sure seems like heaven especially with compas integration, im directionally challenged so it could help me a lot, the 2.2 out of the box and first probable phone to get 3.0 is definetly a plus...
I really like the screen and video format integration it always pissed me off that i have to convert videos to watch on my phone. and I use my phone to listen to music how is the SGS in that regard?
What is youre experience with the phone (i know sammy isnt the best manefacturer but whats the problem beside the gps?)

Music dont sound good on sgs as compared to ipod or iphone
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

salmanslick said:
Music dont sound good on sgs as compared to ipod or iphone
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
supercurio would like a word with you

I have a hero now and the audio ain't bad it can't be any worse right ?

calexus1182 said:
I have a hero now and the audio ain't bad it can't be any worse right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I've had a Hero and the sound quality is much better. The original earphones that come with the SGS are bull****, from this comes the bad sound quality. If you have or buy good earphones the sound quality is great.

almi88 said:
Nope, I've had a Hero and the sound quality is much better. The original earphones that come with the SGS are bull****, from this comes the bad sound quality. If you have or buy good earphones the sound quality is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting... the earbuds that came with mine are actually pretty good. Not as good as my £40 Sennheiser earbuds, but very close! Good bass response, uncoloured midrange. The trebble is a little harsh sometimes at max volume but that's to be expected.
Makes me wonder if perhaps mine weren't manufactured by Samsung.

If you don't care flashing, then the Galaxy S is ok.
I think the Desire HD will be better out of the box though.

I don't mind flashing...if its a resonable amount.
I can buy either just have a hard time deciding which one.
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App

You should try them out!
The HD is quite heavy compared to the Galaxy (I held it briefly) but feels much more robust. That being said, I have the Galaxy S since August and nothing has happened to it yet.
I have used the normal desire (non HD) and it seems to be much snappier than the galaxy s. That of course doesn't mean that the HD will be as snappy. The Sense GUI seems to be better than touchwiz.
With JM6 and the voodoo lagfix, the Galaxy is doing ok. I am really happy with it.
If I were you I would wait a little bit to see what's going to happen with Froyo and hear first real impressions about the HD.

wasnt froyo realeased for the SGS? at least unofficialy?

Zvenn said:
GPS accuracy improvements are on the way, and for map caching on sd card you can use this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=630887
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, although that doesn't work for the Navigation.

The sgs been out since summer right? How's the build quality holding ?
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App

calexus1182 said:
The sgs been out since summer right? How's the build quality holding ?
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is the best phone available on the market right now!
if you can wait, then wait for better stuff comming out on 2011
if you need a new phone now get the Galaxy S
strong, good for protection out of the box, see the videos on the wiki
great reception
GPS works good contrary to what you have read here in the forum, it just depends on the firmware
the Camera is amazing, Video recording as well
Audio is the finest quality on both the 3.5 and via Bluetooth 3.0
if you have a car with BT stereo support, you'll love it!
the LAGs that you read about is not real, it all comes down to maintaining your phone with the autorun killers and task managers to optimize the phone.
WiFi N is very fast, i get up to 87 Mbps on it, not as fast as PC but fast enough to transfer large files, without using the USB
SAMOLED screen is amazing.

Well don't mind installing the lagfixes and if I keep waiting for a better phone il never have one T-T but I do want a tegra2
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App

DesireHD delayed in spain should i just get the sgs?

Hey,
I'm from the Netherlands, and bought my Galaxy S 2 weeks ago. I knew full well that the Desire HD was coming, but chose for the Galaxy S anyway...
I couldn't be happier with my choice, this is why:
-The Galaxy S screen is superior. No match, S-Amoled rocks.
-Xvid support is lovely.
-There already is a lot of documentation and a big user base for the Galaxy S (and stuff like Galaxy S specific apps), which gives you a community to fall back on.
-The Galaxy S has a pretty good battery (1500 mAh), in contrary to the DesireHD (1200 mAh).
-The Galaxy S is available NOW (there's always something on the horizon).
-Bluetooth 3.0
-The best processor in smartphone world.
-A LOT more memory; up to 48gb (16 internal and 32 microsd).
-It is light.
-There's a front facing camera for video calls and such.
In all honesty, the Desire HD has some pros too:
-The screen, although it sucks in comparison, is pretty big.
-The build quality seems to be pretty good.
-HTC support, probably until android 3.0.
-It has more RAM.
-8MP camera with flash.
-Maybe device design and HTC Sense, depends on taste. I like the Galaxy S and Touchwiz just fine, personally.
To me, the Galaxy S was better on paper and I am very satisfied with the experience it is giving me up to now.
It does need some tweaks, but the good news is all of those tweaks are available due to the huge user base (>1 mil!). It has lag, use a lagfix. It doesn't properly manage RAM, use AutoKiller Memory. Etc.
Fact is that, if the DesireHD runs into these issues, you won't have a fix ready right away simply because the user base will need to grow and the device hasn't been tested by over a million people for half a year. With the Galaxy S, you know what you will be getting, and you know it's awesome.
So, there you go; get the Galaxy S.
Greets,
MM

Really? Awesome havent noticed the front camera xD
Well the main pull the desireHd has over me is that htc phones are better supported (xda etc..) And kinda like the new sense(The site,cached map nav are really awesome )I dont like the battery, i dont care how much more optimised the proccesor is at 1200mAh with its huge screen its gonna die quickly.
4 inch screen is plenty of space.
everybody says the camera is awesome
Hey is the bootloder unlocked can we flash costom roms yet? Dont think i saw any...

Return my atrix for an sii?

Hi guys! Thanks in advance for any responses to this.
I recently bought a Motorola Atrix from AT&T and I'm still within my 30 day return period for another week. With the Galaxy sii being announced for at&t tomorrow, I am considering returning my atrix for it. I know the specs are better and I've read a million reviews, but I have some questions that I think will be better answered by experienced and technical sii users (you guys!). If anyone wants to comment on my thoughts here or if you have anything positive/negative to add about your experience with the sii, I would really appreciate the info.
-I love the qHD resolution on my Atrix screen. I hate the thought of losing that, but I keep hearing great things about that SAMOLED display...
-The GPS in my atrix works surprisingly well. My previous phone was an iPhone 3gs and the GPS was VERY hit or miss. It seems to work every time with the atrix. How is it in the samsung?
-Crappy internal speakers are a pet peeve of mine. The only thing I'm worried about with the speaker is whether or not it is loud/clear enough for the speakerphone. It drives me CRAZY when the internal speakers are just a little too quiet and it makes the speakerphone worthless (say, in a car with background road noise).
-How is the call quality on the sii?
-Does hdmi mirroring work well? That's the one feature of the atrix that drives me insane. It has an hdmi out, but no mirroring. I just don't understand that.
I think I'm going to have a hard time deciding this week and any comments you guys can provide will be appreciated!

acaseyb said:
Hi guys! Thanks in advance for any responses to this.
I recently bought a Motorola Atrix from AT&T and I'm still within my 30 day return period for another week. With the Galaxy sii being announced for at&t tomorrow, I am considering returning my atrix for it. I know the specs are better and I've read a million reviews, but I have some questions that I think will be better answered by experienced and technical sii users (you guys!). If anyone wants to comment on my thoughts here or if you have anything positive/negative to add about your experience with the sii, I would really appreciate the info.
-I love the qHD resolution on my Atrix screen. I hate the thought of losing that, but I keep hearing great things about that SAMOLED display...
-The GPS in my atrix works surprisingly well. My previous phone was an iPhone 3gs and the GPS was VERY hit or miss. It seems to work every time with the atrix. How is it in the samsung?
-I see that you guys are commenting on the speaker. The only thing I'm worried about with the speaker is whether or not it is loud/clear enough for the speakerphone. It drives me CRAZY when the internal speakers are just a little too quiet and it makes the speakerphone worthless (say, in a car with background road noise).
-How is the call quality on the sii?
-Does hdmi mirroring work well? That's the one feature of the atrix that drives me insane. It has an hdmi out, but no mirroring. I just don't understand that.
I think I'm going to have a hard time deciding this week and any comments you guys can provide will be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would honestly go with the SGS2 but I'm biased.
screen is crazy good, I mean crazy good.
speaker is good but i tend to use a BT headset.
call quality is awesome. It's seems louder than my old Craptivate & Inspire.
can't comment on hdmi mirroring since I don't have the HDMI adapter

I was going to get the Atrix till i saw the video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGyJk2luvv4

I would definitely go for the SGS II (especially since there are rumors that it might come out with LTE). I actually bought an Atrix and sold it to help pay for my unlocked SGS II when it came out.

Came from an atrix, great phone but it just cant beat the sgs2. Return it.
Oh, and the screen is much better on the sgs2

I sold my Atrix for a Galaxy S II after having it for 2 weeks. The screen on the Atrix, while having a slightly higher resolution, has such terrible color the Galaxy S II blows it away. The other major thing that bothered me was the locked bootloader and lacking mod community at the time. The SII actually performs like a dual core smartphone where as the Atrix lagged when using live wallpapers. The only thing I actually miss from the Atrix is the notification LED.

Atrix is a horrible, slow, buggy phone. Galaxy S2 is the smoothest android phone i've ever used

I sold my Atrix for an SGSII and have no regrets
it's faster
better looking
has a better GUI
Better camera
the only thing I miss is the fingerprint reader

Also from an Atrix. Never looking back
Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk

+1. Sold my Atrix. GPS was the only thing better. But sgs2 is fine.
SGS2 is much better.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Been an Atrix user for 4 months then made the switch to SGS2. I miss the qhd resolution, battery life and gps on the Atrix. Never really tried the finger print reader. But i heard 2.3.4 made the atrix a lot better..
Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk

Thanks for all the input guys. Just out of curiosity, did most of the people who had an atrix have froyo or gingerbread? bimmerboi, are you happy you made the switch regardless of the things you miss?

Atrix and gs2 are comparable phones. I don't regret atrix at all.
I voided my warranty and your mum.

Once this replacement battery & cover is available it should add a nice boost to the battery life on our SGS2's. From the pics it looks like Samsung did it right and made a quality upgrade without taking away from the elegant design of the phone (unlike the hideous aftermarket high capacity batteries currently available).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1239719

acaseyb said:
Thanks for all the input guys. Just out of curiosity, did most of the people who had an atrix have froyo or gingerbread? bimmerboi, are you happy you made the switch regardless of the things you miss?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i am happy and no regrets. Those 3 things are what i really miss though.. Other than that the SGS2 is better in every aspect. If u can still return your Atrix then do it. You probably wont miss it since you only had it for a short time.
Edit: I forgot to mention the thing i miss the most.. The notification led!
Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk

I sold mine to my friend (his first Android) for $400 and paid the difference. All I can say is, totally worth it. Only downside is occasional wakes in the pocket compared to the Atrix but honestly everything is better.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Thanks again to anyone who posted (I reached my daily limit of 'thanks,' so I can't dole any more of those out). Assuming the price is reasonable when it gets announced tonight, I'll be returning my atrix pretty soon.

I was running 2.3.4
Sent from my GT-I9100M using XDA App

I've sold my Atrix and bought a GS2 and I couldn't be happier. The screen is absolutely mind blowing (I watch a lot of videos when I travel), the processor feels REALLY faster than the Atrixs' and the camera quality is among the best I've seen in sell phones. Amazing phone that I won't be getting rid of so soon. You cannot go wrong with this change.

So, are you happy with the I9505?

The general consensus on here is still that the I9500 is the phone to get. That it's somehow the 'proper' S4 and the I9505 is a pretender of some sort. Well I'll be honest, and unusually for me, I did little to no research on the S4 prior to purchasing one so was unaware there were numerous models. So when I upgraded from my two-year-old Galaxy S2 to my Galaxy S4 I decided to do it on the basis of having a play with it in the shop for ten minutes and liking what I saw.
Then a few hours after getting it home and checking out XDA Devs I realised I didn't have the model with the Exynos chipset in it and I can't lie, I was disappointed and felt a little cheated. But then over the next few weeks I started seeing the advantages, despite there being disadvantages too. The support out there for the Qualcomm Snapdragon being the obvious one. It's an open source chipset, and as a result the transfer of Android builds like CM, AOSP, AOKP and Paranoid Android are easy to get working. This is shown by the first working builds of CM and AOKP (albeit with a few bugs) being built by someone who didn't at the time even own the phone, and within a couple of weeks of the phone's release. At the opposite end of the spectrum the Exynos has little to no documentation which leaves developers fumbling around in the dark for months as shown by what happened in the past with the S2 and S3, the latter of which I believe still doesn't have a proper stable CM build despite being over 12 months old now. I get the distinct impression you won't see a proper working I9500 CM build for months, where as there are half a dozen non-stock builds on the I9505 already. For people who will be sticking with stock this doesn't mean much, but I have read the disappointment of enough I9500 owners to know there are a lot of people out there who are annoyed about this -- there are a lot of people who don't like TW and, if they own a I9500, they're currently screwed. Also, in terms of chipsets, you have the recent articles about the issues with the Octacore and how Samsung themselves aren't even using Exynos on their upcoming models and are going with Qualcomm. And when it comes to support in Android, Qualcomm is the better option simply because far more devices use it.
Another advantage is provided by Google themselves. It's now common knowledge that they're releasing a Nexus version of the S4 based on the I9505, this means a proper stock-stable AOSP build will be available for the I9505 as soon as that phone is released. Sure, it might not work 'out of the box' so to speak, as there are bound to be differences. But nothing the boffins on this forum won't overcome in quick fashion I'm sure. I imagine this will also result in much more stability in CM and AOKP builds.
Then you have LTE. While it's an advantage, personally, I can take or leave this as 4G coverage in the UK is s**t and currently only one network supports it and people have to pay through the nose. My network (O2-UK) won't have it until the end of the year and even then it will undoubtedly cost a fortune. I'm happy with 3G speed myself. I certainly didn't buy an S4 on the basis of it.
Of course, there are a couple of disadvantages, namely the lack of a Wolfsen chipset and what looks to be a slightly lesser camera sensor. I'd like both of these of course but can live without them as it's not as if what you get on the I9505 is rubbish in comparison. Also, you have a slight performance advantage with the I9500 but nothing you would see outside of a benchmark application. Do people think the extra 13% performance on Quadrant will translate into real world use? Of course not.
So to sum up with a few questions would I be disappointed to own a I9500 instead? Definitely not, it's clearly a fantastic phone and I don't find TW too bad an option. But would I swap my I9505 for an I9500 looking at all the available facts at this moment in time? No, and I'm not just saying that because I own one.

I'm very happy with my i9505, same as you I didn't do much research prior to purchase. The lack of the octacore doesn't bother me in the slightest: firstly, it doesn't even work as advertised. Secondly, Samsung are the worst for releasing source code (refer to the galaxy s2) and the Snapdragon will have more open source support. LTE will be available here soon, and the lack of a Wolfson DAC doesn't bother me either, it's a phone, not a Linn HiFi system.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

my story is completely opposite of yours. :\
I did tons of research before getting the S4. was totally sure that the advantages of the Qualcomm is miles ahead of the exynos one. The custom ROM support is a deciding facto for me, but then again, I just couldn't get hold of one 9505 in India. Now am cramped with TW and the phones heats up like hell. Even the air view and other "useable" gestures are lagging like hell. stutters, jitters, heat, am disappointed. and the main pinch in the shoe is still to come. Since I have flashed a kernel, my binary now reads custom and Triangle away counter reset is not coming (at least in near future) for the S4 Octa.
I regret getting the S4 now. should have taken the ONE or the Xp. Z

I was happy until I came across the sound distortion problem. Now I feel I have bought a poor excuse for a flagship phone. Having something you can't use decent earphones with is hopeless.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

spencer_uk said:
I was happy until I came across the sound distortion problem. Now I feel I have bought a poor excuse for a flagship phone. Having something you can't use decent earphones with is hopeless.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must be lucky (touch wood). There have been many different complaints about both variants and that the i9505 suffers from heating problems, sound distortion and screen problems. No such problems for me, and I reckon Samsung will iron out some issues in due course (still doesn't excuse the fact there have been many faulty phones!)
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

spencer_uk said:
I was happy until I came across the sound distortion problem. Now I feel I have bought a poor excuse for a flagship phone. Having something you can't use decent earphones with is hopeless.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is annoying if it happens with good earphones you already own. However, it's easily resolved by using earphones above a certain impedance, of which there are a plethora of choices.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4

Pagnell said:
It is annoying if it happens with good earphones you already own. However, it's easily resolved by using earphones above a certain impedance, of which there are a plethora of choices.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use klipsch S4i. Will it work crackleless with i9505?

It's always the same with Samsung. They will release every month new firmware and it will get better and better. You know that when you buy one of the first phones, it will have some small issues. That's where the difference is with htc. Samsung will fix the software issues, where htc does next to nothing.
And I can't wait for the Google version.
Btw. If you root and remove all the S crap the phone is fast as hell
Verstuurd van mijn GT-I9505 met Tapatalk

thekoRngear said:
I use klipsch S4i. Will it work crackleless with i9505?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're 18ohms so its possible. Best asking in the thread about this problem.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4

I did only a little research and as soon as I saw:
1) no LTE
2) octocore doesn't REALLY function the way one would think it does
3) snapdragon is opensource
The decision became quite clear and quite easy for me to make.
I'm a bit sad to lose some of the functionality by going to CM on my I9505 but the speed, cleanliness, and similar look/feel as my SGS2 made it worth it.
Can I just say... I turned on my SGS2 the other day to look at some old settings and looking at the screen made me wonder how I dealt with that resolution for so long?

Happy?
I'm pretty disappointed in respects to the camera software. I relied on my good experiences with Samsung phones since 2000 and
the recently happy time with the Galaxy S 2 and S3.
But this one takes me apart from Samsung.
If there will not come out a good camera software for my GT-I9505 in a very quick time - I sell our two phones and step back to the S3 for my wife and me.

Pagnell said:
It is annoying if it happens with good earphones you already own. However, it's easily resolved by using earphones above a certain impedance, of which there are a plethora of choices.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't feel that it is right that I spend 400gbp on a set of headphones and 500gbp on a phone that aren't compatible. I like quality products and don't mind spending good money... Only one of these is a quality product though.
I know I can plug a set of old earphones into it but that isn't good enough. I want to use my decent headphones. In a similar fashion I wouldnt want to spend hundreds on a bluray player to be told my TV is too good for it and I need to watch things through a rubbish TV so why should I expect the same here.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

spencer_uk said:
I don't feel that it is right that I spend 400gbp on a set of headphones and 500gbp on a phone that aren't compatible. I like quality products and don't mind spending good money... Only one of these is a quality product though.
I know I can plug a set of old earphones into it but that isn't good enough. I want to use my decent headphones. In a similar fashion I wouldnt want to spend hundreds on a bluray player to be told my TV is too good for it and I need to watch things through a rubbish TV so why should I expect the same here.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, although to be fair if I owned a pair of £400 headphones I wouldn't be using them on a mobile phone (I have a iRiver H340 running Rockbox myself and have never bothered using a phone as my MP3 player). However, I can imagine purchasing the phone if you already owned them before finding out they display the incompatibility would be annoying as hell. But for people who buy the phone before purchasing good headphones for it, there are numerous choices out there which are both high quality and compatible.
On a side note I do like how the thread seems to have picked up a 1 star rating. From an annoyed I9500 owner no doubt. :good:

After the getting the I9505 i was really concerned about the heating problem, the phone literally could boil an egg after 15 min of a phone call.
Then i went to 3 store and explained the whole thing and they exchanged it for me.
Now i can say my phone is running very smoothly heat free for sure.

Never had a heat issue with mine from day one.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4

Pagnell said:
Never had a heat issue with mine from day one.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the highest tempreture ur phone reached ?
mine after a while of gaming was 41.5
---------- Post added at 01:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 AM ----------
cyrexking said:
After the getting the I9505 i was really concerned about the heating problem, the phone literally could boil an egg after 15 min of a phone call.
Then i went to 3 store and explained the whole thing and they exchanged it for me.
Now i can say my phone is running very smoothly heat free for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again may i ask how high did ur device heat

mightyillidan said:
what is the highest tempreture ur phone reached ?
mine after a while of gaming was 41.5
---------- Post added at 01:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 AM ----------
again may i ask how high did ur device heat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Internal or external you mean ?
---------- Post added at 11:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------
cyrexking said:
Internal or external you mean ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway i checked and rechecked now, my ideal temp right now is 28.5 c with facebook messenger active and few other application running like whats app and others.

Pagnell said:
I agree, although to be fair if I owned a pair of £400 headphones I wouldn't be using them on a mobile phone (I have a iRiver H340 running Rockbox myself and have never bothered using a phone as my MP3 player). However, I can imagine purchasing the phone if you already owned them before finding out they display the incompatibility would be annoying as hell. But for people who buy the phone before purchasing good headphones for it, there are numerous choices out there which are both high quality and compatible.
On a side note I do like how the thread seems to have picked up a 1 star rating. From an annoyed I9500 owner no doubt. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everyone wants to carry two devices. And shouldn't have to when the s4 is advertised at being able to play music with no mention of special headphones being required.

I agree, carrying one device would be ideal and it should work with all earphones/headphones. But I'm a bit of a fussy bugger when it come to sound quality and I have yet to hear a mobile that comes up to scratch when compared to a proper dedicated device running Rockbox, especially when the volume is upped.
Sent from my Qualcomm Galaxy S4

Happy as a school gal on meth.
This post is in compliance with the national potato safety regulation.
[Galaxy S 4 LTE]

Should I BUY S4 or Wait even more! S4 Owners Advice Needed!

Advice from current S4 Owners Required!
One month before launch of S4 i sold my One X to buy S4 when it comes in market. When it finally came out, it had known issues of
>Screan Smearing/Pink tint
>Over Heating & Battery Drain
>Lags, Lags and Lags as compared to iPhone specially.
So i skipped S4 at launched and for the first i decided to try iPhone in my life, after 10 or so Android Phones!
NOW I WANT TO ASK FROM CURRENT S4 USERS, IF THIS PHONE IS STABLE ENOUGH AND FREE FROM ABOVE ISSUES FOR ME TO BUY IT NOW, OR SHOULD I WAIT S4 WITH GOOGLE AS I HATE TOUCHWIZ AND STOCK MAY BE LITE WEIGHT OR EVEN WAIT FOR NEXUS 5?
I like smoothness of iPhone, almost all softwares like, Viber, Skype, Facebook or more smooth and beautiful on iPhone than any android i ever used, they usually stutter on Android, my problem with iPhone at times is small screen, at times i feel smaller screen is blessing to carry phone around easily in pockets.
Sharing limitations of iPhone was taken care with Dropbox as i can share songs and videos with any phone via dropbox, at times i think of absolute sharing like in any Android Phone?
I have budget now a days to sale my brand new iPhone and add money and try S4 now? but on net too much confusion, thats why i ask users to give me there say.
Thanks in advance in case if you give me piece of your precious time here and give me your thoughts.
Kind Regards!

I have s4 its good in every aspect except the heating problem
If u play any game which requires a good level of ram than it gets heated up like an oven
U cant even put it on your ear after playing games
Rest all is good
Sent from my Dell Streak using xda premium

Feels like downgrade
I had a Galaxy Note II before S4 I9500, and to be frank, it feels like a downgrade. No amount of tweaking seems to improve the lag, overheats like crazy and battery life, especially when compared to GN II, is much worse. Screen is good, but really, cannot tell the difference with naked eye. The only benefit for me was the size, as GN II's size was starting to get at me.

adem_7 said:
I had a Galaxy Note II before S4 I9500, and to be frank, it feels like a downgrade. No amount of tweaking seems to improve the lag, overheats like crazy and battery life, especially when compared to GN II, is much worse. Screen is good, but really, cannot tell the difference with naked eye. The only benefit for me was the size, as GN II's size was starting to get at me.
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I don't know if its just me or I'm really a nitpicker. I have an officemate who has a note 2 and I can see the jagged edges of the icons on his screen. I must say the s4 is well worth it for a flagship device. I looked around today with a friend that is looking for his next phone.. we compared my phone to other phones and he's really amazed at my s4. He will get his own s4 next week.

I have the i9505 version.
Personally i didn't notice any overheating. Its same as s3 after 1h playing, just the s3 gets warm on bottom and s4 on top. I have nothing like some said here that phone got so hot that couldn't be touched
I noticed the smearing. Doesn't bother me at all and today was released new update , which is fixing the smearing problem.
LAGS? My s4 stock with all samsung's bloats on, is pretty damn smooth, i just noticed sometimes when closing multiple apps a bit of stutter in animations but nothing major here.
If you are not interested in Note 3 which anyway you will have to wait for, go for the s4. This is my opinion.
I remember when s3 came out with ICS on, was so so laggy and buggy and everything..after updates > jellybean was perfectly smooth.
So i'm sure s4 will get just better and better with every update.

If size isn't an issue, then wait for note 3, it will be a supreme device I feel so.

Aaryana said:
I have s4 its good in every aspect except the heating problem
If u play any game which requires a good level of ram than it gets heated up like an oven
U cant even put it on your ear after playing games
Rest all is good
Sent from my Dell Streak using xda premium
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Well, it means this heating issue is having by majority of people, which means it is genuine issue and its not just playing games, i guess its by doing anything extensive, like chatting hard or surfing etc? So i should try to relax and may be wait how stock S4 pans out? as strangely i am doing with iPhone too, only smaller screen has advantage and disadvantage, at times i feel, both phones do OK, so better stick to iPhone and think about other things in life

sohebq said:
If size isn't an issue, then wait for note 3, it will be a supreme device I feel so.
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My dear, size is not that much of an issue, being a man here, but S4 had to be supreme of them all device as well if you remember, but cartoonish touchwiz is an issue, specially now as touchwiz often connected to lags. Plus with Note my concern is, Gosh we came out of Stylus Era, putting stylus again in phone, causing it to gain weight and size, you can't take notes on screen better then on actual paper i feel.
Yet i hope Sammy may not let you down again here with your expectation with Note 3, as you are saying, next time they will do a better Job!
My own little hope is Stock Android, but again Nexus 4 may be still have over heating less battery issues!

Dean-xXx said:
I have the i9505 version.
Personally i didn't notice any overheating. Its same as s3 after 1h playing, just the s3 gets warm on bottom and s4 on top. I have nothing like some said here that phone got so hot that couldn't be touched
I noticed the smearing. Doesn't bother me at all and today was released new update , which is fixing the smearing problem.
LAGS? My s4 stock with all samsung's bloats on, is pretty damn smooth, i just noticed sometimes when closing multiple apps a bit of stutter in animations but nothing major here.
If you are not interested in Note 3 which anyway you will have to wait for, go for the s4. This is my opinion.
I remember when s3 came out with ICS on, was so so laggy and buggy and everything..after updates > jellybean was perfectly smooth.
So i'm sure s4 will get just better and better with every update.
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Click to collapse
So basically you are saying, Buy it and wait/hopes for updates to fix the problems, like stay on chances, little heating is not that of an issue, but something beyond that is not a pleasant feeling, but as people saying, its uncomfortable at times.
You are breaking news here i guess, that today smearing issue will be rest in peace, though i heard they are solving pink tint issue.
Moral of the story, which is sad, that, some users are having problems more than others, so i am not sure i will fall in which category, as usual!

adem_7 said:
I had a Galaxy Note II before S4 I9500, and to be frank, it feels like a downgrade. No amount of tweaking seems to improve the lag, overheats like crazy and battery life, especially when compared to GN II, is much worse. Screen is good, but really, cannot tell the difference with naked eye. The only benefit for me was the size, as GN II's size was starting to get at me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and a lot of people share your thoughts, i wish if Sammy could concentrate on actual use and performance of phone instead of wasting times, on extremely useless gimmicks, and if you are amongst those who think these gimmicks are useful, then don't talk to me.

usmanxhmed said:
So basically you are saying, Buy it and wait/hopes for updates to fix the problems, like stay on chances, little heating is not that of an issue, but something beyond that is not a pleasant feeling, but as people saying, its uncomfortable at times.
You are breaking news here i guess, that today smearing issue will be rest in peace, though i heard they are solving pink tint issue.
Moral of the story, which is sad, that, some users are having problems more than others, so i am not sure i will fall in which category, as usual!
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Click to collapse
Its not about hopes, because it will happen and updates will iron out all the issues, they always did it properly for their flagships. It was confirmed that smearing is gone on the newest update, so i guess the rest of the problems will be ironed out soon enough. Its true some has more problems than others, but this happens on all phones, not only samsung ones.
Will see what else is fixed in the new update. Looks like some camera improvements are done also.

Dean-xXx said:
Its not about hopes, because it will happen and updates will iron out all the issues, they always did it properly for their flagships. It was confirmed that smearing is gone on the newest update, so i guess the rest of the problems will be ironed out soon enough. Its true some has more problems than others, but this happens on all phones, not only samsung ones.
Will see what else is fixed in the new update. Looks like some camera improvements are done also.
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Click to collapse
You are painting a rosy picture here, if you are dead sure, all screen issues are solved, and if you hope, over heating issue will be resolved, then kindly let us know here too, for lag i guess stock android will be better, somehow i find touchwiz to be like chinese phones, and prefer stock android more!

usmanxhmed said:
You are painting a rosy picture here, if you are dead sure, all screen issues are solved, and if you hope, over heating issue will be resolved, then kindly let us know here too, for lag i guess stock android will be better, somehow i find touchwiz to be like chinese phones, and prefer stock android more!
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Click to collapse
I don't paint any rosy picture here, i was very upset last year with the s3 and all the SDS problems and all the rest, but samsung ,,fixed'' it with an update and things got better. It was confirmed by other users that flashed the new ROM that the smearing is gone. I'm not sure about the pink tint as this sound more a hardware problem on AMOLED screens, but if they will fix this somehow...even better. I have very very little pink tint at the bottom on the screen ( barely noticeable ) and this doesn't bother me. About the overheating, i guess i'm one of those which doesn;t have this issue, so for me at the moment everything is ok and i'm happy with my phone, even if this wasn't a planned upgrade, was because one of my s3's was stolen and i got the insurance out of it.

Dean-xXx said:
I don't paint any rosy picture here, i was very upset last year with the s3 and all the SDS problems and all the rest, but samsung ,,fixed'' it with an update and things got better. It was confirmed by other users that flashed the new ROM that the smearing is gone. I'm not sure about the pink tint as this sound more a hardware problem on AMOLED screens, but if they will fix this somehow...even better. I have very very little pink tint at the bottom on the screen ( barely noticeable ) and this doesn't bother me. About the overheating, i guess i'm one of those which doesn;t have this issue, so for me at the moment everything is ok and i'm happy with my phone, even if this wasn't a planned upgrade, was because one of my s3's was stolen and i got the insurance out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are one satisfied customer

usmanxhmed said:
So you are one satisfied customer
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Click to collapse
Dean-xXx said:
I don't paint any rosy picture here, i was very upset last year with the s3 and all the SDS problems and all the rest, but samsung ,,fixed'' it with an update and things got better. It was confirmed by other users that flashed the new ROM that the smearing is gone. I'm not sure about the pink tint as this sound more a hardware problem on AMOLED screens, but if they will fix this somehow...even better. I have very very little pink tint at the bottom on the screen ( barely noticeable ) and this doesn't bother me. About the overheating, i guess i'm one of those which doesn;t have this issue, so for me at the moment everything is ok and i'm happy with my phone, even if this wasn't a planned upgrade, was because one of my s3's was stolen and i got the insurance out of it.
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Click to collapse
I sent my wallet deep down my drawer, you want me to search for it again

usmanxhmed said:
I sent my wallet deep down my drawer, you want me to search for it again
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I don't where are you from and what s4 they sell in your country. 9500 or 9505?
I'm talking here about the 9505.
You can keep an eye on this thread >> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2252855&page=17
Soon users that will flash the new ROM will keep it updated if anything else is fixed, so you can decide.

Dean-xXx said:
I don't where are you from and what s4 they sell in your country. 9500 or 9505?
I'm talking here about the 9505.
You can keep an eye on this thread >> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2252855&page=17
Soon users that will flash the new ROM will keep it updated if anything else is fixed, so you can decide.
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Click to collapse
I am from Pakistan, here we get officially in warranty unsubsidised 9500, some importers have also imported 9505 but thats without warranty!
People could not even find out yet which version is better, though i feel over heating is more of an issue with 9500!

usmanxhmed said:
Yes and a lot of people share your thoughts, i wish if Sammy could concentrate on actual use and performance of phone instead of wasting times, on extremely useless gimmicks, and if you are amongst those who think these gimmicks are useful, then don't talk to me.
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I don't get it, why does when Apple release features that are unique people see it as amazing and innovative while if Samsung does the same thing they are called "gimmicks"

TeeeJaay said:
I don't get it, why does when Apple release features that are unique people see it as amazing and innovative while if Samsung does the same thing they are called "gimmicks"
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Click to collapse
O yes!
This is a very good question!

usmanxhmed said:
My dear, size is not that much of an issue, being a man here, but S4 had to be supreme of them all device as well if you remember, but cartoonish touchwiz is an issue, specially now as touchwiz often connected to lags. Plus with Note my concern is, Gosh we came out of Stylus Era, putting stylus again in phone, causing it to gain weight and size, you can't take notes on screen better then on actual paper i feel.
Yet i hope Sammy may not let you down again here with your expectation with Note 3, as you are saying, next time they will do a better Job!
My own little hope is Stock Android, but again Nexus 4 may be still have over heating less battery issues!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want stock android then you can go for stock google version of S4. It won't be directly available in Pakistan I feel so you will have to got for used one.
Regarding stylus, we it i useful as well as gimmek. Its up to you how you want to use it.

[Q] Should I swap my Galaxy Note 2 for Galaxy S4

I posted this in the Note 2 forums aswell but I'm just curious as to what you guys think, having presumably had the phone for a while. I'm planning on getting a S4 that's brand new tomorrow as a swap for my Note 2 which I've had for 3/4 months. Any thoughts?

youguesswho said:
I posted this in the Note 2 forums aswell but I'm just curious as to what you guys think, having presumably had the phone for a while. I'm planning on getting a S4 that's brand new tomorrow as a swap for my Note 2 which I've had for 3/4 months. Any thoughts?
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Click to collapse
I think it depends on your taste and needs. I prefer S4 as it is not that big, yet has a marvelous display and is fast enough for my daily use.

I did, am happy!
I did the switch after using Note 2 for over half a year.
I'm very happy with its size (got tired of holding Note 2) and its display.
Once official CM build for I9500 is released, I'm sure I'll be even happier.
Cheers!

As a person who did this, I'll help you decide with some simple questions.
Do you hate warm devices? The S4 gets hot compared to the almost always room temp Note 2.
Do you want to root it? No? Get it if the above doesn't bother you.
Yes? If you stay on stock kernel, then again, get it. If not, you might have some very annoying camera lag issues. If you don't use the camera a lot you'll live with it, but it might ruin some moments, or keep your friends doing awkward faces while the camera loads.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

MohammadAG said:
As a person who did this, I'll help you decide with some simple questions.
Do you hate warm devices? The S4 gets hot compared to the almost always room temp Note 2.
Do you want to root it? No? Get it if the above doesn't bother you.
Yes? If you stay on stock kernel, then again, get it. If not, you might have some very annoying camera lag issues. If you don't use the camera a lot you'll live with it, but it might ruin some moments, or keep your friends doing awkward faces while the camera loads.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
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+1 for Camera lag issue

What kind of lag issue? I was debating between the Note 2 and S4 and ended up with an S4. I am very happy with my decision. S4 has no camera lag issues and no issues anywhere else. I'm almost always on my phone doing whatever and no lags....yeah it gets hot from time to time but that's normal if your playing a big graphic and processing hogging game and/or always on the internet uploading and downloading.
Sent from the Nexus 7

I don't have a Note II to tell you the main differences, however I believe you should hold on to your Note until next S comes if you're really willing to change your device . My cellphone before S4 was a Xperia X10 Mini Pro lol (yea, it's from 2010), Note II is still a recent and nice device! However if you really want to change now I'll tell you my experience with GT-I9505:
Pros:
FAST AS HELL! Can run any game on it with no problems
Display is amazing, vivid colors and very sharp quality. Jaw dropping quality IMO.
Slim and light.
Easy to root, good developer forums (at least GT-I9505)
Installed AOSP 4.3 and is even faster now (GT-I9505G = GT-I9505)
Superb camera (dad has a HX-1 camera from Sony, because of the fast processor I was able to take 3-4 photos while he was taking one, however you can't compare quality lol, not that S4 camera is bad, it's one of the best now, but Sony HX-1 is a CAMERA, while S4 is a CELLPHONE)
Sound is fine (will discuss later about this one in *Cons*)
Cons:
Gets really hot
Battery don't last too long (6-9h with moderate usage)
Screen too bright
Speaker placed in the bottom (after using my Nexus 10 with front speakers you notice the difference, I see myself putting my S4 over something without the speaker touching the surface to get better sound)
The personal opinions:
Screen size - Depends of your interest, I found it the perfect size for me (I'm 190cm with huge hands lol)
Beautiful device overall - I think it is at least
Physical "Home" button - I'm looking at you HTC One
That's it, hope it clarifies a little. Closing up:
This review was based on my experience with GT-I9505, I don't know about the GT-I9500, however viewing from developer perspective I'd recommend you getting the GT-I9505, as it's similar to GT-I9505G and has official CM support .
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PS.:
My experience reported was using TouchWiz Stock ROM (4.2.2), Google Edition 4.2.2 and AOSP 4.3, my current ROM is the AOSP 4.3
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Click to collapse

Wow. Thank you guys for all the feedback, I am a pretty small guy to be honest with small hands, that was why I was compelled to get a smaller device without losing any of the software features and the S4 seemed the only viable option to me, however saying that, I think I'd be best off waiting, the overheating seems abit of a problem as I do make long calls daily and the lack of use of custom kernels without the camera bugging up is a bit of a shame as I was looking forward to using it alot. But anyway guys, thanks for the help !!

JOKERx2 said:
What kind of lag issue? I was debating between the Note 2 and S4 and ended up with an S4. I am very happy with my decision. S4 has no camera lag issues and no issues anywhere else. I'm almost always on my phone doing whatever and no lags....yeah it gets hot from time to time but that's normal if your playing a big graphic and processing hogging game and/or always on the internet uploading and downloading.
Sent from the Nexus 7
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It does, but only if you use a custom kernel. The lag gets even worse when using third party apps, sometimes it even reboots.
Stock kernel doesn't cause these issues.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

The only time I've seen my S4 lag after a picture is if I have "Night Mode" on. After every picture it would say "processing." Once I turned that off, all the pictures that I've taken just snapped and kept it moving. I also have the review off. No point if your the type to take several pics and just keep the one that you like the most. That's what I normally do.