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So I have an HTC One AND a Galaxy S4 now...unbiased observations between the two

I just wrote this this thread to humor myself and anyone else who cares or is interested in comparisons between the two phones. I'm coming from an HTC Sensation which I've had for about 2 years, previously owned the og Galaxy S (Vibrant), and instead of the S4 I chose the HTC one, and got the GS4 for my wife instead, and use both on a regular basis.
Here are my observations since I actually have both phones and can compare them with no bias...
-A lot of the online mainstream reviews you'll read between the two hit the nail on the head. The One imo is a better "phone". It does indeed have less features then the S4 (although many of them are gimmicks like the eye scrolling/tracking, airview, and a few others) but the speakers are far superior, which obviously aids for anyone who ever uses speakerphone or plays music and videos, the call quality is also a little better, the phone is more fluid and faster than the GS4 with basic functions like scrolling screens etc, and the phone of course has a MUCH more "premium" feel. Sense 5 is MUUUUUCH better than past versions of Sense and like a lot of review say, it *DOES* improve over stock android in actual useful features. The look is subjective of course but it's flat, useful and fast, and to me that's all that matters. The camera is better than any past smartphone I've ever used (Tmobile Dash>G1>Vibrant>Sensation>One) so I like it personally, but compared to its rivals like the GS4 I guess it's not the best, but does everything I've ever asked of it VERY well so no complaints from me.
-The GS4 on the other hand has a superior camera. The camera on the One isn't bad at all, and kills the Gs4 in low light conditions and the aspect ratio and wide lense captures waaay more in each frame, but the GS4 has more camera features, packs a crapload more detail in each shot, has some pretty useful camera modes the One doesn't have, and is just generally better. The Galaxy might not be made of aluminum like the one, but it's lighter and imo actually feels better in my hand (without a case). Once you add a case in the mix, hand feel is null and void obviously but if you like to go commando the Gs4 feels better and will probably hold up to abuse better than the One due to the polycarbonate body and gorilla glass 3. The screen on the Galaxy is bigger than the One while the actual phone altogether is lighter and smaller so that's pretty nice, but it's not really THAT noticeable to be honest. One huge, huge advantage the Galaxy has over the One is removable storage and battery, which *USED* to be a deal breaker for me back in the day, but I've learned to live without them since I got my One, so either way it's a definite advantage but I guess how much so is up to the user. The Galaxy also has native quick settings built in which the one doesn't have (yet), so minor issue but another positive for the galaxy.
As far as negative for each, I'm actually on my second One already. Somehow my camera lense glass cracked even though I keep the phone in case and have never dropped it or bumped it. It just appeared one day in addition to the top speaker grill starting to separate from the body. Weird, but I got it replaced and the replacement is doing fine and actually stands up to overclocking and undervolting better than my old unit, so that made me pretty happy lol. That's really the only issue I've had with mine, but on the whole, the phone is definitely more fragile than the Galaxy WITHOUT a case. It scratches easier, dents, chips, etc...while the Galaxy doesn't.
The Galaxy feels better in hand (caseless) than the One, but it's slippery as hell and slides around easily and can be more prone to being dropped. Again, only an issue without a case, but this is my observation.
Touchwiz...personally I think it's a mess. I don't care for the look, as many have said it feels like your still running Gingerbread 2.3. The look hasn't changed much since I had a Vibrant running Touchwiz from 3 years ago, and while Touchwiz DOES have some unique features and generally does more than Sense and stock android...it's just ugly as hell while doing so lol. The Galaxy also does feel a tad slower and microstutters every so often while the One is almost always fluid and seems much smoother even tho it's running a newer version of android and has slightly better specs on hardware...it just doesn't "feel" like it. Other than that it's a fantastic phone and we haven't had any problems with it whatsoever unlike the One.
Between the two...if I just had to pick one, it's a toss up. I prefer my One honestly but I can see the advantages of the Galaxy S4 with it having more features so I'll just break it down like this...
Usefuleness as an actual phone
One>S4
Camera
GS4>One
In hand feel, portability
One=GS4
Usefulness as a multimedia device
GS4=One
Expandability
GS4>One
I will say that between the two if this even matters to anyone...I get WAAAAAY more props and questions and even jealous stares directed towards the One.........although..........people tend to ask to let them play with the Galaxy S4 quite often lol...

This is going to be TLDR post
I think now I have owned all 1080P phones from mainstream manufacturers and Oppo.
DNA, Xperia Z, SGS4 and One.
Could not live with Xperia Z, unacceptable compromises on a flagship device. Sold DNA as well and now with SGS4 and One (And Oppo find 5 as well, but that purchase was of oa curiosity purchase )
Both have their niggles to be honest at this point. But as far as one is concerned, I am not going to live with Sense 5 in its current form. I just cant. I will keep complaining about blink feed until HTC fixes it to add custom sources or more sources comparable to Pulse. The social media capabilities of blink feed are irrelevent to me as I dont use facebook much and for twitter which I do use, it does not even comes close to functionality of Falcon Pro.
Then the caveats with app drawer, lack of options to change wallpaper from home by long pressing also gets on my nerves. Having to go through 3 steps extra to change wallpaper is just silly. So I had to resort to custom launcher which has its own share of problems due to the fact that for some reason lot of launchers are not butter smooth on One with MSM DCVS governor as well as not as smooth as Note 2 or Nexus 4 even on default On demand governor. For those who have not actually experienced what butter smooth experience means on these device, it appears smooth. My sis who came from SGS2 thinks its smooth. I can feel the jitter in UI and that is really disappointing. And it has something to do with governor and / or kernel as there are issues with jitter and microstutter in 2d arcade games like Hill climb racing on One when the same game runs just fine on older Krait 200 CPU on Oppo Find 5. I got Go launcher to be most close to what I want by adjusting animation speed. But it is still not as perfect as I want it to be.
That and menu button even when mapped to long press back using custom rom does not still behave perfectly 100% of time. Sometimes it just goes back. But I have learned to live with that. But these are notable niggles.
Camera issues I had with older camera are now fixed. I am happy with One camera results now.
The only other bugs that annoys the hell out of me is the contact bug that was there is Sense 4 as well and it is there in sense 5 as well where Sense decides to save new contact to my other gmail account than my primary account even when the second gmail account is not even set to sync contacts. Every time after installing new ROM clean I have to click on Google tab and select my primary account before hitting save.
SGS4 TWUI might be visual mess but it is very functional. Everything just works as it should on Android phone. The actions are not that far away from what we get on stock android. So even with Samsung plastering entire colour spectrum all over, everything works as I am used to. No surprises, no irritating faults. I dont might extra features. I have half of them disabled and bloat removed.
The power saving features on Exynos Octa does not seem to work properly yet, or not as good as they are suppose. The product was clearly rushed, but I guess it will be SGS3 story all over again with Samsung fixing most issues with unofficial leaks over coming weeks and with final release fixing this on OTA for those who dont want to experiement. I have that much faith in Samsung now.
Hardware I leave it to the users but SGS4 does not feel like cheap plastic. Sure it does not feel as premium as HTC One, but that typical BS people on forums and even some press spreading about SGS4 feeling cheap is just plain BS. It feels good in hands, it feels as premium as Note 2 and Note 2 did not feel cheap at all. Specially not in white colour. Rest is upto end user to decide but if you get the chance, do see S4 in person. It is great device to hold and use. With right case which I always use no matter what phone, it is not going to be an issue at all.
Coming down to personal choice, I am still using One as my personal daily driver and S4 as work phone. The bigger real estate on S4 does come in handy though and I have a feeling that in the end it is going to be better overall device to use for media consumption for someone like me who do not listen to songs or watch videos without using headphones. I dont like to watch videos even at home with the Ones wonderful speakers as I dont like disturbing my family members, and specially my hyperactive dog that just wants to get its head between me and my phone to investigate what sound is coming out of this weird device if I play anything on it using loudspeaker So really I am wasting the speakers on One. But that can be big selling points to some. For me, it is nice thing to have but I like to use phone strictly for personal media consumption and not broadcast it to others, neither do I want to disturb others at night in bed when I usually check up on some youtube videos from my subscribed channels.
The bigger real estate also helps a lot in gaming.
In the end S4 has less niggles at the moment. HTC has chosen risky strategy with Sense 5. People will either love it or those like me who simply hate it. I replaced it with custom launcher. Lot of people still love it but plenty are going to be frustrated by it. I never likes less options or restrictive behaviour on any android phone. That is exactly what HTC has done on their stock sense 5 launcher.
UI functionality is as or rather more important that UI design and feel. Sense 5 feels smooth and polished but it is very restrictive in nature and feels like HTC have done some things deliberately different just for the sake of being different without thinking logically if they really needed to do those things differently.
It is case of "So close to perfection, yet so far" with One. It is wonderful device. Good enough for me to be ready to live with the cavates it has. But sometimes I feel like switching to S4 as primary personal daily driver. But the beauty of this device is what keeping me from ditching it. That is ultimate thing in favour of One. But frustrating thing is, it could have been so much better with just few changes.

Thread closed
This thread is another sad example of the reason why we do not wnat any comparison threads here. Although the OP had the best goals with posting it, some fanboy users can't refrain from using it as another battle ground. Deleted 15 posts (some of them NOT being unfair, but I treated all equal)
So thank you OP for the comparison. It stays here as it is helpful. The rest of the discussion is not.

IMO: HTC One vs Galaxy S4 (if you are torn between the two)

Author's comments: I have always loved HTC phones, my first high-end phone was the original HTC EVO and I am the maker of the Azrael ROM for that phone (which eventually became Azrael X). I also was a proud owner of a HTC EVO 3D. But I have had my share of Samsung devices as well. I have had the Samsung Captivate, the Samsung Galaxy S3, and most recently the Samsung Galaxy S4. I also tried the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom but found for me it was impossible to store and I did not like the false advertising as it is NO S4. It is gimped compared to the S4.
So to sum it off, I like Samsung and HTC, I am no fanboy, I simply choose the device I think fits me best. I am also aware there are other threads like this, but this is just another opinion or another review, so to speak. I hope this proves helpful if you are on the fence about either device.
CONSTRUCTION:
Samsung Galaxy S4: I have easily broken every Samsung phone's screen I have ever had (except the Captivate, which seems to be to invincible!). Let me get that out of the way before I go anywhere else. Do not think Gorilla Glass will live up to it's name! I am not abusive to my phones but I have dropped them while at work especially. I am sure everyone drops their phone from time to time, or it falls out of your hoodie (which has doomed 2 of my phones).
The Captivate was a little tank, that phone is smaller but it feels substantial in your hands and I feel it is the most well made Samsung phone. The S3 and S4 feel very plastic in your hands because frankly, they are! The screen on both my S3 and S4 broke with small drops on the edge toward where the power button is, which makes me think it is a weak spot. The rest of the phone holds up well, despite feeling like it will not but unless you have a very protective case which protects the screen, it does not take much to break the glass.
But as far as the overall setup goes (button locations, etc) I like the 3 button navigation, gestures are pretty cool but I did not use them much. The removable battery and Micro-SD card ports are great to have.
HTC One: Much better build quality, a slightly smaller screen, and aluminum both look and feel nice. I have only had mine for a short time but I was able to tell right away that I liked HTC's construction a LOT better than Samsung's. The phone looks cooler, is a little heavier in the hands (which I like, actually), and the design is very nice. I have not dropped this phone yet in 3 weeks I have owned it, but I am certain if I did it would hold up better.
Where I like the S4 better is the fact you can open the back up and there is a Micro SD-card expansion the HTC lacks. If you carry tons of stuff on your phone, the S4 might be a better bet. I also like the 3 navigation keys on the S4 compared to the HTC One's 2. It took me a bit of getting used to navigating the phone without a back button.
My opinion: Samsung Galaxy S4 has more expandability and I like the fact you can access the battery. But for build quality, there is no comparison. The HTC One is better built and would hold up better.
DISPLAY:
Samsung Galaxy S4: I love the display but I have a few reservations. It is 5.0 Inches with 441 PPI, colorful, and overall very nice with a sharp full-HD resolution. I found the S4 has slightly exaggerated colors, which sometimes look "off" to me. I found even the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, with it's smaller and lower resolution screen, looked way better thanks to improved color accuracy and the brighter display. The S4 Screen was a bit of a letdown for me, to be honest. Still nice for what it is but I feel they could have made it better.
HTC One: Hands down, a much better display, despite it's slightly smaller size. It is full HD, 4.7 Inches, and an extremely high 468 PPI. The HTC One has one of the best cell phone displays I have ever seen, it is more or less perfect. The PPI is higher than the Samsung's and the colors pop without being over-saturated. It has better contrast than the S4 too, which only has an advantage of a slightly bigger screen.
My opinion: No contest, the HTC One display is sharper, better contrast, and higher quality. The S4 is .3 inches bigger, which is not much. Both look good though
SOUND QUALITY:
Samsung Galaxy S4: Another area I think Samsung dropped the ball is the sound quality. The Galaxy S4 sounds awesome with headphones, no doubt. Yet the built in speaker is low quality and distorts easily at higher volumes. In fact, the S3 had a superior speaker compared to the S4. While loud in a quiet room, it's easy to miss calls unless you have it on vibrate as well. Call quality is good but the earpiece speaker is pathetic. Mine distorted easily, barely went loud enough, and had a tinny sound. The S3, again, had a superior speaker for the earpiece. I also found a lot of the ringtones are downright annoying and I had trouble picking one I really liked. Thankfully, custom ROMS have their own versions that are good.
HTC One: Front facing stereo speakers that sound good and go very loud, Beats Audio, a good earpiece speaker, and amazing sound that comes from the headphone jack. For Multimedia experience, the HTC One walks all over the Samsung Galaxy S4. With sound more than display, there is NO question which is the superior device of the two for music or Multimedia. The built in ringtones and sound samples are superior and sound cooler (unless you are into animal sounds or ethnic sounds).
My opinion: I think the S4 is far inferior to the HTC One is sound, the S4 seems to use low quality components (except the headphone jack circuitry and DAC). The HTC One by a landslide.
USER INTERFACE:
Samsung Galaxy S4: Uses Touchwiz, a lot more like vanilla Android. I like Touchwiz a lot and find it both easy to navigate and easy to use on a regular basis.
HTC One: Sense, which I have always loved. While I am not as used to it as Touchwiz, Sense looks good, has good functionality, and I do like the news and social feeds.
My opinion: This is purely personal preference. Both work good and are easy to figure out. I prefer things about both, I think Touchwiz is a little bit easier (but I am more used to it) and Sense has more features. Both are great.
SPECS:
Samsung Galaxy S4: For raw horsepower, on paper the Galaxy S4 is a step up from the HTC One. Super fast, great with games, and lag is rare. But, I also have seen the S4 lag quite a bit even when just using the phone. In actual use, the S4 is the slower of the two usually. Surprising but true.
HTC One: In execution, I have seen no difference in games or using the device day to day. Despite slightly lower specs, the HTC One is just as fast and if the S4 is faster (which it should be according to benchmarks), you do not see it in use. In fact, the HTC One seems to be the faster of the two in actual use. Benchmarks and specs are great but useless in actual use.
My opinion: Both are snappy and are great for games. I would not buy one or the other because of the specs, but in theory the S4 is slightly superior (but you are splitting hairs, really). Both are currently 2 of the fastest devices around. I find the HTC One the faster of the two in actual use, which is surprising.
CAMERA:
Samsung Galaxy S4: with 13 Megapixels, a back-lit sensor, and a bunch of image editing options, the camera is more than adequate for most people. The front facing camera is pretty decent too, I have managed to take some great photos with the S4 as I am sure anyone can. Ghosting around moving objects is the Achilles heel with the S4.
HTC One: With a 4 Megapixel "Ultrapixel" Camera, though it sounds worse on paper, I find they both tradeoff in the camera department. The colors are less vibrant but more natural looking in general on the HTC One. I found the image stabilization to work better on the One, so it is easier to get a better shot.
My opinion: For more vibrant looking photos, or for larger blowups of taken photos, the S4 is the pick. For more natural color, better image stabilization, and a wider angle, the HTC One is the better device. They both have good cameras though, and I am sure they will satisfy anyone who likes to snap photos with their phones. I prefer the HTC One camera overall though.
DEVELOPMENT:
Samsung Galaxy S4: Awesome developers with decently active development going on. But Samsung has been more active in trying to prevent tampering with the phone, so it is harder to root it and get past the protection. The removable SD Card can save your butt if you get into a bootloop as it allows you to have another means to push a different ROM (or firmware, etc) onto the phone if you get into trouble.
HTC One: HTC is a lot more helpful when it comes to unlocking the phone for developers. They even have a website which allows you to get root access (though still S-On) and is simple to use with full instructions. Once you have done that, getting full S-Off, changing firmwares, and even turning your device into more customizable versions (like the Google Play edition or Super CID which is unlocked) is easy to do. The development is as active as the S4 with a lot of very good developers that have been around a long time.
My opinion: The HTC One is your ticket if you want an easier time gaining full root access and not having to worry about HTC coming out with new ways to thwart you from getting full access. In fact, users with newer Galaxy S4 phones have a bootloader that has yet to be fully cracked, which causes a headache and prevents you from easily changing radios or firmwares. It also requires you to use tricks just to put a custom ROM on the phone.
CONCLUSION: Both amazing phones, you cannot go wrong with either. Both are fast, run the newest versions of Android, and have tons of features.
For raw horsepower, removable storage, and a more vanilla-Android like interface the S4 may be the better phone for you.
For MUCH better sound and video quality, a better and more durable build quality, and a chipset that seems just as fast, the HTC One is your meal-ticket. It is also much easier to customize, so if you want to install and run custom ROMS and keep the ability to run custom firmware and radios, the HTC One is yet again the better advice. If you like Sense, you will love the HTC One!
To me, the HTC One is a better device in all ways that are important. A large part of a smartphone is the display and sound for the games and multimedia, and in that respect the HTC One is the better device.
I will likely have to edit this for mistakes but I hope this is helpful and I tried to be as subjective as possible. Both are super nice and show that technology in these phones is quite amazing and will just continue to improve over time. :good:

Good to hear your opinion. Now mods can you close this thread. What a waste of writing.
No comparison thread, you should know this.

Duuuuuuuude! This is very very detailed,
But its probably gonna get closed man. Comparison threads like this have been closed multiple times in the One forums already.
That being said I agree with most of the points you've covered except for a few.
- You mentioned the button layout and said the One is missing the back button... I'm sure you meant the menu button though. Like it or not "menu" buttons are gonna die out. Googles design philosophy opts for the on screen 3 dot menu buttons inside apps.
- I'm not sure how your s4 managed to match the One in speed. In my time comparing the two directly, the S4 has noticeable lag compared to the One. The One is much smoother in real world use. Benchmarks are completely useless imho.
- Also I know its subjective but the consensus around here seems to be different when it comes to Sense vs Touchwiz. You said both are easy to use, and that Sense has more features. Actually, Touchwiz definitely has more "features" to the point of being bloated and gimmicky. Sense is much leaner and easier to use imo. Sense isn't bloated with things nobody will ever use, part of why its a cleaner faster experience I think.
- Not sure what you mean by the s4 being a good choice if you want a more vanilla android experience... Touchwiz is about the furthest away from vanilla android you can get. If your referring to the legacy menu button then as I've said before, that is actually against googles design philosophy, look at nexus devices. No menu button.
Good write up for the most part, and I agree with your conclusion. :thumbup:
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Xstop said:
Good to hear your opinion. Now mods can you close this thread. What a waste of writing.
No comparison thread, you should know this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not meant as a comparison thread, rather my own experience with the phones and to help choose between the two as choosing a device is difficult. For one, what do you care if I write this, does it interfere with your day to day life? Are you a "thread police officer"? At least my thread could be helpful, yours is more of a waste of writing IMO.

FanDroid09 said:
Duuuuuuuude! This is very very detailed,
But its probably gonna get closed man. Comparison threads like this have been closed multiple times in the One forums already.
That being said I agree with most of the points you've covered except for a few.
- You mentioned the button layout and said the One is missing the back button... I'm sure you meant the menu button though. Like it or not "menu" buttons are gonna die out. Googles design philosophy opts for the on screen 3 dot menu buttons inside apps.
- I'm not sure how your s4 managed to match the One in speed. In my time comparing the two directly, the S4 has noticeable lag compared to the One. The One is much smoother in real world use. Benchmarks are completely useless imho.
- Also I know its subjective but the consensus around here seems to be different when it comes to Sense vs Touchwiz. You said both are easy to use, and that Sense has more features. Actually, Touchwiz definitely has more "features" to the point of being bloated and gimmicky. Sense is much leaner and easier to use imo. Sense isn't bloated with things nobody will ever use, part of why its a cleaner faster experience I think.
- Not sure what you mean by the s4 being a good choice if you want a more vanilla android experience... Touchwiz is about the furthest away from vanilla android you can get. If your referring to the legacy menu button then as I've said before, that is actually against googles design philosophy, look at nexus devices. No menu button.
Good write up for the most part, and I agree with your conclusion. :thumbup:
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, and I am glad you agree with my conclusion. I think Touchwiz is a lot more like vanilla Android, but opinions are just that. As far as looks go, for behavior sure it is nothing like Google's version of Android. The extra button makes it easy to navigate for me. But as I said, I am just far more used to it (plus my S3 had the same.)
I totally agree, the S4 seems the slower of the two devices in use, especially when just using the interface itself. The S4 seemed to lag a lot out of the blue, maybe because they just have so much junk running in the background? I have been running custom ROMS (much cleaner) with overclocked kernels so my S4 was snappy and lost the lag problems, but with the HTC One I did not even have to do that.

ricsim78 said:
It is not meant as a comparison thread, rather my own experience with the phones and to help choose between the two as choosing a device is difficult. For one, what do you care if I write this, does it interfere with your day to day life? Are you a "thread police officer"? At least my thread could be helpful, yours is more of a waste of writing IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is definitely a comparison thread. I mean its pretty much the definition of a comparison thread haha.
He is not a thread police officer but he is right. And this thread is going to be closed once an actual "thread police officer" notices it. Sorry man, these threads are just plain against the rules.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Just an fyi....
Gorilla glass has nothing to do with how easily a screen breaks, it is a coating which makes it scratch less easily

crixley said:
Just an fyi....
Gorilla glass has nothing to do with how easily a screen breaks, it is a coating which makes it scratch less easily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that, but some people may be under the illusion it is strong. I did...before I had the S3 and it broke being dropped less than 3 feet onto an office carpet.

FanDroid09 said:
This is definitely a comparison thread. I mean its pretty much the definition of a comparison thread haha.
He is not a thread police officer but he is right. And this thread is going to be closed once an actual "thread police officer" notices it. Sorry man, these threads are just plain against the rules.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess things have changed here, I have not really used the forums much in a long time. I am not trying to break any rules or do a direct comparison thread, I just know it is hard to pick a phone (I had a heck of a time choosing one more than once) but IMO there is no comparison (hence why I own a HTC One now and had a S4 )
Mods, if this is against the rules please close it and sorry. But even if 1 person finds it useful, it is no waste. I also have seen a few other threads like this on here and they were not deleted (hence why I thought it was okay).

ricsim78 said:
I understand that, but some people may be under the illusion it is strong. I did...before I had the S3 and it broke being dropped less than 3 feet onto an office carpet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glass is glass....
They never ever marketed it saying it would survive falls better.
So I think to say it doesn't live up to its name is fallacious

crixley said:
Glass is glass....
They never ever marketed it saying it would survive falls better.
So I think to say it doesn't live up to its name is fallacious
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While Samsung did not (they DO list it as a feature), Corning, the makers of Gorilla Glass, DO market it is the strongest glass you can buy that comes on a phone. If you do not believe me, Google it. It can give you false impressions about it's strengths, but I have dropped my HTC Evo and my Evo 3D (in fact, the Evo 3D fell out of my pocket and rolled down concrete steps) and they both survived without a scratch. I think it is the design of the S4 (glass covers the whole front of the phone) that contributes to this.

Thread closed.
As stated this is a comparison thread and these are not allowed under forum rules. The forum moderators have discussed this and decieded to have the thread closed.

[Q] HELP LG G2 or S4

I am torn between subscribing a two year contract between lg g2 and s4. I dont take into account the newer phones cuz they are a lot expensive. Which should I purchase? I am more into camera, games and multimedias. The things stopping me from leaning to lg g2 is the wierd button placement and the non expandable storage. Is it really uncomfortable in using the volume and wake buttons? I had been reading reviews thesee past few days and alot of the says the speaker are weak and its placement is not good. It csn be easily obstructed by hands. But I do think the g2 is better than s4 due to newer processor and gpu. Any advice on this matter? Thanks in advance

mawnstermew said:
I am torn between subscribing a two year contract between lg g2 and s4. I dont take into account the newer phones cuz they are a lot expensive. Which should I purchase? I am more into camera, games and multimedias. The things stopping me from leaning to lg g2 is the wierd button placement and the non expandable storage. Is it really uncomfortable in using the volume and wake buttons? I had been reading reviews thesee past few days and alot of the says the speaker are weak and its placement is not good. It csn be easily obstructed by hands. But I do think the g2 is better than s4 due to newer processor and gpu. Any advice on this matter? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had similar doubts recently, and decided to move from Galaxy series to LG.
My first impression regarding buttons position is that there is a perfect reason to put them at the back. I'ts just a matter of getting just on them, and it took one day.
Camera is quite nice, with quality photos in all conditions. If you are devoted mobile photographer, maybe there are some better choices, but for an average user, camera is more that one can expect. (Good camera review)
Speaker is kinda week, and can be obstructed by hands, but, it is not bad at all.
G2 is really a beast, no need to talk about hardware. It isl really a superb smartphone with exceptional screen.
Software is surprisingly nice and friendly to advanced users. I am Cyanogenmod fan, but can live with LG stock ROM without any problems.
If you don't need tons of files on the phone, and don't need long HD video recordings, lack of external storage should't be to hard to live with.
If it means anything, I really believe that currently G2 is a best buy and smart choice

draskome said:
I've had similar doubts recently, and decided to move from Galaxy series to LG.
My first impression regarding buttons position is that there is a perfect reason to put them at the back. I'ts just a matter of getting just on them, and it took one day.
Camera is quite nice, with quality photos in all conditions. If you are devoted mobile photographer, maybe there are some better choices, but for an average user, camera is more that one can expect. (Good camera review)
Speaker is kinda week, and can be obstructed by hands, but, it is not bad at all.
G2 is really a beast, no need to talk about hardware. It isl really a superb smartphone with exceptional screen.
Software is surprisingly nice and friendly to advanced users. I am Cyanogenmod fan, but can live with LG stock ROM without any problems.
If you don't need tons of files on the phone, and don't need long HD video recordings, lack of external storage should't be to hard to live with.
If it means anything, I really believe that currently G2 is a best buy and smart choice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can live with weak speakers since usually im using headset. But a photowhore hahaha lol. I tend to snap photos every now and then. But the limited memory makes me think twice. I love lg g2 but I also love saving up video clips so I ca watch them back every free time. And also does the g2 have a good community support with awesome devs? I tried searching for miui for g2 but I found no favorable response

mawnstermew said:
I am torn between subscribing a two year contract between lg g2 and s4. I dont take into account the newer phones cuz they are a lot expensive. Which should I purchase? I am more into camera, games and multimedias. The things stopping me from leaning to lg g2 is the wierd button placement and the non expandable storage. Is it really uncomfortable in using the volume and wake buttons? I had been reading reviews thesee past few days and alot of the says the speaker are weak and its placement is not good. It csn be easily obstructed by hands. But I do think the g2 is better than s4 due to newer processor and gpu. Any advice on this matter? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the S4 is a great phone, but if you purchase a s4 you'll get a Triband version. I just came out of the S4 and the development is no where near where the LG G2 is. The sprint S4 SPH-L720T can use all of the regular S4 non triband (sph-l720) roms, but guess what, no Spark. If your okay with that, then there is alot of roms and development on the S4. However, on the LG G2 they have more roms and they the roms work across all the variants. That is one reason i really liked it.
The LG G2 already comes with a really close AOSP feel. In fact, out of the box there is very much small things you actually have to do to get it to AOSP. And whatever is missing you can get with Xposed Framework. I sure do not regret it. Even the battery life is better on the G2 because its slightly bigger. The AMOLED screen on the galaxy series have started to bother me becaause im a Graphic Designer and the colors are just too vibrant. On the G2 the colors are right on the money as its the same color space SRGB compared to our monitors. Good lucks man, this device is amazing, it does not get the attention it should. I like Galaxy though because the Developing (for the non triband version) is extremely extremely ahead of its game. But, as long as i have recovery, root and of course deoxed and init, kernel and underclocked, im a happy camper. Sorry for any mistakes, i dont wanna go and proofread. lol

mawnstermew said:
I can live with weak speakers since usually im using headset. But a photowhore hahaha lol. I tend to snap photos every now and then. But the limited memory makes me think twice. I love lg g2 but I also love saving up video clips so I ca watch them back every free time. And also does the g2 have a good community support with awesome devs? I tried searching for miui for g2 but I found no favorable response
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the g2 community is great and the devs are awesome, and offer plenty of support for their roms, there is currently no working miui port for the g2 if that's what you are looking for(there is a v6 port somewhere but it doesn't boot), the 32gb version should satisfy you unless you planning on recording hours of 4k videos(supported with camera mod), also if you are into photography than the stock camera is not all that worth it, root and camera mod will do wonders for the phone

Man no doubt!! G2 is amazing!! is better than S4...

true
That is true, G2 win.

As you may see at STUFF.TV G2 is at second place, beating even S5

Same question asked in Facebook android group before buying LG G2 ......
No one said s4 out of 70 comments ......
Now my experience ... No words
Top Notch Mobile ((LG G2 bcz inspired by you ???))
no more Sammy

I switched from the s4 to the g2 o can run cm on my g2 couldn't on my s4
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

I spent a lot of time researching these two options. I had a slightly different short list of functionality that I wanted (both that I could or couldn't live without). The G2 has better hardware specs than the S4, as you probably know, and the benchmarks generally beat it (which gets to your multimedia/gaming requirements). But, they're both great phones and i'm sure you wouldn't have problems with either. They are similar, outstanding phones.
I decided on the G2 because of its camera OIS (only android phone that has it, period). And, it consistently got better reviews on almost all photography-type sites than any other android phone (s4 included). I love the camera, it is very good (for a phone). I just put its HDR pictures and videos on a 720p 50 inch TV - they look outstanding. Obviously not as good as a real camera...

[Q] Which phone do you recommend me to upgrade to from a N4?

I have had a nexus 4 for almost 2 years and I like it. Even so it has its negative points, especially after all this time. It's not as responsive as it used to be and battery life, which wasn't stellar to begin with, has decayed a lot. With this in mind I have been searching for a good phone to replace it. I was waiting for the Nexus 6 to come out but when it was officially announced that screen size and the price scared me away.
After the announcement I have been searching and comparing a bunch of phones. I was interested on the OnePlus One but the buying process is a pain in the ass. I checked the S5 but then I remembered it had the infamous Touchwiz which I had already (even though in an earlier incarnation) on a Galaxy Ace I had before the N4 and there was also the fact that it is expensive as hell on my carrier. I also checked the HTC One M8 but the camera resolution seems horrible. I have checked the Sony Xperia line but it is as expensive as the S5 in my carrier and also pretty expensive on sites like Amazon. At last I have been comparing between a Nexus 5 and a LG G3. I know they have almost a year between them but I like the fact that the Nexus 5 is cheap and receives fast updates, although I have heard battery life was not improved very much. And, on the G3's side, it is newer, has better hardware and supposedly has a good battery life(I have heard mixed views on this as some say battery is good while others say it is horrible).
So, to sum it up, I would like to know your opinions and would also like to know if you happen to know some other options I haven't considered.
Thanks and sorry for the long post and if this wasn't the right forum to ask this.

vik-sama said:
So, to sum it up, I would like to know your opinions and would also like to know if you happen to know some other options I haven't considered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at an LG G2. $400 for a new one, under $300 for a used one in good/mint condition. Beefy 3000mAh battery, very competent hardware, big screen in a not-so-big body, and a good amount of development if you want to try different ROMs/kernels. As cheap, or even cheaper, than a Nexus 5, but with a much bigger battery and better camera. With the G3 out, prices have plummeted on the G2, and have made it a veritable bargain.
The G3 is a hell of a phone. The QHD screen might drain the battery a bit more, but on this phone the battery is replaceable, so just buy a spare if you're worried about that. Not much development yet, but if you buy the T-Mobile version or one with an unlocked bootloader it's easy to root and modify with Xposed, which gives you plenty of options to tweak it to your satisfaction.
Regarding the HTC One's camera - it's not great, but it's not bad either. If all you're wanting to do is post pics to Facebook or internet forums, it's perfectly fine, since pictures will be reduced anyway. Where it suffers is in cropped detailed pics, and stuff like sweeping vistas and anything far away. That aside, the One is an awesome device.

My personal choice from what's available right now would definitely be the HTC One M8. If you don't care a huge deal about the camera then there are very few flaws to it at all. The camera on the M8 will definitely be worse in normal light than most other flagships but the pictures it takes are still far better than those from the N4 and in low light the camera performs better than most, not to mention the fact that it has good autofocus and a myriad of extra features which you may or may not find useful but they're still nice to have. Battery life is excellent, the screen is absolutely gorgeous, Sense brings extra features and (arguably) a nicer design than AOSP whilst retaining excellent performance and the phone is just generally far nicer to use than anything else I've tried.

Look for the Huawei Honor 6.
300$, full LTE, 16GB upgradable with microSD, beautiful 5" HD screen... I'm gonna buy this phone in the next week for replacement of my N4.

I went from a Nexus 4 to a HTC One M8 and hated it, hence why I'm back with my Nexus 4. That said, I'm definitely in the minority.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Thinking of upgrading from a Sprint Galaxy Note 4. Camera quality comparisons?

I've had my Galaxy Note 4 for four years now, and it's time for an upgrade. The only two phones I've been eyeing are the Pixel 3 XL and the Oneplus 6T. There are some other good phones out there, but the others I've looked at are unrootable. I love the camera on my GN4, and was wondering if anyone here has previously owned a GN4 and can give me a picture/video comparison with the Oneplus 6T? I've seen the reviews between the Oneplus 6T and Pixel 3, and the Pixel 3 wins easily. Sad thing about the Pixel 3 is that it's so expensive and has smaller battery, but I do love the camera results! I just have no frame of reference to compare my aging phone with the newer ones.
Thanks!

MrSickle said:
I've had my Galaxy Note 4 for four years now, and it's time for an upgrade. The only two phones I've been eyeing are the Pixel 3 XL and the Oneplus 6T. There are some other good phones out there, but the others I've looked at are unrootable. I love the camera on my GN4, and was wondering if anyone here has previously owned a GN4 and can give me a picture/video comparison with the Oneplus 6T? I've seen the reviews between the Oneplus 6T and Pixel 3, and the Pixel 3 wins easily. Sad thing about the Pixel 3 is that it's so expensive and has smaller battery, but I do love the camera results! I just have no frame of reference to compare my aging phone with the newer ones.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly,if you're pleased w/all things in general with the Note 4,you're giving up a lot of features not found on newer devices.
I definitely recommend keeping the Note 4 before switching to another phone (unless you have a trade-in allowance).
If you're not going to miss an SD Card Slot/3.5 mm audio jack/I-R Blaster/LED Notifications/No Notch, then,you have the gains of more RAM & a newer phone w/better battery life/overall performance.
The OP6T is a nice phone,but,honestly,I think an OP5 or OP5T is a better choice,the former if you prefer the navigation similar to that of the Note4.
(might wanna Google search a camera comparison of the Note 4 to either/both)
Full disclosure:
This advice is coming from a serial phone switcher in recovery/remission ........................ :laugh:

KOLIOSIS said:
Honestly,if you're pleased w/all things in general with the Note 4,you're giving up a lot of features not found on newer devices.
I definitely recommend keeping the Note 4 before switching to another phone (unless you have a trade-in allowance).
If you're not going to miss an SD Card Slot/3.5 mm audio jack/I-R Blaster/LED Notifications/No Notch, then,you have the gains of more RAM & a newer phone w/better battery life/overall performance.
The OP6T is a nice phone,but,honestly,I think an OP5 or OP5T is a better choice,the former if you prefer the navigation similar to that of the Note4.
(might wanna Google search a camera comparison of the Note 4 to either/both)
Full disclosure:
This advice is coming from a serial phone switcher in recovery/remission ........................ :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not even a comparison... get it

Logix said:
not even a comparison... get it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have an OP6T, perhaps you wanted to quote the OP?
Comparing phones is subjective at best,just hitting on the features he'd be leaving behind in "upgrading" to either phone.
To some,those features are antiquated,others no so much.
Given the OP has held on to the phone for as long as he has gives me reason to believe the latter....
Too bad the prevailing trend seems to be getting less for more $$$, it's definitely a trade-off.

I've definitely compared what I would be giving up to what I would be gaining. My Sprint GN4 has been unlocked to work with domestic GSM (I have Cricket wireless now) and I have no LTE, and probably missing a few of the used frequencies (although I have never really checked). I love the screen and the camera on the GN4, but I'm stuck on Marshmallow and no security updates. I've tried Lineage OS both Nougat and Oreo, and both have so many bugs, it's not worth the headache. Not to mention it's getting harder to find batteries for it. Most I find now are "new" but end up being used. The GN4 never really did have that great of battery life, so that's one of the things that makes me want to switch to something else. Not that I'm a heavy user, but when you start using the video and taking lots of pics on the GN4, the battery tends to drain quickly. And I was hoping I would get Android Auto to work without having to plug and unplug it several times for it to connect (It's done it on Marshmallow and Lineage OS). It's almost as if it's not loading the applications fast enough for the handshake with the head unit.
I would miss my SD Card slot, that's why I was looking at the 256GB Oneplus 6T model.
KOLIOSIS said:
Honestly,if you're pleased w/all things in general with the Note 4,you're giving up a lot of features not found on newer devices.
I definitely recommend keeping the Note 4 before switching to another phone (unless you have a trade-in allowance).
If you're not going to miss an SD Card Slot/3.5 mm audio jack/I-R Blaster/LED Notifications/No Notch, then,you have the gains of more RAM & a newer phone w/better battery life/overall performance.
The OP6T is a nice phone,but,honestly,I think an OP5 or OP5T is a better choice,the former if you prefer the navigation similar to that of the Note4.
(might wanna Google search a camera comparison of the Note 4 to either/both)
Full disclosure:
This advice is coming from a serial phone switcher in recovery/remission ........................ :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

MrSickle said:
I've definitely compared what I would be giving up to what I would be gaining. My Sprint GN4 has been unlocked to work with domestic GSM (I have Cricket wireless now) and I have no LTE, and probably missing a few of the used frequencies (although I have never really checked).
I would miss my SD Card slot, that's why I was looking at the 256GB Oneplus 6T model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're definitely in the right place for root/ROMs,OnePlus phones get a good variety of development.
One other feature I failed to address (the elephant in the room, LOL) :
Is the S-Pen something you're using a lot of on the Note4?
If not, then this is the place to be.
Guessing you're aware of the current state of things with the newer US Notes & the pros & cons of importing either version (Snapdragon or Exynos).
If nothing else, most T-Mobile US stores have working demos of the OP6T to test drive, see if it's for you. ?
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs

I was in your same situation. I had GN4 for 4 years and now i bought the OP6t. Honestly i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much and i cant tell you the difference right now but i will do a comparison tomorrow and post the results here
But regarding all other things, the OP6t is the winner. Better display, great battery life, fingerprint sensor is fast enough (never used on note 4 because it was unconfortable for me), there is also the face unlock and it is very fast; you will not see the lockscreen most of times.
The phone is very very fast and well optimized, no lag and didn't heat neither after an heavy usage.
Feel free to ask anything for the comparision
P.s. sorry for my bad english

The pixel 3 if you care about taking pics, rest of the hardware and value go for the 6t.

I think in the 4 years I've had the Note 4, I may have used the S-Pen maybe 10 times. It can be handy sometimes, but not really a show stopper for me.
I had looked at the International versions of the Samsung devices (GN9, GS9+) and sadly, I would be missing some frequency bands on those devices too
KOLIOSIS said:
You're definitely in the right place for root/ROMs,OnePlus phones get a good variety of development.
One other feature I failed to address (the elephant in the room, LOL) :
Is the S-Pen something you're using a lot of on the Note4?
If not, then this is the place to be.
Guessing you're aware of the current state of things with the newer US Notes & the pros & cons of importing either version (Snapdragon or Exynos).
If nothing else, most T-Mobile US stores have working demos of the OP6T to test drive, see if it's for you.
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

A good camera is important for me. Although I'm not a professional photographer, it has been one of my hobbies for a while. I've managed to capture some really good shots with my Note 4, hence my particular interest in the OP6T as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 3 XL. I managed to get a look at a Pixel 3 XL in person today and the notch was like a slap in the face. Although, I do know it can be masked out. I don't have any T-mobile stores around that I know of, so I can't check out the OP6T in person. I'm starting to feel like Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory" where he tries to decide between an Xbox One and PS4
Zekol said:
I was in your same situation. I had GN4 for 4 years and now i bought the OP6t. Honestly i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much and i cant tell you the difference right now but i will do a comparison tomorrow and post the results here
But regarding all other things, the OP6t is the winner. Better display, great battery life, fingerprint sensor is fast enough (never used on note 4 because it was unconfortable for me), there is also the face unlock and it is very fast; you will not see the lockscreen most of times.
The phone is very very fast and well optimized, no lag and didn't heat neither after an heavy usage.
Feel free to ask anything for the comparision
P.s. sorry for my bad english
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

There are some pics of both
Note 4:
https://ibb.co/hvEMh0
https://ibb.co/emM4kL
https://ibb.co/dLD0QL
https://ibb.co/byczKf
https://ibb.co/bVjqQL
https://ibb.co/iqz75L
https://ibb.co/iwidC0
https://ibb.co/mQ4ks0
https://ibb.co/fO69Kf
https://ibb.co/hXzbX0
https://ibb.co/hOZRX0
https://ibb.co/hVbUkL
https://ibb.co/gSGjKf
https://ibb.co/jFNukL
https://ibb.co/j0R4kL
https://ibb.co/cOgn5L
https://ibb.co/nnffQL
https://ibb.co/kOBtef
https://ibb.co/nhpzkL
https://ibb.co/cMU4Kf
https://ibb.co/hOmvQL
https://ibb.co/fMnwX0
https://ibb.co/f1kfQL
OnePlus 6T:
https://ibb.co/mtgJef
https://ibb.co/gGPzkL
https://ibb.co/h2Qdef
https://ibb.co/cO5N5L
https://ibb.co/jwhukL
https://ibb.co/jGSGzf
https://ibb.co/jZNGzf
https://ibb.co/bOLmzf
https://ibb.co/ffPJC0
https://ibb.co/dUjqQL
https://ibb.co/cmG9Kf
https://ibb.co/nyTZkL
https://ibb.co/iKBgX0
https://ibb.co/dT44Kf
https://ibb.co/ipo3C0
https://ibb.co/jZmjKf
https://ibb.co/kKD3C0
https://ibb.co/dYDs5L
https://ibb.co/nwkBzf
https://ibb.co/cbn25L
https://ibb.co/i9nAQL
https://ibb.co/js4PkL
https://ibb.co/dXL8C0
As i said, i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much so probably these shots sucks :silly:
I used the auto mode on both as Note 4 doesn't have the pro mode and also i don't know how to use it on OnePlus 6T.
Well, there is also a port of the google camera for OP6t, I have to try it too, maybe i could take some better shots with it.
Hope this evening i can take some shots with low light and even try the night mode, i will update here if i can

Zekol, I can't thank you enough for those pics! Those were exactly the type of comparisons I needed! The camera's are very close in quality, except the OP6T tends to over sharpen the images just a bit, which may be able to be changed in the app or by use of another camera app. If you do happen to take some night shots, just take a few, no need to work yourself to death
Zekol said:
There are some pics of both
Note 4:
https://ibb.co/hvEMh0
https://ibb.co/emM4kL
https://ibb.co/dLD0QL
https://ibb.co/byczKf
https://ibb.co/bVjqQL
https://ibb.co/iqz75L
https://ibb.co/iwidC0
https://ibb.co/mQ4ks0
https://ibb.co/fO69Kf
https://ibb.co/hXzbX0
https://ibb.co/hOZRX0
https://ibb.co/hVbUkL
https://ibb.co/gSGjKf
https://ibb.co/jFNukL
https://ibb.co/j0R4kL
https://ibb.co/cOgn5L
https://ibb.co/nnffQL
https://ibb.co/kOBtef
https://ibb.co/nhpzkL
https://ibb.co/cMU4Kf
https://ibb.co/hOmvQL
https://ibb.co/fMnwX0
https://ibb.co/f1kfQL
OnePlus 6T:
https://ibb.co/mtgJef
https://ibb.co/gGPzkL
https://ibb.co/h2Qdef
https://ibb.co/cO5N5L
https://ibb.co/jwhukL
https://ibb.co/jGSGzf
https://ibb.co/jZNGzf
https://ibb.co/bOLmzf
https://ibb.co/ffPJC0
https://ibb.co/dUjqQL
https://ibb.co/cmG9Kf
https://ibb.co/nyTZkL
https://ibb.co/iKBgX0
https://ibb.co/dT44Kf
https://ibb.co/ipo3C0
https://ibb.co/jZmjKf
https://ibb.co/kKD3C0
https://ibb.co/dYDs5L
https://ibb.co/nwkBzf
https://ibb.co/cbn25L
https://ibb.co/i9nAQL
https://ibb.co/js4PkL
https://ibb.co/dXL8C0
As i said, i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much so probably these shots sucks :silly:
I used the auto mode on both as Note 4 doesn't have the pro mode and also i don't know how to use it on OnePlus 6T.
Well, there is also a port of the google camera for OP6t, I have to try it too, maybe i could take some better shots with it.
Hope this evening i can take some shots with low light and even try the night mode, i will update here if i can
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

My Friend, you are driving a Model A, it's cool to look back on but this is a modern Corvette, AKA, a performance value able to whoop phones costing twice as much even if it is missing a few Gucci features. I type that having sent the Pixel 3 XL back and buying this phone instead.
The Note 4 was a little before Samsung really started getting good with their cameras, I'm not saying it was bad, I had one and in the day it was great but they got quite a bit more serious a couple iterations later and it shows; their stuff is top notch now. The 6T on the other hand is not top notch now, it's a second tier camera and you can really see this at night where the 6T camera is a fair bit more noise. In the day it's not bad at all though outside of pushing too much contrast outdoors in HDR; the picture will almost invariably turn out with a bright sunny sky looking darker than the reality. Overall though I doubt you will find the camera a downgrade. Portrait mode is actually useful for more than portraits, for example it can make a picture of something like a statue at a museum pop out of the background and it's a nice effect for such photos.
Performance wise this phone is going to be a whole new world of slick, no rom can make up for vastly more computing power elsewhere and you're going to feel it every time you pick up the phone and manipulate the GUI. You're also going to appreciate the little things that OnePlus has injected into the mostly stockish experience. You'll find that OnePlus tends to be an enjoyable ownership experience stock, they are the type of phone that grows on you. Dont want stock you can run dead reliable stockish roms, alternatively, greatly altered AOSP runs which may or may not be , ahem, dead reliable. But that's all part of the fun.
One thing you're going to notice is that the aspect ratio is comparatively sucktacular. The tall thin thing is great for girls but I would much rather have the older aspect ratios. It's annoying as hell when you're surfing the internet in landscape and the website header scrolls down as you scroll down because it can block as much as half the screen and with these thinner aspect ratios that doesn't leave much wihch sometimes making surfing a pain. I'd totally jump on a browser which blocked that behavior, also a phone that went back to the older aspect ratio but I'm digressing. You may not be pleased with the change, all I'm saying.
Minutia... Duel sim is an interesting capability allowing you to ditch a separate work phone, buy data from one carrier, voice and text from another, etc. I think more people would take advantage of it if they gave it a try. You'll be shedding your unholy attachment to chargers and day by day the anxiety you feel when getting too far from a power source is going to go diminish. How much you miss the S-pen will depend on how much you used it. You indicate that was seldom so it shouldln't be a problem. While you may be stepping away from many features I think like most you probably only used a small percentage of Samsung bloat and you're not actually giving up something you never used anyways. The feature thing is not so big as some make out.
All in all I think you're being silly. I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean you've clearly become much attached to what is an ancient device in cell phone terms and your attachment is clouding your judgement. New phones are substantially better in almost every way, I would be surprised if you aren't very impressed with whatever new device you decide to buy.

MrSickle said:
I've definitely compared what I would be giving up to what I would be gaining. My Sprint GN4 has been unlocked to work with domestic GSM (I have Cricket wireless now) and I have no LTE, and probably missing a few of the used frequencies (although I have never really checked). I love the screen and the camera on the GN4, but I'm stuck on Marshmallow and no security updates. I've tried Lineage OS both Nougat and Oreo, and both have so many bugs, it's not worth the headache. Not to mention it's getting harder to find batteries for it. Most I find now are "new" but end up being used. The GN4 never really did have that great of battery life, so that's one of the things that makes me want to switch to something else. Not that I'm a heavy user, but when you start using the video and taking lots of pics on the GN4, the battery tends to drain quickly. And I was hoping I would get Android Auto to work without having to plug and unplug it several times for it to connect (It's done it on Marshmallow and Lineage OS). It's almost as if it's not loading the applications fast enough for the handshake with the head unit.
I would miss my SD Card slot, that's why I was looking at the 256GB Oneplus 6T model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loved my Note5 but having passed on the $500 trade in on the T-Mo Note 9 promo (still too expensive), I figured the $300 back on it for the 6T was too good to pass up. But I had many of the same concerns as you - I absolutely loved the screen on the Note5 and the picture taking quality, along with things like the headphone jack and wireless charging. But I bit the bullet because no more security updates for the Note5, no band 71, and I did notice that *maybe* Google apps were running a bit slower than they used to (figured maybe they were starting to be optimized for newer processors). But the phone was still buttery smooth otherwise.
I'm glad I did it though. It just seems so much faster, and that's saying something because I felt my Note5 was generally pretty fast.
The battery life is freaking phenomenal. That's the only reason I haven't missed the wireless charging. The screen is as good as my Note5, but the auto-brightness is not as "perfect" as it was on the Note. I read there is a tweak coming for that, but it hasn't hit the T-Mo version yet.
@krabman has it so so right with the aspect ratio. Sucktacular is a perfect way of stating it. It makes one-handed use very difficult because of how tall it is. But you get used to that part of it. Landscape is definitely less effective.
As for the pictures, I think it's kind of hit or miss. The low light is definitely better, and bright daylight is great, but I'm not convinced photos in moderate lighting is as good. I would still bite on the phone though. The prices they're getting for Samsung flagships these days are ridiculous. If you have other questions, let me know. Cheers.

Hi, I have the same dilemma and read the post, did you upgrade to op6t and have a better experience with it?