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Short version here is that I already have a HD2 and currently playing with the Android builds that are available.
Now I've just been given a Samsung Galaxy S with an upgrade (get it in 2 days) and I must admit as much as I'd like to keep it, there's a part of me that thinks that the HD2 is the better phone, especially as it looks like we are going to have a stable droid build in the near future (devs really are top folk).
So, take the phone built for droid or stick with what I have and hope droid gets perfected on it in the near future?
Opinions welcome
todd69 said:
Short version here is that I already have a HD2 and currently playing with the Android builds that are available.
Now I've just been given a Samsung Galaxy S with an upgrade (get it in 2 days) and I must admit as much as I'd like to keep it, there's a part of me that thinks that the HD2 is the better phone, especially as it looks like we are going to have a stable droid build in the near future (devs really are top folk).
So, take the phone built for droid or stick with what I have and hope droid gets perfected on it in the near future?
Opinions welcome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hard to say. It really depends what OS you favor. If you like WM (as a backup) and Android (albeit buggy and laggy) on the same phone, take the HD2. If you want Android to be the primary OS, take the Galaxy S.
Keep in mind the Android port won't be perfect (at least for a while). For example, the Rhodium (Touch Pro2) port has been going on longer than the HD2 port, and it still has many bugs and features that do not work.
If you really want both devices, why not keep both and alternate phones each week?
I'm personally not ready to switch to Android as a full-time OS on a phone. WM has a lot of tweakability inside and Android still has its time to mature.
See where you are coming from and if I can get away with it may just sneak the samsung away
I've always like WM over the years and love the tweaking abilities with it, I think I'm just a bit tired of it on the HD2 as IMO you still need a stylus when you get past the front end, well I do with my big chubby fingers LOL
Android is nice, had a Nexus One when they first came out but found the camera and a few other things lacking so sold it pretty quick.
To many toys and not enough time I suppose LOL
Well, atm it's very hard to say. As I own a HD2 and like it still very much, I'm not planning to buy a new toy within the next, let's say 3 months. After that I will definitely buy an Android-phone because WP7 sucks already D) and the HD2 will stay THE WM6.5.x-phone - maybe forever.
If I had to buy an Android-phone tomorrow, I'd buy a Galaxy S (Pro) - but I think I would sell it again for the next Android-flagship by HTC, what ever it will be.
if you like to have a faster gpu than go for the galaxy S because it has the fastest gpu units of all smartphones today
Personally I am biased towards android. If it werent for the 4.3 inch display of the hd2 I would have dumped it long ago. Windows mobile is so mature that At the end of this year windows phone 7 is coming out. People have all but stopped developing stuff for it. It still has a great community in xda but frankly windows mobile interface sucks. Maybe I'm a dunce but I could never find proper twitter widgets.
Android isnt perfect on the hd2 and may never be. But lets see I think bluetooth and the camcorder mode doesnt work. Also call quality may be lacking. All things I Can deal with.
Personally Ive seen the samsung captivate which I believe is the At&t variant and I love it. Save yourself and stick which the phone thats native android.
I played with AT&T's version at the store. I don't like Samsung's UI much, but the screen rocks. I didn't notice the screen size difference much.
Deal breaker for me is actually the charging port. It's microUSB with a slick slide cover, BUT THEY PUT IT ON THE TOP OF THE PHONE!!! What engineer thought that was a good idea?
If the Android port weren't going so well and if weren't for the dumb port placement, I'd be on the Galaxy S series now.
hd2 vs galaxy s
hi all, just to give my input on the subject...
First of all HD2 is the only device that is capable of running both WM and Android.
I got the galaxy for my wife, and am not impressed, here is why:
1. build quality sucks, it feels flimzy, all plastic with no substance.
2. doesn't sink with Samsung software
3. Samsung support sucks.
4. android is not the latest build (apparently it will get upgraded)
5. with original ROM it is slow and chunky.
6. GPS has issues.
7. UI looks like certain fruty devices available in black or white...
I have HD2 with many twins, Energy ROM, and also running Android as a second boot.
Android runs smooth with minor issues: no GPS, BT,and not very loud. Camcorder works fine with third party app. so does flashlight. For those worring about Windows needing a stylus, well how often do you see the original UI? plus what version r u running? HD2 is in my opinion the best of both worlds and the best phone to by. it is definitely for people with some comp knoledge rather than the push the button mentality.
I'm sticking with winmo until WP7 matures a little.
Yes WinMo is approaching the end of its cycle, but since it is, most anything you could think you want is available.
Just installed a PSX emulator and am playing Final Fantasy 7 right now.
I can watch just about any type of video.
More music options than I can count.
I guess for me, the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality applies.
well after 24hrs with the Galaxy, the HD2 is going
Tough choice as I love playing with these new droid builds coming out, they really are great but after spending the day with a full blown droid phone, god it's fast, seems a lot faster than the Nexus One I had, weird!
No issues with satnav for me and UI suits me fine.
I'll be sad to finally say goodbye to WM, it's been a gadget lovers delight over the years
Thanks for the input all
If its an upgrade why cant you have both?
Ive never had to give back my old phone when I got an upgrade.......
I was looking forward to having a shiny new android beast to sit next to my HD2 when the time comes.......you've got me worried now.
If T Mobile think they're gonna take my HD2 away they've got another thing coming.......
LOL, no don't have to give the phone back but would rather sell it than have it sitting in the spare drawer.
Eh, with the HD2 in a month or two I think its Android build will have the same performance as the Nexus One and similar phones. Plus, it will be the only 4.3 inch screen phone on T-mobile with Android.
Yeah, the Galaxy still has a better GPU, but I have never played a single 3D game on my HD2 really. Probably because it has no amazing 3D games but...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7500539#post7500539
Definitely Galaxy S! I Have HD2 for 6 months now and I've already flashed the device like 212109863489458 times (lol) and it' s getting annoying i have to flash my device every 2 weeks because of bugs. I don' t think that' s the case with android + The hummingbird processor beats snapdragon. I've seen benchmarks which shows an unreleased new HTC phone (everybody speculating about dual core snapdragon) saying that it' s a super fast new HTC. And guess what... The Galaxy S even beats that one in benchmarks... Don' t get me wrong I love my [email protected], best phone I' ve ever had to this date, but the combination Hummingbird and android (soon 2.2) is a better choice I think.. Hope this helps.
galaxy s doesnt even have a flash ! lol! gay phone !
Hello there!!. i am doubt on this question too. I have a hd2 from 8 months ago, and ... really, hd2 ROCKS!. but have some inconvenients like battery life, or wm6.5 and that this will not be upgradable to wm7. Given, android runs really fine but the future of this os on my hd2 makes me doubt a little.
So, what about the galaxy S battery life, gps, photo positioning, screens ...?, it will be possible to flash futures ROMS of android like Android 3.0, i´m ready to say good to WM. But for the moment, i know that on my hd2 it will be possible to flash, maybe, all futures androids roms, whatever they are.
Well I decided to sell the Galaxy S, really nice phone but I much prefer being able to pick and choose the android builds and WM roms to play with, if you like that kind of thing, stay with the HD2.
Now that I have setcpu set up on my android build the battery life is very good.
GPS on the galaxy can be a bit iffy, read the forums and you'll see lots of issues, the camera isn't as good as the HD2 and the lack of flash is a definite issue IMO.
The screen is stunning on the galaxy but the HD2 screen size makes up for this.
coolbeer1990 said:
galaxy s doesnt even have a flash ! lol! gay phone !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be so quick to judge a book by its cover.
Camera flash on the HD2 (and other devices) only work up to a certain distance -- then, the flash becomes useless as it is unable to provide enough light to illuminate the surroundings. The HD2's "night mode" is, imo, horrible; my older, cheaper camera phones had better "night mode" pictures. As seen in the photos in the link, the Galaxy S's "night mode" allows it to capture images at long distances, without flash, and the image is decent.
Its camera -- or more accurately, its camcorder-- actually has a slight advantage over the HD2's. Android OS allows the phone to capture HD videos, whereas WM has limitations that prevent the HD2 from recording in HD. I've seen some videos shot by the Galaxy S, and I have to say I'm very impressed.
That´s ok. But now, the QUESTION. Will be the Galaxy S upgradable to android 3.0?? This could be a GOOD FAVOUR POINT for this device, and if it couldnt be, sucks. Anyone know something about this?? my HD2 is right now open to all this supposed SO roms.
What the hell ... hahaha
First off, I love T-mobile, had them since the Shadow came out, and moved up to the G1 when it was launched. They have the best customer service and most reasonable, and most clearly stated rates and bills. My employer recently offered to provide me with a smartphone from verizon, so my wife and I left T-mobile and our vibrants.
She hated her vibrant since day one, so I was always trying to defend the sammy phone and tweak/flash hers to make her happy. We settled on the most recent TW rom and continued battling the annoyances that comes with owning a vibrant. The phone has some great things going for it. It's very thin, and light (some call this "cheap" feeling, I love it personally). It has an awesome screen and will play a wider range of media formats than anything I've ever ran across. However, the lag, various different "lag fixes", random force closes, dropped data and voice signal, freezing and even random shutdowns were difficult to deal with.
I now have a Thunderbolt. It's big, heavy and thick. I don't have 4g in my area, so that's no gain, but it works. It works great, right out of the box. Then with a little effort (the rooting method is pretty lengthy) it screams. It has made me realize how much I was rationalizing my satisfaction with the vibrant.
On paper, the Vibrant should be better in my situation/location. Better GPU, smaller form factor, better screen (I still think 4" is the perfect size for a phone. 4.3" is pretty large in your front pocket), but truth is, it isn't. My advice is to sell it while you still can, and move on to something else. I have no personal experience with the G2, or MT4G, but they're both HTC phones, with plenty of support. My guess is they would do the same for you as my thunderbolt has for me.
Just to clarify, I have the upmost respect, and appreciation for the devs and contributors here. I appreciate their efforts, and do not intend to belittle any products they released or efforts they have made. My opinion, the Vibrant was crippled from the start, and they've done an outstanding job enhancing it. Thank you.
I feel you, if it wasn't superamoled i'd have sold mine already, I'll get a G2x maybe. Unbelievable how Samsung is not acknowledging hardware issue with gps
While I agree that the phone has its problems, neither I nor anyone else I know with a SGS variant (vibrant, fascinate, etc.) has THAT many issues. I waited about a month to flash this phone and while I was on stock the only problem I had that you mentioned was lag. After I rooted it got better but I never truly got a lag free experience until bionix 1.3.1. I'm guess you sold your vibrant before TW came out with that ROM, but in all seriousness it handles better than my cousin's Evo with CM7 on it.
The latest MIUI ROM is also quick as lightning to which I found very surprising considering its a.) a port and b.) non AOSP
I will admit though that Samsung has created an enigma with this phone. On paper this phone is easily the best single core smartphone on the market yet, on stock, it is much slower than the likes of older HTC phones. So for awhile I regretted not waiting for the MT4G, but the recent ROMs and kernels have really stepped this phone up to the next level.
bionix v1.3.1 is very laggy. that is the reason i switched to trigger. trigger was much ,ore stable and consistant. edt has greate roms personally.
no lag, nothing......
If you still had your Vibrant, you would see how fast these new ROM's are.
I've used CM7 for a while, and considering that it's still buggy, it's AMAZINGLY fast. Only problem is, I need a stable ROM, and that's where Trigger 2.8.1 came in. I though it was horrible, but I installed it last night, and it's nothing but amazing. I can't wait to flash 2.9, it's supposed to be faster.
Bionix 1.3.1 is not laggy on my phone. Thanks to that rom I really love my vibrant now. People that have the same phone with stock software are left with their mouth open after I show them what their phones is cappable of doing.
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I've loved my vibrant ever since I had gotten it. I may have stayed on stock for all of 3 hrs (literally) before I flashed my first ROM (Nero) and I've never looked back. I've never experienced lag and my gps (assisted, ofc) was always on point. I don't know if it had to do with my manufacturing date (10/10) or what but my phone has never given me issues (that I didn't cause it to give me and even then, those were easy to fix).
My husband got a good look at how fast and glitch free my phone on a ROM was running. After a few months of random reboots, complete crashes & a host of other problems running stock decided to give up and joined me in flashing a Bionix ROM and he's never looked back either. I will admit that his gps was a bit wonky too but that also changed when he installed Bionix. Now it does see birds but locks on just a little slower than my gps does which really isn't a biggie anyhow.
It really sucks that we have to put custom roms on our phones for them to really be powerful. I love my vibrant, but the constant problems it was giving would have made me sold it if it wasn't for Team Whiskey and other developers. I have Bionix 1.3.1 and Ive done the hardware GPS fix and now my vibrant is running the way it should have when I first opened the box. This wouldn't be so bad if Samsung would just support their devices a little more.
Im ready to move on. I have had a good time with my vibrant.
My wife has had a so so but she loves it.
Still we both have decided to leave tmobile as well and are excited to see the many options coming in may to june. When we plan to switch carriers.
I like sprint. Im not sure if verizon compares in price.
If it does I love the nfl and that may entice me to verizon.
I dont want the thunderbolt.
Im just waiting for the dual core nvidia phones.
I like the galaxy s2 and with the nfl...whew.
Im really going to look at the cost of the s2 on verizon lte. Im really intrested in that combo as well.
Still ive had alot of good times with my galaxy s.
But the signal has been completely unreliable since day one.
As where my was always very solid.
I dont know what I'll do with my galaxy s.
I have some kids who love media players.
I wonder what it would take to make a rom that would allow me to disable calling and let them just use it for that.
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Over the span of 8 months I started with the Vibrant then sold it for the myTouch 4G only to selling it and buy the HD2 at bargin. But, in the end I sold the HD2 and found a Vibrant on craigslist for cheap.
I really liked the myTouch 4G it is fast and very functional, but the screen size was just too small. Plus there was a batch of myTouch 4G units that had washed out screens; I was fortunate to end up with a good screen. The HD2 is the most versatile being that you can run so many roms from a variety of OS's on it including a very stable gingerbread 2.3.3 running from the NAND. Plus the 4.3" screen is great for browsing. I would still have the HD2 today if it wasn't for the At&T buyout of t-mobile. I fetched such a great price on my HD2 and found a vibrant for sale for $200; I jumped on it. Why? The vibrant will work next year on at&t's network so I won't be forced into contract with at&t by needing to buy a new phone to work with their networks. I don't like at&t (nasty customer service & dropped calls) and I really hope the buyout is blocked.
Which leaves me with no clear choice of carrier. Verizon has expensive plans and lots of unexpected costs. Sprint is trying hard to be CDMA version of t-mobile and have my interest, but will they be able to survive with at&t and verizon? Currently, I am no longer under contact so having the vibrant will provide me some time before deciding to commit to a carrier while testing the waters with merger.
So if my thoughts resonate with you maybe holding on to the vibrant won't be such a loss.
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I agree that every phone will have a few lemons. However, with my wife, we had 2, which we both had replaced with new ones. I kept my wife's on what I thought was the most stable roms (mostly TW, Eugenes, Master's and toward the end trigger) while I flashed mine almost daily. Still they both exibited the same flaws, reguardless on what rom they were on. I always wanted to try CM7, but I have to use my phone's GPS for work (construction, so I'm always traveling) so that and MIUI was out for me. If you like your vibrant, then I'm happy for you, it's got great potential. But if you were like me, and TRYING to like it, my advice is to sell it and move on. You'll be very happy you did.
The Vibrant is an interesting device (or rather, the Galaxy S series).
The Hardware is good. As a phone, they are perfect: GREAT reception/signal strength, and great sound in the earpiece/speakerphone.
For media they are good. The screen is nice and the speaker on the Vibrant is superior to any other phone I've ever owned.
However, the GPS and Software Performance/Stability issues just make it not worth it. Flashing a phone every day? Sorry, you are too patient.
The battery life also leaves much to be desired, and swings a bit too wildly.
The Lack of an LED Notification Light also became an issue (something the HD2/HD7 has), as well as the lack of a Camera Flash since I found the Vibrant not worth using to take pictures in some areas without great lighting (rinks, etc.). I also found it's 720p video recording produced grainy videos (which looked like watercolor paintings a bit on larger screens).
As a secondary device it's perfect, though. I just had to brush it aside and get something else to use as my daily driver.
After using a 4.3" screen so much, 4" just seems so small. I can hardly type on the Vibrant because I'm used to the better WP7 keyboard and larger screen size. Browsing is noticeably easier and the Vibrant's browser tends to lag on a lot of pages, anyways so that was a good change. A 4.3" phone is hardly much bigger than a Vibrant.
If you can barely fit a Vibrant into your pocket, then either you're severely obese or wear skinny jeans.
My next phone will be a sgs2. Currently im bored out of my mind so I just picked up a dell streak. Uusally when I flash a new rom it works nice for the first 2 weeks but as I add my usually apps it eventually becomes laggy. Trigger rom has givin me great battery life. After work im between 50-60% now(8-5) before with bionix I barely could make it home before dying. But my god has the lag become very noticeable. Im currently using the default launcher pro with only pure widget calender, dolphings bookmark manager, and extended power control on the homescreens.
Ive been flashing roms since Winmo and I find it fun. Going to a hd7 for a short period of time showed me how good an os can be. I love android but these manufacturers are killing the os. I dont know to the extent when I heard google is putting some locks on the OS, I said good for them. As much as people dont like HTC Sense, its the only launcher thats implemented well.
I love my vibrant. why even make these kind of negative threads, just move on and stop bringing down the forum....
I had a hd2, hated it... But didn't go there and dog it...
I think of these threads as eulogizing, rather than *****ing: the Vibrant, how great it could've been - shame it ended up the way it did (i.e. a poorly executed & supported product)....
-bZj
XDAapp
After rooting and running Bionix 1.3.1 and Overstock 2.2.1 kernel, my battery life has gone through the roof, I haven't noticed any lag, and it runs better than ever. I do still have slight issues with GPS (it locks but then after a few navigation instructions she forgets where I am and starts giving me different directions) I couldn't be happier with the phone. I guess YMMV depending on what you use the phone for. I'm sorry for the people that have had poor experiences with this device because the SAMoled is just stunning.
Wow, so many whines........... to date this phone has been one of the best units I ve seen. Only the GPS issue is a real complaint on the hardware side, which is totally fixable.
On the software side TMO and Samsung fail, but then that's why there is XDA. Since the Frankin Twiz rom in Sept 10 there has been a great performing, stable rom. And, Since Nov there has not been battery life issues,
People are being way too myopic about this. It is a great stable unit, and unless you have to have the latest great because of your addiction to it, then accept the consequences for that addiction.
ME ? I am waiting for the S2 and until then, this phone still rocks !
oka1 said:
Wow, so many whines........... to date this phone has been one of the best units I ve seen. Only the GPS issue is a real complaint on the hardware side, which is totally fixable.
On the software side TMO and Samsung fail, but then that's why there is XDA. Since the Frankin Twiz rom in Sept 10 there has been a great performing, stable rom. And, Since Nov there has not been battery life issues,
People are being way too myopic about this. It is a great stable unit, and unless you have to have the latest great because of your addiction to it, then accept the consequences for that addiction.
ME ? I am waiting for the S2 and until then, this phone still rocks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why contrubute to such a thread if you disapprove of it?
just wondering.
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Ehh same here, I get bored easily, and the lag does become quite noticeable at times, switched to miui, and loved it for about a week, then got bored again.. currently attempting to trade my Vibrant for an hd2+100 on craigs ;] I'll surely miss it though!
Bionix was mentioned as being laggy. I've been running it for a week with no lag. Its been one of (if not the best) roms I've ever used.
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Hi all,
I'm advising a close friend on a phone purchase (she is not tech savvy). She currently has a Droid RAZR and wants to upgrade. I personally have a Galaxy Nexus and love it, but am a bit concerned about getting her a phone that is outdated hardware wise compared to the G3.
On the flip side of things, I've been running a 100% smooth version of JB for months now. It's a pretty awesome operating system. I looked through the development forums for the Galaxy S3, but couldn't tell if there is a really reliable, fully functional version of Jelly Bean for this phone yet.
How far along is development? Does the phone have a locked bootloader?
I'll be playing tech support for this phone so I want to make sure it is as trouble-free as possible, while still serving as a significant upgrade from her current RAZR.
Thanks so much!
I haven't had a Nexus, but I looked at it when I was looking for a phone. Two things I can say - the S3 is the best phone out there I could find as of 1 month back. My wife had a Note and I was going to get one also until I got an extra good deal on the S3 from Kogan. The S3 was always the choice but for price, so getting $120 off the price made the choice.
I chose based on memory, screen and expansion slot. The only other phones that got considered didn't have the screen (I'm getting on a bit and little screens give me the irrits) or didn't have the card slot. Why they bother with phones with no card slot I don't know - do they think we all want to return home all the time to connect to our PC's to get data/music etc? I can carry 100+GB of what I want in a small case designed for an SD card and have it in the phone in 30 seconds - it's not rocket science.
I don't think you can make the choice based on having a rock solid JB out there - BTW I think you have a typo in your post - I'm betting the Nexus didn't get a rock solid set up from day 1 either. On the other hand there are plenty of developers who love the S3 who are working hard to make a perfect (for them) ROM, so it should be possible, even now, to choose a ROM that is stable and fast and has the bells and whistles she wants.
DLI5 has been leaked and seems pretty good - the official release can't be far off and then you will have stock JB for her.
cheers...
Plain old AOSP Jelly Bean is not ready and not truly usable on the S3 yet. Once Samsung release the source for their Jelly Bean ROM after it is released, things should progress nicely and we should see some stable Jelly Bean ROMs pretty quickly.
How much can she spend? If the device is being used for typical browsing, email, etc. the GNex will suffice, though battery life is poorer. Storage again is self explanatory. Intensive, graphically demanding games will of course be poor on the GNex, but for casual gamers it will be fine. I'd start by looking at what she requires then going from there, rather than working out the differences between the two devices.
I had the Nexus when it first came out, and the note. The S3 is by far the superior choice, specifically against the nexus.
Aside from the 'pure android experience' and quick updates, there isn't much going for it! The camera sucks!! The only thing I can think of that she might not like about the sg3 is the size.. depends if she has butch hands or small petite hands! :victory:
I would suggest to take a look at this...
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-S-3-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus_id3040
But as an S3 user the phone is superb!Get it!
It's much better for me than the nexus...
Had a nexus for a while, great phone. but when I bought the s3 I have never regretted it...it has a far better screen, seems more sensitive and has more sharpness and beatiful colors. Hardware wise its far more superior than nexus.
2nd The s3 scene is much bigger than the nexus one, more roms nd more updates, great custom kernels with almost daily updates.
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I have been deciding against a S4 or an HTC One. Right now, I have an epic 4g Touch, rooted stock. While I enjoy this phone it definitely hasn't let me down, I would like NFC support, LTE, and a better camera. I have a couple questions for people that can use this day to day, versus an in-store demo model.
1) Does anyone know if this phone will or can support Tri-band LTE? It seems the HTC one is unable to do so.
2) Normal usage (Listening to music, texting, checking e-mail, facebook on the web, web browsing, youtube, etc) how long does your battery life last? If you don't mind could you also indicate whether you live in a strong signal area (consistently full bars) or a low signal area (less then three).
3) Is the phone really plasticy feeling?
4) How is the camera on the phone? From what I have read, the S4 camera excels well all around, however the HTC One is better in low-light, but has terrible photo quality due to algorithms for noise and such.
5) Is wireless charging a possibility for this phone?
6) Does this phone only support tectiles or can you get away with other NFC tags?
7) Does sprint only have a 16GB model? Is that model still plagued by the rather low internal storage issue? Note, I understand that can be resolved with a microSD card, but, I just wondered.
8) Does this phone have a sim card slot behind the battery cover? I was surprised to see the HTC One had one, but, I couldn't check with the store model since well, the back cover has the alarm stuff on it and they wouldn't let me see it.
9) Is this phone similar to rooting/flashing kernels like the Epic 4G Touch? No HTC Dev trickery and such?
10) For anyone that has used the "S" features (airview, air gesture, etc) do they actually work well or is it just bogus gimmicky crap?
ROM Specific/Other questions
1) Does anyone know of any applications that can mimic the zoe like features of the HTC one on the S4?
2) Does anyone know if the Google Experience ROM will make use of the home button so that it instantly goes to Google Now, versus going to a task manager? I don't know if there is an option to do this on the normal sprint rom, but when I was messing with the floor model, I couldn't find a way to do this.
3) Does the IR Blaster work on any of the Google Experience ROM's, or any other AOSP ROM?
Final question, to anyone that has used both phones, is there any recommendation or opinion that you can give after using both (possibly those that bought one and then switched it out half way through)
I am having a real hard time deciding one way or another for the phones, and while yes, I understand most of the people at this point say if you flash a GE Rom, the only two remaining selling points are "Removable battery and sd card" or not, it is hard to base the decision off of that, especially if you take into account the other properties of the phone.
I would really appreciate any feedback Thanks
1. No. There are no phones available in the US that support it right now, probably by the end of the year there will be some. Probably Note 3 and LG G2.
2.Battery life is great, I'm in a terrible area for service, as most of the Sprint Network is a bad area for service.
3. I like the way it feels other than the back is a little too slick, but doesn't matter with a case.
4. S4 has the best camera for a phone on the market right now and has a lot of awesome features built in. Htc One takes better low light photos but not by a huge margin and overall is a lower quality camera IMO.
5. Yes. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EP-P100IJWUSTA
6. Not sure.
7. Yep 16GB is the only option for Sprint currently, but that might change soon.
8. Yes it has a SIM. But you can't use the GSM capabilities unless it is unlocked and you are out of the USA.
9. This phone is too easy to Root and flash ROMs on. I had the E4GT and remember the issues with it when flashing ROMs. All that changed with the S3 and beyond.
10. S features work great. I don't use them always but they work.
1. IDK
2. The GE ROM has different assigned apps to the buttons but I'm not sure what they are, just that they are the same as the other Google Edition phone.
3.AOSP= on one that I know of but that will change anytime. The GE ROM can.
You ask a lot of questions. You a cop? Lol. I have used both and my sister in law has the HTC One. I went back and forth contimplating which to get also and I chose the S4 and haven't regretted it at all. I like the simplicity of the HTC One and it is freaking smooth as can be with the software. But IDK I still like the S4. I don't think you will be disappointed with either one so whatever you decide enjoy.
Thanks, and yes I completely understand the differences between GSM and CDMA. I did see autoprime's post, however I do completely understand the differences.
As far as battery life goes, you said it was great, on average, how many hours is "great" cause that is huge perspective issue.
As far as the storage issue changing soon, is there any ETA or is that just rumors at this point? My upgrade is in three weeks, and I highly doubt that any change would happen this fast.
My biggest concern with the S4 is any form of laggy feeling. As I get that feeling a lot on the S2/E4GT, and it is really annoying.
Plus, since they are both super phones, it is pretty difficult choosing between the two.
GH0 said:
Thanks, and yes I completely understand the differences between GSM and CDMA. I did see autoprime's post, however I do completely understand the differences.
As far as battery life goes, you said it was great, on average, how many hours is "great" cause that is huge perspective issue.
As far as the storage issue changing soon, is there any ETA or is that just rumors at this point? My upgrade is in three weeks, and I highly doubt that any change would happen this fast.
My biggest concern with the S4 is any form of laggy feeling. As I get that feeling a lot on the S2/E4GT, and it is really annoying.
Plus, since they are both super phones, it is pretty difficult choosing between the two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never gotten under at least 10 hours or usage. Even heavy. I get about medium to light usage at work and I have full LTE bars there. And still have anywhere from 30-60 when I go home. I've never experienced lag on this phone. But some have, but those people say the new update solved it as well. As well as added apps to sd an option. So storage won't be a thing you'll have to worry about per say.
For me, in a good signal area, I normally achieve a bit over 5 hours of screen time on autobrightness on a total time of 16 hours unplugged.
As for the feel, I like it. The phone doesn't feel cheap and it feels very solid. I don't find it slippery either. The back gently sticks on to your fingers, which prevent slippage and accidental dropping. Coming from the E4GT, I find the feel and grip better.
The camera, of course, is much better and has many cool features.
As for rooting and flashing stuff, I find doing this stuff much easier and more logical than the E4GT.
The S4 is a great phone and I think you'll be really happy with it. If you want a phone with tri-band support, you should probably wait a bit to see which new models Sprint will be announcing. There is a rumor that a new, updated S4 might be released with the Snapdragon S800 and tri-band support, although I doubt it.
Hi,
Lately I decided to sell my iPhone and move to android.
I've done some researched about the phones, and ended up unable to decide between the S5, LG G3 and the HTC One M8.
Anways, about the S5, putting aside its awesome hardware features, what I am deeply worried about is the software. From fondling with the S4 a while back, and from reading a lot of user feedback, I had come to a realization that it sucks and is super laggy and annoying and is hateful with pratically everyone around the globe.
Now, as an iPhone user migrating to android, I would like my phone's interface to run silky smooth, and thus, my question is this:
With the understanding that touchwiz is ****, will flashing a whole new ROM, or removing the bloat, 'fix' this lag and crappy UI?
Ruttix said:
Hi,
Lately I decided to sell my iPhone and move to android.
I've done some researched about the phones, and ended up unable to decide between the S5, LG G3 and the HTC One M8.
Anways, about the S5, putting aside its awesome hardware features, what I am deeply worried about is the software. From fondling with the S4 a while back, and from reading a lot of user feedback, I had come to a realization that it sucks and is super laggy and annoying and is hateful with pratically everyone around the globe.
Now, as an iPhone user migrating to android, I would like my phone's interface to run silky smooth, and thus, my question is this:
With the understanding that touchwiz is ****, will flashing a whole new ROM, or removing the bloat, 'fix' this lag and crappy UI?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touchwizz on the S5 is much lighter and snappier then on the S4 and many apps and widgets can be turned off in /settings/apps/all apps. That said you can also debloat/freeze the roms apps with Titanium Backup. Or just flash CM11 or another custom rom and get rid of all the bloatware
Ruttix said:
Hi,
Lately I decided to sell my iPhone and move to android.
I've done some researched about the phones, and ended up unable to decide between the S5, LG G3 and the HTC One M8.
Anways, about the S5, putting aside its awesome hardware features, what I am deeply worried about is the software. From fondling with the S4 a while back, and from reading a lot of user feedback, I had come to a realization that it sucks and is super laggy and annoying and is hateful with pratically everyone around the globe.
Now, as an iPhone user migrating to android, I would like my phone's interface to run silky smooth, and thus, my question is this:
With the understanding that touchwiz is ****, will flashing a whole new ROM, or removing the bloat, 'fix' this lag and crappy UI?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently did the same - sold my iPhone 5 to my mum and got an S5. I was tossing up between the S5, the HTC One (M8) and the Nexus 5. I ruled out the LG G3 because I thought it would be a bit big and the screen resolution seemed a bit bonkers for a 5.5" screen.
I thought the HTC was the best-looking phone (probably hard to argue with that), but the lack of Qi wireless charging and waterproofing were downsides. What knocked it on the head, though, was the camera - 4 megapixels just seemed woefully inadequate in 2014. I don't know what HTC were thinking. Yes, it does some selective focus thing, but from what I'd heard, it was a bit gimmicky and not always very realistic.
The Nexus has Qi and a better camera, plus it has vanilla Android, a big plus. But no waterproofing. And in Australia, it's only available outright from Google - you can't buy it on a contract AFAIK.
So I went with the S5 for its better hardware (although, personally I don't find it terribly attractive) and easy availability. I don't particularly like TouchWiz, so the plan was always to either (a) install CyanogenMod, (b) hope for a Google Play Edition ROM that could be flashed onto it, or (b) wait for Android L and hopefully less of the Samsung 'goodness' in that.
I'm now running a CM11 nightly and it seems to be working pretty well, although there are a couple of minor things still to be ironed out. And, yes, it's fast, and battery life is improved. I may go back to stock when Android L is released for the S5, but I may just wait for the L-based CyanogenMod.
The finger scanner and heart rate monitor don't work in CyanogenMod and probably never will, but I'm not interested in those. ANT+ is reportedly now included, but I haven't tested it. 4K video capture isn't supported at this stage.
I just bought the S5 Active. I am coming from the HTC One M8. I like the M8 speakers and size. I like the S5 size and camera. I know that the M8 doesn't show any lag that I could see. But I have to give the S5 more time. (Just got it 6 hours ago) :laugh: Still configuring it but I really haven't felt any lag that bothers me, will know in a couple more hours or maybe tomorrow if the wife sends me to bed, :crying:
Ruttix said:
Hi,
Lately I decided to sell my iPhone and move to android.
I've done some researched about the phones, and ended up unable to decide between the S5, LG G3 and the HTC One M8.
Anways, about the S5, putting aside its awesome hardware features, what I am deeply worried about is the software. From fondling with the S4 a while back, and from reading a lot of user feedback, I had come to a realization that it sucks and is super laggy and annoying and is hateful with pratically everyone around the globe.
Now, as an iPhone user migrating to android, I would like my phone's interface to run silky smooth, and thus, my question is this:
With the understanding that touchwiz is ****, will flashing a whole new ROM, or removing the bloat, 'fix' this lag and crappy UI?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did that very same thing, and now, thanks to AT&T and KitKat, I'm starting to regret that decision.
Be aware that if you buy the S5, you won't be able to root it. The latest kernal version locks you out. I've been searching the web to see if I can find a way to revert the phone to an earlier ROM, and I think I've found a page that explains it. I'm just worried about trying it and bricking a very expensive phone.
If you're thinking that WOW, I have and Android and I'm FREE to do what I want! think again. You're not. While you CAN but a nice big SD chip in the thing, all you can use that for is to store data. Very few apps will actually write to it, although a lot of them will read from it. You can't mod the phone lock screen -- which takes away another major reason why I wanted to switch to it. If you're patient -- and lucky -- maybe your carrier will update to Android L which is supposed to address the SD card issue - - but will, once again I'm sure, make it difficult to root your phone.
I'd post the link to the page with the instructs to revert the rom, but forum rules prevent me from doing so. Sorry. And good luck getting answers.