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ive had the iphone 5 for a while and im interesting getting the S4. i still have my S2 but i dont use it anymore. im wondering what are the pros of switching over? and which version should i get (i9500 or i9505)
Well considering your in the UK, your better off getting the I9505, then I9500 is for selected countries only so you either have import or risk buying of ebay ect, plus is you want to root, use custom roms or the Google Edition rom then the I9505 is the way to go.
Now the downsides if you don't plan to root or do anything with your S4, apart from using it stock & i'm guessing you want a simfree one, is that Samsung is slow to update simfree user's with the latest updates in the UK, Networks get priority first, while simfree gotta wait weeks before getting same update.
I gotta admit iphone 5 a good smartphone, it does what it does and does it well if you know what i mean.
As for the Pro's well that depends on you, your S2 isn't all that far behind the S4 software wise so all you be getting really is better specs, much better screen & Camera & lots of added Samsung Bloat such as air view ect.
9505 because of Google S4 edition, you get plenty of roms to choose from... and 9500 is USA version only, but you can of course find some in UK if you dig deeper...
nm8 said:
9505 because of Google S4 edition, you get plenty of roms to choose from... and 9500 is USA version only, but you can of course find some in UK if you dig deeper...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree atm i9505 is the best chice due to the google experience edition
ok thats one part sorted (i9505).
now i just need to find out why the S4 would be better than the iphone 5. pros and cons of both.
ive read a few review but ten people in the comments complain about false or biased review so im lost.
otispowell said:
ok thats one part sorted (i9505).
now i just need to find out why the S4 would be better than the iphone 5. pros and cons of both.
ive read a few review but ten people in the comments complain about false or biased review so im lost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what your use it for. Personally for me the camera is important as I'm a tattooist it saves taking an extra camera I upgraded from s2 just for that reason although I will mess about with rooting etc in time. I compared loads of phones before upgrading, inc iphone 5 and the s4 just come out top but its personal preference
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium
well there are the two obvious differences - the screen (bigger and higher resolution) and the operating system (android).
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
otispowell said:
ive had the iphone 5 for a while and im interesting getting the S4. i still have my S2 but i dont use it anymore. im wondering what are the pros of switching over? and which version should i get (i9500 or i9505)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The i9500 is a little faster than the i9505. However, the difference is so small and you can feel it only with benchmarks...
The i9505 is based on Qualcomm Snapdragron S600 CPU. This helps developpers to bring stable alternative ROMs for it. The i9500 is powered by a Samsung procesor, and its documentation is so poor...this is why we still don't have CyanogenMod for it. The i9505 is also LTE capable so you can have a better mobile internet speed connexion depending on where do you live...
Finally, a Google Play version, called i9505G, is available in US store and it has the same hardware than the i9505. We have already a lot of ports of the Google Edition on classic i9505 and it will probably helps developers to build new roms...:good:
I got the i9505 now Thank s for your helps
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app
otispowell said:
I got the i9505 now Thank s for your helps
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I transitioned from IOS to Android myself with the S4 and found that the TouchWiz interface was counter-intuitive to the old IOS so I switched out the TouchWiz launcher for Go Launcher EX prime which gave a much better interface to use that was more akin to IOS.
Its very easy to root/swap roms & kernels etc so I'll give you the benefit of my experience:
The S4 has a big issue with charge / power. Its so powerful that it simply cant charge itself while your using it with anything less than 1000mA charge, this is most apparent in the car as a sat nav, or using the Samsung MHL out adapter for HDMI video on your TV. You can fix this easily by flashing a new kernel that support fast charge switching. I personally am using the Ktoonsez kernel.
The Samsung apps are all junk so to get rid of them grab a copy of wanamlites latest rom v1.4 and flash it using CWM. that will give you a stripped down, higher performing, latest version of the software with limited / no bugs.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes
Here is a guide to install CWM (do this first): http://androidtelegraph.com/guide-install-clockworkmod-cwm-recovery-on-samsung-galaxy-s4-gt-i9505/
Then install wanamlites rom: http://wanamlite.com/2013/07/18/wanamlite-xxubmga-v1-4-android-jb-4-2-2-clean-stable/
Then the Ktoonsez kernel if you need the fast charge switch http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297379
Enjoy your new S4, you will never look back!
JabawokJayUK said:
I transitioned from IOS to Android myself with the S4 and found that the TouchWiz interface was counter-intuitive to the old IOS so I switched out the TouchWiz launcher for Go Launcher EX prime which gave a much better interface to use that was more akin to IOS.
Its very easy to root/swap roms & kernels etc so I'll give you the benefit of my experience:
The S4 has a big issue with charge / power. Its so powerful that it simply cant charge itself while your using it with anything less than 1000mA charge, this is most apparent in the car as a sat nav, or using the Samsung MHL out adapter for HDMI video on your TV. You can fix this easily by flashing a new kernel that support fast charge switching. I personally am using the Ktoonsez kernel.
The Samsung apps are all junk so to get rid of them grab a copy of wanamlites latest rom v1.4 and flash it using CWM. that will give you a stripped down, higher performing, latest version of the software with limited / no bugs.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes
Here is a guide to install CWM (do this first): http://androidtelegraph.com/guide-install-clockworkmod-cwm-recovery-on-samsung-galaxy-s4-gt-i9505/
Then install wanamlites rom: http://wanamlite.com/2013/07/18/wanamlite-xxubmga-v1-4-android-jb-4-2-2-clean-stable/
Then the Ktoonsez kernel if you need the fast charge switch http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297379
Enjoy your new S4, you will never look back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My battery life is horrible after This even when not in use it drops by to 80 with no use.
So I'm going to buy a S4 soon, and I had the question that many of you probably had also: which version to buy?
Reading all over the internet, I9500 has better performance, but I9505 has better battery life.
Having a better battery is something really important, and that's a great point towards the I9505 (from what I've seen). But the performance differences really make any noticeable difference at all?
I don't consider LTE network a point, because here in Brazil that's something way beyond our network capabilities, and probably we won't be seeing the light of 4G in the next 5 years.
I'll be mostly using the device to listen to music, WiFi and gaming, while it should last for at least 6 hours without getting battery at critical levels, and recharging it every day for the whole night until morning. I have a I9000, and it became so awfully slow and unstable over the time, I have to make full wipes at least 3 times a month, can't install any games or "heavy" apps, and listening to music has become a pain, as everytime I unlock the screen or go to the app drawer, the sound playback lags, freezes, and sometimes reboots the phone. I am pretty sure I won't be having any of those issues with the S4, but I really don't want to get any closer to a lag with listening to music or playing.
Price is also not an issue, both models are the same price here.
And last, modifying the device, in terms of root and ROMs and such. I have to struggle everytime I want to change something like that on my I9000B, because most of the developed stuff is for the I9000 and aren't "fully compatible" with the I9000B. Are the same options for the I9500 available to the I9505? At least in the number of options, and is it easy to make root and such?
So, what do you say, xda members?
Zkaar said:
So I'm going to buy a S4 soon, and I had the question that many of you probably had also: which version to buy?
Reading all over the internet, I9500 has better performance, but I9505 has better battery life.
Having a better battery is something really important, and that's a great point towards the I9505 (from what I've seen). But the performance differences really make any noticeable difference at all?
I don't consider LTE network a point, because here in Brazil that's something way beyond our network capabilities, and probably we won't be seeing the light of 4G in the next 5 years.
I'll be mostly using the device to listen to music, WiFi and gaming, while it should last for at least 6 hours without getting battery at critical levels, and recharging it every day for the whole night until morning. I have a I9000, and it became so awfully slow and unstable over the time, I have to make full wipes at least 3 times a month, can't install any games or "heavy" apps, and listening to music has become a pain, as everytime I unlock the screen or go to the app drawer, the sound playback lags, freezes, and sometimes reboots the phone. I am pretty sure I won't be having any of those issues with the S4, but I really don't want to get any closer to a lag with listening to music or playing.
Price is also not an issue, both models are the same price here.
So, what do you say, xda members?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say I9505 is the best choice, because with it, you have the choice of:
1. Stock ROM/Custom ROM based on Stock
2. Google Play Edition ROM/Custom ROM based on Play Edition
3. CyanogenMod ROM or AOSP/Unofficial Kangs based on CyanogenMod4 or AOSP
This is why the I9505 will be my next device.
donalgodon said:
I say I9505 is the best choice, because with it, you have the choice of:
1. Stock ROM/Custom ROM based on Stock
2. Google Play Edition ROM/Custom ROM based on Play Edition
3. CyanogenMod ROM or AOSP/Unofficial Kangs based on CyanogenMod4 or AOSP
This is why the I9505 will be my next device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good, but I'm most worried about battery and performance. but I'll surely keep that in mind when choosing. TouchWiz is not that bad, but after some time you realize that it's quite ugly and boring, also big in sizes, and lacking some customization (or maybe that's just in my head, been years since I last saw TouchWiz). And rooting is something I'll really need. Does it use an app, like one click and it's rooted, or it's a root via kernel?
cf-autoroot through ODIN... I9505 is the better option for customisation, not many countries got the I9500...
I get around 2 days with my I9505... Some gaming the odd call and quite a few emails and sms.... Not to mention GPS now and then and weather updating every 6 hours... I also use my phone as my alarm clock.
Rooting the I9505 and restoring the phone back to stock are a piece of cake bro, Triangle Away doesn`t work yet on the I9500 atm so no way to reset the binary flash counter. I would definately choose for the I9505, much more roms and kernels available to choose from.
Zkaar said:
Good, but I'm most worried about battery and performance. but I'll surely keep that in mind when choosing. TouchWiz is not that bad, but after some time you realize that it's quite ugly and boring, also big in sizes, and lacking some customization (or maybe that's just in my head, been years since I last saw TouchWiz). And rooting is something I'll really need. Does it use an app, like one click and it's rooted, or it's a root via kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like the previous poster, I also agree that CF Root is the way to go.
It's easier to flash and root Samsung devices than just about any other.
Root with CF Root gives you stock recovery if you want to keep it and there's still the option of CWM recovery if you want to flash custom rom or backup your current rom or install zips etc.
And you have Mobile Odin as an option, which allows you to flash even stock rom from your phone. No PC needed. Same genius dev who gave us root made this tool also.
---------- Post added at 01:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 AM ----------
gee2012 said:
Rooting the I9505 and restoring the phone back to stock are a piece of cake bro, Triangle Away doesn`t work yet on the I9500 atm so no way to reset the binary flash counter. I would definately choose for the I9505, much more roms and kernels available to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does Triangle Away work on the I9505?
donalgodon said:
Like the previous poster, I also agree that CF Root is the way to go.
It's easier to flash and root Samsung devices than just about any other.
Root with CF Root gives you stock recovery if you want to keep it and there's still the option of CWM recovery if you want to flash custom rom or backup your current rom or install zips etc.
And you have Mobile Odin as an option, which allows you to flash even stock rom from your phone. No PC needed. Same genius dev who gave us root made this tool also.
---------- Post added at 01:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 AM ----------
Does Triangle Away work on the I9505?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it does work on the I9505, not on the I9500 atm.
ultramag69 said:
cf-autoroot through ODIN... I9505 is the better option for customisation, not many countries got the I9500...
I get around 2 days with my I9505... Some gaming the odd call and quite a few emails and sms.... Not to mention GPS now and then and weather updating every 6 hours... I also use my phone as my alarm clock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gee2012 said:
Rooting the I9505 and restoring the phone back to stock are a piece of cake bro, Triangle Away doesn`t work yet on the I9500 atm so no way to reset the binary flash counter. I would definately choose for the I9505, much more roms and kernels available to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
donalgodon said:
Like the previous poster, I also agree that CF Root is the way to go.
It's easier to flash and root Samsung devices than just about any other.
Root with CF Root gives you stock recovery if you want to keep it and there's still the option of CWM recovery if you want to flash custom rom or backup your current rom or install zips etc.
And you have Mobile Odin as an option, which allows you to flash even stock rom from your phone. No PC needed. Same genius dev who gave us root made this tool also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's more points for the I9505. I'm mostly asking if it's easy to root and flash custom ROMs because I had a hard time doing such on my three I9000Bs, all of them got bricked at some point and not always had success. But that's really good to know.
To close this and make my decision, does the I9500 CPU and GPU make any noticeable difference in performance at all? I have a friend which has the I9500 and tells me that it's way superior than the I9505, but he gives me no details at all. Also, on this review, the man says the I9500 had some instability and lags.
Zkaar said:
That's more points for the I9505. I'm mostly asking if it's easy to root and flash custom ROMs because I had a hard time doing such on my three I9000Bs, all of them got bricked at some point and not always had success. But that's really good to know.
To close this and make my decision, does the I9500 CPU and GPU make any noticeable difference in performance at all? I have a friend which has the I9500 and tells me that it's way superior than the I9505, but he gives me no details at all. Also, on this review, the man says the I9500 had some instability and lags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The performance difference between the 2 cpu`s is realy marginal and hardly noticable. I think the Qualcomm cpu is more stable and has less bugs and its much more open scource than the Exynos. The lag is mainly caused by the fact the Samsung software is not yet fully optimized for the cpu. It will improve by the next update bro
gee2012 said:
The performance difference between the 2 cpu`s is realy marginal and hardly noticable. I think the Qualcomm cpu is better and its much more open scource than the Exynos. The lag is caused by the fact the Samsung software is not yet fully optimized for the cpu. It will improve by the next update bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess it's I9505 then. Both performances are really close (and great), making no difference at all (it's not like I'm trying to play Crysis on the device), but I9505 has better battery life and more ROM options.
Thanks guys, that's all I needed.
Zkaar said:
So I guess it's I9505 then. Both performances are really close (and great), making no difference at all (it's not like I'm trying to play Crysis on the device), but I9505 has better battery life and more ROM options.
Thanks guys, that's all I needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enjoy, and read read and read before flashing to stay out of trouble :good:
if you want a device that can be "played with" (customizations) go with the gt-i9505 (well this is the most flexible device among the s4 variants
but if you are a hardware enthusiast . . go with gt-i9500 (the hardware is worth studying)
but if you want an octa core + lte get the shv-e300s though it requires shipping from korea
and if you want a snapdragon800 variant , just wait for gt-i9506 (selected regions in the future) or ship from korea their SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 LTE-A (shv-e330s)
Sent from Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-I9505) via XDA Premium App.
Zkaar said:
So I guess it's I9505 then. Both performances are really close (and great), making no difference at all (it's not like I'm trying to play Crysis on the device), but I9505 has better battery life and more ROM options.
Thanks guys, that's all I needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes your probably better off with the i9505, but i chose the exynos i9500 instead because i always prefered samsungs chipset. What others haven't mentioned, is that the camera quality on the i9500 is a little better compared to the i9505, gsmarena allready confirmed this.
In terms of audio quality, the i9500 is better choice as it has the superior Wolfson DAC.
The i9500 allready had around 6 updates, so its alot smoother and stable now compared to when it first came out, and there's already alot of developer support and custom roms for it.
In terms of battery life, i think both are the same, because before choosing my preferences between the i9500 or i9505 i did a few research aswell and searching on youtube, and each reviewer are about 50/50 on which has better battery life.
What ever you choice, you cant go wrong and both are good devices.
I will also add my weight behind the i9505 for the same reasons stated in the earlier replies. Concerning the faster CPU - the octacore exynos is not a true octacore, so in benchmarks you'll usually see the S600 v/s Exynos 5 Octa end up with an equal number of wins at the end. Sometimes the S600 is better, and other times, the Exynos will score higher. But the most interesting aspect that i personally love, is the much better support for the i9505. This is mainly due to the availability of the S4 Google Edition, where the sources can be adapted (only slightly) to work nicely with the i9505. The same cannot be said about the i9500 which is still lacking drivers, etc. At the end, it all depends on what you're going to do with the device. If you're not into installing custom ROMs, then you might be happier with the i9500.:cyclops:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
jock11 said:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. speed yes 2 gb ram on nexus 4 does better at multi tasking , battery A BIG NO , camera wise s3 is better
2.yes takes less than 5 min
display , n4 has **** washed out screen colours on default kernel , if you use hells doctor kernel it will look noticeable better
jock11 said:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speed -Yes, Battery - maybe, Camera - No
Yes, its very easy.
With android 5 assured, you should go for the Nexus 4.
jock11 said:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get the N5 for around 200 bucks on ebay. I'm using both(N4 and N5) and I can totally recommend the N5 for Android enthusiastics. But the N4 is fine too.
I would go for the n5 for just a bit more money.
hi guys
i'm nexus 4 owner and wanned to buy new phone.. and i'm thoroughly confused :/
my expections:
first of all... speed speed speed..!
i dont mean benchmark numbers or either gaming performance (i don't play games) i just want fast and super responding interface
2.battery 3. developmental support.. 4.screen 5.camera
i decided to buy s5.. but when i played around with it, totally disappointed :/ really slow interface.. i don't know how is it in non stock based custom roms..
does this phone have some super fast and snappy (probably non stock based ) roms?
then i cheked m8 .. it was lovely fast.. but i think camera is aweful stupid htc ... just put simple 13mp camera
g3 also checked it's videos.. shamefully it's slow just like s5 just have quicker animation speed.. but i want touch responsive phone.. not fast animated..
i heard it'll get better after updates.. i dunno how much..
plz help...
Flash XtreStoLite 1.3.8 and you will have very fast device. You can decide yourself which features an widgets you want. Overall the S5 is a great phone but it has to much bloatware aboard.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Free mobile app
Honestly, coming from a Nexus even after flashing XtreSto you won't be happy with the speed (I'm on 1.3.8).
TouchWiz is slow, there's tweaks you can do like reducing animations, changing launchers, turning off S-Voice and debloating, but doesn't change that simple fact.
However, you do get used to it and everything outside of the interface is quite fast and responsive.
You may be interested in trying out CM for the S5 assuming you have an unlocked bootloader device. I've flashed a few times and it fly's for sure. Keeping with TW at the moment due to camera and bit better battery life, but lot's of progress has been made with CM11 and 12 is right around the corner. If a Play Edition is ever released that will help tremendously.
guys i don't want to use sammy roms if i bought this phone.. i'll flash a aosp/cm based rom at first day..
the question is , how 's devolepment going on this phone ? (snap version)
'cause some guy told me if u want custom roms don't go for this phone.. why?
Hi!
I am very unsatisfied with my battery... It only has 6 months and is not Lasting for more than 2 and half hours of "time on" screen time. Per total I use my phone moderate.
I have tried many ROMs (Cm12 Antares Ones, SlimBean, SLimKat, Echoe Rom v42, v43, Phoenix Rom, Default one, WanamLite, ) but None of them help me in this direction...
I don't think that my battery is Close to death...
I am ready to make some sacrifices considering some Features and Styling, so, if you want, can you please help me with some examples of the lightest ROMs for S4 I9505. Yes, maybe the tiniest ROM that ever exist. Starting With Jelly Bean until Lollipop
Thank you very much
Lightest but most stable ROMs available are the Google Play Edition ROMs. CyanogenMod and AOSP ROMs tend to have a smaller footprint but have had stability issues from time to time.
I have I9505 International variant. Can I install a Google Play Edition Rom on my phone?
I don't know and also didn't understood enough from what I read. Aren't the google Play Editions available only for phones released in USA ?
So do I, and I live in the US. GPE ROMs were for the USA only, but look in the development sections. There are at least two GPE ROMs for the I9505.
This is the most updated. There's also Kangapop, but it doesn't seem to be updated that often.
Have you tried underclocking? Depending on what you're doing with the phone, you won't the the full power.
I underclocked mine to 1.2 GHz and the GPU to 128 MHz. Still run Asphalt 8: Airborne and Ravensword: Shadowlands without a problem (Mostly).
I also run Greenify. I don't like apps running in the background without my permission