• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Galaxy S4 - Watch Thread....

Pre-Order is up for Verizon now.

Yeah... I just can't pull the trigger- pretty high full-retail price (only 16GB! :mad:), and it's simply not a huge upgrade over the S3- it's almost like they pulled an Apple and released an 's' version which is more of a technological iteration rather than a new design. I guess I'll wait to see if the One comes out, or what the Note 3 rumors look like in a few months.
 
HTC's biggest mistake is making the DNA for Verizon and not pressing to launch the One on Verizon. Not having their flagship phone on the US's largest carrier is pretty retarded, I don't care how much Verizon paid them for the exclusive, I doubt it's enough to make up for the long term loss of not having their ubiquitous flagship phone on every carrier so they can have better hardware and software support for it and build up a reputation like Samsung and Apple did. I bet the DNA gets one major update 8 months after it's available and stops supporting it entirely like they have the Rezound.
 
The DNA was another awesome yet VZW gimped phone- the Butterfly had expandable storage and was waterproof, yet the 'DNA variant jettisoned both of those desirable features. I'm honestly concerned that VZW's One variant will only come with 16GB of storage, and just like the DNA, will also lack any removable storage. No thanks- if this actually happens, VZW has lost me as a customer- clearly their strategy is to reduce the local storage in order to increase network utilization and increase data charges. How long until they try and drop an 8GB model on us?
 
HTC's biggest mistake is making the DNA for Verizon and not pressing to launch the One on Verizon. Not having their flagship phone on the US's largest carrier is pretty retarded, I don't care how much Verizon paid them for the exclusive, I doubt it's enough to make up for the long term loss of not having their ubiquitous flagship phone on every carrier so they can have better hardware and software support for it and build up a reputation like Samsung and Apple did. I bet the DNA gets one major update 8 months after it's available and stops supporting it entirely like they have the Rezound.
Unfortunately it's also Verizon. If Google can't even get that Galaxy Nexus updated in a timely fashion, what chance do any other OEM's have on there?
 
Unanimous victories for the HTC one over the S4 by all editors at pocketnow.
http://pocketnow.com/2013/04/25/samsung-galaxy-s-4-or-htc-one

I think everyone was sick of the cheap plastic and gimmicky features, expecting more from a samsung fragship.

I think you are right but I also think that's pretty messed up. Gimmicks? I think the gimmicks are what make smart phones so popular. Adding hardware is the only way to move smart phones forward, adding "high end" materials is the real gimmick since all the gold infused bullshit in the world wont make your phone do more.

I would love to have a metal phone, but to give up temp / humidity sensors, removable batteries, sd cards, flexibility. Sorry I think its ridiculous for people to be giving land slide reviews in one directly which all basically come down to a single thing, we don't like plastic phones.
 
Unfortunately it's also Verizon. If Google can't even get that Galaxy Nexus updated in a timely fashion, what chance do any other OEM's have on there?

Verizon only delays updates, not keep them from coming out. Plus you'll normally see leaks of official updates well before they're pushed OTA on Verizon phones so you know they're coming soon and kind of be able to guage how much longer there is until it's pushed OTA. I haven't seen any of that for the Rezound yet, so I'm starting to doubt it will ever see JB and be stuck on 4.0.3, which is ridiculous. The Bionic got JB recently.. that phone came out at least a few months before the Rezound.

But Verizon has actually been doing pretty good on updates so far this year. All of the Razr phones, Bionic, Droid 4 and Spectrum 2 got JB, Gnex got 4.2.2 in Feb, GS3 got JB within a month of the other carriers, even the friggin Thunderbolt got ICS and no one was even expecting that to happen after this long and since the Senation didn't get ICS. They've been an OTA update machine in the last few months. I hope they keep this up now.
 
I think you are right but I also think that's pretty messed up. Gimmicks? I think the gimmicks are what make smart phones so popular. Adding hardware is the only way to move smart phones forward, adding "high end" materials is the real gimmick since all the gold infused bullshit in the world wont make your phone do more.

I would love to have a metal phone, but to give up temp / humidity sensors, removable batteries, sd cards, flexibility. Sorry I think its ridiculous for people to be giving land slide reviews in one directly which all basically come down to a single thing, we don't like plastic phones.

that's what all the professional reviews are calling it, and recommending that people turn it off.
all the s view, eye tracking stuff that the phone comes with, it's lagging the phone, doesn't work consistently or just plain pointless and hence gimmicky.

why wave your hand over the phone to scroll? that action requires so much more effort than just using your fingers. and if it doesn't detect properly the first time, then you've got to wave over it twice.
dirty hands? maybe, but that's only happened a few times in my lifetime of owning phones. any action requiring precision is going to require me to touch it anyway.
 
I'm so sick of all the horseshit about plastic and poor build quality. My phone is going into a case regardless, as is true for anyone who's a) sane, and b) not loaded and prepared to drop $700 for an off-contract replacement after an 18 inch fall. Basically, the only aspects of physical build that matters to me are: size, weight, screen quality, and maybe buttons. If someone can provide evidence Samsung's design actually makes the phone more susceptible to damage, even with a decent case on, I'm all ears.

Funniest part is that the HTC One, just like the One X before it, is still uglier than the S3/S4 in spite of its more solid exterior. Bleh. Even if I were deciding on sexy points alone, my choice wouldn't change. Samsung is simply pulling away with the lead in almost every category that matters the past couple years. And I'm not celebrating that, because we need competition in the Android market.
 
I'm so sick of all the horseshit about plastic and poor build quality. My phone is going into a case regardless, as is true for anyone who's a) sane, and b) not loaded and prepared to drop $700 for an off-contract replacement after an 18 inch fall. Basically, the only aspects of physical build that matters to me are: size, weight, screen quality, and maybe buttons. If someone can provide evidence Samsung's design actually makes the phone more susceptible to damage, even with a decent case on, I'm all ears..
HTC One may be one of those phone that a skin like bodyguardz would make sense.

P.S. Would you like to listen to that with HTC boom-sound?

P.P.S. I am just kidding.
 
I think you are right but I also think that's pretty messed up. Gimmicks? I think the gimmicks are what make smart phones so popular. Adding hardware is the only way to move smart phones forward, adding "high end" materials is the real gimmick since all the gold infused bullshit in the world wont make your phone do more.

I would love to have a metal phone, but to give up temp / humidity sensors, removable batteries, sd cards, flexibility. Sorry I think its ridiculous for people to be giving land slide reviews in one directly which all basically come down to a single thing, we don't like plastic phones.

A gimmick is when you add a feature to help something stand out that has little relevance. Think of a gimmick of being a feature simply to... have a feature. To me this is what almost every one of the Samsung apps are. The eye tracking etc doesn't work in any other browser, s voice is marginally useful and a duplication of the stock app for voice commands, etc. For many people it is bloat not from a carrier but from the phone manufacturer. I am all for extra sensors and removable batteries but I find the cheesy implementation of these apps to detract from the phone experience and I really do feel it noticeably slows the phone UI down. So, rather than focusing on the UI experience and improving TouchWiz, Samsung decided to bring out the dog and pony show to try and change the conversation from "TouchWiz can be unpleasant to use" to "Look! You can scroll with your eyes, in this specific app, sort of!"

The S4, to me, is a good design in that it has a removable battery with a great screen while being so light and thin. Unfortunately the lack of attention paid to the software UI and non improvement on materials means this phone is not a 'great' design to me and many others.
 
that's what all the professional reviews are calling it, and recommending that people turn it off.
all the s view, eye tracking stuff that the phone comes with, it's lagging the phone, doesn't work consistently or just plain pointless and hence gimmicky.

why wave your hand over the phone to scroll? that action requires so much more effort than just using your fingers. and if it doesn't detect properly the first time, then you've got to wave over it twice.
dirty hands? maybe, but that's only happened a few times in my lifetime of owning phones. any action requiring precision is going to require me to touch it anyway.

So what you gotta start somewhere, I am sure the first time someone played a 3D game people said the same thing, 2d is better it doesn't lag lol. You can always choose to turn it off but if it gets better you can't put any of that hardware in a one, having a dirty hand, that's happens pretty much every day so what's wrong with that, seems pretty awesome maybe you are cooking and you want to check out recipes or something, look at a text you just received. Hardware determines the max capability and performance of a device, without it you got nothing. The whole point is this device can now sense shit not just wait for touch. Eye tracking may not be there yet but its going to be there sooner or later and its going to be big. If apple had released this people would shit their pants and talk about how freaking amazing and innovative they are. Samsung does it and its just a useless gimmick because the phone is plastic.

Say you have a pet, like a turtle, etc... You don't think its bad ass that one day, maybe even this year you can just stick your phone in his cage and get the temp, and humidity feedback? The smart phone is suppose to evolve into an all in one device something like you see on star trek and Samsung is the only company that's pushing that. Everyone else is jerking off to metal and glass that breaks. They are willing to over look every other function of a phone because of that. its pretty messed up if you ask me. People should be praising this and pushing it, because then software can be fixed, it will improve but not having the hardware means it never happens. I find it ironic in this same thread people try to defend sealed batteries because phones are disposable, but then they feel that the more solid feel of all metal bodies is some sort of ace up the sleeve that destroys all other features on any plastic phone. I like a well built phone, I like nice materials but I wont give up 5 or so features just to get that, I will buy the plastic phone and throw a metal case on it, or get a replacement back.
 
I think you are right but I also think that's pretty messed up. Gimmicks? I think the gimmicks are what make smart phones so popular. Adding hardware is the only way to move smart phones forward, adding "high end" materials is the real gimmick since all the gold infused bullshit in the world wont make your phone do more.

I would love to have a metal phone, but to give up temp / humidity sensors, removable batteries, sd cards, flexibility. Sorry I think its ridiculous for people to be giving land slide reviews in one directly which all basically come down to a single thing, we don't like plastic phones.

It's a device you hold in your hand every time you use it. Design quality and comfort matter.

Yes, expansion and sensors can play a part, but many of us in the alpha geek crowd make bad assumptions about how much normal people care. Case in point, the multiple people who pick the HTC One in this side-by-side look (some pick the GS4):

http://www.androidcentral.com/galaxy-s4-versus-htc-one-new-york-s-central-park

This is part of why Apple continues to sell a lot of iPhones. It's not vanity, despite what you might presume -- some people want a device that they enjoy picking up.
 
OK so after using the S4 now for about 4 hours. The S4 is very nice indeed. But with that said the HTC one is clearly the better made device. The S4 seems flimsy and cheap. It does not seem like a high end phone (Even though it is) the build quality just screams cheaply made. The HTC one on the other hand screams high quality and very very well built. I am keeping the S4 but I just wish it was built a little better :)
 
From reading the reviews, it seems that the HTC One is the clear winner, in general. So naturally, I'm going to play devil's advocate (would do the same if the SGS4 was the clear winner).

First, these are great reviews based on how the phone performs today. But, most of us own a phone for 1-2 years (2-3 years for myself). How will the phone perform then? Going by HTC's history, pretty much the same. They have a habit of performing one major update to Android, but keeping the same or similar Sense version. Samsung, on the other hand, makes several updates and numerous improvements to the software over time. So if the software is a draw for you, it would be wise to consider their relative histories and lean towards Samsung on this one. Some examples;

In 2010, HTC released the Desire on Android 2.1 with Sense 1.0, while Samsung released the Galaxy S with Android 2.1 and Touchwiz 3.0. The Desire was updated to Android 2.2, and then begrudgingly updated to 2.3 as an optional update with some Sense elements removed. Samsung, on the other hand, updated to 2.1, then 2.2, then 2.3, and then offered a final update offering Android 2.3 with some 4.0 elements, as well as Touchwiz 4.0 from the SGS2.

In 2011, HTC released the Sensation on Android 2.3 and Sense 3. They have since updated it to Android 4.0 with Sense 3.6. They claimed they could not update it OTA to Sense 4, but new-in-box Sensations were sold with Android 4.0 and Sense 4, creating a fragmented user experience. Like the Sensation, the Galaxy S II was released with Android 2.3 and Touchwiz 4.0. This was updated to Android 4.0, then 4.1, is slated for 4.2, and saw the update to the Nature UX (formerly Touchwiz 5.0). At their launch, I considered the Sensation and SGS2 to be too close to call in terms of which was the better phone. Today, it's not even close.

In 2012, it was HTC's One X and Samsung's SGS3. I personally felt that the One X was the far superior phone. It had better build quality (the SGS2 was a tank compared to the SGS3), and a much better display. Both devices launched with Android 4.0. Both have been updated to 4.1. The SGS3 has started the premium suite rollout (features from the Note 2 and Note 10.1) and is slated for both 4.2 and KLP (eventually). Expect the KLP update to be VERY late relative to newer phones. The One X is currently on 4.1 and rumored to not be getting KLP. At this time, 4.2 is rumored to be their last udpate. With the new software features, I feel that the SGS3 is on par with or better than the One X, and the gap will only widen with the future planned updates.

And now, we have the HTC One versus the SGS4. I feel that the One is a better phone than the One X was for its time, and the SGS4 is a downgrade to the SGS3, for its time. HTC has seemingly learned from some past mistakes, as Sense is now smoother (the DNA was laggier than my S2, and there is no excuse for that). The SGS4, by comparison, seems to have some inexcusable UI lag. But then, it once again comes down to hardware features and software. The S4 allows for a removable battery (for those that care), expandable storage (again, for those who care), will be available on every carrier, and has a larger marketing push behind it. On marketing, availability, and features alone, the S4 will outsell the One. No way around it. Make no mistake, the One is the superior all-around device. But if there are certain things that you need to have, the S4 offers those things while still being close enough. In addition, the S4 will likely see core improvements in software as you own the device. HTC? This leopard isn't changing its spots. Samsung will in all likelihood end up with the superior device again.

But there are some variables here. Samsung is trying to move away from Google, hence their duplicated services (bloat). There are certain issues with these phones that are major turn offs to me. That's why I'm holding out hope for Motorola's fall lineup (or summer, if some rumors are to be believed). Their recent update surge has me hoping that they've truly changed. Their pushing of near-stock Android is a big deal. And while I'd love to own a Nexus, Google just doesn't understand the need for a large and/or removable battery, and either enough native storage or expandable storage. Motorola will likely have a sealed battery, and possibly not even MicroSD. But when they do this, the battery is typically large, and the internal storage more than adequate. So I'm speculating here, but I think 2013 will be the year where Motorola has the best phone (2011 was the SGS2, 2012 was the One X, IMO).
 
^ I just don't have faith in Motorola. I don't like their phones. I don't like their software. Maybe they will change, but I just don't know.
 
What is the point of google influenced designs its stupid Motorola should just run stock android, hows that for a google influenced design?
 
What is the point of google influenced designs its stupid Motorola should just run stock android, hows that for a google influenced design?

The rumor is that their next product line will essentially be stock Android.
 
Not like Blur wasn't as close to stock as it was already. The one thing I hope they keep is their portal program, I like using it quite a lot.
 
Galaxy S4 for Verizon is available for Pre-Order now. Unfortunately it is just the 16GB model.

Price is $199.99 2 year
 
Fortunately, the 16GB model can be transformed into a 80GB model :rolleyes:

That is true being that it supports 64GB microsd card.

So come to think of it i'd rather spend 199 on the 16GB model, get a 64gb card which I will never fill up fully, and then still save TONS off the 32GB model which will probably be 299.99 or more.
 
i just hate the artificial colors and fonts of samsung's offerings. touch ui is too comic sans for me :D. loving my one btw.
 
If you're a power user, the TW arguements are pointless anyways as you should just be putting a good AOSP ROM on the S4 and it'll be pretty awesome. I would be doing the same thing if I got the One, but good luck getting S-Off or having near the dev support on the One as the S4 will have.
 
If you're a power user, the TW arguements are pointless anyways as you should just be putting a good AOSP ROM on the S4 and it'll be pretty awesome. I would be doing the same thing if I got the One, but good luck getting S-Off or having near the dev support on the One as the S4 will have.

I will most likely be getting the s4 because of this.
 
If you're a power user, the TW arguements are pointless anyways as you should just be putting a good AOSP ROM on the S4 and it'll be pretty awesome. I would be doing the same thing if I got the One, but good luck getting S-Off or having near the dev support on the One as the S4 will have.

Hell, I am a power user, and I have never rooted or ROMed my SGS2, which is a far cry from my Incredible where I was actually a ROM author (made my ideal ROM). I went back and forth between that and CM7. With the SGS2, all I've done is used odin to flash to a different country's stock ROM.
 
Last edited:
With the upcoming Android 5.0 KLP release due soon after Google I/O in May, for the Nexus line, good luck getting a 5.0 ROM anytime soon for the S4. With a fully new point release, new ROM's based off a big release like that take extra long to release on non Nexus devices.

CM11 for non Nexus phones will take months to come out, and be rough alphas to start, sure glad I have the Nexus 4 now.
 
Hell, I am a power user, and I have never rooted or ROMed my SGS2, which is a far cry from my Incredible where I was actually a ROM author (made my ideal ROM). I went back and forth between that and CM7. With the SGS2, all I've done is used odin to flash to a different country's stock ROM.

Well then obviously the stock ROM is fast and sufficient enough for you and you don't mind TW on it. I'm the same way with the Note 2 since I'm just running an International Note 2 based ROM, but only because I don't want to lose the additional functionality of the S-Pen and one-handed features for the keyboard, dialer and unlock pattern. I wouldn't need any of that on the GS4.

If TW is really as laggy and obtrusive as people are making it out to be on the S4, then I think I would just put an AOSP ROM on it and I'm sure it would scream, just like people did with the GS3 and call it a "Super Nexus." It's a nice spec bump of the N4 in pretty much all areas (design too, IMO, glass back is a horrible idea).

With the upcoming Android 5.0 KLP release due soon after Google I/O in May, for the Nexus line, good luck getting a 5.0 ROM anytime soon for the S4. With a fully new point release, new ROM's based off a big release like that take extra long to release on non Nexus devices.

CM11 for non Nexus phones will take months to come out, and be rough alphas to start, sure glad I have the Nexus 4 now.

I doubt it's more than a month or so before you start seeing other teams releasing vanilla 5.0 ROMs for the Galaxy phones. But even so, I wouldn't care to wait a couple months as long I'm still running vanilla JB on it and it'll still be faster than the N4 regardless of what software you have on it. I'll bet at least the more important parts (update camera, keyboard, widgets, etc.) from 5.0 will be released as .apk or .zips immediately for a lot of root users to install and play with. So they won't be missing out on too much in the mean time.
 
Last edited:
If TW is really as laggy and obtrusive as people are making it out to be on the S4, then I think I would just put an AOSP ROM on it and I'm sure it would scream, just like people did with the GS3 and call it a "Super Nexus." It's a nice spec bump of the N4 in pretty much all areas (design too, IMO, glass back is a horrible idea).

It's hard to tell on this forum because we have a lot of noise from a select few HTC fanboys who lob so many complaints against Samsung, it's hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. Given they've told me things about my phone that are outright false, I can't trust them on this matter.

I'll play with it myself. For Android 2.3 and 4.0, I used custom launchers (Go on 2.3, Apex on 4.0) because I felt that they were superior to the TW Launcher. On 4.1, I still think that Apex would be nice to use due to the desktop lock (kids). But other than that, I am loving Samsung's new launcher. It is insanely fluid, responsive, and seemingly lightweight. I compared it side by side to my wife's iPhone 4s on iOS 6.1.3, and the desktop was easily as fluid and responsive as the iOS desktop. Notification shade is more fluid on iOS, but more responsive on Android. Most other actions within the UI are still more fluid AND responsive on iOS.

But I'm getting off topic. I'd have to play with it myself to form my own opinion. Since I will not get a carrier-branded handset, I do want to see if any of the unlocked models support all of T-Mobile's bands (unlikely, as global LTE phones rarely support AWS for HSPA). There were also certain design elements I've grown tired of. Unless I see an Exynos version compatible with all of T-Mobile's bands, I likely won't give the S4 a shot. I'll continue to just wait on Moto's lineup and the fall-release Nexus.
 
If you're a power user, the TW arguements are pointless anyways as you should just be putting a good AOSP ROM on the S4 and it'll be pretty awesome. I would be doing the same thing if I got the One, but good luck getting S-Off or having near the dev support on the One as the S4 will have.

I thought I read from the CM team that the One is easy to develop for, but will be avoiding the S4.

http://www.androidcentral.com/cm-developers-passing-samsung-galaxy-s4-should-you
http://phandroid.com/2013/03/19/galaxy-s4-cyanogenmod/


https://plus.google.com/100275307499530023476/posts/eGmW8e8sCn4

Overall, I like where HTC is going with this. They have decided to skip the "kitchen sink" approach to really focus on a few things, and it works. It's also developer friendly, which is important to me and probably to most people reading this. I really think HTC might be back in the game with the One. It's an awesome device. They will of course have to contend with Samsung's unstoppable marketing machine though.
 
Last edited:

A few issues here. First, the CM team did not announce support or non-support for either phone. They don't do that. It was one team that contributes to CM that announced it. Secondly, while Exynos versions typically get poor (unofficial) support, the Snapdragon versions usually get great support.

As for HTC, they typically take so long to get S-Off, that they don't get supported very well. Here's a link to the last devices to get an official release:
http://www.cyanogenmod.org/blog/cyanogenmod-10-1-m2-release

You'll notice that the OMAP/Snapdragon versions of the S2 and S3 are represented well. HTC One X is supported, but not the global one, just the Evita model (which is limited to a handful of carriers as well). There is zero official support for the Sensation, their S2 equivalent. So basically, barring an official announcement, expect the domestic SGS4 models to get CM support, but wait for the One to get s-off before even hoping for it.
 
Steve Kondik (Cyanogen himself) has a One. You also don't need S-OFF for ROM flashing - I run CM9 on my Evo 4G perfectly fine with S-ON.
 
Steve Kondik (Cyanogen himself) has a One. You also don't need S-OFF for ROM flashing - I run CM9 on my Evo 4G perfectly fine with S-ON.

This doesn't necessarily mean much unfortunately. I owned the Htc G2 which I got because Steve Kondik got one as well.

But it turned out support for it was only mediocre (not bad though) as Htc never updated it to ICS so CM9 had to rely on jury-rigged drivers that only worked "okay" at best.


In the end, the most important factor is the manufacturer updating the phone so the proper drivers become available (needed for speed and stability).
 
In the end, the most important factor is the manufacturer updating the phone so the proper drivers become available (needed for speed and stability).

Correct, and the Nexus devices are best for this, followed by the Galaxy S (and Note) lineups. Sometimes I wish that I had gotten an i9100G (OMAP) over the i9100 (Exynos) variant. Speculation at the time was that the OMAP version wouldn't receive the same support. It's generally been 1-2 months behind the Exynos model in updates, but other than that, it's been outsanding.
 
A few issues here. First, the CM team did not announce support or non-support for either phone. They don't do that. It was one team that contributes to CM that announced it. Secondly, while Exynos versions typically get poor (unofficial) support, the Snapdragon versions usually get great support.

As for HTC, they typically take so long to get S-Off, that they don't get supported very well. Here's a link to the last devices to get an official release:
http://www.cyanogenmod.org/blog/cyanogenmod-10-1-m2-release

You'll notice that the OMAP/Snapdragon versions of the S2 and S3 are represented well. HTC One X is supported, but not the global one, just the Evita model (which is limited to a handful of carriers as well). There is zero official support for the Sensation, their S2 equivalent. So basically, barring an official announcement, expect the domestic SGS4 models to get CM support, but wait for the One to get s-off before even hoping for it.

so basically no one knows for either phone, so for anyone to state that as a plus for either camp is deceitful.
 
Well, the One is coming with 4.1 while the GS4 is coming with 4.2

Frankly, Htc is already starting off on the wrong foot but hopefully they'll update all the way to 5.1
 
Back
Top