Wife needs a new phone

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ToddW2

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Nov 8, 2004
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My wife is using a couple year old DROID RAZR by Motorola 16GB, and now that we have a 1yr/old she'd like a phone with a better camera. I have a S4, and love it.

I haven't kept up with devices after getting my S4. Is the S5 that just came out worth the upgrade for her or me vs the S4, or waiting for the NOte4? What other phone options have really good cameras and video?

I'm debating on a couple things:
1: Give my wife my S4, and get a Note3 or wait for the Note4. (I want slightly larger device.)
2: Get my wife a refurb S4 for cheap.
3: Get my wife a new S5.
4. Some other phone I'm not sure about.

Priority for phone is:
#1 Gets good reception. (we are on border of no reception)
#2 Takes awesome pictures
#3 Takes good/great videos


I guess they have this going on now too: Buy 1 Samsung Galaxy S® 5 and Get a Select Device Free (Another S5 is possible, HTC One)
 
I would upgrade your phone and give her the S4.
 
If she's looking for a phone with a good camera, the GS5 is an option -- it's not as good as some phones (including the One) at video, but it's a big step up from the GS4 and Note 3 in stills. That said, she may want to give it a shot in store. Some people don't like the extra padding on it, although it's definitely shorter than the One.

Some alternatives (note: this assumes your wife isn't completely locked into Android):

- iPhone 5s. Small, yes, but it's one of the most consistently strong cameras you'll get. You don't need extensive settings because it has a knack for getting things right the first time.

- LG G2. Not stunning in any one area, but it has image stabilization and generally does well.

- HTC One. Not so much for the photos (it's low-resolution and can sometimes be overbright in daylight), but the video: it's better at stabilization than the GS5, and the audio sounds good as well. I also like UFocus for adding a soft background to shots where it wouldn't otherwise be possible.

- Lumia Icon. Cameras are Nokia's specialty, and you'll get a *lot* from this one. Really high resolution that lets you zoom in while preserving detail, and it has four mics plus wide dynamic range for video recording (in other words, really loud or sharp sounds won't overwhelm it). Your wife would want to give Windows Phone a spin to see if she likes it, although WP8.1 improves things quite a bit.
 
It depends on how long you're willing to wait for the Galaxy Note 4.

IMO from the information you provided in the first post you should upgrade to the SGS5.It feels soo much better and more premium compared to the SGS4.

For example there are more hardware in the SGS5 including the fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor. Also it's waterproof, is much smoother performance and much more efficient UI.
 
Sounding like the 2 for 1 for the SGS5 may be the way to go :D

And then hopefully my upgrade isn't affected, and in around 13mo we can do another 2 for 1 deal ;)

I`ll see what she thinks of the size increase, and go from there... I could always sell my S4 and S5 to get the Note 4 too later.
 
Live the moment. Note 3 for you and S5 for wifey. Surely she deserves better than a hand me down.

Remember to give these promo codes a shot, VERIZON30 and VZWDEAL.
 
The best camera phone available on Verizon is Nokia Lumia Icon followed by GS5. GS5 is however really bad at video. HTC One has a fun camera, but it's clearly not the best with proper lighting; a lot of review sites (ie GSM and phone arena) just hate it due to not having good resolution and insist on comparing every picture zoomed in. The One has a resolution greater than what most popular social networks would accept already. It's just too bad Moto X doesn't have a consistent camera because it does have the best reception. iPhone 5S is also a good choice and its small. I wouldn't recommend the Note 3 or GS4 at this point. I suggest you to go read anandtech's reviews.
 
Well you can't do "BUY ONE GET ONE FREE" if you are in contract.

So, it's not really buy one get one free like they used to do... who would have thought Verizon changes the rules :rolleyes:
 
ToddW2 said:
Well you can't do "BUY ONE GET ONE FREE" if you are in contract.

So, it's not really buy one get one free like they used to do... who would have thought Verizon changes the rules :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
one way to do it when only one line is expired is add new line, swap phone numbers, and put the old line on standby, let that line expire, and end it.

this tactic to get new subsidized phones happen often. Standby costs $15 a month if i recall.
 
Get your wife something else NOW... these stupid Razr's were junk... had four friend's that owned them, they all worked great for a few months then went downhill BAD.
 
The one year old will be 6 months older before you can get a note 4, if you want the note then just buy the note 3 now which is a very good phone anyway. Or get the S5.
 
BTW, I wouldn't trust anything mi7chy or arizonian7 posts. Read the way they word things...

As said before, GSM Arena and Phone Arena are basically pawns of Apple and Samsung (especially Phone Arena). Read the user complaints on this sites. Compared to Phone Arena, GSM Arena is far more fair but still biased. This is akin to trusting BGR's reviews, which by the way have HTC One winning in camera department by a lot, most likely due to their hatred of Samsung!

The problem with GA and PA's camera tests is their insistence on cropping and zooming in. We all know HTC One cannot compete in that area due to a lack of resolution. What is needed is to see the picture as a whole. Not many would even crop or zoom in on the pictures. Also what are you using the photos for? Where are you uploading to? Sites like Facebook and Instagram didn't take that much resolution anyway.

Just a cumulative review information from lots of review sites. Samsung GS5 has a much better camera for still photos during the day, HTC One better for still photos at night; HTC One has a slightly better camera for videos although both suck due to lack of optical image stabilization; and HTC One has a better camera software. I believe review sites as a whole lean towards the HTC One side, but with your demands in mind, I would recommend the GS5 between the two; you need a stronger day still.

But giving a third option, a WP option, the Nokia Lumia Icon has the best camera, best video, most likely best reception due to Nokia's reputation of superior antennae, and really good software as well. It's also got a much better build quality compared to the GS5, with more internal memory for your pictures and videos. Are you willing to try out WP?

Here's a pretty good unbiased review:
http://www.theverge.com/products/compare/6927/7638/6863/7649/7620
Only reason why Nokia's score is so low is WP ecosystem.

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/18/samsung-galaxy-s5-vs-htc-one-m8/
This shows how much debate goes with the cameras. HTC wins?
 
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Going purely on camera quality, I'd say;

1. iPhone 5S
2. Lumia 930
3. GS5
4. LG G2
 
MKBHD's comments on the S5's camera. He compares it to the M8's camera for a bit.

I like this comparison by CNET, because they compare the HTC M8, Galaxy S5, and iPhone 5S. They also provide full resolution photos, not crops, so you can compare the photos yourself and draw your own conclusions.
 
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lodingi said:
Going purely on camera quality, I'd say;

1. iPhone 5S
2. Lumia 930
3. GS5
4. LG G2
Click to expand...

I got a lumia 1020, got multiple friends with 5S, 2 with an S5 and 1 with a note 3.
Camera-wise, nothing comes close to the camera experience of the 1020. Pictures are sharper, with more true colors and better low-light. Has the best video-stabilisation and really long zoomrange. In a phonecamera my 2 main demands are stabilisation and low-light colors.
My father just got his 1520, which also has a very good camera (although not with Xeon flash)
No experience with the new 930 or the LG.
Also a huge + on the nokia devices is that I can convert any picture of text/document/other picture into a perfectly straight pdf-document with perfect whites and black levels. (use this almost daily)
You have to get used to wp if you are comming from something else, but it's very user-friendly.
My best camera list would be as following:
- Lumia 1020
- Lumia 1520/note3(note 3 because of 4k video)
- S5
- 5S
- M8
 
Henri108 said:
I got a lumia 1020, got multiple friends with 5S, 2 with an S5 and 1 with a note 3.
Camera-wise, nothing comes close to the camera experience of the 1020. Pictures are sharper, with more true colors and better low-light. Has the best video-stabilisation and really long zoomrange. In a phonecamera my 2 main demands are stabilisation and low-light colors.
My father just got his 1520, which also has a very good camera (although not with Xeon flash)
No experience with the new 930 or the LG.
Also a huge + on the nokia devices is that I can convert any picture of text/document/other picture into a perfectly straight pdf-document with perfect whites and black levels. (use this almost daily)
You have to get used to wp if you are comming from something else, but it's very user-friendly.
My best camera list would be as following:
- Lumia 1020
- Lumia 1520/note3(note 3 because of 4k video)
- S5
- 5S
- M8
Click to expand...

The sensor in the Icon and 930 is the same as on the 1520, so you'll largely know what to expect among those cameras. I generally like my 1020 when I use it, although it occasionally produces what you could call "Nokia sickness" -- a tendency for Lumia phones' cameras (ever since the 800) to botch the colour accuracy and create a sickly hue. It's not a gigantic issue, but it's annoying when it pops up and you have to retake a shot.
 
I never looked at any review of phones btw, just personal/friends experience. I liked the 4K video in the note3, but you need a bracket to get decent stabilisation out of it. 1520 and 1020 give much much better stabilisation. I would actually prefer a stabilised 720p camera to a non-stabilised 4K cameraphone. Resolution is nice when done nice, but any resolution looks bad when shaky.
I have never had the bad hue issue after the Lumia Black update on my 1020 btw. I frequently see pictures from friends with a lumia 925/1320 and they also never have the issue anymore. You are right, that hue was terrible and very random, I am very glad it got fixed!
 
Take her to the store and let her try some out.

Ask to have some taken out of boxes (IE: not having the security bracket attached...)

All flagship phones have excellent build quality, lasting batteries for the average person, and cameras to take good enough pictures.

She should feel the phone, maybe she won't like the S4 because of how light/fragile it feels. Maybe she would like the HTC One, or maybe an iPhone for simplistic use/set up/lack of config options......
 
S5 arrives today for me, she gets my S4. She's excited for way better pics and videos!!

The $100 Verizon discount made my mind fast :) Then in about 10mo, maybe a Note4 or something else for me.
 
ToddW2 said:
S5 arrives today for me, she gets my S4. She's excited for way better pics and videos!!

The $100 Verizon discount made my mind fast :) Then in about 10mo, maybe a Note4 or something else for me.
Click to expand...

Nice choice!

S5 is a great phone. Personally not sure I would chose it over the Nexus 5, but still great device! Congrats! :)
 
QwertyJuan said:
Nice choice!

S5 is a great phone. Personally not sure I would chose it over the Nexus 5, but still great device! Congrats! :)
Click to expand...

The Nexus phones haven't been an option on Verizon since the Gnex.
 
And Verizon was wrong......pissed.

Now it's showing delivery on TUESDAY! WTF. Was told Friday, but now TUES what happened to Monday or even 2-Day for a SAT delivery... stupid.
 
ToddW2 said:
And Verizon was wrong......pissed.

Now it's showing delivery on TUESDAY! WTF. Was told Friday, but now TUES what happened to Monday or even 2-Day for a SAT delivery... stupid.
Click to expand...

Once it gets picked up by FedEx or UPS, its out of their hands at that point.
 
Aurelius said:
The sensor in the Icon and 930 is the same as on the 1520, so you'll largely know what to expect among those cameras. I generally like my 1020 when I use it, although it occasionally produces what you could call "Nokia sickness" -- a tendency for Lumia phones' cameras (ever since the 800) to botch the colour accuracy and create a sickly hue. It's not a gigantic issue, but it's annoying when it pops up and you have to retake a shot.
Click to expand...

The nice thing is that on the 1520 and 1020 you can easily fix a shot if it does end up being off. The thing that a lot review sites that just give you useless total scores don't take into account is the fact that you can shoot raw on those phones. With the new version of Creative Studio that's coming out you can actually do non destructive editing right on the phone. If you are a point and shoot user that may or may not be up your alley, but if you already use Photoshop or an SLR having RAW can be a huge advantage.

Henri108 said:
I got a lumia 1020, ..., and really long zoomrange.
Click to expand...

Trying not to derail this thread too much but since it's mostly done this point was worth mentioning. Zoom definitely goes under rated IMO. I shot a 1020 next to my 928 at a graduation in an arena. With both at 1080p the 1020 can get a lot closer because it can narrow down to a smaller section of the pixels since it has 5x the resolution. Having the high pixel count really does make a big difference for zooming in video.

@OP: Grats on the new phones! I've never had a Samsung smartphone but it sounds like the galaxy line is decent.
 
So far everyone is happy.

The S5 is taking some getting used to since they COMPLETELY moved buttons...

Having the left button for Tasks only is stupid to me, center home + center press for task was way better, then my setting button was down and I didn't have to move my hand completely.
 
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