- Mar 26, 2005
- 4,094
- 123
- 106
Note: If you hate rant, or refuse to hear any criticism directed toward Android or the Samsung Galaxy stop reading now. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Ok, so I was due for an upgrade, and I got the Galaxy S4 despite the fact, that my experiences with android phones have always been absolutely abysmal. Constant lag, (by far the biggest gripe) crashes, useless myriad of options to dig through all the time, poor camera quality, ugly text messaging interface etc etc. But still, because the iPhone 5 is about 6 months old now and because the HTC One doesn't have a replaceable battery and camera sucks during daylight shooting, as opposed to Galaxy 4 and iPhone 5 I decided to go for the "supposedly" latest and greatest - the Galaxy S4.
It arrived yesterday, and I was excited to give this line of phones and Android a second chance. Unfortunately I was quickly disappointed when the 1st call I made dropped after about 5 min of talking. (Calls almost never drop with my iPhone 4s. And this is on AT&T by the way) Ok, fine, coincidence.... Maybe this will be the only dropped call in a long time. (but who am I kidding when I had hundreds of dropped calls on the Galaxy SIII?)
Anyway, on to further testing...
I quickly realized that the text messaging interface is just as ugly and primitive as it was before compared to the iPhones interface. Why, oh why couldn't they give more customization choices for the overall look and feel of the keyboard by now? All the emoji come out black and white and most of the ones that were available on the iPhone are not even here! And no, I am not paying for an extra app to make the interface nicer, when I had all that by default on the iPhone.
As a side not, and not that its a very valid gripe, but why is it, that Android doesn't have an iMessage equivalent?
Anyhow, moving on...
I stepped away to play a game on the PC for a few hours, and came back to my Galaxy to check my texts. Lo and behold, the screen unlocked, but was completely unresponsive... WTF?! I started pressing on the buttons and poking at the screen... NOTHING. Phone was completely backed up and frozen. Then about a minute later all that stuff I pressed instantly came up and a thousand things opened up. What in the hell? That NEVER happens on the iPhone!!! What was it you may ask? LAG. The extremely powerful, latest gen Galaxy S4 LAGS like mad, despite its quad core processor and a "huge" amount of memory compared to the iPhone.
So I tried to make a call...
And again, the stupid phone backed up for a few seconds and wouldn't respond to me trying to dial. Nonsense you might say... "I don't have these issues with my Galaxy!" "Just reset the phone!". So I did that. But before I did, I knew it wouldn't help, because I had the same exact issues with the Galaxy SIII!
Ok, so I reset the phone...
And AGAIN, it lags, lags lags... It doesn't lag horribly mind you, and by far not all the time, but it lags occasionaly, enough to be annoying and prevent me from being able to use the phone quickly and efficiently. Many times when I press on something, the phone doesn't react, so I have to press the same things twice or 3 times to get it to respond. Again, that NEVER happens on an iPhone.
And why the hell does the screen turn off during the conversation? What if I need to turn on the speakerphone? I need to press the button on the side so it comes up again, and THEN I can activate the speakerphone. So perhaps there is an option to change that, but why should I bother with this when.. You guessed it. It was properly configured on the iPhone right from the start!
Camera... Yes, the daylight shooting is beautiful. Gorgeous. Just as good as the iPhone and maybe better. But the indoors shots and night shots are a whole other story. Shots that weren't grainy on the iPhone are grainy now. Simple shots inside my apartment during the evening with artificial light... Shooting inside or outside in the evening or night without a flash and no nearby light source? Forget it! Shots that were made on the iPhone and were at lest "somewhat visible" in low-light are completely dark on the Galaxy S4. Seriously.. What gives?! This is a latest gen phone! Couldn't they at least improve this area?
It doesn't help that the phone feels like a plastic flimsy toy in hand compared to the iPhone 4s... But we wont open that can of worms again. Enough has been said about that. So lets not go there again. I'd be willing to ignore that, IF the Galaxy would PERFORM RELIABLY AND QUICKLY EVERY TIME IT IS USED.
What is a prototype? It is something that is a very cool concept, something that has abilities or features that nothing else today has, but at the expense of not being reliable, glitchy, or possibly malfunctioning. Why? Because it is not a finished product. Because the developer still has plenty of fine tuning to do, before every problem is ironed out. There is a reason prototypes are not released to the public. Because you cannot rely on a prototype to get the job done every time. It might "backfire" or "glitch out" when you most need it.
What if I am dying in the middle of the street and I need to call 911 or tell my family I love them in those last 10-20 seconds I have? I will be able to make that call with the iPhone... But with the Galaxy? What if it gets backed up, freezes or becomes unresponsive? Well.. Fuck... Tough luck! I will have died, and didn't have a chance to get help or say good bye.
And where was that fast quad core CPU and the extremely fast graphics and that huge beautiful screen when all I really needed was to make a damn call without the phone locking up one me?
Elevator calls... Many times someone would call me before I'd hop in the elevator. No problem! I'd just continue talking from the inside on the iPhone!
Not the case with the Galaxy. The call will reliably... GET DROPPED EVERY TIME I'LL GET INSIDE. I tested this again and again about 3 times.
Yes, feature wise, at this point, the iPhone is in many ways primitive compared to the Galaxy S4. you have all that fancy useless stuff like eye scrolling, (which you will not use after the initial fun factor wears off), hover gestures(which are great but you can live without them) and a myriad of other cool, but not essential things. You also have that beautiful huge screen which makes the PDFs and movies look ohh so great!
But what about essentials? The essentials damnit! Like making a simple call, and NEVER having to worry about the phone lagging or not responding even for a second? Or sending a text message and putting in a "colorful" emoji in it WITHOUT having to download an extra app? And what if I need to make that night shot with almost no light sources around me and being able to later discern whats in it later?
Yes, you can argue with me all yo want that you have all that extra customization and features on the Galaxy, but if we start talking about real world, everyday use and reliability your arguments simply don't hold up.
I'm going to give the Galaxy S4 another chance. I'll use it for a few more days hoping that I jumped to conclusions and didn't test enough, but I am really being a devils advocate right now. Chances are, this thing is getting packed and shipped to AT&T middle of the week.
Look, I am really not an Apple fanboy. I never was one, and never will be. I use a Windows PC as my primary PC because it is superior to the Mac in a myriad of ways. I use a simple Sandisk Sansa Clip+ and I see no need to buy an iPod Touch. But when it comes to my phone, I need it to be 100% reliable, in every case, every time. The iPhone is that phone. It never fails me. Never lets me down when I need it. And to me, that is the measure of a good phone.
I laugh every time people say "iPhone KILLER". Please.. That is just childish. Stop. You WISH there was one. There never was one, since the iPhone 4 came out, and there still isn't one. I'll be among the first ones getting it when it comes. But for now, it simply doesn't exist.
Update: I'm too lazy to post all of my tests, but eventually I will post more. Look at this comparison image. All shots were taken with auto settings, unless otherwise specified. All shots were made late evening. The source of light is a tall lamp standing all the way in the far corner of the room. And yes, I don't know much about photography, but I can tell you that I did my best to take all shots from the same position with same settigns except for the low light shot on Samsung.
And by the way, my wall is a peach color, maybe just a tad brighter than the image all the way to the right.
Update2:
I agree, my shooting can hardly be called a credible source. Here's someone who did it MUCH better. Uhh... "Slam Dunk"? For a lack of a better expression...
http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/04/24/samsung-galaxy-s4-vs-iphone-5-camera-comparison/
Update3:
Another problem I found, which is significant, in my opinion, is that Samsung's in-call volume is much lower at its highest that that of the iPhone. I used to be able to hold my iPhone away from the ear like 2-3 inches and still hear the other side loud and clear, even on a busy loud street. Now I have trouble hearing even when its quiet around me, unless I hold the phone pressed against the ear.
Update4
Here are some more pictures for comparison that I took today:
I don't know what happened here with the purple flowers, as the Sammy seemed to do just as good, and probably better...
Update5
Well.. Here's a shocker. Amazingly, the Samsung completely destroyed both the iPhone 4s and the iPhone 5 in night shots. Unfortunately I cannot post these pics because I was shooting family members, but suffice it to say that I was absolutely blown away with how much clearer and overall better the night shots were on the Galaxy S4. It was simply a no-contest thing. Interestingly enough, many reviews online state that the iPhone takes better night shots than Samsung. This is simply not true. The S4 is a clear winner here. Note, that this does not go for indoor shots. Samsung's shots inside my apartment under artificial light in the evening suck big time! Colors are simply BAD compared to the iPhone.
Update6
Since I see people resurrecting this thread, I will say this:
I no longer have the iPhone 5. *Gasp!*
Why? Because it has horrible in-call quality compared to the iPhone 4s. Maybe I just got a lemon. Who knows... But the bastards at Apple refused to give me a replacement saying "it sounds just fine". I was very happy with the iPhone 5 in all other ways, but because I couldn't hear calls, I got a used GSIII. It sucked just like my old one which I got rid of so I tried installing CyanogenMod. And.. WOW! Boy did that thing spring to life! No more lag.... at all! Calls sound loud and clear. There is an option to boost sound to make it so. (and yes I am aware GSIII and GS4 by default also has boost sound option, but it doesn't work at all.)
Also, never locks up during dialing. Rarely ever drops calls. And.. If you read my OP, it doesn't drop calls inside the elevator!
Picture quality still abysmal though. Absolutely horrible. Even in daylight. When zoomed even a little, looks like a pastel or mosaic. I went upstate a few days back, and took shots of some ducks swimming in a pond. I was so disgusted with the results I didn't even keep the shots. With the iPhone, almost every shot was always a keeper. : (
Anyway, hopefully my story with the GSIII will show people that I am not a fanboy or a troll. I just go with what works and what is reliable.
Maybe I'll buy the GS4 again later, install CM on it, and it will suddenly become awesome, but I still have trouble understanding why I should do something shady, and not necessarily always legal or supported by manufacturer to get a rock solid, stable, lag free phone.
Don't get me wrong though. I still meant every word I said in my OP, especially at the time of posting. And I am very much hoping for a slam dunk with the iPhone 6 as well as GS5 or Note 3.
Ok, so I was due for an upgrade, and I got the Galaxy S4 despite the fact, that my experiences with android phones have always been absolutely abysmal. Constant lag, (by far the biggest gripe) crashes, useless myriad of options to dig through all the time, poor camera quality, ugly text messaging interface etc etc. But still, because the iPhone 5 is about 6 months old now and because the HTC One doesn't have a replaceable battery and camera sucks during daylight shooting, as opposed to Galaxy 4 and iPhone 5 I decided to go for the "supposedly" latest and greatest - the Galaxy S4.
It arrived yesterday, and I was excited to give this line of phones and Android a second chance. Unfortunately I was quickly disappointed when the 1st call I made dropped after about 5 min of talking. (Calls almost never drop with my iPhone 4s. And this is on AT&T by the way) Ok, fine, coincidence.... Maybe this will be the only dropped call in a long time. (but who am I kidding when I had hundreds of dropped calls on the Galaxy SIII?)
Anyway, on to further testing...
I quickly realized that the text messaging interface is just as ugly and primitive as it was before compared to the iPhones interface. Why, oh why couldn't they give more customization choices for the overall look and feel of the keyboard by now? All the emoji come out black and white and most of the ones that were available on the iPhone are not even here! And no, I am not paying for an extra app to make the interface nicer, when I had all that by default on the iPhone.
As a side not, and not that its a very valid gripe, but why is it, that Android doesn't have an iMessage equivalent?
Anyhow, moving on...
I stepped away to play a game on the PC for a few hours, and came back to my Galaxy to check my texts. Lo and behold, the screen unlocked, but was completely unresponsive... WTF?! I started pressing on the buttons and poking at the screen... NOTHING. Phone was completely backed up and frozen. Then about a minute later all that stuff I pressed instantly came up and a thousand things opened up. What in the hell? That NEVER happens on the iPhone!!! What was it you may ask? LAG. The extremely powerful, latest gen Galaxy S4 LAGS like mad, despite its quad core processor and a "huge" amount of memory compared to the iPhone.
So I tried to make a call...
And again, the stupid phone backed up for a few seconds and wouldn't respond to me trying to dial. Nonsense you might say... "I don't have these issues with my Galaxy!" "Just reset the phone!". So I did that. But before I did, I knew it wouldn't help, because I had the same exact issues with the Galaxy SIII!
Ok, so I reset the phone...
And AGAIN, it lags, lags lags... It doesn't lag horribly mind you, and by far not all the time, but it lags occasionaly, enough to be annoying and prevent me from being able to use the phone quickly and efficiently. Many times when I press on something, the phone doesn't react, so I have to press the same things twice or 3 times to get it to respond. Again, that NEVER happens on an iPhone.
And why the hell does the screen turn off during the conversation? What if I need to turn on the speakerphone? I need to press the button on the side so it comes up again, and THEN I can activate the speakerphone. So perhaps there is an option to change that, but why should I bother with this when.. You guessed it. It was properly configured on the iPhone right from the start!
Camera... Yes, the daylight shooting is beautiful. Gorgeous. Just as good as the iPhone and maybe better. But the indoors shots and night shots are a whole other story. Shots that weren't grainy on the iPhone are grainy now. Simple shots inside my apartment during the evening with artificial light... Shooting inside or outside in the evening or night without a flash and no nearby light source? Forget it! Shots that were made on the iPhone and were at lest "somewhat visible" in low-light are completely dark on the Galaxy S4. Seriously.. What gives?! This is a latest gen phone! Couldn't they at least improve this area?
It doesn't help that the phone feels like a plastic flimsy toy in hand compared to the iPhone 4s... But we wont open that can of worms again. Enough has been said about that. So lets not go there again. I'd be willing to ignore that, IF the Galaxy would PERFORM RELIABLY AND QUICKLY EVERY TIME IT IS USED.
What is a prototype? It is something that is a very cool concept, something that has abilities or features that nothing else today has, but at the expense of not being reliable, glitchy, or possibly malfunctioning. Why? Because it is not a finished product. Because the developer still has plenty of fine tuning to do, before every problem is ironed out. There is a reason prototypes are not released to the public. Because you cannot rely on a prototype to get the job done every time. It might "backfire" or "glitch out" when you most need it.
What if I am dying in the middle of the street and I need to call 911 or tell my family I love them in those last 10-20 seconds I have? I will be able to make that call with the iPhone... But with the Galaxy? What if it gets backed up, freezes or becomes unresponsive? Well.. Fuck... Tough luck! I will have died, and didn't have a chance to get help or say good bye.
And where was that fast quad core CPU and the extremely fast graphics and that huge beautiful screen when all I really needed was to make a damn call without the phone locking up one me?
Elevator calls... Many times someone would call me before I'd hop in the elevator. No problem! I'd just continue talking from the inside on the iPhone!
Not the case with the Galaxy. The call will reliably... GET DROPPED EVERY TIME I'LL GET INSIDE. I tested this again and again about 3 times.
Yes, feature wise, at this point, the iPhone is in many ways primitive compared to the Galaxy S4. you have all that fancy useless stuff like eye scrolling, (which you will not use after the initial fun factor wears off), hover gestures(which are great but you can live without them) and a myriad of other cool, but not essential things. You also have that beautiful huge screen which makes the PDFs and movies look ohh so great!
But what about essentials? The essentials damnit! Like making a simple call, and NEVER having to worry about the phone lagging or not responding even for a second? Or sending a text message and putting in a "colorful" emoji in it WITHOUT having to download an extra app? And what if I need to make that night shot with almost no light sources around me and being able to later discern whats in it later?
Yes, you can argue with me all yo want that you have all that extra customization and features on the Galaxy, but if we start talking about real world, everyday use and reliability your arguments simply don't hold up.
I'm going to give the Galaxy S4 another chance. I'll use it for a few more days hoping that I jumped to conclusions and didn't test enough, but I am really being a devils advocate right now. Chances are, this thing is getting packed and shipped to AT&T middle of the week.
Look, I am really not an Apple fanboy. I never was one, and never will be. I use a Windows PC as my primary PC because it is superior to the Mac in a myriad of ways. I use a simple Sandisk Sansa Clip+ and I see no need to buy an iPod Touch. But when it comes to my phone, I need it to be 100% reliable, in every case, every time. The iPhone is that phone. It never fails me. Never lets me down when I need it. And to me, that is the measure of a good phone.
I laugh every time people say "iPhone KILLER". Please.. That is just childish. Stop. You WISH there was one. There never was one, since the iPhone 4 came out, and there still isn't one. I'll be among the first ones getting it when it comes. But for now, it simply doesn't exist.
Update: I'm too lazy to post all of my tests, but eventually I will post more. Look at this comparison image. All shots were taken with auto settings, unless otherwise specified. All shots were made late evening. The source of light is a tall lamp standing all the way in the far corner of the room. And yes, I don't know much about photography, but I can tell you that I did my best to take all shots from the same position with same settigns except for the low light shot on Samsung.
And by the way, my wall is a peach color, maybe just a tad brighter than the image all the way to the right.
Update2:
I agree, my shooting can hardly be called a credible source. Here's someone who did it MUCH better. Uhh... "Slam Dunk"? For a lack of a better expression...
http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/04/24/samsung-galaxy-s4-vs-iphone-5-camera-comparison/
Update3:
Another problem I found, which is significant, in my opinion, is that Samsung's in-call volume is much lower at its highest that that of the iPhone. I used to be able to hold my iPhone away from the ear like 2-3 inches and still hear the other side loud and clear, even on a busy loud street. Now I have trouble hearing even when its quiet around me, unless I hold the phone pressed against the ear.
Update4
Here are some more pictures for comparison that I took today:
I don't know what happened here with the purple flowers, as the Sammy seemed to do just as good, and probably better...
Update5
Well.. Here's a shocker. Amazingly, the Samsung completely destroyed both the iPhone 4s and the iPhone 5 in night shots. Unfortunately I cannot post these pics because I was shooting family members, but suffice it to say that I was absolutely blown away with how much clearer and overall better the night shots were on the Galaxy S4. It was simply a no-contest thing. Interestingly enough, many reviews online state that the iPhone takes better night shots than Samsung. This is simply not true. The S4 is a clear winner here. Note, that this does not go for indoor shots. Samsung's shots inside my apartment under artificial light in the evening suck big time! Colors are simply BAD compared to the iPhone.
Update6
Since I see people resurrecting this thread, I will say this:
I no longer have the iPhone 5. *Gasp!*
Why? Because it has horrible in-call quality compared to the iPhone 4s. Maybe I just got a lemon. Who knows... But the bastards at Apple refused to give me a replacement saying "it sounds just fine". I was very happy with the iPhone 5 in all other ways, but because I couldn't hear calls, I got a used GSIII. It sucked just like my old one which I got rid of so I tried installing CyanogenMod. And.. WOW! Boy did that thing spring to life! No more lag.... at all! Calls sound loud and clear. There is an option to boost sound to make it so. (and yes I am aware GSIII and GS4 by default also has boost sound option, but it doesn't work at all.)
Also, never locks up during dialing. Rarely ever drops calls. And.. If you read my OP, it doesn't drop calls inside the elevator!
Picture quality still abysmal though. Absolutely horrible. Even in daylight. When zoomed even a little, looks like a pastel or mosaic. I went upstate a few days back, and took shots of some ducks swimming in a pond. I was so disgusted with the results I didn't even keep the shots. With the iPhone, almost every shot was always a keeper. : (
Anyway, hopefully my story with the GSIII will show people that I am not a fanboy or a troll. I just go with what works and what is reliable.
Maybe I'll buy the GS4 again later, install CM on it, and it will suddenly become awesome, but I still have trouble understanding why I should do something shady, and not necessarily always legal or supported by manufacturer to get a rock solid, stable, lag free phone.
Don't get me wrong though. I still meant every word I said in my OP, especially at the time of posting. And I am very much hoping for a slam dunk with the iPhone 6 as well as GS5 or Note 3.
Last edited:
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