Galaxy S4 feels like a prototype device compared to the iPhone

[ChronoReverse]

*yawn*

Samsung had unrealistically high expectations for the GS4. Not reaching them doesn't really mean "sold poorly".

It's laughable that even after all this time you're still pretending.

 

[ibex333]

*yawn*

Samsung had unrealistically high expectations for the GS4. Not reaching them doesn't really mean "sold poorly".

It's laughable that even after all this time you're still pretending.

There should be a new term. "Internet Troll Paranoia". Some people are so obsessed with these things, they see a troll in everyone.

 

[ChronoReverse]

See it's easy to dispell the "phenomenon". With smartphones it's ridiculously easy to prove you own one (I did that when I got my GS4 a bit before most did since I was in Canada).

It's not like it takes a lot to prove your claims and yet you still haven't done so.


I mean, there's been 2 OTAs (or is it three now?) since the launch improving the lag issues (although the camera issues are mostly only you) but of course you're still talking about it even though you claim to have not even owned the GS4 since the first day.

Really? Even if you actually did own it you're not even being relevant anymore.

 

[ibex333]

Links? How much did these OTAs actually improve anything? And please read this review here: http://gizmodo.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-review-better-but-not-best-updated-5995291

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Android devices in general feel like prototypes compared to the spit and polish of iOS.

It reflects the difference in philosophy between the two companies. Google has always been content to release products in alpha/beta stages, whereas Apple is more likely to delay a release until it matches their expectations. Attention to detail and quality are the most important strengths of Apple, and are primarily owed to having a fantastic leader in Jobs who fervently believed in building a consumer base with quality products.

My first and last Android device was a Droid Incredible running Gingerbread of some sorts. Never have I used a more laggy and unstable phone in my life. I was appalled that they would actually release a phone operating system that was as buggy as it was. Perhaps they have fixed a lot of these issues in subsequent releases, but I'm just not willing to make that leap at this point with Apple continually putting out solid products.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I should add, if you have to install a custom ROM to get good performance from your phone something is seriously wrong with the situation.

 

[foghorn67]

I should add, if you have to install a custom ROM to get good performance from your phone something is seriously wrong with the situation.

Sorry, my HTC One is flying. My S4 didn't even flinch.
Stop day dreaming.

 

[Crono]

Android devices in general feel like prototypes compared to the spit and polish of iOS.

It reflects the difference in philosophy between the two companies. Google has always been content to release products in alpha/beta stages, whereas Apple is more likely to delay a release until it matches their expectations. Attention to detail and quality are the most important strengths of Apple, and are primarily owed to having a fantastic leader in Jobs who fervently believed in building a consumer base with quality products.

My first and last Android device was a Droid Incredible running
Gingerbread of some sorts. Never have I used a more laggy and unstable phone in my life. I was appalled that they would actually release a phone operating system that was as buggy as it was. Perhaps they have fixed a lot of these issues in subsequent releases, but I'm just not willing to make that leap at this point with Apple continually putting out solid products.

That's not true anymore. Not for all Android phones, anyway.
I avoided Android entirely from Gingerbread until Jelly Bean because Android seemed very laggy and unstable, but current hardware plus Project Butter has made Android better in some ways and nearly equal in terms of UI and overall system smoothness, at least for me on my HTC One (perfectly stock Sense 5, not rooted or flashed).

The Nexus 7 is what first grabbed my attention. Android has been improved significantly. Anyone looking at older Android software and hardware is making an unfair and flawed comparison.

If you want to be fair about it, try using the flagship models of the current mobile OS'. You would be surprised how close iOS, Android, and WP8 are in terms of stock OS performance. Apple still has the app advantage, but that's shrinking and matters more really only if you need specific apps from a developer rather than any app that performs a task or function you need to do.

 

[dawheat]

Android devices in general feel like prototypes compared to the spit and polish of iOS.

It reflects the difference in philosophy between the two companies. Google has always been content to release products in alpha/beta stages, whereas Apple is more likely to delay a release until it matches their expectations. Attention to detail and quality are the most important strengths of Apple, and are primarily owed to having a fantastic leader in Jobs who fervently believed in building a consumer base with quality products.

My first and last Android device was a Droid Incredible running Gingerbread of some sorts. Never have I used a more laggy and unstable phone in my life. I was appalled that they would actually release a phone operating system that was as buggy as it was. Perhaps they have fixed a lot of these issues in subsequent releases, but I'm just not willing to make that leap at this point with Apple continually putting out solid products.

Siri and Apple Maps certainly come to mind.

Regardless in large measure by ICS and certainly in JB, the 'spit and polish' argument is less and less valid. My wife's IP5 feels restrictive where 2 years ago the IP4 felt polished. Things have to keep progressing.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Siri and Apple Maps certainly come to mind.

Regardless in large measure by ICS and certainly in JB, the 'spit and polish' argument is less and less valid. My wife's IP5 feels restrictive where 2 years ago the IP4 felt polished. Things have to keep progressing.

Siri's fine. It might not have everything Google Now has, but Siri still does things like tell me my next calendar appointment when I ask it to. Its far more conversational than Google Now is still. It's advantages and disadvantages.

While Apple Maps isn't great, its worked for me in terms of navigation. If anything Google's latest foul-up with its Maps release is ridiculous too. You lose all the labs features, the offline maps is terrible with little management capabilities. You can't use My Maps that you create on the desktop. Not to mention you can't use My Maps at all on the new GMaps Preview on desktop. No transit navigation, etc. There's a LOT of stuff out there. I can point you to Reddit thread after Reddit thread about it.

In terms of polish, Android is getting there, but at the same time, features are being taken away. People who used to champion Android as the OS offering choice, there's less and less choice. Google keeps taking away features to satisfy the mainstream crowd to make it usable for the average Joe. I can think of countless changes they've made that are considered steps backwards.

On the other hand Apple's only been progressing forward. The one major stumble I'd say is Apple Maps, but IMO everything else has been upgraded along the way. It might not be at the pace you'd like it to be opened up at, but at least there are changes.

I guess the question is would you rather be on the end of possibilities and capabilities opening up or would you like to be on the other end where more and more limitations are being put in place? I don't think Google necessarily needs to place more limitations and restrictions, but the decisions they're making are absolutely boneheaded IMO.

 

[Crono]

Siri's fine. It might not have everything Google Now has, but Siri still does things like tell me my next calendar appointment when I ask it to. Its far more conversational than Google Now is still. It's advantages and disadvantages.

While Apple Maps isn't great, its worked for me in terms of navigation. If anything Google's latest foul-up with its Maps release is ridiculous too. You lose all the labs features, the offline maps is terrible with little management capabilities. You can't use My Maps that you create on the desktop. Not to mention you can't use My Maps at all on the new GMaps Preview on desktop. No transit navigation, etc. There's a LOT of stuff out there. I can point you to Reddit thread after Reddit thread about it.

In terms of polish, Android is getting there, but at the same time, features are being taken away. People who used to champion Android as the OS offering choice, there's less and less choice. Google keeps taking away features to satisfy the mainstream crowd to make it usable for the average Joe. I can think of countless changes they've made that are considered steps backwards.

On the other hand Apple's only been progressing forward. The one major stumble I'd say is Apple Maps, but IMO everything else has been upgraded along the way. It might not be at the pace you'd like it to be opened up at, but at least there are changes.

I guess the question is would you rather be on the end of possibilities and capabilities opening up or would you like to be on the other end where more and more limitations are being put in place? I don't think Google necessarily needs to place more limitations and restrictions, but the decisions they're making are absolutely boneheaded IMO.

Google is consolidating services and getting rid of fringe services. Which is disappointing if you use those services, but if they left things the same they would get complaints about the bloat and redundancy of having a hundred different obscure programs and services that very few people use. Occasionally they make a move that most people would question - like ending Google Reader - but in the end there are alternatives and it allows Google to focus their attention on core apps and services. I think this is a good thing overall, though you could argue on a case-by-case basis.

Google isn't being "restrictive", not in the ecosystem way Apple traditionally has been (and the way Microsoft is now, too). There aren't any changes for the worse in what they are allowing disallowing as a whole, except for security purposes, which is what we demand when we see exploits and viruses starting to show up in the entire mobile world.

I don't see Apple moving forward more than Google, but they aren't moving backward, either. Google does offer far more services and features than Apple, though, and Google's social integration, search, and predictive features are still better than Apple's and getting better every day. Updates are coming fast and furious now to the Google apps that are now standalone and updated via Play. iOS might bring some much needed updates to the operating system, but it's nowhere near what has been changed for the better on Android in just a matter of months.

 

[lothar]

I should add, if you have to install a custom ROM to get good performance from your phone something is seriously wrong with the situation.

You never have to install a custom ROM to get good performance on Nexus products.

 

[rsutoratosu]

Yeah you do, I had to install custom rom to get better performance on my nexus 4

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah you do, I had to install custom rom to get better performance on my nexus 4

What tweaks did the custom rom have? Stock nexus ROMs are pretty bare to start with.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The thing is what do people mean by more performance? Benchmarks? Maybe. Maybe custom ROMs or custom kernels will help you win out in Antutu or whatever, but what does that mean? Real world performance? I doubt it.

Then there's the smoothness factor. I played with an HTC One next to my Nexus 4 for at least an hour yesterday and damn the launcher was just smooth. Add widgets and its still smooth. The app list just felt like it never slowed down. My Nexus 4 definitely got stuttery here and there. I mean nothing like a huge hiccup, but you can definitely see its not 60fps all the way through. Maybe my evaluation wasn't thorough enough, but all I could really conclude was that HTC made sure there was a hardware optimized launcher and most likely does the same with the browser like Samsung does. Is that 60 fps necessarily equate to performance? I don't know. I see it more as optimization and polish.

 

[mobilelover]

nokia 925 and HTC one are my favourites I personally do not like Samsung and Apple phones.

Here is a small comparison

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/05/15/nokia-lumia-925-vs-the-iphone-5-galaxy-s4/

 

[grkM3]

Ten bucks says this op will make another fake thread about the gs5 when it comes out.

Lag lag lag I tell you!!!!

 

[olds]

If you looked up Apple Fangirl in the dictionary, you'd see a pic of a girl I work with. Everything she owns is Apple.
Well, except her phone. She just dumped her iphone for an S4. She said she is way happier. Especially when doing something as simple as changing settings while in an app.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Siri and Apple Maps certainly come to mind.

Regardless in large measure by ICS and certainly in JB, the 'spit and polish' argument is less and less valid. My wife's IP5 feels restrictive where 2 years ago the IP4 felt polished. Things have to keep progressing.

Agreed, Apple needs to start integrating from a services standpoint the way Google and MSFT are starting to do. That is the future of where the smartphone experience is going. Not necessarily standalone apps, but an integrated cohesive set of services.

I still argue that Android is #3 in terms of lag, stability, and overall OS cohesiveness. It's highly dependent on which phone you get and what carrier you are using (e.g. how much bloatware they decide to load your phone with).