Which to buy: Galaxy S5 or Xperia Z3?

[Oyeve]

I'm surprised at the reactions so far. Also, weather proofing is a plus for the Z3? Isn't the S5 essentially water proof?

My s5 is, or rather was. The USB cover broke off long ago so essentially its not waterproof anymore.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm surprised at the reactions so far. Also, weather proofing is a plus for the Z3? Isn't the S5 essentially water proof?

Sony has a little more in the quality control department than Samsung.

 

[Dari]

I suppose the battery on the Z3 is not owner-replaceable?

This is big for me bc my GF bought an N4 about 18 months ago and the battery is already crapping out on her.

Why even bother with this post, or this thread, if that was one of the cons you mentioned for the Z3 in your OP? As for the N4, it had bad battery life from Day 1 so why is it a shock to you that it's bad?

 

[Zivic]

If you get caught up in nerdy statistics, then Apple is outclassed by Android.

When you actually use the devices, Apple is so much better...

I really do feel that Samsung is worse than Apple because it is all sizzle and advertising, while bloating down their phones with what is consistently *the* worst implementation of Android among major manufacturers.

if I were completely honest, I can agree with this. My biggest issues with the iphone was the screen size and itunes... apple has addressed the screen size, but itunes is still an issue............

with that said, my wife has an S4 sammy. I would NEVER buy another sammy phone based on the experience I have with it. it is 'the' worst android experience I have had. I was a big nexus guy, mainly for the vanilla android. I owned the n1, GN, N4, and N5. last year I picked up a moto X and it is 'the' best phone I have ever used. from the size to plain android with just a few add-ons. I would argue it could use a bigger battery and better camera, but I can manage.

it has changed how I look at other phones. The skins manufacturers use are terrible and I don't know if I would every buy a skinned android phone again.


so short story long, out of those two I would chose the sony, but with some reservation

 

[cbrunny]

The reviews I've seen on the Z3 claim that colour saturation/reproduction is an issue. Other than this, the Z3 looks stellar, but I'm not really sure how much of an issue it really is. Does anyone have experiences using the Z1 or Z2? How much, if at all, did this issue impact the user experience?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Only Samsung phone worth considering right now is the Note 4.

That 805 S5 is pretty awesome. Only phone in Android-land that matches a 1080p screen to that adreno 420, which makes it the only Android phone that has GPU power per pixel near the iPhones.

Problem is, I don't think T-Mobile carries that version...

 

[gorcorps]

The X3 looks nice, but TBH I've gotten so used to using the IR blaster on my galaxy S4 I don't know if I could give it up. Between my phone and DirecTV remote I haven't bothered using my Harmony in a while.

 

[WelshBloke]

Lets be real, not everyone wants an inch thick Galaxy S5 phone with a 3rd party battery in it.

It's not a third party battery and it's not an inch thick.
Its made by Samsung and it's as thick as the camera hump is. So about a mm or two thicker than the stock one.

 

[WelshBloke]

My s5 is, or rather was. The USB cover broke off long ago so essentially its not waterproof anymore.

That takes about 3 minutes to fix if you're interested.

 

[poofyhairguy]

The X3 looks nice, but TBH I've gotten so used to using the IR blaster on my galaxy S4 I don't know if I could give it up. Between my phone and DirecTV remote I haven't bothered using my Harmony in a while.

Amen. Having an IR blaster in my phone is a lifesaver when my wife falls asleep cuddling the remote (which happened like every episode of True Detective). That is why when my S4 broke recently I replaced it with a M8, I don't want to regress on the IR port or Google Play rom access.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

Does the S5 have an IR blaster? (I could google it). What about that harmony thing where your phone becomes a remote over the network? Is that somehow worse than having an IR blaster?

 

[gorcorps]

Does the S5 have an IR blaster? (I could google it). What about that harmony thing where your phone becomes a remote over the network? Is that somehow worse than having an IR blaster?

Yes, the S5 still has an IR blaster. I've considered getting one of the Logitech things because it would be a good replacement for the house. However I also have used the IR blaster at bars when the staff is too busy to change the channels. I also have it set up for my friends' houses too, so if I have to house sit or something my phone is already set up to be a universal remote for their system. It's not like I couldn't live without it, but it's a convenience I've gotten used to having.

 

[lothar]

Why?

My S5 has a better CPU (krait 450), a better GPU (adreno 420), a bigger battery (3500mAh), (arguably) a better screen (OLED>LCD for some people), LTE-A...

To say that anyone that doesn't agree with your preferences is a shill is just... well... it certainly demonstrates shilling, but probably not the way you meant.

OP is a US citizen and is buying the S5 from T-Mobile USA.
Your particular S5 referenced is special and is not being sold in the United States.

 

[Oyeve]

That takes about 3 minutes to fix if you're interested.

I know, one screw and pop it right in.

 

[WelshBloke]

OP is a US citizen and is buying the S5 from T-Mobile USA.
Your particular S5 referenced is special and is not being sold in the United States.

The battery is compatible with any S5 and that still leaves the screen.
If Google go down the road of active notifications (as people have suggested) then an oled screen would be a great advantage going forward.

 

[poofyhairguy]

If Google go down the road of active notifications (as people have suggested) then an oled screen would be a great advantage going forward.

Um, that assumes any such functionality isn't replaced by Touchwiz in the official update which is probably a bad assumption. Closest a Galaxy 5 gets to a pure Google Experience is when it gets put next to the Moto X in the Verizon store.

 

[WelshBloke]

Um, that assumes any such functionality isn't replaced by Touchwiz in the official update which is probably a bad assumption. Closest a Galaxy 5 gets to a pure Google Experience is when it gets put next to the Moto X in the Verizon store.

TouchWiz doesn't tend to replace stuff it just adds stuff as well.
Svoice is there but you still get Google now voice stuff, galaxy store is there but you still get the play store...

 

[poofyhairguy]

TouchWiz doesn't tend to replace stuff it just adds stuff as well.

When both ways can co-exist. When they can't the Touchwiz way wins.

For example, the notification shade Quick-toggles of stock Android is COMPLETELY blown away and replaced with Samsung's vision in every Android release. Or the stock Android dialer that is always replaced by the Touchwiz one (which some would say that is a good thing).

If I had to guess, I would think that Active Notifications would impede with their vision of a lockscreen. If you want a way to check your notifications without turning on the phone, well that is why you need a Galaxy Gear! I mean, it might happen because the L leak did had a more normal lock screen than Galaxies normally do but I wouldn't count on it or expect it.

My wife just got the Note 4 and I am not going to tell her about any Android L improvements because it is a crapshoot what will actually come to her Note. The Android L leak already had system apps like Dialer, Messages, Clock and Memo Touchwiz-ified. I would count on getting native ART support and thats about it.

 

[WelshBloke]

When both ways can co-exist. When they can't the Touchwiz way wins.

For example, the notification shade Quick-toggles of stock Android is COMPLETELY blown away and replaced with Samsung's vision in every Android release...

What do the quick toggles in AOSP do that the ones in TouchWiz don't?

And while you can argue that they may or may not get active notifications there's a bigger chance of it working well than on a phone with an lcd screen like the Z3.

 

[rcpratt]

However I also have used the IR blaster at bars when the staff is too busy to change the channels.

Omg. Brilliant. Why did I not think of this. Hate sitting around waiting for lazy bar staff to put the game on...wait until I start changing their channels for them...

 

[richierich1212]

Omg. Brilliant. Why did I not think of this. Hate sitting around waiting for lazy bar staff to put the game on...wait until I start changing their channels for them...

:biggrin:

 

[PokerGuy]

Having owned an sony xperia phone in the past, there's no way I'm ever going down that road again, no matter what the z3 might bring to the table. Android updates take forever, there's very simply very little or no support for future upgrades, you'll probably get one upgrade to lollipop and then you'll be stuck there forever.

Unless there's been a major change in how sony supports their phones, I'd stay far away from them. I'm not a huge fan of the touchwiz bloat, but I'll give sammy credit for upgrading phones like the S3 to kitkat etc, they seem to support phones with android updates faster than sony.

 

[poofyhairguy]

What do the quick toggles in AOSP do that the ones in TouchWiz don't?

Its not that the functionality is different (I mean it is, and maybe in Touchwiz's favor IMHO) just that they are different. Some functionality does get cut though, I love how the AOSP dialer lets me pick contacts by voice. I use that all the time.

And while you can argue that they may or may not get active notifications there's a bigger chance of it working well than on a phone with an lcd screen like the Z3.

Oh, I completely agree there. As soon as the Moto X hit I was trying to hack that onto my S4.

 

[cronos]

Z3, and very surprised to see the responses here. I thought maybe one or two people only would pick it.

Samsung phones just look the same and I dislike the curves. I actually like the shape of Z2 better than the Z3.

 

[gorcorps]

What do the quick toggles in AOSP do that the ones in TouchWiz don't?

And while you can argue that they may or may not get active notifications there's a bigger chance of it working well than on a phone with an lcd screen like the Z3.

I remember the quick toggles in AOSP roms allowing more customization. I could choose exactly which toggles I wanted and in what order. On my S4 I must have 10 buttons... No more, no less. It's an odd limit to put on it, but whatever. I still use stock firmware so it doesn't bother me, but it's not as flexible as it could be.