Still indecisive! HTC One or S4, for overall convenience?

[Mello_Asian]

Hey, everyone! My contract is close to its expiration, and I was wondering what phone I should get to replace my LG Optimus S. Both the HTC One and GS4 are great phones, and I'd be very complacent to get either one of them since they are a HUGE upgrade from the Optimus S.

However, as a high school student, I was wondering which of them would be much better/more helpful/more convenient for me in the next two years under a new contract. I'll be using my phone more for the camera, music player, games to pass time, and to help me with certain tasks with the browser or certain apps (searching up things, sparknotes, AP notes, etc.)


HTC Pros: pretty much everything; almost zero lag, audio quality, pretty good (but not great) camera & its features, design, 32 GB memory = more music and pics.
Cons: although overall it is much better than my current phone's and is amongst the top, the HTC's 4 MP camera is kind of what holds me back at times. Also, the no menu button might slightly bother me and the phone is almost irreparable if it breaks.

S4 Pros: better simplicity, better convenience, somewhat better camera than the One's, useful Multi-Window, it looks easier to use, reparable, expandable memory and replaceable battery
Cons: some minor lag issues, 16GB might not be enough (but its more than my Optimus S's 2 GB lol).

Note: those are from what I've heard/seen from reviews. Would the HTC's camera be good enough for photos with friends for the memories?
Anyways, sorry for making this post long! Please help me out with either experiences from these phones or with any info!

Thanks

 

[iTzKPanda]

Here's a comparison by Phandroid's Kevin Krause:
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One

The thing about storage is that the Galaxy S4 can use microSD cards. It allows for an extra 64GB of storage via a microSD card so if you can afford an extra $20, you can have a 16GB Galaxy S4 with an extra 32GB of storage for a total of 48GB whereas there is no expandable memory option for the HTC One except the Chinese variant.

Both should run smoothly with little to no lag issue with the upgraded processors and 2GB of RAM. Of course, lag is inevitable and you may experience it once every blue moon

For a student, both of these devices should suffice. If you don't like the stock apps, there's always other apps you can download in the Play store for your educational needs.

 

[Mello_Asian]

Thanks for the insight!

I'll certainly take that into considerations

 

[iTzKPanda]

No problem.
And check out these subforums and see what the guys there have to say about both devices:
Samsung Galaxy S4 - Android Forums
HTC One - Android Forums

 

[Mello_Asian]

Btw if it comes down to the camera issue since both phones will deliver the same fast performance with everything else, which would be better for video recording and picture-taking, both for memories and sharing (such as in instagram, twitter, or snapchat)?

And do their respective browsers have a feature that the other doesn't have?

Greatly appreciated!

 

[Hadron]

If you want professional reviews, check anandtech.com. Their S4 review is shorter than their One review (though longer than anyone else's) mainly because Samsung gave them less time.

My feeling is that both are more than good, and it's a matter of individual preference.

 

[Mello_Asian]

I checked the reviews (and more lol), but I still haven't found a resolution. Essentially, it just comes down to the camera and browser/app performances to better suit my educational needs and memory safe-keeping.

 

[iTzKPanda]

Well, if it makes it easier, the HTC One camera is better in low-light situations and the Galaxy S4 is better in light.
The browser can be changed easily with another browser off the play store such as Firefox or Firefox Beta, Boat Browser, Dolphin Browser, Chrome Beta, etc.

 

[Mikestony]

Moved to the Device Comparison forum here

 

[Mello_Asian]

Well, if it makes it easier, the HTC One camera is better in low-light situations and the Galaxy S4 is better in light.
The browser can be changed easily with another browser off the play store such as Firefox or Firefox Beta, Boat Browser, Dolphin Browser, Chrome Beta, etc.

Thanks! Ahh, tough decisions lol. I haven't been using my LG Optimus S as a camera because of its quality so I don't know whether I'll be taking more low-light shots or regular ones. But even in regular lighting, would the HTC One still provide a good-quality shot?

And thanks. Do their respective browsers support adobe flash player though?

 

[iTzKPanda]

Take a look for the camera comparisons yourself
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One Camera Comparison | TechnoBuffalo

I may have spoken false. Looking at these I think the One's camera may be superior. But, I don't know much about good quality pictures.

Hm, I think Adobe stopped supporting flash on Android so I would tend to think that they do not. However, there is a slight workaround for this shown here:
How to Install Adobe Flash Player on Android Phones - QbKing77

 

[chanchan05]

One big issue you may want to consider is storage. The S4 will provide expandable storage while the One will not, and it could be cheaper in the long run.

 

[LiveWallpapers]

Sorry for this indecisive post but both seem extremely tempting to me! If you are going for looks the HTC One definitely wins.

Performance-wise both should be very similar because of . I 'feel' Samsung Galaxy S4 will be a little faster because of PowerVR SGX 544MP3 but don't quote me on this.

I personally, would get any because both seem like great powerhouses with 1080p display!

 

[Hadron]

Performance-wise both should be very similar because of . I 'feel' Samsung Galaxy S4 will be a little faster because of PowerVR SGX 544MP3 but don't quote me on this.

PowerVR SGX 544MP3 is only going to be on the Exynos model, whereas most will be getting the Snadragon, which will have an adreno 320 (same as the One, though I think clocked slightly faster).

The question though is whether any of this matters for real world use?

There's been a lot of discussion of storage over in the S4 forum. The bottom line seems to be that the S4's internal storage will be fine for most, but for some users who want to install large apps (apps which store a lot of data internally) it could be limiting. If your main data requirement is media the SD card works fine.

I really would say that you should have a look at the real devices before making a choice

 

[LiveWallpapers]

PowerVR SGX 544MP3 is only going to be on the Exynos model, whereas most will be getting the Snadragon, which will have an adreno 320 (same as the One, though I think clocked slightly faster).

The question though is whether any of this matters for real world use?

There's been a lot of discussion of storage over in the S4 forum. The bottom line seems to be that the S4's internal storage will be fine for most, but for some users who want to install large apps (apps which store a lot of data internally) it could be limiting. If your main data requirement is media the SD card works fine.

I really would say that you should have a look at the real devices before making a choice

Thanks for clearing that out, sounds just about right. But both these devices are just so smexy (if you know what I mean ) I wouldn't be able to device either... The HTC One looks awesome to me with great (and supposedly very durable) build quality. Whereas the Samsung Galaxy S4 looks a little plasticky (just a little...) but gives you the advantage of a much better camera and the ability to install a microSD card to reach upto 128GB!

Anyways, I wish the OP all the best in whichever device he goes for because to me, either would be an excellent buy!

 

[Mello_Asian]

I don't really mind the HTC's minimum 32 GB space. I don't plan on installing apps that take up a lot of space, but I do mainly on pictures, videos, music, educational apps, less demanding games, and maybe even files, so storage shouldn't be an issue for me.

And the browser sounds good then. But compared to the S4's browser, are there features that it has that the One's doesn't? I won't consider the air view features, though. Trying to get them to work more consistently will take more time than using the browser manually. I know that both will deliver fast performances, but I'm just trying to determine which would be more time-efficient, speedy, and helpful. So when it comes down to using the browser with multiple websites/tabs open (i.e. for school-related websites or other stuff), which one would load pages more quickly, and switch tabs and browse pages faster?

I also forgot to mention. The camera will not only be for capturing memories, but also for notes on the board or for pages from a book just in case there's no time to write them down and for reminder purposes. I've heard that the camera for the HTC One doesn't zoom in as much, and combined with its lower megapixels, letters might probably show up as grainy.

What are your takes on these?

 

[ironman187]

One big issue you may want to consider is storage. The S4 will provide expandable storage while the One will not, and it could be cheaper in the long run.

That's not entirely true, you can use OTG cables to expand storage on both phones.

 

[ironman187]

I don't really mind the HTC's minimum 32 GB space. I don't plan on installing apps that take up a lot of space, but I do mainly on pictures, videos, music, educational apps, less demanding games, and maybe even files, so storage shouldn't be an issue for me.

And the browser sounds good then. But compared to the S4's browser, are there features that it has that the One's doesn't? I won't consider the air view features, though. Trying to get them to work more consistently will take more time than using the browser manually. I know that both will deliver fast performances, but I'm just trying to determine which would be more time-efficient, speedy, and helpful. So when it comes down to using the browser with multiple websites/tabs open (i.e. for school-related websites or other stuff), which one would load pages more quickly, and switch tabs and browse pages faster?

I also forgot to mention. The camera will not only be for capturing memories, but also for notes on the board or for pages from a book just in case there's no time to write them down and for reminder purposes. I've heard that the camera for the HTC One doesn't zoom in as much, and combined with its lower megapixels, letters might probably show up as grainy.

What are your takes on these?

From what it sounds like, the camera is your only real deciding factor with storage being a very distant second. As for taking pictures of pages, both cameras will do just fine, I have used "camscanner" to take pictures of pages with my Evo 4G which has a much worse camera than either of the two phones, I can read the page just fine from those pictures, now if you want to take pictures of the black/whiteboard, or presentations, you may need to zoom in either while taking the picture (not recommended in either case) or post process. If you zoom in post process, the S4 may be the better choice, because while the clarity is not going to be as great, you can zoom in more due to the number of megapixels (Megapixles basically only relate to the size of the image.) If you can wait, I'm getting my One tomorrow, I can take some pictures of text at a distance with it, and show you what it looks like zoomed in. My wife has an S3 and I can do the same with her phone. While not the same megapixle count as the S4, it should give some idea as to what to expect.

 

[Mello_Asian]

From what it sounds like, the camera is your only real deciding factor with storage being a very distant second. As for taking pictures of pages, both cameras will do just fine, I have used "camscanner" to take pictures of pages with my Evo 4G which has a much worse camera than either of the two phones, I can read the page just fine from those pictures, now if you want to take pictures of the black/whiteboard, or presentations, you may need to zoom in either while taking the picture (not recommended in either case) or post process. If you zoom in post process, the S4 may be the better choice, because while the clarity is not going to be as great, you can zoom in more due to the number of megapixels (Megapixles basically only relate to the size of the image.) If you can wait, I'm getting my One tomorrow, I can take some pictures of text at a distance with it, and show you what it looks like zoomed in. My wife has an S3 and I can do the same with her phone. While not the same megapixle count as the S4, it should give some idea as to what to expect.

Thank you! I won't be changing phones until later this week anyways. I REALLY appreciate that!
I don't mind the One's minimum of 32 gigs, so storage isn't really an issue for me. The deciding factors are actually the camera and browser convenience for a high school student (especially when you need multiple tabs when you're searching several topics at once, and switching between them).

 

[ironman187]

Thank you! I won't be changing phones until later this week anyways. I REALLY appreciate that!
I don't mind the One's minimum of 32 gigs, so storage isn't really an issue for me. The deciding factors are actually the camera and browser convenience for a high school student (especially when you need multiple tabs when you're searching several topics at once, and switching between them).

The browser is a non issue, chances are you will end up downloading a browser for whichever phone you end up with.

 

[Mello_Asian]

The browser is a non issue, chances are you will end up downloading a browser for whichever phone you end up with.

That's good to hear. I'll probably stick with the stock browser because I've heard that the others doesn't support adobe flash. Nonetheless, I'll download a different one if it helps browse faster when going to school-related websites.

 

[chanchan05]

Here's GSMArena's take on the S4 vs One
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One: Army of two - GSMArena.com

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Go with the S4 for sure.

I had the Evo 3D and it met with a black screen of death. I foolishly did not use a SD card in that phone at the time, thinking I'd add one later... well all of my photos / videos got deleted upon factory reset to try to fix my HTC phone.

Always go with external storage option if you can... that is a feature that could save you major headaches down the road, and of course back up (which is a lot easier with a SD card as many people have problems connecting Android phones to the PC due to USB issues or some other stuff).

 

[chanchan05]

Go with the S4 for sure.

I had the Evo 3D and it met with a black screen of death. I foolishly did not use a SD card in that phone at the time, thinking I'd add one later... well all of my photos / videos got deleted upon factory reset to try to fix my HTC phone.

Always go with external storage option if you can... that is a feature that could save you major headaches down the road, and of course back up (which is a lot easier with a SD card as many people have problems connecting Android phones to the PC due to USB issues or some other stuff).

Actually, SD cards due to this reason is becoming unneeded. With G+, Dropbox and Sugarsync able to make backups of videos and pics as soon as you take them. The phones without expandable storage is thinking of the push to cloud.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Actually, SD cards due to this reason is becoming unneeded. With G+, Dropbox and Sugarsync able to make backups of videos and pics as soon as you take them. The phones without expandable storage is thinking of the push to cloud.

The problem with cloud is still pretty major though:

1) data caps make moving data back / forth between cloud financially un-doable
2) even with the very best of connection speeds, it's tough to sit and move gigabytes of data back and forth between cloud and device. I'm at the point where I don't bother even uploading my data to cloud because it really slows the connection down, or slows the device down, or both
3) security of data on the cloud is a major concern.

Until bandwidth / reliability / security are golden, I think it will be very difficult for many people to rely on the cloud...