Desire vs Galaxy S

[karnka]

I'm sure this has been done to death but I'm faced with this decision this afternoon.

T-Mobile UK are letting me swap my Galaxy Portal for either a Galaxy S or a Desire (for a bit of cash) and I need to decide which to go for. I'm very torn. They claim they're paying the same for each handset so it's the same deal whichever I go for.

In my mind:

Galaxy S:
'More Expensive' phone (at the moment)
No one I know has one (a few Desire's around)
Bigger/Better screen

Desire:
More solid construction
Sense is nicer than Touchwiz
HTC are much better at supporting their phones (O/S updates).

Someone help, please!

 

[MadBob]

People with galaxy will probably say get that, people with desire will probably say get that, you are in the galaxy forum which suggests you already know which way you are leaning.

So i say make your own mind up

I like my Galaxy S but have never had a desire.

 

[karnka]

Ah, but I posted in both forums

 

[Evil Peter]

Sense has better special widgets than TouchWiz but otherwise I think TouchWiz has implemented some better functionality. Organizing apps, side scrolling app drawer, one click to change panels instead of pinch-zoom + click (and also works in the app drawer), swipe contacts left or right to message or call etc.

I don't see how HTC is better on updating the OS. Samsung's Spica got Android 2.1 almost 3 months ago here. HTC Hero got it yesterday.

I compared my Galaxy S briefly to a friends Desire and the screen is obviously better on the SGS. It can also film in higher resolution and the Desire is more choppy in scrolling in the UI. The SGS can also play a lot more different files (divx, xvid, flac etc) and pretty much has more powerful hardware across the board (with the exception of less RAM). A significant difference is also that the Desire has a very small space to install apps on, while the SGS has 1.8 GB free for that, which should even eliminate the need for installing to the SD card, which comes in Android 2.2.

Personally I'm very happy that I cancelled my order for a Desire and went with the SGS. There is of course a chance that owning the SGS will make me biased so listen to both sides.

 

[karnka]

I don't see how HTC is better on updating the OS. Samsung's Spica got Android 2.1 almost 3 months ago here. HTC Hero got it yesterday.

I have a Spica/Portal and I'm replacing it partially because of the upgrade/support. T-Mobile UK Spicas have 1.5 on them and apparently now aren't getting an upgrade to 2.1.

This is why they're letting me move to a Galaxy S or Desire mid-contract..

Anyway, still torn. Play with a Galaxy S again this lunch time. Very light/thin which is nice, but does feel that bit cheaper than the Desire.

That screen is nice though.

 

[NZtechfreak]

I own both - what are the key points for you in terms of differentiating the handsets? Can field your queries...

 

[karnka]

Thanks - really appreciate it.

Is the screen on the Samsung really that much better. I mean in terms of Super AMOLED but also the usability being slightly bigger.

Touch Wiz - vs Sense. Sense looks nicer to me but the Touch Wiz dock looks ok... I'm not sure about the home screen list (1, 2, 3, etc) at the top... Anyway, just your thoughts

Build quality - The Samsung does feel a little plastic-y but then it's very light/thin. Is it ok carrying it around in your pocket all day?

Anythink else you think really is better on one vs the other would be very helpful.

Cheers.

 

[ayrshiredude]

T-Mobile actually have these available now? Nothing on their website about it. I am due an upgrade on 10th July and this is on my shortlist.

 

[ardyer]

T-Mobile actually have these available now? Nothing on their website about it. I am due an upgrade on 10th July and this is on my shortlist.

Available on July 21st, can pre-order it starting July 1st.

 

[NZtechfreak]

Thanks - really appreciate it.

No problem, happy to help.

Is the screen on the Samsung really that much better. I mean in terms of Super AMOLED but also the usability being slightly bigger.

Its quite obviously superior when the two are side by side, and in sunlight its performance blows the Desire away. Its touch response is better too, and it has proper true multitouch - I found the Desires dual-touch was fine for Pinch Zooming, but quite bad and inaccurate for gaming. The size difference is quite appreciable and welcome, but then I came from an HD2 prior to the Desire so I guess I had become accustomed to larger displays.

Touch Wiz - vs Sense. Sense looks nicer to me but the Touch Wiz dock looks ok... I'm not sure about the home screen list (1, 2, 3, etc) at the top... Anyway, just your thoughts

TouchWiz is fine really, you can always replicate the feel of Sense with ADWlauncher/Launcher Pro etc. The main thing thats missing is widgets, not only the fact that HTCs are by far better than Samsungs, but also Samsung don't have a lot of the standard Android ones on there (for example no music player or calendar widgets).

Build quality - The Samsung does feel a little plastic-y but then it's very light/thin. Is it ok carrying it around in your pocket all day?

Definitely inferior build quality because of the choice of materials, but in terms of its construction it feels fine in terms of no creaks/moving parts etc. Fine in the pocket because of the slimness.

Anythink else you think really is better on one vs the other would be very helpful.
Cheers.

The other pros for the Galaxy S are:
- better sound quality
- better music player, has EQ
- better video capabilities
- better video capture and camera (low light conditions that require a flash aside of course)
- 1.8GB of app installation space
- loudspeaker is orders of magnitude better than the Desire's
- TV Out via cable, DLNA
- better for high quality gaming
- WiFi tether
- better bluetooth implementation (my heart rate monitor wouldn't work with the Desire etc etc)
- significantly better battery life
- supports landscape rotation in both directions
- better apps package with paid licenses for Asphalt, VLingo, Aldiko EBook reader, Layar, Thinkfree Office with editing

Pros for the Desire:
- better UI, especially widgets support
- for me slightly better general speed of operation (opening apps etc, and my Samsung is not on branded firmware, so this is an apples with apples comparison)
- multicolour LED notification light
- hardware keys
- HTC email app better than Samsungs
- better browser with flashlite 4.0 (although I prefer browsing on the Galaxy S because of the larger screen)
- better initial setup (a lot better)

 

[Evil Peter]

<snip>

Pros for the Desire:
- better UI, especially widgets support
- for me slightly better general speed of operation (opening apps etc, and my Samsung is not on branded firmware, so this is an apples with apples comparison)
- multicolour LED notification light
- hardware keys
- HTC email app better than Samsungs
- better browser with flashlite 4.0 (although I prefer browsing on the Galaxy S because of the larger screen)
- better initial setup (a lot better)

Out of curiosity, what are the other benefits (other than the widgets that is) of the Sense UI compared to TouchWiz in your opinion? I mainly know which functions it lacks and I did found it a bit choppy in scrolling.

As a side not of that, Google really needs to implement a better GPU support for the UI.

 

[karnka]

T-Mobile actually have these available now? Nothing on their website about it. I am due an upgrade on 10th July and this is on my shortlist.

They have them (well, there's some stock coming in on the 1st). I'm not sure when they're going to make them generally available but if you sweet talk the sales guys you might be able to get one early...

 

[karnka]

Thanks NZTechFreak. Really really helpful.

I'm going for the Galaxy S.

I prefer the handset I think and TouchWiz does seem ok. I may try the launchers you suggested.

The only thing that still worries me is the support from Samsung. I would think they really do have to provide the Froyo update in the next few months given how high profile the handset is but we will see. I would also guess that the Desire's more likely to get Gingerbread and beyond.

Anyway, Galaxy S should be arriving on Monday.

 

[Evil Peter]

Thanks NZTechFreak. Really really helpful.

I'm going for the Galaxy S.

I prefer the handset I think and TouchWiz does seem ok. I may try the launchers you suggested.

The only thing that still worries me is the support from Samsung. I would think they really do have to provide the Froyo update in the next few months given how high profile the handset is but we will see. I would also guess that the Desire's more likely to get Gingerbread and beyond.

Anyway, Galaxy S should be arriving on Monday.

We can only loosely speculate about how Samsung will support the phone (I think they will do well, since they are trying hard to be a player on the Android platform) but if they do a bad job I think we will have an unofficial scene to fall back on.

The phone is already rooted and there's plenty of source code around to build custom ROM's. Hopefully they will be of good quality.

 

[NZtechfreak]

I think thats a realistic outlook, I agree that the Desire is more likely to get updates beyond Froyo (and HTC have firmed up their timeframe for Froyo to beginning of Q3 today). If you buy it with that in mind you won't be disappointed if further updates never materialise.

 

[karnka]

The phone is already rooted and there's plenty of source code around to build custom ROM's. Hopefully they will be of good quality.

Yes - expecting more to be available than with the Spica. I think I will root and play with ROMs for this at some point.

 

[StevieB]

I would be interested to know how the Galaxy S performs compared to the Desire in a low signal area. I found the Desire to be unusable at both home and work due to their locations yet my current N95 is perfectly usable at home and just usable at work. Dropped calls, signal strength dropping from 3 bars to nothing/emergency calls only/nothing, were the order of the day.

Comparing audio quality of the Desire with the N95 when it did work in these areas also showed it to be lacking. Poor tone quality and breaking up etc.

I found the Desire to be a great toy/gadget but no good as a phone. If the Galaxy S works better as a phone then it jumps to the top of my wish list.

regards
Steve

 

[Evil Peter]

I would be interested to know how the Galaxy S performs compared to the Desire in a low signal area. I found the Desire to be unusable at both home and work due to their locations yet my current N95 is perfectly usable at home and just usable at work. Dropped calls, signal strength dropping from 3 bars to nothing/emergency calls only/nothing, were the order of the day.

Comparing audio quality of the Desire with the N95 when it did work in these areas also showed it to be lacking. Poor tone quality and breaking up etc.

I found the Desire to be a great toy/gadget but no good as a phone. If the Galaxy S works better as a phone then it jumps to the top of my wish list.

regards
Steve

I don't have a Desire so i can't compare with that but I have an SGS and a Nokia N95 8GB, and currently I live in an area where the coverage isn't great. My experience is that the phones are relatively equal in antenna performance. It's possible that the N95 was marginally better but that's only when I go by how many bars I get. I've constantly had great quality on my calls and seem to reach HDSPA more often than before.

So it's possible that the N95 is a bit better, but I've had basically the same results when it comes to call quality and reaching HDSPA.

 

[NZtechfreak]

When you're comparing audio quality you must mean via the loudspeaker, because via wired headphones its SQ absolutely romps all over the N95 (I've owned N95, N95 8GB, N82, so I'm no stranger to the N-Series).

 

[StevieB]

Audio quality with reference to when on call. using the Orange service centre as a source I was able to compare the phones side by side. When the wife borrowed my Desire to ring her brother she also commented that it was not as clear as the N95 used to be.

I had a replacement Desire but that was exaclty the same and comparison with a third example of a work colleagues did not see any difference either. In the end I returned it and have been looking for an alternative and am back with the N95.

I liked
Android
HTC Sense
Build quality
Display
GPS speed
Accelerometer (I have to admit - the rolling the ball around the maze game just facinated me!)

I could live with
Battery life (or lack of)
Camera - the few shots I took with it were not I felt as good as the N95. No dedicated camera shutter button made it awkward to hold and shoot. At times I was worried about dropping the phone when taking the shot. The main reason is the lack of thickness to hold in a camera way.

I couldn't get on with
Dropped calls to complete loss of calling ability in fringe reception areas

Hence I am very interesting in hearing how the Galaxy S getson in a similar environment.

regards
Steve

 

[karnka]

I use T-Mobile UK and by my house the reception is quite poor, and has been with every phone I've had with them. Don't use phones much at home (except wifi) but I do notice the signal dropping in certain rooms and just working in others.

Will let you know how the Galaxy S fairs when I get it.

 

[xs56]

I would be interested to know how the Galaxy S performs compared to the Desire in a low signal area. I found the Desire to be unusable at both home and work due to their locations yet my current N95 is perfectly usable at home and just usable at work. Dropped calls, signal strength dropping from 3 bars to nothing/emergency calls only/nothing, were the order of the day.


regards
Steve

I live next to a 2g mobile mast (not literally), and have found that my SGS will try and hang on to the nearest hsdpa mast which must be quite far away as i get only 1 bar reception. So I've shortcut to the network settings on the home screen (AnyCut) and switch the phone to 2g when at home instead relying on wifi for network use. My signal goes full strength then.

My old phones have always kept phone signal a priority resorting to 3g only when needed. Android must be the other way around i guess.

 

[JohnnyBravo1000]

I'm interested in the thoughts of those who have either owned or at least used both the Desire and the Galaxy S.

I currently have the Desire, but am tempted by the Galaxy S.

I had a play around with the Galaxy S in my local Carphone Warehouse, but it didn't seem as "fast" as the Desire when navigating menus and opening applications. Can anybody comment any further?

Are there any issues with dust under the screen of the Galaxy S?

Any feedback from people who have used both phones will be appreciated.

 

[brykins]

I have a Desire and today I went in to the store to sort out my wife's upgrade. Was going to get another Desire and sell it (she wants to keep her Blackberry) but saw the Galaxy S on the shelf. They had no Desire stock (as usual) but had TWO Galaxy S's - that's all they got in on Friday.

It's still very new to T-Mobile but managed to get it on an upgrade. Figured I would try it out and see which I prefer. Have decided to keep the Desire - figure that it will probably have a larger support/user base, it seems a bit snappier, has the flash for the camera, and HTS Sense just seemed nicer than the Samsung job. I did like the fact that the GS has 8GB of memory built in, but also thought that overall build quality didn't seem as good....it didn't feel as nice.

Anyway - Galaxy S is now on Ebay, sim card is back in my Desire.

 

[Evil Peter]

I've only used a friend's Desire, never owned it myself, but I've had a decent amount of experience with it. I know that some have had problems with the SGS taking some time to open apps at times, although I haven't experienced that myself yet. I've heard people with problems say that it was fixed when they upgraded the firmware though. As for general navigation I find the SGS smoother in it's performance as the Desire is more jerky in it's scrolling.

I've heard nothing whatsoever about dust under the screen on the SGS so it seems to be built tight.

In general the SGS of course clearly better on the hardware side. I've yet to see anything there that I really prefer on the Desire. The SGS has a faster CPU, a much faster GPU, twice as fast RAM, better screen, 20 times bigger ROM for apps etc. Some have had problems with the GPS though, although again I've been spared that (still it's worth taking into account) and have about identical results to my friend's Desire. The SGS lacks flash but takes better pictures and films (even in dim light, as far as we've compared).

When it comes to the UI it's of course more of a subjective matter. I think TouchWiz has more smart solutions but Sense has more usable unique widgets. As said I find the SGS UI to be smoother. The SGS has better software installed from the start and can therefor handle more file types.

I still think the Desire is a good phone though, just not as good as the SGS.