What phone to get?

[sconrad2010]

Im new here so I'm not sure where to put this.

I'm a current iPhone user looking to switch over to android. I always had android phones but wanted to try out the iPhone craze to see what the buzz was about. Its nothing fancy so i'm looking to switch back.


So...My question is, which android phone is the best to get? I was looking at the Galaxy S4 and HTC one. But as the MWC is coming up I was debating if I should wait to see what all comes out and the release times.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lunatic59]

"Best" is a moving target. If you are looking for spec's, then the numbers will tell you which is biggest and fastest right now. Tomorrow it will be different. The S4, HTC One, Moto X, Nexus 5, LG G2 are all very good current phones, each with it's own strengths and shortcomings.

If you tell us what is most important to you and which carrier you will be using it with, maybe we can provide a bit of direction.

 

[Muckle Dabuckle]

So...My question is, which android phone is the best to get? I was looking at the Galaxy S4 and HTC one.

I would go to a store and try them all out. You never know which phone will click with you and you may be surprised what you end up buying (last summer I planned on buying the HTC One and wasn't blown away with it so I went with the S4 instead. A week ago I went into my T-Mobile store to get the Xperia Z1s and ended up taking home the LG G2).

Anyway. I love my G2 more than my S4. It is the snappiest/quickest phone I've ever owned, the battery life is insanely good (haven't charged it in almost two days, but I'm not a "power user"), look and feel of the LG skin over the Samsung skin, etc. I tried every flagship phone at T-Mobile and the G2 blew them all away performance-wise. The only unkown for me with this phone is how it handles minor drops (I dropped my S4 about three times with zero damage). But I guess that is all just pure luck.

But as the MWC is coming up I was debating if I should wait to see what all comes out and the release times.

That may be the best option assuming your current phone works fine. Plus, if you don't like what is announced the 2013 flagship phones are dropping in price.

 

[sconrad2010]

I want something I can play some pretty intensive games and take some nice pictures and videos. I'm on the AT&T network.

 

[Orion]

It depends if you really need a phone right now or are willing to wait. Galaxy S5 will be announced this month and the HTC M8 is around the corner as well.

 

[funkylogik]

All the mid-high end phones will be able to handle what a game throws at them so worry more about the camera.
Id say Samsung or Sony for camera :thumbup:

 

[lunatic59]

All the mid-high end phones will be able to handle what a game throws at them so worry more about the camera.
Id say Samsung or Sony for camera :thumbup:

Really? I wasn't all that impressed with the Samsung cameras. Mind you that my N4 is pretty awful as a camera, but that's what my Nikon D3200 is for.

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah i loved the s3 touchwiz camera. Now that im on aosp, nothing i use can match it.
Ive actually seen some nice shots taken on the nexus 5 but they were by proper photographers and im a point n shoot typa guy lol

 

[Shocky]

I want something I can play some pretty intensive games and take some nice pictures and videos. I'm on the AT&T network.

If you want gaming performance make sure whatever you buy is running Snapdragon 800. (Nexus 5, LG G2, Xperia Z1, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4(i9506 ONLY).

Snapdragon 600(Galaxy S4 i9505, HTC One) can cope but there are already games that don't run very smoothly when you max the graphics settings, Riptide GP2, Asphalt 8 and GTA:SA are pretty bad on high settings .

Stuff like Modern Combat 4, NOVA 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted and Ravensword struggle with framerates also, but some of that is due to poor optimization, some due to lack of performance.

 

[funkylogik]

I play mc4 on my 2012 nexus 7 tab though (1.3ghz tigra cpu i think) and its completely flawless :thumbup:

 

[Shocky]

I play mc4 on my 2012 nexus 7 tab though (1.3ghz tigra cpu i think) and its completely flawless :thumbup:

That's strange because it runs like crap on my Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 2013, I have both and performance is exactly the same.

Most Gamelost titles I've tried run like turd, I remember testing them with fps meter and the framerates were all over the place.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

I'd say rather just wait until MWC is over then make-up your mind.

If you want to buy right now and camera is a major factor then Sony Xperia Z1S, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G2 are your best bets in that order.

 

[funkylogik]

That's strange because it runs like crap on my Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 2013, I have both and performance is exactly the same.

Most Gamelost titles I've tried run like turd, I remember testing them with fps meter and the framerates were all over the place.

Strange. Have you gave your grouper a good clear out/factory reset since it got 4.3?
Im on stock rom but im using a custom kernel (Franco Kernel) so maybe thats giving it an edge over stock?

 

[Shocky]

Strange. Have you gave your grouper a good clear out/factory reset since it got 4.3?
Im on stock rom but im using a custom kernel (Franco Kernel) so maybe thats giving it an edge over stock?

I'm using Franco as-well with root, on both tablets so it's not that.

I think i'm just allot more fussy than you are funky, last time I played MW4 the framerate range was 10-35 fps on my Nexus 7 2013, 2012 and Galaxy S4, very unstable and not a great gaming experience but it was playable barely which seems to be good enough for Gameloft and allot of Android gamers.

 

[funkylogik]

yeah youre right mate. Im not a gamer in any way so ill definitely be less fussy. I dont even use a console or pc

 

[thisISjoel]

I'm in a similar boat except I've always had iPhones. I'm leaning nexus 5 at the moment because I like the idea of having the 'vanilla' android without any oem crap. I am, however also a little interested in the xperia z1.

 

[Hadron]

There's also the Z1 Compact now, if you want all of the Z1's features in a smaller package. Unlike other manufacturers "mini" versions of flagships this one hasn't had its cpu, storage, RAM & camera downgraded.

 

[Shocky]

There's also the Z1 Compact now, if you want all of the Z1's features in a smaller package. Unlike other manufacturers "mini" versions of flagships this one hasn't had its cpu, storage, RAM & camera downgraded.

They did well with that phone, they did lower the resolution but it's not a problem with a 4.3" screen.

Also for gaming performance, Snapdragon 800 with 720 x 1280 resolution is going to be very fast.

yeah youre right mate. Im not a gamer in any way so ill definitely be less fussy. I dont even use a console or pc

I'm a PC gamer mainly but I also have consoles, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Wii, considering getting the Wii U but don't think i'll bother with the Xbone.