Should I get the Galaxy S4?

[postcyberpunk]

Hi, Galaxy S4 owners. Do you recommend your phone? I'm on Verizon and have the option to upgrade form my Droid Bionic. I'm a little hesitant about paying the $250 cost when I still have a working smartphone. Would the S4 be a huge upgrade from the Bionic -- or is it just somewhat faster and prettier, but generally the same thing? Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

 

[lotus49]

It's such a vague question that it's hard to give a sensible answer.

What is important to you? Are there things about your current phone with which you are dissatisfied? Is $250 a lot of money to you or not much?

I would recommend my S4 to my teenage son but not to my wife. You will have to give us a bit more to go on here.

 

[postcyberpunk]

It's such a vague question that it's hard to give a sensible answer.

What is important to you? Are there things about your current phone with which you are dissatisfied? Is $250 a lot of money to you or not much?

I would recommend my S4 to my teenage son but not to my wife. You will have to give us a bit more to go on here.

My current phone switches back and forth between 3G and 4G sometimes, causing the data connection to become unusable. It also lags a bit when opening apps, and Chrome crashes on it from time to time. $250 isn't a huge amount, but there is always an opportunity cost -- that's like 1/3 the cost of a ticket for a week-long cruise in the Caribbean. So I wouldn't want to spend money just to impress the neighbors by having the fanciest phone. I guess the question comes down to, how awesome is this phone? Do you feel it is a huge improvement from your previous smartphone?

 

[Adara]

I had the Bionic and I loved it -- well, I loved all 4 versions of it Verizon sent me, as the damn thing kept breaking (and/or it wouldn't hold a signal, and rather than admit the problem was on their side, they kept sending me replacement Bionics until I gave up and demanded something else). They replaced it with a RAZR Maxx (to which I never had any sort of emotional attachment), and I just switched to the GS4 on Sunday.

Conclusion: This is not a huge step. It isn't like when I got my first smartphone (OG Droid) from a stupidphone. Nor is it like when I got the Bionic from the OG Droid. (Am I missing one in between? If I am, that felt like a huge step too.)

This is a smaller step up. I'm starting to think that, now, I won't be getting new phones every 18 months/2 years, because the huge improvements in the phones aren't happening so fast and furious. This phone is more refined, and does a few more things than the Bionic -- although many of them (like all that wave-your-hand or move-your-eyes business) either don't work all that terrifically or are more of a toy than a tool. Fun to play with, but not changing-your-world stuff.

I like it and I'm glad I did it, but I don't think it's as necessary.

One thing which may make it weigh in your favor, as it did for me: VZW doesn't really like the Bionic, and have been crazy slow in pushing updates to it. They're probably going to stop that altogether, if they haven't yet already. The GS4, being a flagship phone, is something VZW is going to keep current for the next couple of years.

 

[postcyberpunk]

I had the Bionic and I loved it -- well, I loved all 4 versions of it Verizon sent me, as the damn thing kept breaking (and/or it wouldn't hold a signal, and rather than admit the problem was on their side, they kept sending me replacement Bionics until I gave up and demanded something else). They replaced it with a RAZR Maxx (to which I never had any sort of emotional attachment), and I just switched to the GS4 on Sunday.

Conclusion: This is not a huge step. It isn't like when I got my first smartphone (OG Droid) from a stupidphone. Nor is it like when I got the Bionic from the OG Droid. (Am I missing one in between? If I am, that felt like a huge step too.)

This is a smaller step up. I'm starting to think that, now, I won't be getting new phones every 18 months/2 years, because the huge improvements in the phones aren't happening so fast and furious. This phone is more refined, and does a few more things than the Bionic -- although many of them (like all that wave-your-hand or move-your-eyes business) either don't work all that terrifically or are more of a toy than a tool. Fun to play with, but not changing-your-world stuff.

I like it and I'm glad I did it, but I don't think it's as necessary.

One thing which may make it weigh in your favor, as it did for me: VZW doesn't really like the Bionic, and have been crazy slow in pushing updates to it. They're probably going to stop that altogether, if they haven't yet already. The GS4, being a flagship phone, is something VZW is going to keep current for the next couple of years.

Thank you so much for the detailed response!

 

[1up5dn]

I went from the Bionic to the S3 and now to the S4. I would definitely do it. The upgrade from the Bionic to the S3 was unreal to me. I no longer had to pull the battery every couple of days to get a data signal (in fact I never had to reboot the S3), it was thinner, faster, had a better screen, etc.

I couldn't have been happier with the S3. That's exactly why I moved to the S4, is since it is better in every measurable way to the S3, it only improved my satisfaction that much more. Plus, I now have the IR blaster so I can control my home audio/video.

I wouldn't hesitate if I were you.

 

[chris2k5]

To be honest, once you get past the novelty factor, it is an average phone. TouchWiz lag kills me and my phone is always using 1.5GB of the 1.7GB available RAM always. When I clear it, it goes down to 1.23GB of the 1.7GB...ridiculous!

 

[Shocky]

Hi, Galaxy S4 owners. Do you recommend your phone? I'm on Verizon and have the option to upgrade form my Droid Bionic. I'm a little hesitant about paying the $250 cost when I still have a working smartphone. Would the S4 be a huge upgrade from the Bionic -- or is it just somewhat faster and prettier, but generally the same thing? Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

Yes, but with reservations.

The phone has minor lag and delays when opening key applications, they're not big delays and the average user probably wouldn't notice, however it's obvious for anyone that has experienced a lag free device.

There is no perfect device and you would expect there to be some issues, but not lag on the fastest device on the market, it's very frustrating.

To be honest, once you get past the novelty factor, it is an average phone. TouchWiz lag kills me and my phone is always using 1.5GB of the 1.7GB available RAM always. When I clear it, it goes down to 1.23GB of the 1.7GB...ridiculous!

874MB/1.78GB here, what are you installing on there Chris?

 

[Lacit1707]

im getting mine soon...but why is the phone $250?

it should be 200$ at verizon...

 

[DragonSlayer95]

im getting mine soon...but why is the phone $250?

it should be 200$ at verizon...

$179 on amazon

 

[jlrosell]

Simple answer. Yes!!!
(I had a bionic too.)
I love this phone. And especially with Nova Launcher.

 

[tnowicki]

im getting mine soon...but why is the phone $250?

it should be 200$ at verizon...

It's $250 with a $50 mail-in rebate.