Samsung Galaxy S4 w Stock Android or Regular S4 / HTC One?

[TheMadMan697]

So I am thinking of moving from my iPhone 4 to something better. I am thinking giving android a shot for a change, mainly because I don't think apple will release something with a larger screen and I think I would like something a little bigger. (4.2 - 5")

 

I am looking for the best and most up to date android experience I can get so at first I was tempted to get the nexus 4, however the lack of LTE and poor battery life have turned me off that one. I was also looking at some of the top of the line devices like the Samsung galaxy S4 and the HTC one. I hear that Google are launching a version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 next month with stock android like a nexus device.Now when I was looking at the Galaxy S4 and the HTC one, I think I prefer the HTC one because of the excellent build quality and also I am not a fan of the bright and toyish looking feel to the touchwiz interface on the S4.

 

So I am still wondering what I should do.

 

I have seen people selling a few week old models of the HTC one and the S4 for much less than full price so I am tempted to get one of these. I would almost certainly end up rooting the device and putting something like CyanogenMod on it. I was wondering would there be any advantage to waiting for Google to launch the version of the S4 with stock android vs using a custom rom on a normal S4. Will there be any advantages to this. Perhaps it will get updates quicker? I am not sure how fast something like CyanogenMod updates to the latest build of android, perhaps someone can let me know.

 

Mainly I just want to know what you guys think. Perhaps I should wait for the next nexus device or the new iPhone :)

 

[ERSCreeper]

If the HTC One was sold here I would get one but sadly its not sold here so I think I would settle for any smartphone that suited my needs like the Nexus 4 which is also not sold here. Living in Africa problems...

[TheMadMan697]

If the HTC One was sold here I would get one but sadly its not sold here so I think I would settle for any smartphone that suited my needs like the Nexus 4 which is also not sold here. Living in Africa problems...

 

That sucks but at least you will have more money in your pocket :)

[ERSCreeper]

That sucks but at least you will have more money in your pocket :)

Money. Pffff what money?

[arkon]

Get an HTC One (because of its superior build quality) and throw something like CM on it. Those third-party ROMs are typically updated pretty frequently, especially for popular phones like the One. (I expect about 2-3 updates a week for the AOKP ROM I use on my GS3.)

[Thibaudv]

I would say go with the phone you like the most, because you can always throw a ROM on there. Samsung is only making a stock S4 because the HTC One is way more popular with rom builders; so now you should really decide on hardware instead of software :)

[Zappy]

I would say go with the phone you like the most, because you can always throw a ROM on there. Samsung is only making a stock S4 because the HTC One is way more popular with rom builders; so now you should really decide on hardware instead of software :)

 

You know Cyanogen Mod came to the S4 before even one for a version for the HTC One was even out.

 

So I am thinking of moving from my iPhone 4 to something better. I am thinking giving android a shot for a change, mainly because I don't think apple will release something with a larger screen and I think I would like something a little bigger. (4.2 - 5")

 

I am looking for the best and most up to date android experience I can get so at first I was tempted to get the nexus 4, however the lack of LTE and poor battery life have turned me off that one. I was also looking at some of the top of the line devices like the Samsung galaxy S4 and the HTC one. I hear that Google are launching a version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 next month with stock android like a nexus device.Now when I was looking at the Galaxy S4 and the HTC one, I think I prefer the HTC one because of the excellent build quality and also I am not a fan of the bright and toyish looking feel to the touchwiz interface on the S4.

 

So I am still wondering what I should do.

 

I have seen people selling a few week old models of the HTC one and the S4 for much less than full price so I am tempted to get one of these. I would almost certainly end up rooting the device and putting something like CyanogenMod on it. I was wondering would there be any advantage to waiting for Google to launch the version of the S4 with stock android vs using a custom rom on a normal S4. Will there be any advantages to this. Perhaps it will get updates quicker? I am not sure how fast something like CyanogenMod updates to the latest build of android, perhaps someone can let me know.

 

Mainly I just want to know what you guys think. Perhaps I should wait for the next nexus device or the new iPhone :)

First of all why is LTE a concern when O2, Vodafone and Three don't seem to have a working LTE network at the moment. Anyway that point aside without a stock android rom you'll probably be waiting about a month or 2 before the first custom roms of the new version of Android (ie the rumored 4.3 coming soon) comes to phone to a non-Google experience probably around the same time for both the HTC One and carrier Galaxy S 4 if that's a problem then you should get a Nexus or Google S4. As for the Stock S4, Google has only confirmed it coming to the US Play Store and they haven't discussed any plans so far to take internationally so if you went that route you might have to import it. You could possibly transform your regular S4 as it's the same hardware except the OS version, to a Google Edition but nobody has a phone and nobody really knows right now.

 

Though if I had to pick a phone, i'd go with the HTC One, the Galaxy S4 is too big to use one handed which is big minus for me, the iPhone 5s will be just more of the same from Apple and who knows what the next Nexus will look like and would it really be worth 7-8 months to wait on the purchase.

[Thibaudv]

You know Cyanogen Mod came to the S4 before even one for a version for the HTC One was even out.

 

In fact I did not know that! I only heard about the rumors of CM not coming to the S4 when it wasn't released yet :)

 

But I do know that HTC phones have always been really popular with rom builders.

[TheMadMan697]

You know Cyanogen Mod came to the S4 before even one for a version for the HTC One was even out.

 

First of all why is LTE a concern when O2, Vodafone and Three don't seem to have a working LTE network at the moment. Anyway that point aside without a stock android rom you'll probably be waiting about a month or 2 before the first custom roms of the new version of Android (ie the rumored 4.3 coming soon) comes to phone to a non-Google experience probably around the same time for both the HTC One and carrier Galaxy S 4 if that's a problem then you should get a Nexus or Google S4. As for the Stock S4, Google has only confirmed it coming to the US Play Store and they haven't discussed any plans so far to take internationally so if you went that route you might have to import it. You could possibly transform your regular S4 as it's the same hardware except the OS version, to a Google Edition but nobody has a phone and nobody really knows right now.

 

Though if I had to pick a phone, i'd go with the HTC One, the Galaxy S4 is too big to use one handed which is big minus for me, the iPhone 5s will be just more of the same from Apple and who knows what the next Nexus will look like and would it really be worth 7-8 months to wait on the purchase.

 

I'm on the three Ireland network. They will be starting to rollout 4G from august this year. It will be longer before they get to where I am but I want my phone to support it in the liklyhood that I do get LTE in my area within the next year or 2. I agree with what people here are saying here and I am probably going to decide based on hardware and get a HTC one.

[Zappy]

In fact I did not know that! I only heard about the rumors of CM not coming to the S4 when it wasn't released yet :)

 

But I do know that HTC phones have always been really popular with rom builders.

 

Well there are two different stories with the S4, S4s that runs the Exynos processors and the LTE models with the Snapdragon processors. The rom makers HATE the exynos model and there's nothing for that but the Snapdragon processor is well documented so that's where they are putting all their support for the phone.

[kprice789]

To be honest I use Cyanogenmod 10.1 and it is NOT stable enough for me on my Galaxy S3, my mobile network drops all the time, coverage is spotty, randomly heats up for no reason.  For the most up to date, reliable, and stable android experience you would have to go with the S4 from Google Play Store. Sure the build quality is great on the HTC one, but it lakes features like, wireless charging, micro SD card, interchangeable battery. These are huge to me, not sure if they are to you. If I were shopping for a phone , this is the route I would go and why. Hope this helps!  

[TheMadMan697]

To be honest I use Cyanogenmod 10.1 and it is NOT stable enough for me on my Galaxy S3, my mobile network drops all the time, coverage is spotty, randomly heats up for no reason.  For the most up to date, reliable, and stable android experience you would have to go with the S4 from Google Play Store. Sure the build quality is great on the HTC one, but it lakes features like, wireless charging, micro SD card, interchangeable battery. These are huge to me, not sure if they are to you. If I were shopping for a phone , this is the route I would go and why. Hope this helps!  

 

Ya I am starting to think about the S4 too now, I still haven't pulled the trigger and bought anything. The S4 has a lot of pluses apart from the build quality. I think I prefer the 3 button layout on bottom with one physical button and also the power button on side where it is easy to press.  I have to say though if I had to stick with the default rom on the phone I do prefer the look of sense 5 on the HTC. If I was getting the S4 it would be the i9505 model, I am really curious to know if the stock android version will be somehow compatible with a regular S4, that would be so awesome but I guess its too early to tell if it will be possible. I wont be able to purchase from the play store because I am from Ireland. It would likely be difficult to get my hands on an S4 with stock android, if i get a good deal on a regular S4 or HTC one I will likely buy it, I am looking at phones that are a few days old or brand new that people are selling privately because I can save myself quite a bit of money this way. 

[Zappy]

The S4 will have the software advantages that the Nexus has with it's custom roms, where a fully compatible base stock android rom will be released. CM 10.1 on the GS4 will probably get more stable than any S3 version ever got.

[Militia]

I have had the HTC one for about a week now and have spent s crazy amount of time on it. Infact its one of those things like getting a new computer or laptop and spending the first couple days just tweaking everything except its been a week and i still find myself trying things out etc. 

HTC sense has a few unusual hiccups and weird way of doing the app drawer and home etc. However its actually pretty good once you figure it out blink feed works well and actually i find myself using more often now. i tried a few mods but i actually found myself going back to sense!! the htc one has everything except those gimmick features on S4.

Build quality, display, and sound are easily the best. it feels snappier then the S4 but i have only used S4 for two days extensively, I prefer the HTC one.

i came from IPHONE 4s then S3, then nexus 4 then HTC one, i go through a lot of phones because i can upgrade every year with my team plan.

btw the S4 build quality isnt bad its just not HTC one or "apple" they have excuses for it but they just sound like excuses, 

 

can you get your hands on them to just try it out and feel for yourself?

 

Hope that helps 

[Militia]

oh careful they may be doing a HTC one stock android could be false but maybe if you cant decide right away keep your eye out for that. 

[Militia]

HTC One 'Google Edition' with stock Android reportedly in the works | The Verge

[Semi1114]

Here is my 3 favorite smartphones on the market right now

1.Galaxy s4 with stock android

2.HTC one

3.Nexus 4

[Militia]

nexus 4 has terrible battery life and no LTE just doesnt cut it

galaxy feels terrible. greasy flex's and cracks, just doesnt seem right for that much 

[kprice789]

HTC One 'Google Edition' with stock Android reportedly in the works | The Verge

If this becomes true, this would truly be the one for me I think. However I would still like wireless charging, I can do without removable storage or battery, but I have grown so used to wireless charging on my S3 I'm not sure I could go back.

[CAC1291]

Be careful what people tell you about the S4. It's a great phone, but in terms of ROM support, the HTC One has it beat completely. They just unlocked the bootloader for the AT&T version here in the states, and there aren't many ROMs since an unlocked bootloader is kind of necessary to flash a rom. At first, they said Cyanogenmod wasn't coming to the S4, but now it looks like it will; it isn't out yet, and they aren't in a rush for it. The One, on the other hand, has an easily unlocked bootloader, and HTC has gone out of their way to make things easy for the dev community. You can find many ROMs for the One, including the big ones like CM 10.1, AOSP, and AOKP. Just take a look over at the XDA forums. 

 

I'm currently in the same situation as you. My S3 got some water damage, and now I'm trying to decide which one to get. Leaning towards the One because I will probably root/ throw a ROM on it right away, as I've become completely used to stock android. It depends on your preferences. I love my S3, but from what I can see, the build quality has actually gotten worse for the S4.

 to see what I mean.

 

The only real downside to the HTC One is that the aluminum body transfers heat better so it WILL heat up quicker and easier than the S4.

 

It's ultimately your personal preference.