HTC One vs Galaxy S4

[camw14]

Currently trying to decide between these two devices and it is proving very difficult thought you guys could help me out.

 

HTC One

• Superior Camera
• Boom Sound (Stereo front facing speakers)
• Superior Build Quality
• Beats Audio(not sure if good or bad as Linus suggests using Apollo in his review of Sennheiser momentums)
• Sense 5 (Linus seems to like it a lot, with new Android 4.3 KitKat coming as an update i believe it will be a very good software choice)
• 16Gb
• Superior Pixel Density and good colour representation

 

• No expandability (SD card slot)
• Non removable battery 
• battery life moderate (may need to carry battery pack)
• Weird button placement (HTC logo in the centre)
• position of lock button

Galaxy S4

• Many camera features (picture in picture etc)
• Removable backplate
• expandable storage (up to 64 additional gigabytes)
• replaceable battery
• touchwiz 
• hard home button 
• Multi window multitasking
• group play etc
• Superior Battery life (with bigger battery)
• Display quality very good (but over saturated)

 

• 'Cheap' construction
• only 10 gb useable of built in 16 (because of large OS)
• Speaker quality not very good

I've put together a short list here based on my research so any recommendations you have especially if you own the device would be welcome.

 

* at the moment i am leaning towards HTC one but i am remaining open

[Freaky_spider]

HTC ONE!!! great build quality, battery life is GOOD, it drains 10% if i watch 1 hour of YT on wifi, the screen if beautifull, the camera isnt the best at zooming in, but hey, its a phone not a DSLR... low light photo's are beter then the S4 (which i find to be more important)

 

EDIT: source, i own the phone

Edited November 6, 2013 by Freaky_spider

[Guest]

I took the One.

 

Because I don't like bloatware Samsung has put on it. (however that's fixable by flashing rom or removing manually if possible)

 

Because I like the aluminium build. Plastic back is fine and absorbs impact. It's just that aluminium is prettier for me.

 

Battery life is about the same I guess between the 2 even though the S4 has a larger one. The larger screen offsets the extra energy in the battery I suppose+bloatware.

 

I was interested in the Boomsound feature and when I had my previous HTC One X I was like: Who do manufacturers put speakers on the back of phones? It's something I thought about frequently.

 

Then when the One came out they nailed it right on the head and I fell in love.

 

 

Also Sense 5 is really great and light.

 

My preference goes out to the One. S4 is equal, just different strokes for different folks.

[Bluethulhu]

I currently have the S4 and really regret the purchase. I think I should have gone with the one. A lot of the pros for the S4 really don't come into the real-world much. I never change my SD card or replace the battery. The bloatware and UI is terrible. I have lag problems all the time, even when typing a note or texting. The build feels really cheap and it's extremely slippery. The thing is probably going to break in a week because it falls out of my hands so much and hits the ground. I can think of many more reasons to hate the S4.

[Guest Jagobeth]

Just pick the htc one its cheaper 

[camw14]

Thanks guys big help, I think we should keep this thread alive as it is a choice that many are going through with these being the top two (normal size ) phones on the market at the moment

[GamerDude]

I chose the S4 over the One simply because I need more storage space, and the S4 with a mSD slots wins. Sure, the One has a 'premium' feel and look, the S4's all plastic, but I always get a protective case (by SPG or Casemate) to prevent or minimize any damage should I drop it.......so, having an all aluminum body isn't critical to me. Yes, we all know the One has Beats Audio, but I'm sure you guys know it's simply an equalizer setting to boost bass by a fair bit.....great for bassheads I guess, but NOT for someone looking for a more balanced sound.

 

I have no issue with it, while I was using it, great phone.....and the quad core CPU at 1.9ghz ensures it can run apps very quickly and efficiently. I had no problem playing ripped 720P movies on it, but I agree the side speaker is rather weak, but I usually have my AT or Shure earbuds with me so that's a non-issue for me. IF it were so good, why did I change it you might ask.....I sold it at a good price and went for the Note 3 since I prefer a larger screen. The Xperia Z Ultra is a tad too big and thin (it flexes when pressure is applied to both ends or at the center). If the One comes with 128GB storage and NO Beats Audio.......I might just get it.

[DAGEEK]

its personal preference i personally would get the S4

[Satlen]

I just bought an S4 simply because I root my phones and install CyanogenMod on them right away. So, between the two, it came down to hardware, no software. The main reason I chose the S4 is because of the removable battery and storage. The battery will shows its use in about a year or so when it starts to die out, I just buy a new one, and move on. Storage isnt a problem if you install an AOSP rom, so that does't bother me, i just like to keep all my media separate from the phone itself.

[jrfox87]

I would go with the HTC One for one simple reason, since the S4 uses AMOLED for its screen burn in can become a problem over some time. Some may notice it, some may not, but I sure do and I hate it.

[Focux]

I chose the S4 over the One simply because I need more storage space, and the S4 with a mSD slots wins. Sure, the One has a 'premium' feel and look, the S4's all plastic, but I always get a protective case (by SPG or Casemate) to prevent or minimize any damage should I drop it.......so, having an all aluminum body isn't critical to me. Yes, we all know the One has Beats Audio, but I'm sure you guys know it's simply an equalizer setting to boost bass by a fair bit.....great for bassheads I guess, but NOT for someone looking for a more balanced sound.

I have no issue with it, while I was using it, great phone.....and the quad core CPU at 1.9ghz ensures it can run apps very quickly and efficiently. I had no problem playing ripped 720P movies on it, but I agree the side speaker is rather weak, but I usually have my AT or Shure earbuds with me so that's a non-issue for me. IF it were so good, why did I change it you might ask.....I sold it at a good price and went for the Note 3 since I prefer a larger screen. The Xperia Z Ultra is a tad too big and thin (it flexes when pressure is applied to both ends or at the center). If the One comes with 128GB storage and NO Beats Audio.......I might just get it.

Ur just the guy to help me out!!

[Feveredbike]

I own an HTC One that is running GPE 4.2.2. It's a great phone; awesome build (although if you drop it the damage will show much more than a plastic phone) amazing display, and my favorite part: the speakers. My biggest gripe with it is the camera. Using the GPE the quality of the camera is a bit worse than when using Sense. Its 4 megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera is a bit of a let down. In daylight the camera tends to have bad glare in the edges and the images just don't look that sharp. It's advertised as having really good lowlight performance, which it does, but there is one mighty flaw in that: the software bug that makes everything look purple due to the huge automatic iso bump. Not all HTC Ones have this problem and a fix for it was rolled out in 4.3, but it did not make its way into GPE 4.3. I would consider myself someone who cares more about cameras than the average person so this is a big frustration for me, but if you don't really use the camera too heavily it shouldn't be too much of a deal breaker. Just my two cents. 

[Javathejhut]

Don't even list expandable storage as a boon for the s4. These phones are constantly killing SD cards, I've had two die already and know lots of people with this issue.