Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One

[MiuraSV777]

Hey guys, I am going to be getting a new phone soon, and I am wondering which is better; the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. I currently have the galaxy s1. (On sprint)

Their specs both seem to be similar, but the main thing I don't like in each is:

The HTC doesn't have a removable back, so I can't get to the battery pack, ect., and that the S4 is made of polycarbonite, and not metal.

What do you guys think? Who has experience with either of these?

 

[Grayfox]

I have the nexus 5.

I love it.

No bloatware, no waiting for updates.

 

[F1GTR]

Get the HTC One or as Grayfox recommends, the Nexus 5. TouchWiz on the Samsung is just a horrible laggy mess that's full of useless rubbish. And HTC/LG won't try to blame you if your phone catches fire while charging.

 

[Azuremen]

Nexus 5. Save yourself the trouble of Samsung's nonsensical Touchwiz or HTC's Sense.

 

[Shaun]

Yep go the Nexus 5.
If you must get one of the other two at least root it and install CyanogenMod or something along that line to get rid of the horrible bloatware.

 

[Omnis]

I have the HTC One and I love it. Works as a phone, works for surfing the web, and works great for watching youtube. The boomsound forward-facing stereo speakers are really the high point for me. I would really miss them if using any other phone.

That said, android keyboards for me are freaking terrible. I hate them and had to buy swiftkey. Even that isn't great, but it's better than stock. Apple's keyboards are miles better.

 

[Azuremen]

That said, android keyboards for me are freaking terrible. I hate them and had to buy swiftkey. Even that isn't great, but it's better than stock. Apple's keyboards are miles better.

You've never used the native keyboard is part of the problem. It honestly works better than Apple's or SwiftKey in my opinion.

 

[Omnis]

The google one? Yes, I have. Sense's keyboard is just turrible though.

 

[Pagey279]

What is this Touchwiz thing on the S4? I've got one and haven't experienced a single problem yet.

 

[mp10]

I've got myself a HTC One recently, working at a local phone store i got it at a good price and traded in my S3, i prefer the look and feel of the HTC One. I prefer the Samsung camera however the HTC one is not far off, there's no micro sd card slot on the HTC but 32GB is more than enough storage. With the latest 4.3 android update, there are a few things i don't like on the HTC One, you can't create folders on the Apps menu, keyboard has been slightly changed but then again you can also install the previous android version.

 

[k24plus]

Blackberry Z10! No just kidding, stay away, i regret buying mine! I'd choose the Samsung, HTC's build quality are often really rubbish. But the best way to check which phone is better quality, read the 7th and 8th numbers of the IMEI [DO NOT POST IMEI ONLINE] 00 = really really well built, not sure how far it goes but i've been to 04. anything less than 03, you shouldn't really get it as its usually scrap!

 

[Grayfox]

The IMEI number has no role in build quality.

 

[k24plus]

http://www.learnwithnet.com/2013/04/how-to-check-mobile-phones-quality.html

I've been trading with phones for 7 years now, the lower the number the better the quality of the phone. I can back that up.

 

[Grayfox]

And i am a PC tech.

Just saying the IMEI is like a VIN number on a car.

says where it was built, but does not determine quality.

Looking up IEMI phone quality on google mainly leads you to a cut and paste of the link you posted.

Every factory has its own quality controls and it does not mean one in mexcio will have bad quality controls compared to one in germany or finland.

 

[Azuremen]

And i am a PC tech.

The 17 year old in high school working at Best Buy can claim this as well, so what's your point?

Further, how does being a PC tech make you qualified to discuss phone quality?

Just saying the IMEI is like a VIN number on a car.

says where it was built, but does not determine quality.

It also tells you when it was built, which can tell you what series of parts where used in the model. This is true for cars and anything else with production run numbers, and recalls often target specific date windows as a result of a faulty production run.

So saying when and where it was built does inform you of possible quality concerns, so the IMEI or VIN indicate possible quality concerns by informing you of the when and where.

Every factory has its own quality controls and it does not mean one in mexcio will have bad quality controls compared to one in germany or finland.

Tell that to VW owners in the States

If every factory has its own quality controls, they won't all be the same and therefore you can have factories with better or worse control. Which means better and worse products based on production location. Which is directly related to the point k24plus is making.

Honestly, apply critical thinking before posting.

 

[Grayfox]

The 17 year old in high school working at Best Buy can claim this as well, so what's your point?

Further, how does being a PC tech make you qualified to discuss phone quality?

I also send faulty goods to repair agents.

Not seen anything that sayt IEMI with 00 will not fail compared to one with 08 or what ever.

It also tells you when it was built, which can tell you what series of parts where used in the model. This is true for cars and anything else with production run numbers, and recalls often target specific date windows as a result of a faulty production run.

So saying when and where it was built does inform you of possible quality concerns, so the IMEI or VIN indicate possible quality concerns by informing you of the when and where.

Tell that to VW owners in the States

Seeing as how many of the chips will come from china or a similar location, not much variance.

My first samsung had 05 as the 7th asd 8th digit, It was DOA out of the box, send my replaced one has 05 for 7th and 8th digit, It still works fine.

If every factory has its own quality controls, they won't all be the same and therefore you can have factories with better or worse control. Which means better and worse products based on production location. Which is directly related to the point k24plus is making.

Quality Control is set by the manufacturer to meet these standards.

The point is where it is made does not really matter, as with all electronics, they can all fail and if it does fail it is due to murphys law.

 

[Azuremen]

I also send faulty goods to repair agents.

Not seen anything that sayt IEMI with 00 will not fail compared to one with 08 or what ever.

Which again, means nothing. You don't handle the repairs and don't see all the relevant information.

Seeing as how many of the chips will come from china or a similar location, not much variance.

My first samsung had 05 as the 7th asd 8th digit, It was DOA out of the box, send my replaced one has 05 for 7th and 8th digit, It still works fine.

Fantastic that your limited first hand experience is the basis for your argument. Now tell that to all the early adopters of the iPhone 5 that had massive paint chipping issues, or those of the 4 that had call drop issues.

Or, for something that isn't a phone, the Razer Lycosa problems. Or the various models of the XBOX 360 that had problems, or the select runs of the PS3 with issues.

Quality Control is set by the manufacturer to meet these standards.

The point is where it is made does not really matter, as with all electronics, they can all fail and if it does fail it is due to murphys law.

You seem to be forgetting that quality control is handled by people with managers, and that managers will enforce policy to different extents. Just because some guy in Cupertino tells somebody to tell a guy at Foxconn to tell a floor manager to make sure XYZ is done doesn't mean it actually gets done to the letter.

Or did you not realize I was serious with my comment about the VW's produced in Mexico?

 

[k24plus]

^ You Sir are a Legend!

 

[Grayfox]

Which again, means nothing. You don't handle the repairs and don't see all the relevant information.

I book them in and then ship them.

I log every detail about the customer and details about the product, if it is a phone I log the IMEI or is that not enough information?

 

[Casio]

My first samsung had 05 as the 7th asd 8th digit, It was DOA out of the box, send my replaced one has 05 for 7th and 8th digit, It still works fine.

Hasn't mattered in quite a few years. Only prior to 2004 then the IMEI designate where the unit was produced. For example my Xperia Z1 starts with 35828905 as the IMEI code (TAC). Then followed by a serial number. Then a version number. The TAC generally changes for different variants/markets of the phone, different basebands\firmwares etc. (Technically, the IMEI is the number assigned to the modem, and the rest of the device is assigned to that modem). Again here are the possible TACs of the Xperia Z1.

C69xx
35809105
35809205
35809405
35828905 <- Me
35893505
35965205

SO-01F
35766205

SOL23
35809305

In this case the C69xx is defined by on what band of 4G modem it has in it (See below), so would have different TAC (I think JPN is SOL23 because, for example, they have different UMTS frequencies) :

LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6903
LTE 700 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6906
LTE 800 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6942

That said, while harder to find out than previously, it is possible to have specific problems related to a to a specific range of IMEI numbers, though manufactures will generally advertise problems off their own serial numbers, as they have more control over those. An IMEI does not specifically anymore state where the unit was made.

Source: I'm a PC Tech

 

[Azuremen]

I book them in and then ship them.

Sounds very involved.

I log every detail about the customer and details about the product, if it is a phone I log the IMEI or is that not enough information?

You apparently went for the wrong take on information - I was speaking of the information that people who handle repairs would notice, and as it is their job to do the actual work rather than to record and ship things, they are more aware of what is likely to fail on certain models and so on.

Kind of like how that mechanic can tell you that the first few months of a particular model run of car will have a problem with, say, the valve lifters, but that the issue had been resolved later in the run because they switched to a different company to source parts from.

Honestly, you seem to be so completely missing the point due to you self perception as an "expert" because you have a title as a PC tech. Being a PC tech can mean anything, Geek Squad at Best Buy are technically PC Techs and they can't find their way out of wet paper bag, for the most part.

 

[Joel]

#SHOTSFIRED