iPhone to Android

HTC One

S4 or wait for the Note III if you can.

One is a good option.

The S4 is a good choice, as is the HTC One and the Moto X.

LadyX said:

I'm a long time iPhone user. I had almost every iPhone model. My current phone is an iPhone 5. I've been seriously considering getting an Android smartphone for some weeks now and selling my iPhone 5. My brother has the S4 and my mother has the Note. I've been playing around with both and I loved both and I really want to own a Samsung smartphone. I'm leaning more towards the S4. What do you guys think? Which Android smartphone should I get?

Click to expand...

After being a long time user, my first Android phone was the Galaxy S3. I loved it. The Note series is awesome too.. but *might* be a bit overwhelming to someone who is accustom to an iPhone.

I'd say the best options at the moment are still the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

The One feels more like an iPhone. That being said, after owning both for an extended period of time.. I prefer the S4.

It has:

A removable battery
A microSD slot (which is awesome if you plan on rooting)
In my experiences, it has slightly better battery life than the One
It's screen is slightly bigger without the device footprint being bigger
It's lighter than the One
It's camera is superior

With all that being said, I must give the One it's due credit.

It's screen has better outdoor visibility
It's speakers are simply awesome
It's build does make it feel premium

I used both phones exclusively for over a month each. I just picked the Galaxy S4 in the end. Due to Samsung's brand, it will retain it's resale value more also.

Due look into the "Google Edition" of these phones though. That's where they really shine, in my opinion.

If you are buying from a carrier via a subsidized agreement.. you can still make the carrier versions into "Google Edition" phones via ROMs.

That's what I did with both phones. It was extremely easy.

I would recommend a Google Edition HTC One. You get the purest experience and arguably one of the best hardware designs out there.

LadyX said:

I'll look into both the HTC One and the S4. But what's the Google Edition?

Click to expand...

I'm assuming you know what Manufacturer skins are. Google Edition's are these phones running the newest version of Android without any skins or carrier bloat. It's running Android exactly as Google intended it. It will also receive OTA updates much faster than the carrier versions.

They can be found here.

Keep in mind, as I previously said, this can also be accomplished via rooting a normal S4/One.

LadyX said:

No, I'm sorry, I don't know what manufacturer skins are. I'm going to have to google that.

Click to expand...

They put their own spin on Android if that makes sense. Think of a basic cake (plain vanilla android), and then the same cake but with two layers, and more icing, and cherry toppings and whatever lol (Touchwhiz etc). I don't have a problem with skins now, back in the day, mehhhh... but the skins have gotten really good. Current touchwhiz is nice and nifty features over plain Android.... but personally I like custom roms, I run Shostock roms which are based off Touchwhiz, no bloat, and tweaked perfectly.

Oh yeh, go S4

LadyX said:

No, I'm sorry, I don't know what manufacturer skins are. I'm going to have to google that.

Click to expand...

Ever wonder why some Android phones look so different? Take a Samsung phone, and compare it to an HTC, Moto, LG, Sony, etc. They will all appear different. The icons, the color palettes, etc.

Each of these manufactures take the base of what Android really is, and they tweak it (should I say overhaul?) and make it different. Their goal is to try and differentiate so they stand out.

The outcome of this, is usually a more bloated experience.

Average consumers don't mind this because they don't know the difference.

LadyX said:

Ahh, now I get it. Do you guys recommend that I get the 'Google Edition' ready or to get a non 'Google Edition' and root it?

Click to expand...

I went for a regular AT&T version and flashed a custom ROM that is basically a tweaked Google Edition. I also rooted. If you've got the technical know how, it's simple enough.

LadyX said:

Just did some more reading on the Google Edition of the S4 and it seems that it's only available in the US?

Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it's a US only thing at the moment.

I'm not sure on the S4, but on the HTC One, it's possible to buy a regular version and convert it to the "Google Edition."

There is a TON of info here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/

I have an S4 and heartily recommend it, I preferred it over my iPhone 5, although I still regard the 5 as a superb phone. The Google edition S4 is not available in the UK either, if it was I would get it.

LadyX said:

Is it not possible to order one from the US and use it in another country? I live in the UAE.

Click to expand...

The US version will work in other countries. I'm not sure on LTE compatibility, HSPA+ will for sure work. It is possible to buy the normal one from your carrier and put the Google Edition ROM on it via root though.

Get a regular S4,you can always flash the GE rom if you want to.

Southernboyj said:

The US version will work in other countries. I'm not sure on LTE compatibility, HSPA+ will for sure work. It is possible to buy the normal one from your carrier and put the Google Edition ROM on it via root though.

Click to expand...

You don't need to be rooted to flash custom ROMs, just an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery.

daveathall said:

I have an S4 and heartily recommend it, I preferred it over my iPhone 5, although I still regard the 5 as a superb phone. The Google edition S4 is not available in the UK either, if it was I would get it.

Click to expand...

Same. I cannot understand why they are still restricting it to the US.

T5BRICK said:

You don't need to be rooted to flash custom ROMs, just an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery.

Click to expand...

You need to be rooted to install a custom recovery, or to install a ROM with the loki patch.

Not to mention, if you're rooted you can download ROM manager, and have it put the custom recovery on for you.

Southernboyj said:

You need to be rooted to install a custom recovery, or to install a ROM with the loki patch.

Not to mention, if you're rooted you can download ROM manager, and have it put the custom recovery on for you.

Click to expand...

To install a custom recovery you do not have to be rooted, just use Odin.

And custom roms are most likely pre-rooted.

LadyX said:

I'm a long time iPhone user. I had almost every iPhone model. My current phone is an iPhone 5. I've been seriously considering getting an Android smartphone for some weeks now and selling my iPhone 5. My brother has the S4 and my mother has the Note. I've been playing around with both and I loved both and I really want to own a Samsung smartphone. I'm leaning more towards the S4. What do you guys think? Which Android smartphone should I get?

Click to expand...

I'd say the S4. I left my iPhone 5 for it and I'm much happier to be honest. 5" screen and notification light make a huge difference. If you do end up getting a Note wait for the Note III which should arrive by September.

S4

If rivals the HTC One in terms of performance but with better battery life and camera.

I could honestly say I would get a S4 if I didnt have the One already. Having both balances each other's weaknesses. S4's only glaring weakness is build quality, and HTC One delivers it in spades. One's weaknesses can be the not so great batt life, no memory slot, no removable batt, and a 4MP that is terrible at macroshots and taking soft photos from a distance. S4 has excellent photos, better batt life, replaceable storage/battery, and a recent 4.2 Jelly Bean. And both have exclusive proprietary like One's BlinkFeed, Zoe, BoomSound, Beats while S4 has Smart Pause, Air Gestures, and S Translator.

I say get the Google Play edition if you want future Android updates or stick to the TouchWiz version to get all those Sammy goodies.

If you happen to have a Samsung HDTV, I say the S4 might be a smarter choice. I honestly believe they make the best TV's in the world over LG and Sony. Their SmartTV looks fantastic with the Kinectic-like controls. Not a fan of the plastic or Samsung paying posters to diss HTC products on net and overclocking the GPU to cheat on reviewer benchmark tests.

Honestly, I dont feel like supporting Apple or Samsung right now. Let them sue each other for all I care.

But if you can overlook all that from any company, then S4 makes a great choice. Top 3 in the world right now at the very least.