3bs
macrumors 603
It's a Motorola phone so why would it be sold in the Play store? Google would be playing favourites then.
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S4 Google Play Edition vs Nexus 4 (both shipped)
- Thread starter THE JUICEMAN
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It's a Motorola phone so why would it be sold in the Play store? Google would be playing favourites then.
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
Based on prior history of product releases and availability on Google Play, not so sure that's actually an advantage. 😉
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It may have specs that would currently be considered mid-range but based on rumors, they are far better than the Nexus. If it truly is priced between the two, I'd personally skip the Nexus altogether as an option--however I've also owned the Nexus 4 and couldn't get past it's shortcomings, not worth it, even at its price.
mattopotamus
macrumors Pentium
Good point. It will have a newer, not faster processor and a better camera. Also, maybe better build quality? Also LTE. Other than that I don't see how it's much better than the nexus.
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Yep. I don't remember his name but they guy I'm the video that had to sign an NDA from Motorola. That's his idea too and it makes a lot of sense.
blackhand1001
macrumors 68030
The battery will probably be several times better and to a lot of people that is a big deal, especially on a phone that is expected to be priced so low. With contracts starting to be phased out people are going to start being wary of dropping 600-700 on a phone. (At&T and Verizon are tired of subsidizing iphones by 400-500 dollars.)
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
My biggest gripes about the Nexus 4 were battery life, camera, and lack of LTE. LTE is a given, the camera is likely better and I'd be surprised if battery life is worse (huge mistake if it is). If it can offer improvements in all of these areas with what's rumored to be an optimized user experience (always on functionality looks slick if the battery life doesn't suffer from it), I'd say it's easily worth the extra cost vs. the Nexus.
0dev
macrumors 68040
If you want an Android phone on a budget it's hard to beat for sure, but if you have the money for something better, it's obvious it's not the best option. It's almost a year old now after all. And, as stupid as it may sound, the main thing turning me off it is the lack of micro SD slot, especially since the maximum built in storage is 32GB.
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
32GB?? Last time I checked, max was still 16GB--another reason I ended up ditching the Nexus 4.
0dev
macrumors 68040
I really should learn when to go to bed... 16GB is what I meant. I had to write it off for that reason alone since I filled up my 16GB iPhones ages ago and I avoid fixed storage when I can these days. Being able to buy a new card is far cheaper and easier than buying a new higher capacity phone. Even worse is when the higher capacity version of your phone doesn't even exist.
GS4 GE is much newer, has latest specs, IR balster, 13MP camera, AMOLED display etc. whereas, nexus 4 doesn't offer the latest specs, a bit small screen, old camera, 720 p screen, etc. so my opinion would be to go for the GS4 GE
Thanks. That's what I'm going to do. It's scheduled to be delivered tomorrow! I will just refuse delivery on the Nexus 4 when it arrives.
mattopotamus
macrumors Pentium
I agree that if money is no issue the s4 GE is a no brainer. It is better in every single way. I just want to be done paying $600+ for unlocked phones!
Thanks. Haha yes me too! Hopefully I can eventually sell my iPhone 5. That should put a nice dent in the $700 S4.
I am not sure it is $350 better than N4 now that i have one (well, more like a normal S4 turned into a GPE one).
Because i still cannot like the AMOLED, something is just off. I don't know what, but the LCDs in HTC, Nexus and iPhone still look better to me *shrug*.
Also the camera is better than N4, but with the stock android software, it is not $350 better.
I wish HTC had a 13 MP cam in their device and then i would have just bought it and recommended it instead.
LTE and micro SD are a plus though.
Build quality is kinda meh. I like solid feeling phones. Even with a case the S4 isn't feeling as great to me.
I am patiently looking at Moto X or new Nexus to see if they can finally give me the good screen+good camera+ amazing battery life+ screaming smooth performance I am looking for.
Because i still cannot like the AMOLED, something is just off. I don't know what, but the LCDs in HTC, Nexus and iPhone still look better to me *shrug*.
Also the camera is better than N4, but with the stock android software, it is not $350 better.
I wish HTC had a 13 MP cam in their device and then i would have just bought it and recommended it instead.
LTE and micro SD are a plus though.
Build quality is kinda meh. I like solid feeling phones. Even with a case the S4 isn't feeling as great to me.
I am patiently looking at Moto X or new Nexus to see if they can finally give me the good screen+good camera+ amazing battery life+ screaming smooth performance I am looking for.
Great points. I have always been with you on the AMOLED vs LCD screen. I think I still am. But after playing with a few S4's in the store it's growing on me. I think the screen is really good it's just the whites are not "white". I think it's my best option on the play store now. Once the New Nexus comes a long ill re evaluate.
Disclaimer: Sorry long post. This is to share and to get my own thoughts out of my head. 🙂
Well folks. I do really appreciate the help. After only 24 hours I'm once again back to the iPhone 5. I will be returning my S4 GPE and I already refused the Nexus 4 delivery.
I may need to finally come to the realization that Android is just not for me and I prefer iOS. I'm not saying that is a negative.
My impressions of the S4:
Hardware:
Great screen! But I personally do not like AMOLED screens. I have discovered that this still applies even in 1080P.
While the build quality I found to be mildly better than the S3 it still isn't for me. The casing creaked and the plastic slimy back was no fun to hold on to. The power button was fine to push. The volume buttons were just okay. Speaker was also just okay.
While I wanted to have the home button to wake the phone I hated pushing it to go home and double tapping to multitask. I originally planned to root and add on screen buttons but I just don't feel like doing that. I know it's not that difficult but oh well. Notification light was great and useful.
Battery life was better than any Android phone I've had so far. I estimate I would have gotten about 5-6 hours of on screen time. I was on 15% when I got home around 6-7. So close to 12 hours. Not bad.
I found the size of the device manageable for sure but not comfortable.
The screen seemed sticky to me. Hard to slide my finger around. Nexus, HTC, iPhone etc didn't. Maybe that just needed some time for the oils to sink in. Lol
Software:
Android is MUCH better than it was with project butter. However it still is not as fluid and smooth and quick as I would like it to be. Call me crazy but my Nexus 4 and the Nexus 4 in the T Mobile store today seemed much snappier. Is it the hardware and software being made in tandem that achieves this?
Notifications are fantastic.
Apps are still behind iPhone in my opinion as far as polish and quality. Apps that I use daily were just not the same. I was surprised to find some stuttering in chrome and gmail as well. Keep in mind this is MINIMAL lag we are talking about here. But it still bothers me.
The on screen buttons on the Nexus are much better for navigating around the OS than the S4 or the One GE's.
The stock keyboard and touch response in general just doesn't seem as sensitive IMO.
I'll be keeping a close eye on the next Nexus and possibly the moto x if it gets the google play edition treatment.
Until then it's back to iPhone 5 which I always enjoy most after changing. As overly familiar as it is.
I look at it as trade offs. Either you take what Apple thinks is best for you and deal with the trade offs that come with that. Or you do what you want to do with Android and deal with those trade offs. I'm hoping that soon there can be a happy medium FOR ME. Sorry for the long post again but I wanted to get my thoughts out there.
Edit: after reading about the moto x being AMOLED that might kill it for me. I'll have to see the screen in person but LCD is my cup of tea.
Well folks. I do really appreciate the help. After only 24 hours I'm once again back to the iPhone 5. I will be returning my S4 GPE and I already refused the Nexus 4 delivery.
I may need to finally come to the realization that Android is just not for me and I prefer iOS. I'm not saying that is a negative.
My impressions of the S4:
Hardware:
Great screen! But I personally do not like AMOLED screens. I have discovered that this still applies even in 1080P.
While the build quality I found to be mildly better than the S3 it still isn't for me. The casing creaked and the plastic slimy back was no fun to hold on to. The power button was fine to push. The volume buttons were just okay. Speaker was also just okay.
While I wanted to have the home button to wake the phone I hated pushing it to go home and double tapping to multitask. I originally planned to root and add on screen buttons but I just don't feel like doing that. I know it's not that difficult but oh well. Notification light was great and useful.
Battery life was better than any Android phone I've had so far. I estimate I would have gotten about 5-6 hours of on screen time. I was on 15% when I got home around 6-7. So close to 12 hours. Not bad.
I found the size of the device manageable for sure but not comfortable.
The screen seemed sticky to me. Hard to slide my finger around. Nexus, HTC, iPhone etc didn't. Maybe that just needed some time for the oils to sink in. Lol
Software:
Android is MUCH better than it was with project butter. However it still is not as fluid and smooth and quick as I would like it to be. Call me crazy but my Nexus 4 and the Nexus 4 in the T Mobile store today seemed much snappier. Is it the hardware and software being made in tandem that achieves this?
Notifications are fantastic.
Apps are still behind iPhone in my opinion as far as polish and quality. Apps that I use daily were just not the same. I was surprised to find some stuttering in chrome and gmail as well. Keep in mind this is MINIMAL lag we are talking about here. But it still bothers me.
The on screen buttons on the Nexus are much better for navigating around the OS than the S4 or the One GE's.
The stock keyboard and touch response in general just doesn't seem as sensitive IMO.
I'll be keeping a close eye on the next Nexus and possibly the moto x if it gets the google play edition treatment.
Until then it's back to iPhone 5 which I always enjoy most after changing. As overly familiar as it is.
I look at it as trade offs. Either you take what Apple thinks is best for you and deal with the trade offs that come with that. Or you do what you want to do with Android and deal with those trade offs. I'm hoping that soon there can be a happy medium FOR ME. Sorry for the long post again but I wanted to get my thoughts out there.
Edit: after reading about the moto x being AMOLED that might kill it for me. I'll have to see the screen in person but LCD is my cup of tea.
Last edited:
MRU
macrumors Penryn
^ at least you tried matey.. At the end of the day we all have our own subjective preferences and tastes and there is no 'one device to rule them all'... Personally I wish Apple would release a 4.3-4.5" iPhone this year, so I'm likely to hover around different phones until next September till they do 🙂