Nexus S alternatives - Nexus S General

I tried out a Nexus S, but for a couple unrelated reasons I had to return it. One thing that did bother me slightly was the screen. The edges of text looked fuzzy and had small red dots peppering the edges, I assume due to the pentile matrix.
I've been considering the Photon 4g as a replacement, as they aren't much more used and have better specs. But they still use a pentile matrix. Would the qHD resolution make much of a difference? I don't think moving from the sAMOLED to an LCD will bother me, except if the pentile fuzziness is more pronounced. Also, anything else I should be worried about comparing these phones? I really liked the size of the Nexus S and the performance really didn't bother me. I don't need the world's greatest camera. I mainly want a clear screen and a fluid UI.
I've also considered an Epic 4g Touch but it's quite a bit more expensive and I don't know how that resolution would fare at 4.5" (despite being RGB... better than Nexus S pentile at 4.0"?)

Get the i9023 then, a really crisp and clear screen but wont have the same contrast as the i9020. Also bear in mind what I feel is the real drawback of i9023 that it is noticeably thicker and heavier than the AMOLED version. It is also a bit taller but thats something you wont notice.

jryan388 said:
I tried out a Nexus S, but for a couple unrelated reasons I had to return it. One thing that did bother me slightly was the screen. The edges of text looked fuzzy and had small red dots peppering the edges, I assume due to the pentile matrix.
I've been considering the Photon 4g as a replacement, as they aren't much more used and have better specs. But they still use a pentile matrix. Would the qHD resolution make much of a difference? I don't think moving from the sAMOLED to an LCD will bother me, except if the pentile fuzziness is more pronounced. Also, anything else I should be worried about comparing these phones? I really liked the size of the Nexus S and the performance really didn't bother me. I don't need the world's greatest camera. I mainly want a clear screen and a fluid UI.
I've also considered an Epic 4g Touch but it's quite a bit more expensive and I don't know how that resolution would fare at 4.5" (despite being RGB... better than Nexus S pentile at 4.0"?)
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Go for a galaxy nexus or galaxy s2. Nexus s is outdated for jellybean, i think

Cascabreu said:
Nexus s is outdated for jellybean, i think
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That is just not true. NS is running better than ever on JB. If the GS3 or Galaxy Nexus is not an option, then look around the dev threads for the GS2 and Photon or whatever else you are considering and make sure you can get JellyBean on there some way or another, or at least something with active development.

You should have rooted and used voodoo sound to make colors more crisp

No way to get a i9023 in the US (at least very few available).
And I'm not looking for amazing contrast; I want clear lines. No matter what resolution, vertical lines should be crisp, and they're not. Pixellation is really quite annoying, and I would gladly trade sAMOLED for RGB LCD.

I think you have a defective nexus then. Cuz I have a i9020t and don't have what your talking abouy

It does sound like a defective Nexus S. I tried a lot in the shops before I bought one and I never came across the issue you describe. I ended up with the i9023 Super LCD version and the screen is absolutely fantastic. It would be worth looking around trying to find an i9023 if you're having problems with the AMOLED one.

g1user101 said:
I think you have a defective nexus then. Cuz I have a i9020t and don't have what your talking abouy
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We all share the same problems due to the lame pentile matrix, just that some of us are more sensitive to actually noticing it
IMO, pentile works when ppi is dense enough, like on the galaxy nexus
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

Unfortunately I need it on sprint. The i9023 is GSM only, right? Also, I considered the photon 4g but I don't want to wait till q4 for ics and it has a locked bootloader (why oh why, moto?) I would love something like the dinc2 or atrix 2 or sensation but sprint has a terrible selection. Doesn't need to be the fastest but $150 used is reasonable.
Also I got a replacement ns since the other was still activated and this one is turning blue if I tilt it past like 5 degrees in any direction and there is a small blue spot on the bottom right. So sick of problems.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app

You should get the s3 s2 or the gnex
Sent from my Nexus S 4g using xda premium

Related

EVO 3D: Pentile Display or Not?

This is a determining factor for me in whether or not I'd invest on the Evo 3D. Some articles list it as a drawback from AMOLED screens, and I'm hoping isn't something present in all qHD screens. If you don't know what I mean, here's a link:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4165/the-motorola-atrix-4g-preview/4
Apparently, it has 2 subpixels, rather than the usual 3, which lead to poor color reproduction, etc. It is supposed to help with battery drain, but at what cost is it worthwhile? Some Atrix owners are pretty upset and feel 'cheated' on this qHD gimmick. What do you guys think?
ive seen plenty of pentile screens and generally dont notice unless im reading a lot of text or i have the screen really bright, if i stare at it its obvious but generally watching videos it doesnt bother me unless its a really bright vivid color scheme like in The Fall where the colors contrast and pop out, im thinking that if i get the 3d i will be using it so much at first pentile is all i will see after awhile
Bringing this info into my idiot's guide.
The EVO 3d supposedly used slcd (super pcs) so it shouldn't have that problem.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
I'm very curious about this as well. I'm kind of on the fence on getting the EVO 3D, but if it turns out it's a pentile I'll likely wait. Hoping it's a super lcd, anything less would be ****ty on HTC's part.
Unless the specs are gonna change, Sprint says it'll have a qHD screen. Either way, it doesn't matter to me. I'm getting it.
http://now.sprint.com/evo3d/?ECID=vanity:evo3d
There's the link. Just click "View full specs."
qHD is just the resolution, it doesn't have anything to do with the type of screen it has.
With that pixel density, I'm sure you'll never notice a difference unless you're DIRECTLY comparing it to an iphone4. According to all those numbers, the EVOs screen is pretty lame. But I look at my screen every day and find it to be quite lovely. In a year or so, when way better stuff is out, maybe not so (I used to think the iphone 3gs screen was BEAUTIFUL, now it looks like **** to me). But I seriously doubt that the 2 year life of phones nowadays would be too long for me to put up with a pentile screen.
Having said that, I'll never get the EVO 3D or any other device with 3D attached to it. I truly don't care about 3D. And the kickstand is just way too dope to give up now
The other thread for evo 3d linked to a site that said the screen is slcd ...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

Does the S3's pentile matrix clinch victory for the HTC One X?

Strong opinion follows:
Wow, shocked.
The Galaxy SIII uses a pentile matrix, while the SII does not. The HTC One X does not either. The presence of a pentile matrix is something that most people dislike, for those who are new to the terms. It refers to a for lack of a better term, pixelated effect/screen door/slightly blurry/piezzo electric type of effect. People have a hard time describing it, but know it when they see it.
The HTC One X, a direct competitor to the S3, is receiving heaps of praise for its screen. In fact, many sites are calling it the nicest screen that they have ever seen on a smartphone (Anandtech and many other reputable sites).
I have seen the HTC One X, and it is without a doubt the nicest screen that I have ever seen as well. The iPhone 4/4S is STILL equally good, but it's just that it's 3.5 inches.
Anyway, I can not believe that Samsung would seemingly go backwards. In choosing the pentile matrix, which even before today had clearly been positioned as a less expensive screen, Samsung has sealed the One X as the phone to get for smartphone afficionados. Maybe not for the general public, but in my informal testing, everyone has noticed the pentile matrix.
As you can tell, I really loathe the pentile matrix, even at 1280x720p. I've used an iPhone before, so maybe I am spoiled, but I don't think it's too demanding to ask for a nice screen if you're willing to pay for a flagship device. After all, these devices are 90% screen. It's what you stare at and what you touch all day. I've also felt that the Samsung screens are too vibrant (not a big deal to me), but also too dim. As such, they probably could get better battery life purely b/c the max nits in the SII was only 300 nits vs 500 nits for the iphone 4 and one x.
Maybe Samsung has something else up its sleeve, but the S3 is to me no longer the phone to get. The One X with the Snapdragon 4 is definitely the way to go.
For Samsung's sake I hope that they did some market research regarding the effect of a pentile display on their flagship phone before deciding to cut corners.
I was all over the Galaxy Nexus until I saw the pentile. Waited for the S3 b/c surely that would have a premium display.
Sorry, self edit: there are more important things in life, but not as far as smartphones go :>
well, I also hoped for non pentile screen but it seems that right now it's not possible to make HD screens with non-pentile, if it was possible to make HD screens with real RGB then they would do that... and the One X use Tegra 3 not S4.
if you have used pentile before like on the original SGS1 or the Galaxy Nexus, (old HTC Desire, or several Nokia phones) and you liked it, then you'll love it
if you did not like it back then, you will not like it now, as simple as that.
I was hooked since SGS1
its it possible to notice the difference between non pentile and pentile screens at 720p?
diehard2222 said:
its it possible to notice the difference between non pentile and pentile screens at 720p?
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it's a lot less noticeable, due the smaller concentration of pixels
but people with sensitive eyes for Green / Blue will still get annoyed by the pentile screen purplish, bluish or greenish hue, which i don't see it unless i put the screen 45 degree to the left or to the right
diehard2222 said:
its it possible to notice the difference between non pentile and pentile screens at 720p?
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My opinion:
Definitely noticeable by everyone. Without question.
What varies is how much the effect bothers you, but will you see it, yes. Even on a 720p display.
If they made two identical versions of the S3, one with and one without the pentile, and cost was identical, service plan was identical, and let people see both before buying, my thinking is that 10 out of 10 people would choose the S3 without a pentile matrix.
diehard2222 said:
its it possible to notice the difference between non pentile and pentile screens at 720p?
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yes it is at a close distance. it sounds all good in spec but at rendering videos i don't know why Samsung always gets it wrong with pentile display. every time its supercurio who we have to turn to due to Samsung's incompitance.
lamenramen said:
Strong opinion follows:
Wow, shocked.
The Galaxy SIII uses a pentile matrix, while the SII does not.
The HTC One X, which is receiving heaps of praise, especially for its screen being the nicest many have ever seen on a smartphone (according to Anandtech and many other reputable sites), does not use a pentile matrix screen (not even the same screen tech).
I have seen the HTC One X, and it is without a doubt the nicest screen that I have ever seen as well. The iPhone 4/4S is STILL equally good, but it's just that it's 3.5 inches.
Anyway, I can not believe that Samsung would seemingly go backwards. In choosing the pentile matrix, which even before today had clearly been positioned as a less expensive screen, Samsung has sealed the One X as the phone to get for smartphone afficionados. Maybe not for the general public, but in my informal testing, everyone has noticed the pentile matrix.
As you can tell, I really loathe the pentile matrix, even at 1280x720p. I've used an iPhone before, so maybe I am spoiled, but I don't think it's too demanding to ask for a nice screen if you're willing to pay for a flagship device. After all, these devices are 90% screen. It's what you stare at and what you touch all day. I've also felt that the Samsung screens are too vibrant (not a big deal to me), but also too dim. As such, they probably could get better battery life purely b/c the max nits in the SII was only 300 nits vs 500 nits for the iphone 4 and one x.
Maybe Samsung has something else up its sleeve, but the S3 is to me no longer the phone to get. The One X with the Snapdragon 4 is definitely the way to go.
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Took the words right out of my mouth.
Deal breaker. Check in galaxy note forum for pentile screen issues, banding & black clipping/distortion in videos.
I.switched to one x from note especially for black clipping in videos.
For info, Note is also using pentile hd screen.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
why not wait for an official review/comparison before judging by ourselves?
Major killer point for the SGS3 IMO. Not impressed with Samusng. So much hype for this phone. And it disappoints.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
olyloh6696 said:
Major killer point for the SGS3 IMO. Not impressed with Samusng. So much hype for this phone. And it disappoints.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
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Its not Samsung who dissapoint its the press and fans who do that for themselves. Same thing happens with Apple for each iPhone. This phone will sell in the millions regardless, its the iPhone of the Android world now.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
i think if the One X hade a removable batterie and a SD Card it would be a SGS Killer
[email protected] said:
... and the One X use Tegra 3 not S4.
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But the One XL uses S4 Just forgot to say it
This is a super phone. The Note had a great screen. If that's what you call pentile, then it's a great screen
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
lamenramen said:
My opinion:
Definitely noticeable by everyone. Without question.
What varies is how much the effect bothers you, but will you see it, yes. Even on a 720p display.
If they made two identical versions of the S3, one with and one without the pentile, and cost was identical, service plan was identical, and let people see both before buying, my thinking is that 10 out of 10 people would choose the S3 without a pentile matrix.
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I don't notice it.
But some do, they say once you see it, you can't unsee it, but since I don't, it won't be a factor in my decision.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
The features of Samsungs touchwiz is what is going to set it apart. I played with a one x today and was sold it is an extremely solid phone, however im gonna wait and see what the AT&T gs3 is like before buying. I also want a phone with a large dev support/community.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2
at resolution as high as these, they're not that noticeable
Pixel density is too high
I'm guessing super amoled HD plus is still too expensive..the galaxy tab 7.7 has it..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
htc fan89 said:
I'm guessing super amoled HD plus is still too expensive..the galaxy tab 7.7 has it..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Yes Its on my Tab 7.7
By far the nicest screen I have seen on any device.
Probably is too expensive.

I think samsung should abandon the SAMOLED tech for now.

Burn-in, image retention, colors degrading with time my god there are so many issues with SAMOLED screens I personally dont feel that super amazing contrast is worth all that.
It seems with the galaxy S and nexus S the problems werent as huge as they have become with the SGS2, galaxy note and galaxy nexus. With an LCD phone if there is a problem it will be manufacturing problem and not something that would develop after several months.
It seems with every new generation of SAMOLED screen the image quality is getting better but the problems are getting worse. LCD's on the other hand are only getting better with no problems.
I think if samsung is unable to improve on the SAMOLED tech then they should just suspend it for now until they can improve it. Samsung makes the beautiful LCD on my nexus S, samsung also provides HTC with the screen of the HTC one X which is widely regarded as the best smartphone screen. Samsung also makes the screen of the ipad 3. Samsung obviously knows how to make an LCD thats better than the competition if they were to make one for their own flagship.
So what is your opinion on the matter?
people buy galaxy series for amoled screen so i dont think samsung ever going to stop making them..and as per anandtech review of htc one x display make is sony...
gs2...
manojcitc said:
people buy galaxy series for amoled screen so i dont think samsung ever going to stop making them..and as per anandtech review of htc one x display make is sony...
gs2...
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Alright, first of all, it's not amoled's problem. it is the pentile technology. it lowers the screen res because it shares sub pixels. However, the galaxy s ii uses AMOLED PLUS, the PLUS means it's like LCD, uses RGB layout, with superb colour contrast along with high res graphics, no pentile ruining the details. so just be patient until AMOLED HD PLUS comes out. It will have: High Res, No pentile, High Contrast. Believe me, it will be 100x better than the One X.
Billchen0014 said:
Alright, first of all, it's not amoled's problem. it is the pentile technology. it lowers the screen res because it shares sub pixels. However, the galaxy s ii uses AMOLED PLUS, the PLUS means it's like LCD, uses RGB layout, with superb colour contrast along with high res graphics, no pentile ruining the details. so just be patient until AMOLED HD PLUS comes out. It will have: High Res, No pentile, High Contrast. Believe me, it will be 100x better than the One X.
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But this doesn't sort out (mainly):
-Unnatural colours which need severe and constant attention as individual OLED lifetimes progress
-Strong possibility of burn in and an effectively similar effect (due to OLED lifetimes as above)
-Generally weak outdoors
I'm not sold on either path for the long term, but there is no denying LCDs in the current day have blown past practically all of their disadvantages. The only benefit i see of OLED technology in the foreseeable future is the ability to produce a "true" black (and lower power consumption as a result). While this is an awesome benefit, there is more far bad than good beyond this.
I'm unsure how far engineering can take OLEDs though. If we're hitting the peak of the bell curve i'd have to agree with the OP. Otherwise, competition and choice is good.
After using a samoled screen I could NEVER go back to the washed out colors of a standard led. I have yet to see any type of burn in on my screen. 90% of it's life will be with screen off anyway so really who cares.
____________________
Just Flash It !!!
Go to att store and look at the HTC one x screen. Come back and report that it screen is washed out....
This tech of display was a junk which has used on benq-Siemens mobile phone five years ago.
However, Samsung bought this from someone who develop this screen and keeping develop until now. The problems still don't fix:thumbdown::thumbdown:
In my eyes, Samoled looks really gorgeous and can't live without it. But that's just my opinion.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
albundy2010 said:
Go to att store and look at the HTC one x screen. Come back and report that it screen is washed out....
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No need to go that far, the i9023's SC-LCD is a stunning looking display. My Nexus S easily stands its ground next to my brothers new GNex (which happily doesn't have strong yellow/green tints stock, which makes me like his more than most OLEDs). Considering that it is close, the only benefit his has is definitely the black contrast (big benefit no doubt). Nothing else is particularly noteworthy above the other.
But i can leave my screen on all day knowing it will be just as pretty as always.
Heck even the nexus S i9023 has such a great LCD in my opinion. The colors are more saturated than an iphone 4 but not so much as SAMOLED which in my opinion is the best balance. It's also so visibly sharper and much better whites. If nexus S had retina pixel density then the SC-LCD could match the one X to be honest.
The advantages of SAMOLED are,
Pure blacks
Fastest response time
A smaller footprint which helps in making phones lighter and thinner
Now to me only the first one is a major advantage. But is it worth all the problems? I really dont think so.
Harbb said:
My Nexus S easily stands its ground next to my brothers new GNex
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Yes exactly when I first used the gnexus I thought it's going to blow away the display on my nexus S but it really didnt. I preferred the colors on nexus S and it was also visibly brighter at full brightness.
The gnexus does destroy it in black level but then the nexus S LCD does the same to the gnexus when you compare whites, they were simply horrible on the gnexus. I am really surprised google went with a white background in the messaging app, it not only looks bad on the gnexus but would kill battery as well.
Harbb said:
No need to go that far, the i9023's SC-LCD is a stunning looking display. My Nexus S easily stands its ground next to my brothers new GNex (which happily doesn't have strong yellow/green tints stock, which makes me like his more than most OLEDs). Considering that it is close, the only benefit his has is definitely the black contrast (big benefit no doubt). Nothing else is particularly noteworthy above the other.
But i can leave my screen on all day knowing it will be just as pretty as always.
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Here in the states it is rare to see people with a nexus period. Most that you do see are the sprints. Chances of a 9023 are basically nil.
But yeah if you know someone with a phone that has a good LCD check it out. Or just go down to the store and look. Better yet wait till sprint stores in the us put its version on HTC one x on display. Use that side by side with gnex
That last part was to the person that said LCD sucks. Not harbb
I find it really interesting that most of the people commenting in the thread seem to prefer LCD, but the poll dominates for SAMOLED.
Good point albundy, and i know what you were saying I've never actually seen an i9020A/T/4G myself so i can't compare them to the GNex and i can't remember the last time i saw an SGS around here.
As the poll is worded quite nicely, i think i'll actually vote for once. Too many polls are black and white, nicely played Gambler.
edit: Polls are just that, polls. Just as many people said cpuidle saved more battery than deep idle (i think for quite a while it was more in favor of cpuidle). Look at how that turned out
Back when I would edit photos on my nexus. I really wanted the exact right shade for my eyes on the picture.
Well after I edited the photo on my nexus, upload it to Book it was diffdnt
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA
Guys, I had a Nexus S i9023 (LCD), and my dad has a i9020T (samoled), and all i can say is that I wish I had his phone... the colors look MUCH MUCH MUCH nicer on a Samoled man!!!!!!!
Coming from a G2, the colors on the NS look much nicer. My phone has a minor blue line where the status bar is, but you really can't see it unless you concentrate on that area. The only reason I saw it was because of some friggin' super white background on some webpage
even if they look nicer they are still fake.
fake is not cool.
Sent from my LS670 using XDA
Shark_On_Land said:
even if they look nicer they are still fake.
fake is not cool.
Sent from my LS670 using XDA
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Go f*ck your iphone
Ps : sarcasm
Heh. Maybe. I enjoy looking at them. Had I been serious about taking photos, I'd probably get an actual camera.

Definitive upgrade from Galaxy Nexus?

Currently a Galaxy Nexus user since June (Galaxy Note before that), and I'm wondering if there are any plus points for the Galaxy Nexus apart from the removable battery?
I think there are other threads like this in the Q&A might want to look there . I cant think of any other plus points for the GNex though.
Well you might have gotten used to the AMOLED displays. Nexus 4 IPS LCD display isn't pentile and slightly denser so it is technically better but can't match the true blacks of AMOLED.
Most reviews say it is. But don't upgrade for the sake of upgrading. If you are perfectly happy stay (you are still guaranteed one more OS update), but if you find yourself cursing the device, check out the N4.
trailblazerz11 said:
Well you might have gotten used to the AMOLED displays. Nexus 4 IPS LCD display isn't pentile and slightly denser so it is technically better but can't match the true blacks of AMOLED.
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From Techradar:
"When you're looking at icons on a black background (like in the app drawer), you can't even see the black, if that makes sense. It is so deep, that icons just float."
Win.
The pogo pin-based desktop and car docks are a big plus for the Galaxy Nexus, IMHO.
The GN is a piece of turd compared to the N4...sell it, it would net you around $150 on Gazzell, add the difference and get the new thing.
trailblazerz11 said:
Well you might have gotten used to the AMOLED displays. Nexus 4 IPS LCD display isn't pentile and slightly denser so it is technically better but can't match the true blacks of AMOLED.
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AMOLED isn't true black.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
Sold my gnex for 275 on craigslist. Cant wait for the nexus 4!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
trailblazerz11 said:
Well you might have gotten used to the AMOLED displays. Nexus 4 IPS LCD display isn't pentile and slightly denser so it is technically better but can't match the true blacks of AMOLED.
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I've compared the AMOLED displays to IPS, the One X's to be precise, and IPS LCD looks sooo much better. The AMOLED displays make everything look slightly blue, so when I had anything white opened, it always looked blue.
Not gonna sell the GNex but will get a nexus 4 as soon as it's out.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Yea the whites and blacks on the IPS display are just about unmatched. On my gnex even with custom kernels the display was still jacked up looking. Stock was like a puke yellow and a good kernel was like a light bluish white. Never could get it white and or black. The s3 color reproduction was a lot better. But the IPS display still kills it in natural looking colors and the closest color reproduction to real life colors. Everything just pops
Yes, it is an upgrade!
Mainly, the hardware: internals, screen, etc... but over all, the build quality. I'm never buying a Samsung phone again. That maybe a little rash, but, that is how I feel at the moment.
worth the upgrade for me.. i bought the gnex in june also, but just sold it for $300. I lost about $70 bucks for the upgrade, but im sure it'll be well worth it
ctowne said:
Sold my gnex for 275 on craigslist. Cant wait for the nexus 4!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
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I'm giving my GNex to my sister as soon as I get my N4.
Finally getting her away from that iPhone. She's stoked by the way. :laugh:
Beamed via Galaxy Nexus using Trinity & Rasbeanjelly.
DaX05 said:
I'm giving my GNex to my sister as soon as I get my N4.
Finally getting her away from that iPhone. She's stoked by the way. :laugh:
Beamed via Galaxy Nexus using Trinity & Rasbeanjelly.
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Nice! Get her away from that poison lol

So I got to play with an S4 today...

... Not enough to make me regret my purchase of the HTC One.
My previous phone was a S3, which I absolutely loved and had me seriously excited about the S4. However, holding the one I knew which one to go for. Had my one for about 2 weeks now, and I love it but had that niggling worry that I'd regret my decision.
Today, that worry was cleared up.
The Samsung rep visited us today with an s4. and I got to play with it for a short while. Yes, the ability to interact with the screen without touching it is pretty cool, but apart from the lock screen I started getting frustrated with it (kept touching the screen). The health app is very nice, and laid out really well, but like many of the other features, its just not something I need or want.
The actual UI felt laggy, like it was running slower that 24fps. Switching through home pages on both devices at the same time and it just looked smoother on the One. The Samsung rep said he felt otherwise but he is paid to say that
The screen on the S4, in my opinion is much nicer than the one on my One. Granted, the One has quite a dark coloured interface and the S4 has a very colourful vibrant interface, but I just felt the colours were much more alive than on the One.
The build quality is nice on the S4, with all completely uniform gaps around the device, where as the one has gaps etc. However, the S4 does indeed feel cheap to hold. The texture of the plastic doesn't feel amazing, the weight is nice but just lacks that... premium feel.
I know most of these points (if not all) have been covered on reviews etc. but I thought it might be nice to put my 2 pence in as a HTC One owner and previous Samsung user. I do not regret my purchase and still feel I have bought the better device for my own needs and wants.
raty
cool story bro
For balance just to say my One has no gaps, perfect build.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Post on s4 forums .
To be fair I'd love a display with a bezel like the S4 but wouldn't sacrifice the quality of the screen in the One for a S4 display.
The thing is..the screen on the S4 is OLED so the colours will look far more vibrant but, they wont be accurate and its a pentile display. I am quite keen to get my hands on an S4 just to see what its like.
I would say the HTC One is like a Rolls Royce Phantom and the S4 like a Nissan GTR.
Goof choice. I was on deciding which phone to get for a month. Chose the HTC one . Boom sound is awesome. Sense is pretttyyyyy compared to touchwiz. For 649 vs 750 for a s4, it was a no brainer for me. Also im going to sell hundreds of s4 throughout this year anyways lol
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
gavinfabl said:
I would say the HTC One is like a Rolls Royce Phantom and the S4 like a Nissan GTR.
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I hope note as I would prefer the GTR
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Some nice info there mate! I think the only thing i prefer on the S4 is the AMOLED display.
Can i ask a question? Before i do, i know the S4 has improved ALOT on the PPI on the display, however, when i had the S3 i also had my One X, when holding them together, the screen on the One X was such much clearer! Much harder to see the Pixels, but on the S3 the pixels stood out like a sore thumb? Was this something you noticed on the S4 compared to the One? Or have they dramatically improved on this and its now similar to HTC? This is something i would like to know.
My HTC One has no gaps at all.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
dobknobby said:
Some nice info there mate! I think the only thing i prefer on the S4 is the AMOLED display.
Can i ask a question? Before i do, i know the S4 has improved ALOT on the PPI on the display, however, when i had the S3 i also had my One X, when holding them together, the screen on the One X was such much clearer! Much harder to see the Pixels, but on the S3 the pixels stood out like a sore thumb? Was this something you noticed on the S4 compared to the One? Or have they dramatically improved on this and its now similar to HTC? This is something i would like to know.
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I was curious about this too, as I had hopes AMOLED had been improved. But honestly I see the same flaws as on earlier iterations:
Dirty whites (turquoise), even in film mode (early measurements reported accurate color temperature, but if you look at it, it is clear that RGB balance is off) - most colorimeters can't measure OLED correctly.
Quite a bit dimmer than the best LCD displays
Discoloration with off axis viewing
Are you sure you prefer the AMOLED screen? I have had an AMOLED for the last 2 years and I can't look at them anymore. AMOLED were OK when LCD's were dimmer, but now the gap is huge.
Honestly, if you can, try browsing the same web pages in parallel on the S4 and the One. It is literally "night and day". It doesn't need to be outdoor. Even in the store the HTC One's screen strikes you as the more vibrant one. I will likely be measuring the S4's screen myself because I don't believe those early measurements that showed a 6500K color temperature. The screen has a green push even in film mode...
---------- Post added at 02:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:53 AM ----------
ratykat said:
The actual UI felt laggy, like it was running slower that 24fps. Switching through home pages on both devices at the same time and it just looked smoother on the One. The Samsung rep said he felt otherwise but he is paid to say that
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I also saw that!!! I was very surprised by this considering my S2 had a smooth experience. I don't know if the overclocking created voltage throttling but it was as you said, laggy and reminded me of the HTC One X when it first started. The browsing experience was horrible.
Are people here actually really paying attention to the S4 screen characteristics?
Firstly, pentile is IRRELEVANT at this PPI.
Second, colour accuracy is good and excellent in the Adobe RGB and Movie modes respectively. Whites are FAR more accurate than the HTC One.
Maximum brightness is less than the One, however sunlight legibility is essentially equivalent due to decreased screen reflectance.
Some fresh reading at Display Mate about it, for those who aren't satisfied with the several 'early' measurements taken by a number of sites.
I know everyone in this forum wants to straight up believe the HTC One has a far superior screen, but it just ain't so folks. Don't get me wrong, the One also has a truly excellent screen, but I just don't see its screen as being a selling point or differentiator in comparison to the S4 screen (neither do I think the S4 screen should be used as a rationale to buy an S4 over an HTC, they're both excellent).
The new oled screen in the S4 is amazingly good. It's actually far superior to the S3 screen.
I played with it on Sunday and I like it.
It's really nice and it will definately sell really well. I love the fact that they added easy mode. This will be such a great way to get noobies to switch to a smartphone($$).
I still prefer the One and I hope it does well. I feel like the One is meant for a different type of user. Samsung is for the mass and the HTC is for those who care.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
NZtechfreak said:
Are people here actually really paying attention to the S4 screen characteristics?
Firstly, pentile is IRRELEVANT at this PPI.
Second, colour accuracy is good and excellent in the Adobe RGB and Movie modes respectively. Whites are FAR more accurate than the HTC One.
Maximum brightness is less than the One, however sunlight legibility is essentially equivalent due to decreased screen reflectance.
Some fresh reading at Display Mate about it, for those who aren't satisfied with the several 'early' measurements taken by a number of sites.
I know everyone in this forum wants to straight up believe the HTC One has a far superior screen, but it just ain't so folks. Don't get me wrong, the One also has a truly excellent screen, but I just don't see its screen as being a selling point or differentiator in comparison to the S4 screen (neither do I think the S4 screen should be used as a rationale to buy an S4 over an HTC, they're both excellent).
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I have seen the display mate contribution. I like their approach but I don't agree with their conclusions (and it should be noted they have been fierce promoters of OLED displays since the Galaxy S came about).
For one, they fail to mention that even though the measured white color temperature is close to 6500K, the whites actually suffer from greenish cast - so pentile does matter, as there is a discoloration depending on how you look at the screen, and sadly, looking straight at the screen shows a turquoise veil whereas looking more from the side seemed to clean the screen a little from its dirty whites.
Second, the auto-adjust brightness feature taxes the battery so much that no one in their right mind will use it on the go.
When measuring pentile OLED displays it is important to note:
The orientation of the meter has an impact on the measurement, especially on screens with asymmetric structure such as pentile screens...this is something that I would like to quantify on the S4 when I get a chance
Colorimeters will not measure OLED displays correctly out of the box (this point is not relevant here, though, because I think Displaymate used CS-200 spectrophotometer)
So the theory is one thing, but the practice is completely different story. Please believe me that when I saw the measurements made by Displaymate and others I was quite enthusiastic (my S2 does not track as accurately). But while testing both screens in a real life situation, it became very clear to me the AMOLED screen did not live up to its alleged qualities, even in film mode.
Regarding peak brightness, HTC One also has an adaptative brightness mechanism with peak brightness at 530cd/m², but in daily use it is more around 460cd/m². Regardless, the lack of brightness is not totally offset by the better reflectance value, so OLED displays still are poorer performers outdoor and it is even worse indoor under moderate lightning as the S4 does not tap into its peak brightness at any time...
So my question to you. Have you been to a shop to compare both devices and if so, can you in good faith maintain that the HTC One's display does not trounce the S4's AMOLED? The difference was shocking to me. At first I thought it was down to my particular unit but seeing as someone is reporting the same experience, I think this is the screen as it is on any S4 device.
hello00 said:
cool story bro
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wow really?
NZtechfreak said:
Are people here actually really paying attention to the S4 screen characteristics?
Firstly, pentile is IRRELEVANT at this PPI.
Second, colour accuracy is good and excellent in the Adobe RGB and Movie modes respectively. Whites are FAR more accurate than the HTC One.
Maximum brightness is less than the One, however sunlight legibility is essentially equivalent due to decreased screen reflectance.
Some fresh reading at Display Mate about it, for those who aren't satisfied with the several 'early' measurements taken by a number of sites.
I know everyone in this forum wants to straight up believe the HTC One has a far superior screen, but it just ain't so folks. Don't get me wrong, the One also has a truly excellent screen, but I just don't see its screen as being a selling point or differentiator in comparison to the S4 screen (neither do I think the S4 screen should be used as a rationale to buy an S4 over an HTC, they're both excellent).
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Click to collapse
That's true, I wouldn't even bother nitpicking on S4's screen. The only concern could be AMOLED tends to deteriorate faster(which is impossible to tell right now), otherwise I don't see a big con on S4 screen. I feel more comfortable with LCD but hey , a well-calibrated AMOLED isn't bad at all. it's just about preference.
Honestly, if anyone could tell a difference between 440/460 ppi, or even 720p/1080p on a phone, and I'll consider you the "God's eye". I got a phone with 330 ppi (darn it was good at that time) three months ago, and I could not easily tell the difference from my nexus7(~220ppi).
puremind said:
So my question to you. Have you been to a shop to compare both devices and if so, can you in good faith maintain that the HTC One's display does not trounce the S4's AMOLED? The difference was shocking to me. At first I thought it was down to my particular unit but seeing as someone is reporting the same experience, I think this is the screen as it is on any S4 device.
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Hopefully tomorrow! I'm meant to be getting my HTC One this afternoon unless Fedex fails me (usually they are very reliable here in NZ, so I'm hoping not). I get my S4 tomorrow.
NZtechfreak said:
Are people here actually really paying attention to the S4 screen characteristics?
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Click to collapse
Don't forget the common issue with ugly screen burn in that most people experience with AMOLED from Samsung, pretty big issue as its a matter of when not if and sometimes happening inside of a month, don't even need your screen on for this to happen.
Noidea why this hasn't been mentioned and really should be on the side of the box as a warning.
patato2 said:
That's true, I wouldn't even bother nitpicking on S4's screen. The only concern could be AMOLED tends to deteriorate faster(which is impossible to tell right now), otherwise I don't see a big con on S4 screen. I feel more comfortable with LCD but hey , a well-calibrated AMOLED isn't bad at all. it's just about preference.
Honestly, if anyone could tell a difference between 440/460 ppi, or even 720p/1080p on a phone, and I'll consider you the "God's eye". I got a phone with 330 ppi (darn it was good at that time) three months ago, and I could not easily tell the difference from my nexus7(~220ppi).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pentile doesn't matter so much because of resolution but more because of the greenish discoloration it produces. Dynamic or Film mode has no impact, it is just an inherent flaw. Sure you can get used to it but you come back to an LCD screen you realize what you have been missing out on.

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