All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Of course.
But that is a giant One SV, a handset that last I was aware was not reknowned for it's looks, so I don't get why it's suddenly considered a beauty - the One is striking, no matter what your personal preference, this isn't.

Fair enough.
I don't really have a strong opinion either way on the current Samsung range - I think the criticism they receive for the aesthetics is harsh, they're not ugly but I wouldn't call them beautiful either ( then again, with the possible exception of the iPhone4, I don't think I've ever felt a phone was beautiful). I think the One probably is a nicer-looking handset than the S4 but I'd say the S4 is definitely nicer-looking than this thing.

 

I'm not sure why you would compare this handset to the One SV as the original Butterfly/Droid DNA was launched well before the SV, and it's fairly safe to assume this one will be their successor. I think the One SV looks great (Clean, simple unified design), but then again it depends on what you look for in regards to a beautiful phone. I find the S 4's design to be too conservative but functional, but on the other hand I think the S4 Active is probably one of the best looking Samsung phones in the last three years other than the Omnia 7.

 

Because it looks more like the One SV than the original Butterfly - the One SV has the same black front/white back colour scheme as this.

It struck me as cheap up close, less 'clean and simple' and more 'we spent all of 30 seconds on it'.

As I say, I don't think I'd class any phone as beautiful. There are ugly phones but even the nicest-looking phone I wouldn't use the word 'beautiful'. on.

I had a hands-on with the S4 Active the other day but, honestly, it left almost no impression. I was rather distracted by the S4 Zoom though...
I think (though I'd need to see it a bit more to be sure) that whilst the Active looks nice in photos, in person it's nothing special. The S4 I think isn't photogenic but looks nicer in person than you'd initially expect. Overall, I think I'd say I like the standard S4 more.

As for it being conservative, there's a bigger picture that most people seem to miss - Samsung are building a family of devices, they want a cohesive style to them. You can't really do that and drastically re-style your products at the same time.

 

HTC Butterfly:

That pretty much sums the S 4 Zoom in a phrase. Galaxy Camera + Cellular Radio = Done. No regards to phone ergonomics whatsoever.

 

Fair enough, none of the photos I'd ever seen had that colour scheme.
But I would say that with the little touch of the white bit above the speaker/earpiece, the Butterfly S still looks more like the One SV.

 

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active hands-on (video)

Thinking about grabbing one tomorrow in Urban Grey. I'm liking the TFT LCD over the AMOLED and the smaller camera sensor doesn't bother me.

 

The orange one is perfect. I'm trying to find a way to sell my Note 2, because the chrome part is losing its quality for some reason (black spots all over).

 

I'm interested in seeing a comparison of the screens. Hope the colors are just as good on this TFT display, and that contrast is still high. I love the contrast-y, super-vivid colors on the AMOLED screens, so hopefully the S4 Active's panel preserves as much of that as possible.

 

Samsung to retire the Galaxy S3 early, cut S4 production | ZDNet

 

Ok, so I've been using the First for several days now and you know what? I really like the little thing (minus the camera, I hate the camera). It's the perfect size, the design couldn't feel better in the hand, the color is great (black), it's as fast as a GSIII, it has a GORGEOUS 720p panel, it has LTE, and it connects to WiFi MUCH faster than my Samsung devices. Like, normal negotiated PHY are 150Mbps+ on N. My Samsung devices usually top out around 72Mbps. I think Samsung is still using long guard interval where HTC/Qualcomm is using short guard.

Plus I can use the thing as an LTE hotspot. Plus it has S-OFF. Plus it's stock Android 4.1.2. Plus, headphone output is LOUD.

Try to find fault with anything but the camera. I dare you.

 

It's made by HTC.

I thought I read that AT&T in the US has already discontinued selling the First because of low sales.

 

This is actually the First device by HTC that has impressed me in quite a while. (See what I did there?)

Actually, no. They're still selling them.

 

No

 

What about now?

 

Still no...?

Spoiler

 

Well, all my ups are given.

 

Try using some colours.

 

Ok. I don't give this out lightly, but I've found a new favorite device. From what a review said "it's the best device that nobody wants". The only reason people aren't buying the First is either because of the camera or because FB Home. The camera can be dealt with though a few tweaks and FB Home can be completely switched off.

And speaking of battery life, I'm reliably getting 5.5+ hours of screen on time. That's with WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS being on and Bluetooth audio streaming for about half the screen on time.

EDIT: That battery life is also with LTE on.

 

TIL the first has LTE. I know it shouldn't surprise me but still lol.

IMO the First is likely the most underrated handset of 2013. Even Facebook Home isn't bad on the First due to the greater integration that the First provides (like system notifications).

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

Yep. I've pulled ~50Mbps down and ~18Mbps up, so far.

And yes, I agree. WAY underrated. Right now I have it unlocked with S-OFF and CWM installed. I'm waiting on HTC to release the kernel source (which is version 3.4.10 !!). After source is released, this could be a full-on LTE Nexus device.

 

Want to compare you Android screen resolution to Apples Retina displays.

Is This Retina? - DPI/PPI Display Calculator

John.

 

Is that the Snapdragon 800?

 

No, it's an i5-4200U

 

^An i5 4200u apparently scores a few more points than Exynos/Snapdragon. But that's really not that big of a gap, when you think about it. Snapdragon 800 is supposedly getting around 36k in other benchmarks.

ARM is catching up! I wonder how much of that score is missing, though, thanks to it being run in a VM.

 

Hot damn, that's literally double from a S600. If the S800 only gets 336k in antutu, then Intel has quite a lead here.

 

The LTE-A version of the S4 running a Snapdragon 800 scores about 25k apparently.

I would've thought the screen resolution would be a large factor in the scores being so close.

 

Well, S4 Pro in my Nexus 4 gets around 21-24k (depending). S600 is notably faster at around 26-27k. S800 is around 32-36k, depending on which device profile we're looking at for TDP. S800 with no power management can go pretty high up in the benchmarks.

 

My parents apparently bought my little brother a Droid RAZR (likely the M because free) for his birthday.

I guess its not a bad phone (let's face it he wont do any of the things that annoy power users about most motorola devices...) I was just kinda disappointed they didn't ask me what I thought about it first.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

My bro GF's S3 SDS'd. Pretty expensive for something that self hard-bricks imo.

 

While we're on the topic of Snapdragon 800...

Sony Xperia Z Ultra: hands-on with a 6.4-inch Android phone (update: video)

 

That's really a shame. I wonder if that's been fixed in the NAND firmware for the S4 (Exynos only)? I haven't looked.

 

According to BGR, they are being discontinued:

AT&T: HTC First Sold Out Following Fire Sale | BGR

 

I believe the NAND corruption issue was for the Exynos models only, the Snapdragon models are okay.

Just checked AT&T's website and they are still readily available, all retail locations around my area have them in stock as well. You can get these new in the box for around $200-$250 through eBay or Craigslist, that's the best way to go.

 

Here's one on DailyTech too... DailyTech - AT&T Sells Out of HTC First Smartphone, CEO Says It's a Flop Like the Motorola Rokr

Yea, the Snapdragon models use a different NAND firmware.

And yep. Can confirm. There's a BUNCH of them at my local corporate store, and they're still available online.

 

I went to the AT&T store in Auburn to activate a line, and the employee told me he has only seen one HTC First sell. I also played with the Optimus G Pro and decided it's going to be my next phone

 

Saw that article. S4 sales seem to be slowing down.

Sent from my white C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

Hey Mr M. Funny seeing you here on this thread. The First looks nice. I will pick up one as a back up for the right price. The OG Pro looks nice but the OG2 looks more interesting.

Sent from my white C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

Yeah, the specs look killer. I'm just waiting on the battery specs.

Lol, you've been here for quite a while and we just meet.

 

I knew I remembered your username from somewhere. I'm XGX5309 from CTO.

 

Got an upgrade on my plan. Trying to figure out what phone to get. I have AT&T. The optimus G2 looks nice. S4 still the best to get? Thoughts?

 

Hey XGX. How are you. Have not been active here but will start popping into this forum more often.

Sent from my white C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

I actually preferred the HTC One over the S4. Not a big fan of Samsung UI or plastic phones.

Sent from my white C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

I gotcha. I love the HTC one as well. It'll be a toss up as to which I get. Just making sure those will be the best for a little bit? Also, what about the s4 active? What does everyone think about it?

 

The S4 Active is very similar to the standard S4, with only a couple considerations that you'll need to make:
- S4A lacks the GS4's 13MP camera; it uses a smaller 8MP camera
- S4A uses a TFT display rather than the S4's AMOLED; that means that picture will be brighter, but at the cost of some of the AMOLED panel's contrast
- slightly heavier and thicker, with more robust construction
- physical versus capacitive buttons
- waterproofing

 

Thank you very much. I guess those negatives aren't really worth it for waterproofing to me. Looks like I'll pick up the s4 or One tomorrow.

 

Hey! Good... you should! We try to keep a nice Android thread around here.

 

I've had a Galaxy S4 and HTC One for a few days now, and I definitely prefer the One over the S4.

 

Only in 64GB version, though. I can't imagine having anything less and no MicroSD. I'm barely living with it on the Nexus 4 and First.

If fixed NAND is the only storage, having less than 32GB is inexcusable.

 

So most prefer the One? What about heating issues, and lesser battery?