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[Q] Samsung Galaxy S vs HTC Desire

I'm going to buy a new phone very soon, and have some difficulties in choosing the perfect phone..
After a lot of thinking and reading I've come to a conclusion that it will either be the Samsung Galaxy S or the HTC Desire.
Samsung Galaxy S has overall exceedingly better hardware (GPU,CPU,Camera) than the HTC Desire, but the software, TouchWiz 3.0 looks like **** (iOS copy). Therefore I'm also thinking of buying HTC Desire since HTC Sense looks brilliant.
I want Galaxy S because of the amazing screen and the FLAC support which is quite important to me as I have the Monster Turbine Gold Pro headphones, and I don't want to waste them on bad audio quality. The HTC Desire as I said earlier has HTC Sense which is an extremely attractive UI, but then again it lacks the ability to play FLAC files and the screen is supposedly useless in direct sunlight.
Galaxy also lacks flash, but I could live without it as Galaxy's camera is better than Desire's.
Is the audio quality on the Galaxy S a lot better than the Desire, or is the FLAC support just there for advertisement, does it actually play FLAC in the quality it should be played?
HTC Desire from my understanding has already gotten Froyo while Galaxy has to wait till the end of September, is this true?
Is there any possibility that Galaxy S will get ROM for HTC Sense?
Which Phone is the better one and why?
Thanks in advance
Please do not come with recommendations of phones using another OS than Andriod and that doesn't sell in Europe.

Welcome to forums
Have a look here for a detailed comparative.
I would choose Desire as it´s HTC build and has Sense
Better design as well!

The Galaxy S has a 4" screen with a the faster hummingbird processor. Front facing camera.
I'd choose the Galaxy S.

Major hardware specs are probably agreed to be better for the Galaxy S over the Desire (i.e. cpu, gpu functionality, ram, screen) - that's something you can't change.
Externally, the Desire hardware design is nicer (subjective) - but that's something that a skin or case can change.
If you need a flash then that may be an important factor to you. The Samsung has had issues with gps (although that may be fixed now) and some lag (although all potentially suffer from that - may also be something that'll be fixed in firmware updates) - these are also mostly subjective though.
Desire has 2.2 already, Samsung has committed to bringing it to the Galaxy so that's hopefully a moot issue.
HTC do turn out phones rather quick so their current top may not be there for long - Samsung don't push that many out so their current champ *may* be so for longer and *may* get longer support...
Both are ultimately great. Software is software so you shouldn't really go on that - interfaces can be changed. Go with what you feel and what you can get the best overall deal on - I doubt neither would leave you wishing you had got the other.

Music quality
I'm leaning towards the Galaxy S.
Still not sure, only remaining factor would be whether the music quality on the Galaxy S is actually better than on the Desire.
Anybody tried to play music on both with good headphones?

I'm also about to get a new phone and my choices were basically between those two. I'm not enthralled by the fact that both have PenTile screens (which makes text less sharp, as they don't have the full complement of subpixels) but there's not really anything else in the UK at their level, and the Galaxy S' screen is both bigger and unambiguously better, particularly in sunlight. The Galaxy S also has a much better multi-touch digitiser - the Desire has the same one as the Nexus One, which only supports two points of contact and gets easily confused.
The Galaxy S also has a slightly better CPU and a much better GPU, and more built-in storage (though that's not very important), while the Desire has more RAM and a camera flash but is otherwise outclassed hardware-wise. But the Desire is more polished software-wise, with HTC Sense and without the lag and GPS issues of the Galaxy S - but it's early days and Samsung are clearly working hard on firmware so hopefully these will be fixed, and there's workarounds for the lag. The Desire also has the advantage that developers around here are more familiar with HTC devices, but there's work on porting CyanogenMod to the Galaxy S which suggests that developers are taking it seriously.
I'm going to go with the Galaxy S because of its hardware advantages - software can be changed but hardware can't etc. TouchWiz 3 gets mixed reviews, but it's always possible to just use something like Launcher Pro instead, that being the advantage of having an open OS!
Afraid I can't comment on the audio performance of the phones though.

audio and video are both excellent in the galaxy s (vibrant here)... I got one force close on touchwiz... it was day one and I was putting my phone under as much stress as I could... its the only one so far...
My quadrant score is between 1400 and 1500, linpack is between 8.3 and 8.5
--this blows all htc devices with the same software away...--
My phone gets 55+ fps on neocore and finishes the benchmark ten seconds quicker than a desire..
with all the different versions coming out and the developer support I see growing galaxy s hands down
(I have also owned or tested nearly every htc gsm android device... minus the aria, and desire.. )

As a current Vibrant owner I was unsure whether to wait it out for the rumored HTC handsets coming to TMO. I'm glad I didn't, the screen is unbelievable, the processor is lightning fast, and the dedicated gpu makes gaming an experience. In other words pick up the phone use a home replacement app, and you'll be good to go.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Galaxy S has froyo now leaked but all working

I think I'll go for the Samsung Galaxy S.
As a lot of you have said already the software can always be changed, hardware on the other hand, cannot.
I still want to know, just out of curiosity, if the Galaxy S' sound quality is actually better than Desire's?
If the sound quality is noticeably better on the Galaxy S' I'll 100% go for it, if not, I'll most likely go for it anyway.
Seems like almost nobody actually tried the music on both.

From the reviews I read people said sound was definitely better then the Desire...

All I can offer on audio quality is this:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9000_galaxy_s-review-478p6.php
According to that GSMArena review it has a flatter frequency response curve than the Desire, lower noise levels and higher dynamic range.
I don't have personal experience of it though, so I can't vouch for how it sounds myself.
Edit: It does do some odd filtering on headphones, though, which can apparently be turned off:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=735918

I'm going to buy the Samsung Galaxy S.
Thank you to everyone that replied to my posts.

Just to stir things up!!!
My partner received her galaxy last week, within 3 days she had returned it for the Desire. and is completely satisfied, as am I, that she made the correct choice.
Don’t get me wrong, the Galaxy was a nice phone. but it was very light and plasticy which was a major turn off for us. Plus the audio quality was no where near as good as the Desire.
on paper the Galaxy may have better hardware performance, but let me tell, actually using both devices you don’t notice anything different, other than the Desire feels like its built properly.
That’s just our opinion, but hope it helps you

dont know, the galaxy S should be faster and better than the desire... but i tried it at the store, hell, it has loading times wtf Oo some friends got desires.. they never really need to load long..
i think thats cause the touchwiz **** from samsung.. if there would be a possibility to flash a stock froyo rom (probably there is already one), that phone would be awsome, but ONLY THEN.
but i have to say.. i love the screen. its smaller then the one from my hd2.. but still big. for me its the almost perfect size of screen. probably 4.1" would be better, but 4" is enough, i lile it. + the super amoled screen is really fantastic
the only thing why the galaxy s is crappy is the software.. if someone gets that fixes, its the best android for my opinion^.^
EDIT: btw, for me the desire screen is just too small i could NEVER enjoy surfing with that...

gdallas said:
Plus the audio quality was no where near as good as the Desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That does sound kinda weird, as GSMarena did say that the audio quality was amazing. There is a fix for getting the phone to sound good through headphones, and BTW, what kind of headphones did you use?

Sony bud earphhones. the sound isss both better in ear and via speaker

Short comment from me as i do have both of them in my hand for a while already.
What Desire have in advance:
- flash light
- much better mail client, support for meeting requests (create, accept, etc..)
- much easier switch of USB mode
- much better phone dial pad with really working search
- more widgets
- search in exchange global address list from peoples list (everywhere), displays even phone numbers not just email
- really good sw keyboard
What Galaxy S have in advance:
- better camera, picture is actually more crisper and more real colors
- much better display, with more precise multi-touch
- better battery live (lifetime was about 135% of Desire in my case, same usage)
- better sound from build is speaker (good for in-car instructions or as "radio")
- can play almost every audio/video format without noticeable lacking
- 3d accelerator, much higher FPS for 3d games
- 2 gigs ROM = more applications can be installed, good especially for games as games can be big
(i now froyo allows you to move it to SD card, but no app supports it so far)
- and have more sexy design!
My conclusion:
If you are sort of corporate user, with high usage of email and especially Exchange, go for Desire.
If you are multimedia freak or gamer, go for Samsung.
Howk!

I find some of the software comparisons in this thread a little hard to swallow. There are over 63,000 (over 100,000 including paid) FREE apps/widgets/keyboards/games/FLAC that can be downloaded and installed without needing any form of root or warranty voiding modification.
The sound comparison may be the only issue. However, most of the sound problem is resolved by using lossless compression: FLAC, WMA, or otherwise (an app supporting various formats can be downloading for either device!). I have yet to notice a different between a qualcomm cpu's audio processing or a samsung cpu's audio processing - when using the same headphones, and same audio file. I mean... really???

I'm getting quite confused.
Some say that the Desire's sound quality is better, some Galaxy S' is better.
Which one of these two statements are actually true? Some even say that the sound quality is the same...
Looking at the poll it looks like most people think that the Galaxy S is better, so if to just go by the poll the Galaxy S would win, but well, democracy isn't always correct.
BTW nightswim, nice post, very detailed and nice to hear from someone who owns both. Would you say that the sound quality on both phones are the same? Since you said, and I'm quoting "better sound from build is speaker" (I assume that u meant "built in"), would that mean that the sound quality is only better on the Galaxy S when listening through the built in speakers?
Bottom line: Galaxy S is overall definitely the hardware king and Desire the software king , but still extremely confused about the sound quality.

Possible future FFC hardware hack

I was comparing the Giorgio Armani Galaxy S to the Captivate to see if they were in fact the same exact phone. Only a couple differences... Front facing cam and FM radio on the Armani Edition.
If we could find out where to get the additional hardware to add the 2nd cam and a dump from the Armani edition couldn't we in theory mod our phones? If these are THE only internal differences between these 2 phones it should be pretty straightforward.
As for the FM radio, I'm not sure if the hardware or wiring is in the Captivate or if everything is there and just not activated like in my Nexus One. Everything was there. We just needed the MiUi rom to get it working, and now its right there in CM 6.1.
OK waddaya guys think?
BTW, The Armani's specs were in multiple places but the site I used to compare all the Galaxy S variants was
h**p://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacomparer
(URL prohibited due to my newness here so just replace * with t...obviously)

The captivate teardown shows NO room for an FFC. So internal differences are probably greater then you think. Until we see a teardown of the 9010, I would not expect any chance of an FFC mod.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

im not sure if those specs are right. i really dont think the armoni model has a ffc.
ive had mine apart but i havent seen the i9000 camera up close. what i can tell you is that the camera on a i9000 is mounted above the rear camera, in the captivate the rear camera is higher. there is no room above it, if a cmaer was put there it would not view through the glass.
to the left (viewed from the back) is an antenna (gps?) and to the right is the headphone jack. it depends on just how small the camera is to know if it will fit in one of those areas but some plastic would need to be milled away and it would be difficult to avoid breaking the glass.
if the armoni i9010 does in fact have a ffc you would likely need the whole chassis and screen to do a mod safely and the even the circuit board is likely revised. but i see no tell tale circle in the glass to show that the camera is there, i also haven't seen any specs noting a front facing camera.
on another note it is rumored to have hsupa, the i9000m jk3 rom and modem works ok with a reorient kernel but this might be a chance to get hsupa without any bugs at all.

Also, the unboxing video shows the sensors (ambient light and proximity) but no FFC. The applications on the phone don't include any chat app either or anything labled video chat.

Don't get me wrong I want to buy the i9000 camera assembly and see if enough of the hardware is implemented the same for it to work. But I have no reservations. For all I care I'll let the camera stick through the top of the phone and mold a hump over it, mounting the camera is only a small hurdle, there may be things in the main board that prevent it from working at all. Kernel files might need to be edited. It might not be as simple as the vibrant.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897

T-Mobile Springboard or Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 4G?

EDIT: Fire is out, only considering the Springboard and the 7.0 Plus now; too many features missing for me. Anyway...
Decided against upgrading my phone (HTC G2) simply because it's stable, battery life is good, and has a good keyboard. So I'm looking to complement it with a 7" tablet. Main uses would be web browsing, books, and videos (both online and on the device); gaming would be pretty low in priority, so I'm not sure if Exynos means much to me as a result.
The Huawei Mediapad has the higher screen resolution/density, and apparently looks great outdoors and in general. I like the aluminum build, even if it adds weight/thickness. I also like that the cameras are pretty good. And I really like the separate, non-proprietary microUSB and mini-HDMI ports; being able to charge it with the same charger as my phone is a big plus.
The 7.0 Plus also seems to be a great all-around tablet, between it being lightweight, the screen quality, and other set of features (like Exynos). The IR emitter is a nice feature, but I'm not sure if I'd use it much (not one for entertainment centers). And I'm not sure if the screen quality is worth giving up nice resolution/density of the Springboard. And as mentioned, I'm not a fan of proprietary chargers. It has Bluetooth 3.0, although I'm not sure if that translates into better audio quality with a Bluetooth headset. There's also extra Wifi functions - dual-band and direct - although I don't know if I'd ever use either.
Basically, it comes down to:
Non-proprietary ports, higher screen resolution, better rear camera
vs
Lighter/slimmer build, Exynos, screen quality, IR emitter, Bluetooth 3.0, dual-band Wifi, and Wifi direct

A question for international users, is there a tablet available which can make phone calls too? Probably I could replace my cell phone with a 7inch tablet?
Please note: I am planning to use a Bluetooth headsets, if someone is wondering how it will look holding a 7 or 10” tablet to your ears: D

jijus said:
A question for international users, is there a tablet available which can make phone calls too? Probably I could replace my cell phone with a 7inch tablet?
Please note: I am planning to use a Bluetooth headsets, if someone is wondering how it will look holding a 7 or 10” tablet to your ears: D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm almost positive both of the international versions of the original Galaxy Tab 7 and the Plus can make calls - check out the forums for more details of either, as I'm not sure how data ends up as a result; I think in the case of the original, by making it work with voice you give up 3G (and get 2G instead).
I believe Huawei and ZTE also make at least one 7" tablet each that can make phone calls by default.

Galaxy SIII launched who wants to trade their O3D

As title, the specs are quite good and the handset looks pretty nice at least to me. Gonna definitely try to sell my O3D this month and pony up for SIII. How about you guys?
Android 4.0
TouchWiz
4.8-inch
720 x 1280
Gorilla Glass 2
1.4GHz Quad-Core
HD Super AMOLED
1GB RAM
16/32/64GB + microSD
1.9-megapixel
8-megapixel AF + HDR
HSPA+21 / LTE (Regions)
802.11 b/g/n with Channel Bonding, HT40
4.0 Low-energy
GPS, GLONASS, Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor, Gyroscope, Barometer
Additional specs include NFC, wireless charging capability.
Tons of software features/enhancements/innovations.
Some new innovations and one copy of siri
One: Smart Stay. It takes advantage of the phone's front-facing camera to recognize when you're looking at the screen. Even if you don't touch the display for an extended period of time, the GS3 won't go into standby so long as it senses you're still looking at it.
Two: S Voice sounds like Samsung's answer to Siri, and while it's hard to deny the inspiration from Cupertino, Samsung's working to make S Voice its own. Some of the features the company demonstrated today include bringing up the phone's camera and waking the GS3 from standby with your voice. The software will allow you to define five custom voice-actuated commands.
Three: Samsung's Direct Call is a smart use of your phone's sensors to offer some context-sensitive gesture control. If you're reading a message from someone and raise the phone up to your ear, software will make the connection that you're trying to call this person, and automatically pull up their contact info and start dialing.
Four: Samsung mentioned an interesting multi-tasking system that will be present on the GS3. Called PopUp Play, you'll be able to collapse a video you're watching down into a floating window, which you can continue to view in the foreground as you pull up new apps to work with beneath it.
Five: Finally, the Galaxy S III will introduce some enhanced camera functionality to Samsung smartphones. Zero shutter lag should mean fewer missed shots, and a burst mode captures up to twenty sequential images; the phone will even attempt to automatically pick the best pic for you. The new Social Tag feature will let the camera tag faces of people pictured in a shot, while sending them all their own copies.

sak500 said:
As title, the specs are quite good and the handset looks pretty nice at least to me. Gonna definitely try to sell my O3D this month and pony up for SIII. How about you guys?
Android 4.0
TouchWiz
4.8-inch
720 x 1280
Gorilla Glass 2
1.4GHz Quad-Core
HD Super AMOLED
1GB RAM
16/32/64GB + microSD
1.9-megapixel
8-megapixel AF + HDR
HSPA+21 / LTE (Regions)
802.11 b/g/n with Channel Bonding, HT40
4.0 Low-energy
GPS, GLONASS, Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor, Gyroscope, Barometer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just waiting for the quad exynos' benchmarks !

sak500 said:
As title, the specs are quite good and the handset looks pretty nice at least to me. Gonna definitely try to sell my O3D this month and pony up for SIII. How about you guys?
Android 4.0
TouchWiz
4.8-inch
720 x 1280
Gorilla Glass 2
1.4GHz Quad-Core
HD Super AMOLED
1GB RAM
16/32/64GB + microSD
1.9-megapixel
8-megapixel AF + HDR
HSPA+21 / LTE (Regions)
802.11 b/g/n with Channel Bonding, HT40
4.0 Low-energy
GPS, GLONASS, Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor, Gyroscope, Barometer
Additional specs include NFC, wireless charging capability.
Tons of software features/enhancements/innovations.
Some new innovations and one copy of siri
One: Smart Stay. It takes advantage of the phone's front-facing camera to recognize when you're looking at the screen. Even if you don't touch the display for an extended period of time, the GS3 won't go into standby so long as it senses you're still looking at it.
Two: S Voice sounds like Samsung's answer to Siri, and while it's hard to deny the inspiration from Cupertino, Samsung's working to make S Voice its own. Some of the features the company demonstrated today include bringing up the phone's camera and waking the GS3 from standby with your voice. The software will allow you to define five custom voice-actuated commands.
Three: Samsung's Direct Call is a smart use of your phone's sensors to offer some context-sensitive gesture control. If you're reading a message from someone and raise the phone up to your ear, software will make the connection that you're trying to call this person, and automatically pull up their contact info and start dialing.
Four: Samsung mentioned an interesting multi-tasking system that will be present on the GS3. Called PopUp Play, you'll be able to collapse a video you're watching down into a floating window, which you can continue to view in the foreground as you pull up new apps to work with beneath it.
Five: Finally, the Galaxy S III will introduce some enhanced camera functionality to Samsung smartphones. Zero shutter lag should mean fewer missed shots, and a burst mode captures up to twenty sequential images; the phone will even attempt to automatically pick the best pic for you. The new Social Tag feature will let the camera tag faces of people pictured in a shot, while sending them all their own copies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will pre order it as soon as it arrives on my fav website phones4u lol...

Meemo23 said:
I will pre order it as soon as it arrives on my fav website phones4u lol...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already there http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_contract_details.asp?ItemKey=609243

Given the huge expectations, I'm not impressed.
Hardware button? Cheap plastic? Pentile matrix screen? Really Samsung?
I much prefer the One X instead of this.

sak500 said:
Already there http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_contract_details.asp?ItemKey=609243
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But But i like the sense UI..

botson71 said:
Given the huge expectations, I'm not impressed.
Hardware button? Cheap plastic? Pentile matrix screen? Really Samsung?
I much prefer the One X instead of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check some of the threads on HTC One X board.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1534#
Seems we are lucky to have only software issues with LG O3D. They seem to have tons of hardware / build quality issues going on with HTC's flagship phone.

One of the ugliest designs I've ever seen on the phone. But awesome specs. And you know damn well that this phone will have huge support.

Eh I'm a bit disappointed, plastic again ? Just swapped my SGS for O3D few days ago just because SGS was to plastic for me, same as Xperia Arc. Lets just wait and see what hardware/software issue will it have hehe
Screen looks nice ! all the rest of new features are pretty useless for me and SGS, O3D or even iPhone4 is good enough. I would like to se a business edition of some android phone with the same abilities that Sony P1i had with its software ( best smart phone ever, and believe me I had many )

Seems it's now the fastest phone beating Htc's One X
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unpacked_2012-review-756p3.php

WOW Who cares of course except the producers, pr, mobile networks, and others who sell sell sell

MinedSafe said:
WOW Who cares of course except the producers, pr, mobile networks, and others who sell sell sell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly you care to come to this thread to post "who cares" reply.
edit: @minedsafe GOT your point now

You must have misunderstood me. Every time the new phone comes out they advertise it as the best, the only, and all that crap. What I have meant is that they are all sellers and will make you buy one, even if you don't want to. Its nice to see that this phone is SO fast, but most people will use it to watch movies, make appointments and send emails

the specs are quite impressive, but the problem is (at least for me) the size, come on 4.8 inches???
I prefer teh xperia s, even though it has no quad core processor

I'm torn between getting the Galaxy Note or waiting for the Galaxy SIII....
Sent from my LG-P925 using xda premium

1.4ghz....i was hoping 1.6+ghz but the resolution is amazing im gonna w8 and se i only got my O3D 3 months ago
EDIT:some dude on youtube with alot of expierence reckons it should be able to get overclocked at a possible 1.9ghz and tge battery it come with is 2100 mah battery but its like $800 for 16gb so its bloody expensive
Sent from my LG-P920 using xda premium

SGSIII is a great phone. I was thinking to have it but I have no budget for this expensive phone.
When I bought my O3D and O2X last month, the store have discount almost 60%, I have it both only with 500$.

superage said:
SGSIII is a great phone. I was thinking to have it but I have no budget for this expensive phone.
When I bought my O3D and O2X last month, the store have discount almost 60%, I have it both only with 500$.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont worry, wait 6 months and u be able to get this quite cheap Especialy when or if they present the iphone 5 We are not to far away from that.
I like the LG because it feels like a proper phone not something you are affraid to put in to your pocket. I just had a SGS was looking at SGII and decided to go for LG.

Well i know alot of people hate LG now but i dont as i dont get lots of the bugs people complain about but i just looked up the lg optimus 4x and honestly i want it more than the sIII take a look:
http://m.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_4x_hd_p880-4563.php
Sent from my LG-P920 using xda premium

MANBEARPIG69 said:
Well i know alot of people hate LG now but i dont as i dont get lots of the bugs people complain about but i just looked up the lg optimus 4x and honestly i want it more than the sIII take a look:
http://m.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_4x_hd_p880-4563.php
Sent from my LG-P920 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go ahead m8, i' wouldn't touch an LG phone with a 100 foot pole after i get rid of O3D.

Dual speaker mod?

Loving the Z-Flip except for the mono speaker. I cant understand why Samsung released it this way when it has a physical earpiece, does anyone know the reason? And do you think we will get a mod or would an s8 mod work? Anyone tried?

I'm also interested in this. For it being a premium priced phone, even with it's specs it's placed between the S10 series and S20 series in terms of hardware. The camera's are last gen but still good. SD550+ is still a beast of a chip. With it's physical design and the large space at the top for the frame/bezel I am very confused why Samsung did not make it an amplified earpeace.

yes very stupid imo, but they could easy fix this with software update but will probably not, I can understand it does not have IP68 rating but the other easy stuff should have been there, hopefully next gen Flip phone will not be crippled, I except latest camera sensors, 120Hz display and SoC even though SD855+ is good enough this time.