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Rather than having 500000000 threads comparing GS4 to One, put all your thoughts in here.
Don't forget to vote.
Here is a good list posted by -]Megacharge[- - which I think most would agree with - if you came to the thread looking for quick overview, here it is:
S4:
-Bigger screen
-Removable storage
-Removable battery
-Can use screen with gloves on
-Marginally faster benchmark scores in the S600 version
-Much faster benchmark scores in the Exynos version
-TouchWiz including a bunch of S-software (which some people may find useful - HTC's betting on design as their number one selling point. Samsung's doing the same with software features)
-IR LED (TV Remote)
-Android 4.2.2
[Gorilla Glass 3, 1.9MHz clock speed, DDR3, thinner, lighter, bigger display in smaller footprint]
One:
-Higher PPI and color accuracy
-Design
-IR LED (TV Remote)
-Dual front facing speakers (great speakers)
-Dual membrane mics
-Sense 5 (incredibly fluid with no lag and looks more "adult" than touchwiz)
-Low light camera performance
-Android 4.1.2
[Gorilla Glass 2, 1.7MHz clock speed, DDR2, chunkier, a little heavier, aluminium body]
Your intentions may be pure but you can't expect commentors to follow suit you'll be bombarded with opinions and border line exaggerations u should try android general
PHONE SLOW CLICK ME?
1 days 2 s4
Honestly not much. The hard ware is close to identical. As far as software goes I don't really pay to much attention as I would flash CM. To either.
GS4
Better GPU
Lighter
Battery life
Faster CPU clock
Bigger Screen
HTC
Aluminum body
More PPI
Looks better imho
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
djbenny1 said:
This is not a troll thread - though I suspect it will be perceived as such.
I honestly want to know what it is people think is actually better about the GS4.
I'm sure some people will say "everything" but please vote for one, and then comment on why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly this thread will turn into a flame war and will get shut down with the quickness. They both have their pros and cons.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I'm not going to even comment on this thread (from now on) - my opinions will be kept entirely to myself.
I am honestly just curious.
PS - don't just comment - vote!
FYI I voted for Dev Support as I think we all know it will sell more.
Swisser said:
Honestly not much. The hard ware is close to identical. As far as software goes I don't really pay to much attention as I would flash CM. To either.
GS4
Better GPU
Lighter
Battery life
Faster CPU clock
Bigger Screen
HTC
Aluminum body
More PPI
Looks better imho
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said aluminum body + looks better, don't they go together? HTC is trying very hard to sell its "premium look" more than anything else
Swyped from another galaxy
LOOkS and BUILD QUALITY-htc wins..
CPU - samsung.. because having those a15 is really gonna help that 1080 screen on heavy tasks..
GPU- samsung again.. people who game will really find it better.. and it being power vr means games wil get better optimized faster amd be better on the s4..
SD slot, removable battery- samsung
MUSIC HEADPHONE quality- no idea.. but beats suck
And dont know if samsung is using that wolfson dac which is good af
SCREEN- no one wins .subjective.. I love amoleds and that 1080 amoled looks sexy. But the htc also has one hell of an lcd screen
UI- subjective.. I find sense better but blinkfeed is nonsense. But touchwiz is functional
DEVELOPMENT- samsung... and S- off sucks..lol..
BATTERY- Ssamsung.. looking at samsungs history of phones, they always had better battery.. I heard htc one has come up though.. byt u bet the new s4 will be even better than the s3 and htc one
Samsung also has some extra features which maybe considered as gimmicks.. but zoe,drama shot , erase features and other editing stuffs are in both..
I might buy both... htc for that built, but in the end samsung for that power and development wins it all
.....
HTC has louder sound and better on speakers.
HTC is full of metal vs Samsung plastic - so better build quality.
HTC has better AnTuTu scores and higher clock. (GSIV has 1.6Ghz - says gsmarena.com).
HTC has famous "Sense" which is way better than Touchwiz in my opinion.
HTC's camera is better on dark places.
HTC is more compact.
HTC has better xda development. (Exynos is bad documentated and HTC already has great devs workin' on it - and yeah team Venom).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not sure about GPU, I'd say Samsung is better.
Samsung has bigger screen.
Samsung has head moving are pausing things
Floating touch (I would turn it off but I would say floating touch games maybe - that would be interesting).
Samsung will update its device way more than HTC to newer android versions.
Samsung has external SD up to 64GB. So you could have impressing 126GB of memory for your files!
Samsung has better camera in my opinion.
Samsung has bigger battery.
Samsung is more sold device - more support (bit that doesn't mean anything).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tie:
AMOLED vs SLCD - depends on person.
Hard to break or easily removable battery.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall HTC is better as "pure android experience or AOSP and pure performance and great made phone".
And Sammy software things and functionality.
But I think I am going for HTC if screen is big enough.
I tried to do review not being fanboy of both!
Swisser said:
Honestly not much. The hard ware is close to identical. As far as software goes I don't really pay to much attention as I would flash CM. To either.
GS4
Better GPU
Lighter
Battery life
Faster CPU clock
Bigger Screen
HTC
Aluminum body
More PPI
Looks better imho
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the GPU was the same?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Removable storage is pretty much the key reason for me. I really don't understand why manufacturers chose not to include such an obvious feature in their devices...
MichaelMcEntire said:
I thought the GPU was the same?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.lol.. the gpu in internationao s4 is powervr.. the one iphones and ipads use
.....
I'll break this down to two simple facts.
1. Expandable storage is a deal breaker for me. The One has no expandable storage, so when you run out of space, you're done - time to start eating up your mobile data plan for cloud services. Deal breaker.
2. S-Off is terrible. Something tells me one reason HTC stopped providing expandable storage slots in their phones is due to the way the Vivid had to be S-Off'ed. You have to short out a contact point on the phone's main board with the ground on the SD slot to hack the damn S-Off. Maybe this was a major flaw and combined with other reasons, they just decided they would scrap the storage slot altogether. Without S-Off, the whole process of flashing new ROMs becomes more tedious and annoying. And let's not forget that you can scrap the idea of flashing new radios to your device if you can't S-Off an HTC phone. HTC is not too developer-friendly lately...
Is it even possible to S-Off the One X or X+? I haven't looked at those boards in detail in quite a while.
Wow that was a long answer for two simple facts.
Sent from my HTC PH39100...soon to be Galaxy S4.
The fact that Samsung seems to be listening to their customers (unlike HTC), is what does it.
Advantages of the One:
-Premium build, subjectively better design
-Camera optimized for low-light environments
-Screen is objectively better at accurate color reproduction
-Stereo speakers
...
Is that what customers want? Some, sure. But it seems like HTC is playing Apple's form > function game. And they won't win, because their software, battery life and camera are not up to par.
What does the S4 have?
-Packs a larger display into a body that is smaller, slimmer and lighter than the S3 (yet people will still go around complaining that 5" is 'just too big'), more ergonomic than the hard edges of the One's design
-Display benefits from power savings of PenTile matrix while the resolution nullifies any complaints about its perceived sharpness; EDIT: actually, the display utilizes a new, brighter PHOLED technology and a completely different PenTile 'diamond' matrix that seems to address most complaints about the S3's display on their own
-Display is subjectively better then the One's for some—AND has built-in screen tuning options for those that want accurate, natural colors (Movie/Cinema mode on the S3/Note 2 is comparable to sRGB emulation mode on a wide gamut monitor in my own side-by-side comparisons)
-Display's infinite contrast is objectively better, and the lower reflectivity and sunlight legibility is something other manufacturers have fallen behind with their 1080p displays
-Superior homegrown SoC (although I have no idea why the U.S. is stuck with Qualcomm again with all the new LTE tech the Exynos chipset has); people knocking the big.LITTLE architecture seem to be ignoring the purpose of it (it's not just 'twice as many cores' or 'not-really-eight-cores')
-1.7mm thinner than the One, yet it packs a larger, removable battery and microSD slot (deja vu)
-USB 3.0 on the Exynos
-TouchWiz is better than Sense, despite subjectivity over appearance: lighter, smoother, less buggy, closer to vanilla Android in functionality and packed with extra features (many which are actually useful) that can be easily turned off—vs. a bloated interface that tries to undermine the Android interface and sticks you with homescreen limitations like a Flipboard knock-off that can't be fully disabled; I personally find Sense even uglier than TouchWiz with its mix of colorful icons and flat black theming
-A camera that, for another generation in a row, doesn't ruin its image quality with overaggressive noise reduction and processing like HTC's offerings, while packing as many features as one would want into the camera app (like the ability to make animated GIF's with static backgrounds easily)
-Battery life that is sure to surpass its predecessor, unlike the lackluster battery performance seen in the One/Butterfly/DNA
-Gorilla Glass 3 over the One's Gorilla Glass 2
-Unified delivery to all carriers, while the One's future on a major carrier like Verizon is still just rumors
-Latest JellyBean 4.2.2 vs. One's JellyBean 4.1, and not only a much better commitment to and delivery of updates than HTC, but a commitment to and delivery of bringing new software features to older flagship devices when they don't depend on new hardware
-The ability to run ANY two apps side-by-side on the screen at the same time for multitasking—and the ability to run pop-up apps like the browser, video player, calculator, etc. on top of that
-Not only are features like the delivered Air Gestures and Eye Scroll useful and polished (maybe not so much with Eye Scroll's polish), but Floating Touch is major: completely new and unique screen tech that essentially gives you a mouse cursor for hovering, which is a boon for web browsing and Adobe Flash
-Unlocked bootloader vs. the One's locked bootloader (despite all the negative feedback HTC received previously)
While the S4 might not blow anyone away at first glance, it's clear that Samsung pays attention to things that matter when it comes to using your device, down to the details that everyone else seems to overlook. The One is a beautiful phone to look at and hold, but beyond that it holds the same disappointments that held HTC back the last time around.
GGXtreme said:
The fact that Samsung seems to be listening to their customers (unlike HTC), is what does it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you're joking.
I know many people are not fans of the home button, but I use the hell out of it my S3 and I prefer to use it when activating the display from sleep mode. Many times when my phone is just laying on the table, I can just hit the home button and swipe down for messages or to change songs etc. I just find it much more easy to access than the power button. I do prefer the look of the HTC over the S4.
GGXtreme said:
The fact that Samsung seems to be listening to their customers (unlike HTC), is what does it.
Advantages of the One:
-Premium build, subjectively better design
-Camera optimized for low-light environments
-Screen is objectively better at accurate color reproduction
-Stereo speakers
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stereo speakers on a device that small, the HTC One, is pointless anyway. The whole point of stereo is so you can differentiate the sounds in each ear, thereby creating the stereo effect. With two speakers so close together, the sounds will mesh together by the time they hit your ears anyway, making a more monaural sound.
I think the only real advantage HTC has is the build quality of the phone. But that advantage is moot to me because I always put a nice case on whatever phone I buy.
Sent from my HTC PH39100.
vapotrini said:
I hope you're joking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please point out any errors in my reasoning. I think I made a decent case, care to actually make one yourself?
When you compare the two there's not a lot that's unique going for the One except for it's beautiful all-aluminum design and dual speakers. The fact that it's the same physical size (while being thicker and heavier) as the SGS4 with last year's 4.7" display size isn't going to help it. Here's a quick run down comparing the two. It was the answer to "why would anyone buy the SGS4 over the One" from thier forum.
Larger 5" SAMOLED display with vibrant colors
Thinner and lighter with other dimensions being near equal
13MP camera (more detail)
Better battery life, bigger and removable battery
Replaceable back cover if its damaged
Expandable storage
Gorilla Glass 3 (versus 2)
Android 4.2.2 (vs. 4.1.2, at least for now)
Dual Camera (insert yourself in to photos you take)
Drama Shot (a simpler Zoe)
Sound and Shot to record voice comments on still photos
Story Album to create and send printed photo albums
Share Music to turn multiple SGS4's in to surround sound
Group Play to share content across multiple devices without the need for a Wi-FI connection
S-Translator integrated in to multiple apps like e-mail and the stock browser
Smart Pause/Smart Scroll to use your eyes to control the device
All the existing motion and voice controls Samsung provides in TW
Air View to expand content by hovering your finger over it
A display you can use with gloves on
S Voice Drive which maximizes the size of what's displayed and allows motion and voice to control things you use when driving
Optical Reader integrated in to stock apps to import data via the camera
S Health to track weight, blood pressure, exercise, etc.
I'll take a stab at the One's advantages over the SGS4. For the sake of discussion assume the SGS4 being compared against is an LTE version running S-600 too. Things like LCD vs. AMOLED and Sense vs. TW are obviously based on personal preference.
Beautiful all-aluminum unibody design
LCD display with bright realistic colors
Sense’s more aesthetically pleasing appearance
UltraPixels (better low light performance)
Dual front facing speakers
Zoe
BlinkFeed
It’s not made by Samsung (for the haters )
Other than Zoe and BlinkFeed Sense 5 is carry over from earlier versions. Even LG's doing a lot more with s/w than HTC. The lack of s/w features, whether they are real or gimmicks, is going to hurt the One with the masses who like "more" rather than less; especially at the same price.
LG already offers several special apps on its Android smartphones, like QSlide for viewing two apps at once on a device's display and QRemote for controlling home entertainment gear. Today LG expanded is software offerings with another new feature dubbed "Smart Video." According to LG, Smart Video takes advantage of eye recognition technology to track a user's eye movements while he or she is watching a video and, when it detects that user isn't looking at the device's display, it will pause the clip automatically. Playback will resume when the device detects that the user is once again looking at the screen. LG says that Smart Video will be rolled out soon as part of a Value Pack update. In addition to Smart Video, the Value Pack will include a Dual Camera feature that will take photos using the front and back cameras simultaneously, Magic Remote Keypad and Text Keypad additions to the QRemote app, Video Pause/Resume that will allow users to stop and start while capturing a video to create one continuous clip, and a set of color emoticons. The Smart LED Lighting surrounding the LG Optimus G Pro's physical home button will also be updated to allow users to assign colors to specific contacts.
Toleraen said:
Removable storage is pretty much the key reason for me. I really don't understand why manufacturers chose not to include such an obvious feature in their devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand this storage business if the minimum available storage option for a phone is 32GB?
How many things do most people put on their phones? All the people I know who own a GS3 have a 16GB model with no micro SD card and they continuously make the lack of expandable storage on recent phones a big deal.
At the moment I have no idea which one I want more, I will likely get the GS4 because HTC One has a good chance at not showing up on Verizon. (entirely Verizon's fault though, looks like Verizon has been screwing over HTC for quite awhile recently, the lack of expandable storage was due to Verizon not HTC on the DNA; and the One's availability looks like to be another Verizon issue; I also am pretty positive for it developement being slightly better than the DNA since it is multicarrier)
I do really like the GS4 though, it's design was something I did not like on the GS3 either though.
TingTingin said:
Your intentions may be pure but you can't expect commentors to follow suit you'll be bombarded with opinions and border line exaggerations u should try android general
PHONE SLOW CLICK ME?
1 days 2 s4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of the least trolly forums. Go hang on youtube for a while, the bottom of the internet comments there..
I was wondering why they made Android smartphones so big? For me the display size above 4.5 inches are useless. Who wants so big dimensions in his pocket? I had Note for a week. It was so uncomfortable. I even prefer 4.3 inch display instead 4.5 one. But these with small dimensions doesn't have good hardware.
Now according to my criteria there are only three phones with MONSTER hardware - Xiaomi MI-2 . MI-2S and Meizu MX-4
So I don't know what to buy.
What do you think? With this temp the displays will be 6 inches, which is ridiculous and ..... If I want tablet I will buy tablet.
It's a matter of opinion.
I went from a HD2 (4.3) to a SGS3 (4.8), and more and more I find even the size of my SGS3's screen to be too small. I watch a lot of films, play a lot of games and use my phone as an Ereader. Below 5" is too small for my taste. I'm actually happily anticipating the Note 3's potential 6" screen.
If all you do is the occasional casual game, post on a forum, read some webpages and do other, non-big things (More commonly referred to as 'the activities of the average iSheep'), a 4.5+" screen will probably feel bulky, yes.
Why would a small screen need heavy hardware? It's not as if it has to push a lot of pixels... . In fact, the hardware will be completely wasted as there is nothing one does that requires the processing power.
ShadowLea said:
It's a matter of opinion.
I went from a HD2 (4.3) to a SGS3 (4.8), and more and more I find even the size of my SGS3's screen to be too small. I watch a lot of films, play a lot of games and use my phone as an Ereader. Below 5" is too small for my taste. I'm actually happily anticipating the Note 3's potential 6" screen.
If all you do is the occasional casual game, post on a forum, read some webpages and do other, non-big things (More commonly referred to as 'the activities of the average iSheep'), a 4.5+" screen will probably feel bulky, yes.
Why would a small screen need heavy hardware? It's not as if it has to push a lot of pixels... . In fact, the hardware will be completely wasted as there is nothing one does that requires the processing power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This lady knows. Listen to her. Lmao 5in is too small. Mines alot bigger. Yes I was referring to the Note II. But also the other way too
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II GT-N7100 using XDA Premium HD
Sorry , but I am not iSheep. I hate very very much Apple iPhone!
I don't play games or if I play they are very simple. I am using it for some special thins in my daylife. Android can be programmed to do specific tasks in specific time. This is very useful. But I want a bit little size of the displays.
s1xkill3r said:
Sorry , but I am not iSheep. I hate very very much Apple iPhone!
I don't play games or if I play they are very simple. I am using it for some special thins in my daylife. Android can be programmed to do specific tasks in specific time. This is very useful. But I want a bit little size of the displays.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get a HTC One S. Great phone, getting Sense 5 soon. Krait processor. Very slim and small. Perfect. Job done
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II GT-N7100 using XDA Premium HD
The three options according to GSMarena.com phone finder searching tool were Xiaomi Mi-2 , Xiaomi Mi-2S and Meizu MX-4.
I am really looking for Xiaomi. It is something great , but in this forum here people don't like it. And I know the reason.
The other variants are HTC One S , HTC First or Galaxy 4. (The last is big , but not enough to be compared to S4 , One and Xperia Z).
I guess it depends on what you do with your phone. What do you do that requires "monster" hardware and if it really does, how are you able to deal with the tiny screen size ?
I have the Galaxy S3 and the screen size is too "small" for the tasks that actually use the hardware to any great extent. Temple Run is okay, but many games are hard to play on such a small screen. I've watched Netflix on it quite a few times but it's never a really pleasant experience - my 10" tablet allows for video to be immersive, but the 4.8" screen is to small to really focus in on. It's too small to navigate most web-sites on without annoyance.
Is there a special program you use that needs high-end hardware ? Are you just not bothered by the tiny screen when it comes to the above tasks ?
I don't consider the S3 to be particularly "big" or "bulky" as I can fit it in my pocket and now that I'm using only bumpers for protection (along with screen protector and phone skin) it's really quite thin - so hardly bulky at all. If it can comfortably fit in my pocket I guess I don't find it that big. I can use it one handed, too.
Yes , the usage is the most important thing.
About the games - I don't play games often. I don't like FPS or somthing like that , cause now I am too old for this kind of games. And the experience is not as good as the one on the PCs. I have played only racing games. Especially Need for Speed Series and Asphalt.
Now on my phone (Galaxy W) I have only Temple Run 2 , Scrabble , Simple Chess. Temple Run 2 lags sometimes.
For films. I don't watch films on my phone. Even if I would have 5 inch phonblet. I watch sometimes only Youtube.
So maybe it isn't necessary to buy quad core phone. Dual is enough.
But for the RAM. Maybe it should be 2 GB.
s1xkill3r said:
Yes , the usage is the most important thing.
About the games - I don't play games often. I don't like FPS or somthing like that , cause now I am too old for this kind of games. And the experience is not as good as the one on the PCs. I have played only racing games. Especially Need for Speed Series and Asphalt.
Now on my phone (Galaxy W) I have only Temple Run 2 , Scrabble , Simple Chess. Temple Run 2 lags sometimes.
For films. I don't watch films on my phone. Even if I would have 5 inch phonblet. I watch sometimes only Youtube.
So maybe it isn't necessary to buy quad core phone. Dual is enough.
But for the RAM. Maybe it should be 2 GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that the usage is what's important. Some companies do release some small phones, like Sony and Samsung. I'm actually a really big fan of the small android phones like the Xperia Ray, S3 mini, Xperia U... okay maybe they aren't that small compared to the Xperia Minis. but their size fits right in the palm of my hand and they're pretty slim and the hardware is pretty decent for their size (the Ray is amazing, still can't get over it).
The screen size, well it is user dependent, by that i mean it depends on what you do with your phone. Some games actually feel more comfy to play on a small screen (like Cytus, easy to reach the notes but sometimes hit notes by accident.) some are also comfy to play on a bigger screen because the UI might be too small (like Plague Inc. really small map. but you can zoom in if needed. its a hassle though). For me though i prefer watching movies on my Ray because the image looks clearer on smaller screens. which i enjoy.
One comment on screen size. its equally hard to use a full keyboard on a small screen as it would be on a big screen. still press the wrong keys by accident. but that's just me
If you don't want a big phone, don't get one. Pretty simple.
tld88 said:
If you don't want a big phone, don't get one. Pretty simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Normally I'd complain about someone bringing up a year-old thread with such an inane and unhelpful comment, but things have actually changed since this thread was active.
Firstly, I'll address your comment. Small Androids are plentiful, but good small Androids aren't. And small Androids with "flagship" specs are few and far between.
In fact, there's only ONE, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Apart from the 4.3" 720p screen and smaller battery, it's every bit the beast of a phone as its bigger brother. Same processor, same 2GB RAM, same 20.7MP camera, same build quality, same software features, etc. In fact, since it only has a 720p screen instead of a 1080p, the Z1 Compact absolutely screams.
Even better, Sony is about to come out with the Z3 Compact (they skipped the Z2 Compact). Despite being exactly the same height and width, they're cramming a 4.6" screen (some rumors say 720p, some say 1080p) in there, and making it a hair thinner too. Dual front facing speakers, SD801 processor 2 or 3gb RAM (depending on the rumor), and the same software suite and 20.7MP camera as before.
Both are only slightly larger than an iPhone 5s or 5C, and much smaller than the current 5.0-5.5" flagship phones.
Oh, and they're waterproof.
These "Compact" Sonys are a departure from the "Mini" phones the other main manufacturers, like the Galaxy S4 Mini, LG G2 Mini, HTC One Mini(s), etc. which all are neutered spec-wise in many ways. Lower MP cameras, slower processors, less RAM, sub-HD screens, etc. And some are only "mini" in that they're not as huge as their bigger brothers, but could hardly be considered small.
The Droid Mini is a pretty good phone actually - all the specs of the Droid Ultra or Droid Maxx, but only available with Verizon in the US.
The Moto X is small for its largish screen size, and fits the hand (and pocket) nicely. It's substantially smaller than other 4.7" phones like the Nexus 4 or HTC One (M7).
I changed from my HTC Desire S to a Jiayu G3C, and it was a really big change for me. The Desire S was really good for one hand and fits perfectly in the pocket.. But the Jiayu it's really big. I think more than 4" is too much big to be called a "phone", is like I already see those phone as a "phablets"
I agree, many modern phones feel big and bulky. The range of 4-4.5'' is ideal for me.
Yes they're on the bigger side as of late as that trend continues to be in vogue, but holy moly are they lighter than any iPhone I've ever owned and used. I know the 5s is super light, but never owned one. I was used to the iPhone for awhile and never thought twice about its weight but after playing with some friends droid devices, the iPhone has always felt like a brick since then.
Nexus5 fits like a glove!
Personally, I thought the iPhone 4 was the perfect size because I could use everything on the screen comfortably with one hand. Now with my GS4 there are areas in the screen I just cant reach one handed the way I used to.
I think that They designed it for the user who often to play game and watch HD movie on their smartphone. Maybe that's why Samsung have "mini" version like Samsung S3 Mini.
But of course the can't make Galaxy Note smaller. It wouldn't be good.
It seems that soon enough we will have the Galaxy Alpha, which should be a good contender for the Z1 Compact (and it's straight successor, the Z3 Compact).
But I do agree with the OP, phones are getting a little too big for my tastes. Do notice I said "tastes", because it really is a matter of taste.
There are plenty of users willing to carry a larger device and take advantage of the added "screen real-estate".
For me are phones the best around 5-5,5 inch.
But maybe you can try out the HTC one mini or the LG G2 mini or the new Galaxy Alpha
Sent through my Galaxy Note using Tapatalk 4
For me it's the bigger the better, but we need bigger pockets on our clothes soon
First I will explain my story: I went from owning the SGS 1, then SGS 2 and then I bought a Droid DNA for something different, but someone stole it. Luckily a friend sold me an SGS 3 for very cheap. By the time I played around with the SGS 3, I realised why I was getting bored of Samsung to begin with. It's because of the screen. Yes it looks sharp and clear but the amoled screen was so fake and forced with saturation which my Droid DNA wasn't suffering from. Not to mention the SGS 3 seemed exactly the same as my SGS 2 only a different shape and size. It was quite frankly boring!
After my insurance company replaced my Droid DNA I could no longer use the SGS 3 because of these facts. I continued to use the Droid DNA for the following months and I can not fault it besides the screen being too small for me now, I have simply outgrown it. I have since sold all of my phones including the DNA to purchase a new phone. I automatically wanted the Note 3 because of the size and hardware and well known projected development but my main questions are:
Is the screen on the Galaxy Note 3 improved with life like colours in comparison to the SGS 3?
Is the camera going to be good enough without OIS?
If you want to know my other choices and reasons why I am considering them please look below. (Was going to include Sony Xperia Z Ultra but the camera has no flash and is only 8mp and the size form factor is too much for me)
My first choice (hoping the screen doesn't put me off)
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}
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Pros:
Biggest screen in a small chassis in comparison to any other phablet
Stylus might come in handy but I have never used one before
Has the best internals out of the competition Snapdragon 800/Adreno 330
Development support is massive for Samsung!
Massive battery
4K recording on specific model I am interested in
More RAM
Cons:
Amoled screens have always seemed boring to look at to me and everything seems fake, almost like a cartoon. I need to use the GN3 in person before I can be sure. They might have made it better than the SGS 3? - This is the main reason I am concerned about - My Droid DNA felt so lifelike and easy to look at)
Camera has no OIS (and apparently the auto focus is slow according to some reviews)
My second choice
Acer Liquid S2
Pros:
Screen appeals to me more as it is not amoled like the Note 3
6" display
Same internals as Note 3
Same battery capacity as Note 3
Highest contrast amongst my choices?
Better Front Camera than the other choices
LED Ring Flash (4 leds)
Cons:
Bigger than Note 3 and not sure if it is worth it for the size increase of the screen (TOUGH DECISION)
Has a slower clock speed at 2.2 instead of 2.3 in other Snapdragon 800 phones
If it is not a lot cheaper than it will make me lean towards the Note 3
Reflective screen might cancel out contrast levels outdoors
Not sure what development will be like?
My third choice (more information on release might push me to buy this phone)
Oppo N1
Pros:
Rotating 6 lens camera with F/2.0 Aperture
First Cyanogen Mod Integrated Phone
Duel LED Flash
Biggest battery of all of my choices
Back of the phone has a touch panel which I bet will become very customisable
Aluminium
Some images make it look like the phone is waterproof?
Cons:
Phone might be tooooo big
last generation internals Snapdragon 600/Adreno 320
My third choice tied (more information on release might push me to buy this phone)
HTC One Max ( Some specs might still be unconfirmed)
Pros:
Screen might appeal to me more as it is not amoled like the Note 3
Larger screen
Camera has OIS and might be great. (The HTC One camera didn't impress me too much however)
External surround speakers
Development has really started picking back up with HTC
Cons:
Physical size must be big considering the speaker layout and camera
last generation internals Snapdragon 600/Adreno 320
Another tied third choice (Price is so cheap it might make do)
LG Optimus G Pro (Was also looking at Note 2 but this trumps it in every way besides stylus/software which I am still unsure if I will use often enough and of course I prefer a non amoled screen)
Pros:
This phone is literally half the price as the note 3 costing me $450 vs $850 for the Note 3 (This phone might keep me going until a newer phone entices me and for half the price it is tempting)
Dolby mobile sound enhancement
Great sized screen
Big battery
Camera is better than average
The development is not tooooo bad
Cons:
last generation internals Snapdragon 600/Adreno 320
My fourth choice (most disappointing because screen is probably not going to be big enough!! but I love all of the other features. If this phone was 5.5" I would be getting it over anything else! I am so annoyed it has on screen keys and a smaller screen! - It's why I sold my Nexus 4 so quickly)
LG G2
Pros:
Screen appeals to me more as it is not amoled like the Note 3
Large battery for a small phone (not as good as the note 3 but the life should be close to the same as it has a smaller screen to power)
The phone is cheaper to buy outright by $200 dollars in my country in comparison to the note 3
Camera is outstanding - 4K record might be possible with firmware update - f/2.4 aperture and OIS has proven to take better images and video with the right settings in comparison to my other phone choices
Internals are the same as Note 3
Cons:
Screen is only a little step up in quality and size from my Droid DNA (especially if I choose to keep on screen keys active)
LG usually have little development support compared to Samsung
The button placement at the back makes the phone look weird and maybe awkward. I thought it was a camera lens cover when I first saw it
At the end of the day if the Note 3 didn't have an amoled screen and did have OIS I wouldn't be looking at other phones at all. Even if it just had a different screen it would probably lock me in to buying it. That goes the same for the LG G2 if it had a larger screen! To make a definitive decision, I need to use all of these phones in person but because I live in Australia, most of these phones aren't available to me. Makes it very hard to make a decision! I need to look at the Galaxy Note 3 screen and see if I can deal with the amoled, if I can I will buy it. It is released in Australia in 3 days for me to check out.
If I don't like the Note 3 screen, I will need to handle the Oppo, Acer and HTC One Max to see if I am comfortable with the size of them. If I am then I will buy whichever one I like better, the problem is these phone will probably not come to Australia anytime soon, if at all for me to test them so I can only go by user opinion!
If I am not completely happy with the Acer/HTC/Oppo size I will end up buying the LG Optimus G Pro for so much cheaper than the others and I will then look to replace it when I am happy with another phone even if the phone is lower spec, it has decent development and an upgraded screen size and quality over my DNA.
I also need to see the LG G2 in person to judge the screen size for myself, again the phone is not available in my country until November! and I will want to make a decision by then
Note 3 Ftw!
Sent from my SM-N900K using Tapatalk 2
Come on brotha, your posting in a Note 3 thread. That'd be like me going to a Republican rally and asking which is better: Republicans, Democrats, or the Green Party? lol
uppon2 said:
First I will explain my story: I went from owning the SGS 1, then SGS 2 and then I bought a Droid DNA for something different, but someone stole it. Luckily a friend sold me an SGS 3 for very cheap. By the time I played around with the SGS 3, I realised why I was getting bored of Samsung to begin with. It's because of the screen. Yes it looks sharp and clear but the amoled screen was so fake and forced with saturation which my Droid DNA wasn't suffering from. Not to mention the SGS 3 seemed exactly the same as my SGS 2 only a different shape and size. It was quite frankly boring!
After my insurance company replaced my Droid DNA I could no longer use the SGS 3 because of these facts. I continued to use the Droid DNA for the following months and I can not fault it besides the screen being too small for me now, I have simply outgrown it. I have since sold all of my phones including the DNA to purchase a new phone. I automatically wanted the Note 3 because of the size and hardware and well known projected development but my main questions are:
Is the screen on the Galaxy Note 3 improved with life like colours in comparison to the SGS 3?
Is the camera going to be good enough without OIS?
If you want to know my other choices and reasons why I am considering them please look below. (Was going to include Sony Xperia Z Ultra but the camera has no flash and is only 8mp and the size form factor is too much for me)
My first choice (hoping the screen doesn't put me off)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Pros:
Biggest screen in a small chassis in comparison to any other phablet
Stylus might come in handy but I have never used one before
Has the best internals out of the competition Snapdragon 800/Adreno 330
Development support is massive for Samsung!
Massive battery
4K recording on specific model I am interested in
More RAM
Cons:
Amoled screens have always seemed boring to look at to me and everything seems fake, almost like a cartoon. I need to use the GN3 in person before I can be sure. They might have made it better than the SGS 3? - This is the main reason I am concerned about - My Droid DNA felt so lifelike and easy to look at)
Camera has no OIS (and apparently the auto focus is slow according to some reviews)
My second choice
Acer Liquid S2
Pros:
Screen appeals to me more as it is not amoled like the Note 3
6" display
Same internals as Note 3
Same battery capacity as Note 3
Highest contrast amongst my choices?
Better Front Camera than the other choices
LED Ring Flash (4 leds)
Cons:
Bigger than Note 3 and not sure if it is worth it for the size increase of the screen (TOUGH DECISION)
Has a slower clock speed at 2.2 instead of 2.3 in other Snapdragon 800 phones
If it is not a lot cheaper than it will make me lean towards the Note 3
Reflective screen might cancel out contrast levels outdoors
Not sure what development will be like?
My third choice (more information on release might push me to buy this phone)
Oppo N1
Pros:
Rotating 6 lens camera with F/2.0 Aperture
First Cyanogen Mod Integrated Phone
Duel LED Flash
Biggest battery of all of my choices
Back of the phone has a touch panel which I bet will become very customisable
Aluminium
Some images make it look like the phone is waterproof?
Cons:
Phone might be tooooo big
last generation internals Snapdragon 600/Adreno 320
My third choice tied (more information on release might push me to buy this phone)
HTC One Max ( Some specs might still be unconfirmed)
Pros:
Screen might appeal to me more as it is not amoled like the Note 3
Larger screen
Camera has OIS and might be great. (The HTC One camera didn't impress me too much however)
External surround speakers
Development has really started picking back up with HTC
Cons:
Physical size must be big considering the speaker layout and camera
last generation internals Snapdragon 600/Adreno 320
Another tied third choice (Price is so cheap it might make do)
LG Optimus G Pro (Was also looking at Note 2 but this trumps it in every way besides stylus/software which I am still unsure if I will use often enough and of course I prefer a non amoled screen)
Pros:
This phone is literally half the price as the note 3 costing me $450 vs $850 for the Note 3 (This phone might keep me going until a newer phone entices me and for half the price it is tempting)
Dolby mobile sound enhancement
Great sized screen
Big battery
Camera is better than average
The development is not tooooo bad
Cons:
last generation internals Snapdragon 600/Adreno 320
My fourth choice (most disappointing because screen is probably not going to be big enough!! but I love all of the other features. If this phone was 5.5" I would be getting it over anything else! I am so annoyed it has on screen keys and a smaller screen! - It's why I sold my Nexus 4 so quickly)
LG G2
Pros:
Screen appeals to me more as it is not amoled like the Note 3
Large battery for a small phone (not as good as the note 3 but the life should be close to the same as it has a smaller screen to power)
The phone is cheaper to buy outright by $200 dollars in my country in comparison to the note 3
Camera is outstanding - 4K record might be possible with firmware update - f/2.4 aperture and OIS has proven to take better images and video with the right settings in comparison to my other phone choices
Internals are the same as Note 3
Cons:
Screen is only a little step up in quality and size from my Droid DNA (especially if I choose to keep on screen keys active)
LG usually have little development support compared to Samsung
The button placement at the back makes the phone look weird and maybe awkward. I thought it was a camera lens cover when I first saw it
At the end of the day if the Note 3 didn't have an amoled screen and did have OIS I wouldn't be looking at other phones at all. Even if it just had a different screen it would probably lock me in to buying it. That goes the same for the LG G2 if it had a larger screen! To make a definitive decision, I need to use all of these phones in person but because I live in Australia, most of these phones aren't available to me. Makes it very hard to make a decision! I need to look at the Galaxy Note 3 screen and see if I can deal with the amoled, if I can I will buy it. It is released in Australia in 3 days for me to check out.
If I don't like the Note 3 screen, I will need to handle the Oppo, Acer and HTC One Max to see if I am comfortable with the size of them. If I am then I will buy whichever one I like better, the problem is these phone will probably not come to Australia anytime soon, if at all for me to test them so I can only go by user opinion!
If I am not completely happy with the Acer/HTC/Oppo size I will end up buying the LG Optimus G Pro for so much cheaper than the others and I will then look to replace it when I am happy with another phone even if the phone is lower spec, it has decent development and an upgraded screen size and quality over my DNA.
I also need to see the LG G2 in person to judge the screen size for myself, again the phone is not available in my country until November! and I will want to make a decision by then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, well at least you did your research I am a former amoled hater, I returned my galaxy nexus because of the crappy colors and green tint, so I understand your concerns. In seeing friends gs3 vs gs4 the screen is much improved and I find the colors more realistic, the colors on LCD being super saturated, and the blacks are miles better. I then played with a gnote2 for a few days before deciding if I wanted the 3 and the answer was a resounding yes, the screen was fantastic
Best way is like you said, to just wait until it reaches your country and you can see it in person. Amoled displays have vibrant over saturated colors, better viewing angles, better battery efficiency than LCDs, and better blacks. LCDs have better whites, better brightness and viewing eligibility under the sun, more realistic colors. See which benefits you like the most and get the phone with the corresponding screen.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I bought the Note 3 for its unparalleled stylus integration. (and screen size/beast-mode specs) It has no competition at this point in time (Although a few competitors are in the works).
FWIW, I think the Note 3's screen is gorgeous.
When you posted it here, you should have known the answer is skewed.
If Note 3 did not have so much restriction, it should have been my choice.
mingkee said:
When you posted it here, you should have known the answer is skewed.
If Note 3 did not have so much restriction, it should have been my choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not arguing, but what restriction?
Change the screen mode in settings to Natural and if it's still not to your liking try Movie. By default it's on Standard and can even be increased with Dynamic. Changing the saturation has been present in settings since the GS2, idk how people miss that one option that could end their complains. If that doesn't do it for you then the Galaxy line might not be for you.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
MohJee said:
Best way is like you said, to just wait until it reaches your country and you can see it in person. Amoled displays have vibrant over saturated colors, better viewing angles, better battery efficiency than LCDs, and better blacks. LCDs have better whites, better brightness and viewing eligibility under the sun, more realistic colors. See which benefits you like the most and get the phone with the corresponding screen.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't anybody use the movie mode or adobe rgb mode? Looks great in either mode. The galaxy series are on dynamic mode out of the box. Similar to how TV manufacturers and resellers put display TV's in this mode to stand out.
MohJee said:
Best way is like you said, to just wait until it reaches your country and you can see it in person. Amoled displays have vibrant over saturated colors, better viewing angles, better battery efficiency than LCDs, and better blacks. LCDs have better whites, better brightness and viewing eligibility under the sun, more realistic colors. See which benefits you like the most and get the phone with the corresponding screen.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is all personal taste, of course, but I find LCD screens more over saturated, and the sun viewing thing is overstated, while technically true, the reflections off the glass of all these screens makes it mostly mute. I've used my iPhone, iPad, friends galaxy devices, they all ultimately stink in direct sun
Thanks for the replies guys. I posted this here because amongst bias choices, people will still give me answers I want to hear. A lot of people buy the Note series for the stylus and software features alone, where these features are simply bonuses that I might use and not even close to the reason I want a large screen device!
If it wasn't for my need of the digitizer pen for documents there are a lot of strong contenders like LG G2 (especially the price <$200), Sony Z1, etc.
mi7chy said:
If it wasn't for my need of the stylus for documents there are a lot of strong contenders like LG G2 (especially the price <$200), Sony Z1, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my point exactly. People can usually see the benefit of a stylus and that might play a huge roll in choosing the device! As this is not my primary concern I would choose the Z1 if it had a larger screen or The LG G2 if it had solid AOSP support; I guess I could make do with hiding the soft keys
I think this thread is a bit premature at the moment as there's too many unknowns about some of the other devices, the Acer looks potentially interesting but whether it's going to be worth considering will depend a lot on the price and how well it works in practice.
John
I have yet to see a note 3 in the flesh but colour rendition in the s4 is better than in the s3 so it may be an indicator of what to expect.
Sent from my GT-N7100
vtjay said:
Not arguing, but what restriction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knox (prevent rooting)
Regional SIM locking (this is a major issue for travelers)
Regional sim locking won't effect anyone. It's only meant to prevent people from purchasing phones out of their region.
sgh-TWEAKED-889©
It won't affect people who travel to other countries?
Warrior1975 said:
Regional sim locking won't effect anyone. It's only meant to prevent people from purchasing phones out of their region.
sgh-TWEAKED-889©
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. Read the main thread...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
All the size speculates that the Note 4 will only have a 5.7" but with 4k resolution. I don't get the point of this, why have a such high resolution but still on 5.7" screen?
kuromusha38 said:
All the size speculates that the Note 4 will only have a 5.7" but with 4k resolution. I don't get the point of this, why have a such high resolution but still on 5.7" screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be more than happy if it would retain 5.7". Anything above 6 inch seems to go overboard with the so called phablet. Pocketability option would be close to non existent if it is.
4k resolution on 5.7 inch for me is fine too. I've tried LG G3 and I am honestly impressed.
But that's just my opinion.
We'll still see what Note 4 has to offer. If it is just a screen size/resolution bump and additional sensor gimmicks. I'd probably pass and wait for Note 5.
Since Note 3 still serves me well. I'm hoping that at 2015. New battery technology would be powering the upcoming handsets, as we all know we are just a year or months away from 64 bit processors. The supposed new ion batteries that theoritically doubles battery life of the current lithium ion batteries.
Yeah seriously, 5.7 is like perfect size. Instead of bigger and bigger screen, they can spend that time making better screen and other specs. Seriously the whole thirst for bigger screen and octo processors is just asinine. At the end of the day, its a damn phone. And then after all those specs dumped into the phone, another one will be released the next year. 5.7 with better screen and more PPI. Yes please
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app
I want smaller bezel and slightly shorter.
I reckon its about 5mm too long at the moment.
IF the note 4 has the same 5.7 inch screen size as the note 3 I am going to skip it and wait for the note 5 next year. I want a 6 inch screen note and won't support a phone or a company with my hard earned $$ for a new device with the same screen size as last year's model! I currently own a note 3 with a 10,000 mah zerolemon battery and rugged case so I can wait for the note 5 if need be.
QHD =\= 4K.
I'd like a jump to 5.9" myself.
Introducing the Galaxy note 8, with the best AMOLED screen yet, sitting at 9 inches!
Come on guys, when and why did a bigger screen become part of an update requirement?
I won't mind a bigger screen as long as the size of the phone stays the same (ie smaller bezels). But, there's not much room left.
Hhhhh , you wont see a 4K display in a phone untill next year or the year after and the screen size will be smaller not bigger
Samsung need to compete with the 5.5inch iphone 6 so they will make the note 4 screen smaller to 5.5inch or they will keep the same 5.7inch and it will have a snapdragon 805 chip with a QHD=2K super amoled display like the galaxy s5 lte-a
Personally i have the galaxy note3 and i skipped galaxy s5 because the note 3 was better and i am waiting for samsung to impress us/me with the note4
The screen size doesn't bother me if it goes up, but any of the epic fail features (waterproofing causing system overheating or port covers that fall off/are a pain to use) will preclude me from buying the Note 4.
I want buy it but I won't if it's going to be a turkey like the Galaxy 5, Xperia Z2 etc.
I must admit I get quite a kick out of people who say they'll wait for the Note 5, even though the Note 4 hasn't even been released yet.
For the guys who think the Note 4 sucks, I'd just like to save you a little time...
The Note 5 sucks too.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW
If this the logic is new device = bigger screen then note 6 will be a tablet. For me 5.7" is perfect. If they make the device any bigger than this I won't buy it. It would be perfect if they could keep he 5.7" screen but make the device smaller which means more practical and easy to handle with one hand.
What logic?
I just think 5.7" is too damn small for a phone with a stylus.
Minimum should be 6".
*smaller bezel, like the G3
*stereo speakers, cupping speakers is ridiculous, imo
*better battery life at full brightness, no tweaks
*improved TW speed, the devs have it pretty smooth, but there are still some lag relative to iphones
*an incremental processor upgrade is not going to be enough imo
the iphone will have the better design, better battery life, better processor, and smoother OS and it will be released withing DAYS of announcement, which really means nothing to me since the phone is so locked down, so I am done with Apple products
why can't HTC just release the REAL phone I want which is a 5.7 M8
Personally 5.7" is my perfect size too.. i wouldnt buy if the size would increase..
but screen bigger than 5.7" but smaller or same footprint, well thats another story..
Personally I'm gonna wait awhile before getting a new phone as I am still really happy with my Note 3. Of course I'll be curious and probably tempted but the Note 3 can easily last another 2 years (if not more) and it will be interesting to see what is out and available by then
ciprianruse88 said:
It would be perfect if they could keep he 5.7" screen but make the device smaller which means more practical and easy to handle with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this. at 5.7" the screen only just fits in the pockets of my slacks without sticking out, and barely better in my jeans. If the device retained the current form factor and reduced bezel size that would be okay though.
One area where samsung could really reduce the size of the device, or increase the screen size is by moving the damn buttons. It is 2014 and Samsung are now the only android OEM with physical home/back/menu buttons, just give us some damn softbuttons already.
Juan123 said:
Personally I'm gonna wait awhile before getting a new phone as I am still really happy with my Note 3. Of course I'll be curious and probably tempted but the Note 3 can easily last another 2 years (if not more) and it will be interesting to see what is out and available by then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this. The only thing that could make me move off the Note 3 before that would be a Nexus for Verizon Wireless in the states haha.
Hmm.
1. I think physical button will stay. (have not seen a galaxy phone without it)
2. I think we won't get stereo front speakers. (aforementioned physical button)
3. So much hate for the phone that's not even out yet.
4. I think TW is going to stay. (they now have "Galaxy Apps"!, instead of Samsung apps..., not to mention Samsung wearables only for Samsung phones)
5. New features from S5 will definitely be a possibility. (i.e. heart rate sensor, fingerprint scanner, water resistant rating)
6. I agree that they will have to come up with something we have not seen before(not just software, or features from the S5) or many people will not upgrade or jump ship to a different manufacturer. (sigh...no more updates to Wanam Xposed)
Relax and enjoy the ride.
lilstevie said:
Pretty much this. at 5.7" the screen only just fits in the pockets of my slacks without sticking out, and barely better in my jeans. If the device retained the current form factor and reduced bezel size that would be okay though.
One area where samsung could really reduce the size of the device, or increase the screen size is by moving the damn buttons. It is 2014 and Samsung are now the only android OEM with physical home/back/menu buttons, just give us some damn softbuttons already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if they move that ugly logo to the back, it would be amazing *_*
But where would they put the finger print scanner though?
kuromusha38 said:
What logic?
I just think 5.7" is too damn small for a phone with a stylus.
Minimum should be 6".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really, when you remember that the note has no on screen buttons getting in the way. A phone still has to be portable you know and unless they're gonna be fitting that screen in the same footprint it may be a little too large IMO.
Ok, so I prefer my phone to be top end but I kind of feel that I'm being forced to purchase phones with increasingly larger displays because the smaller display phones tend to needlessly gimp out the rest of the spec (CPU, RAM, storage, camera etc).
People say that manufacturers are only reacting to consumer choice but is this really true.
Take for example the original Samsung Galaxy S. This was a 4" display. The phone was very popular. When they upgraded the phone (S2) the phone went from 4" to 4.3" screen. Anyone who preferred the 4" size had two options:
1. Force to get the 4.3" and still benefit from the latest top end specs in other areas or
2. Look at other 4" phones that may not be a top end phone.
I reckon most people who preferred the 4" display reluctantly took option 1.
A year later the same situation occurs with Galaxy S3 and the 4.8" display. People who preferred the smaller screen size had to choose from the same previous two options. The same thing pretty much happens going forward so we have a history like this:
S1: 4"
S2: 4.3"
S3: 4.8"
S4: 5"
S5 and S6: 5.1"
Same thing for the Galaxy Note:
Note 1: 5.3"
Note 2: 5.5"
Note 3 and 4: 5.7"
Same for Motorola and Moto X:
1st gen: 4.7"
2nd gen: 5.2"
3rd gen: Style 5.7" and Play 5.5"
Same is true for pretty much every other manufacturer.
How can manufacturers say consumers want larger display phones when they offer no comparable alternative to their previous generation?
For me personally, I preferred the size of the Galaxy S2 phone. Although that came with a 4.3" display, I wouldn't mind if they managed to squeeze in a larger display into the same dimension of the phone by reducing the bezels so I'm guessing a 4.7" phone is around the sweet spot for me. But wanting a smaller display phone doesn't necessarily mean I don't want top end specs everywhere else.
I think pretty much all manufacturers are missing a trick. Top end phones with large phablet size displays are in a massively competing market. They all find it difficult to differentiate their phone to create a unique selling point.
One easy way to create a phone that stands out from the crowd with instant unique selling point:
A 1080p, 4.7" display phone with smallish bezels. All other specs should be relatively top end. Boom, that'll be a winner right there.
The only manufacturer that seems to get this is Sony as they do this with their Xperia Compact phones. General review feedback and sales of the Compact version of the phone are comparable to their full size Xperia phone so I do believe there are consumers who want this. The thing with Sony is that their phones are not massively popular (even the larger Xperia phone) so while the Compact brings in decent sales figures for Sony's overall sales, it is dwarfed by bigger names like Samsung.
Plus, if you want a top end phablet size phone then you have dozens to choose from. If you want a top end compact size phone then you only have one to choose from which is priced pretty high (typical Sony pricing) and therefore even those who are inclined with top end phones that are compact, may not go for the only option they have available for many reasons.
There are many who prefer phablet phones so I'm no trying to take away anything from those consumers. I still think manufacturers should create phablet phones as there is a market for those but I'm just saying that I reckon there are a good portion of users who prefer top end compact phones but there is only one option for them and that will never indicate the huge consumer market potential for this preference. Manufacturers should create both variety of phones so they can see how sales compare. But if all they do is produce the larger phone and say "see, everyone is still buying the larger phone" then this doesn't show those who reluctantly forced into buying those type of phones.
Anyway, I just thought I'd air my opinion and see what others think.