Samsung Galaxy s4 vs iPhone 4

[havaneselover]

There are a few primary reasons I went with Android. Specifically I bought a Galaxy S3 a little over a year ago from Ebay to use with Net10. I like the look of the phone and the screen better than the iPhone. The Galaxy cameras have always been "better" than their iPhone counterparts that were released at the same time. If I needed to replace after my insurance ran out, and I can't afford a Galaxy phone at the time, I can get a cheap android and keep all my apps. With iPhone, I would have to buy a new iPhone. The biggest reason, the battery. I can buy extra batteries for a few dollars and replace them myself in seconds.

You can replace the IPhone battery pretty inexpensively as well (although I think it voids the warranty but generally phones are off warranty by the time the battery dies).

I've done it for a friend's IPhone 4. Paid $8 for a battery on Ebay and watched a you tube video for instructions. My Iphone 4 battery is still going strong though which surprises me.

 

[mistysue]

It really depends what OS your life currently runs on.
My email is gmail and I have never had an iPod, so I sat down a couple years ago and figured out that converting my life to apple meant hundred or possibly thousands of dollars in investment. If you are already using apple computers and itunes for your music and apps it isn't a big deal. If everything you have is windows and you aren't a big itunes music user, than going apple will cost you.

Buying an apple product means buying into Apple's user experience. They keep a much tighter hold on what items you can use and it costs money. There are many many free apps I have that would be $2-$5 per app on an apple product. Many people do find it more user friendly but to be honest I have been using windows, linux and android products for most of the last 20 years so I found samsung to be much more intuitive than apple.

As silly as it sounds it is a very personal decision. Apple has the "feel" of being more upscale but you will pay for it. Samsung has been using better technology that is sturdier but doesn't have that classy feel to it. If cost is an issue and you are not a fully Apple household I would go with Samsung because it is cheaper to use and the phone will be current for longer.

 

[xipetotec]

Looking for a new cell phone & considering Samsung Galaxy s4 or the iPhone 4. Looking for anybody that has experience with both, if possible.

Everybody I know who owns an iPhone says get it, of course. But Android users says just the opposite.

What do you like or dislike about these phones?

I have not only used both, but have also used other devices on IOS and Android. Here's what I think without any "fanboy" bias.

1) IOS is a solid platform. It pretty much works out of the box and is super easy to use. HOWEVER I feel what you see is what you get. It's not very customizable, and although currently the major apps still tend to publish to Ios FIRST ( though that tide is shifting ), you will find a lot of smaller apps on Android that would never get approved in the app store. This is because Apple/Ios is a "closed box" system. Only hardware they approve, only apps they approve. This is good AND bad.

2) Android ( and therefore, the S4/S5 ) is still easy to use, very similar to iphones in fact. It is also heavily customizable. This means from one manufacturer to the next, you could have a completely different experience. The fact that it's customizable CAN be great if you like to tinker. You can add all sorts of widgets and changes to your phone and OS. But if you're not sure what you're doing, you could make your phone slow and not as "fun" to use. There are also a myriad of applications ( as previously mentioned ) that you will never find on Ios.

The being said, *I* personally prefer Android and my samsung S4 and I will likely NEVER go back to Apple. For me the benefits have outweighed the cons of staying with Ios. HOWEVER, my parents use an iPhone, and I don't think I will ever advise them to switch as it's a solid "unbreakable" platform that is easy to use.

On a side note: It will be interesting to see if Apple is able to keep it focus in the decade to come after Steve Jobs' passing.


Clear as mud?

 

[shruley]

My husband works in IT and has recently forbade any more apple products to come into our home. Almost everyone at his work has Android phones. I guess I disagree that the Iphone is easier for beginners, because to me (having an Android as my first phone) I think Apples are hard to use and NOT intuitive, but that's probably only because Android is all I know, so Apple seems confusing to me. Android always seems pretty intutitve to me, but maybe having lived with a computer geek since college I am more tech savy than I think?

We both have the Galaxys and like them. When we upgrade this fall we've get another Galaxy. We are Google people...love Gmail, google drive, picasa, and google calendar. (Yes, Google basically totally organizes my life) so the Galaxy only makes sense. I hate with my DD's iphone that everything seems set to only interact with other Apple users, which is annoying. She gets mad because we download a lot of apps for free on our phones and when she goes to get them she has to pay (and isn't allowed to pay!) I also hate having to deal with the itunes store. We also stream a lot- Barney on Netflix is how my 2 year old passes time in the Dr. office.

My cousin is a teacher, so she has an iPhone, because everything she is already using is apple, so that makes sense for her. But everything about Apple is more expensive- computers, tablets, phones, and apps, so you really just need to think about what road you want to go down, and who you want to be tied to!

 

[KKB]

Tried the S4 & HATED it--I do not care for an android operating system. I do not find it intuitive at all.

Changed to an iPhone 4 & loved it. Last year felt the need to upgrade to an iPhone 5--it was stupid to spend the money as the differences are negligible. Just got DS13 an iPhone 4 as it was free--and serves all his needs.

I use a PC at home & an iMac for work; have ALWAYS preferred apple operating system. There are rarely major changes when there is an update (tho I do recall an Apple update last year that had too many--which there were many grumblings about). When I went to Windows 8 my son needed to give me a lesson--it was like a whole new system over Windows 7! Ridiculous.

 

[KKB]

It really depends what OS your life currently runs on.
My email is gmail and I have never had an iPod, so I sat down a couple years ago and figured out that converting my life to apple meant hundred or possibly thousands of dollars in investment. If you are already using apple computers and itunes for your music and apps it isn't a big deal. If everything you have is windows and you aren't a big itunes music user, than going apple will cost you.

My mail on my iPhone is gmail...works great.

I have Rhapsody on my phone, not iTunes..

 

[pryncess527]

I have both. I hate the android and love my iPhone. maybe it's just because I had the iphone first, so it's what I'm used to -- but I do not find the android intuitive at all. And the way the phone is designed, i'm always accidentally hitting the way-to-easy-to-trigger buttons on the front.

 

[tvguy]

That is true, I think some flavors of Straight Talk do not. Verizon definitely supports 4G LTE, that's what I have. I am pretty sure AT&T also does.

I just got a Samsung S4 from Verizon and box says "Samsung S4 4G LTE" so it may be a provider issue, not a phone issue.

 

[havaneselover]

I just got a Samsung S4 from Verizon and box says "Samsung S4 4G LTE" so it may be a provider issue, not a phone issue.

I think that was about the Iphone 5 but at this point I'm not completely sure : )

 

[tvguy]

I have both. I hate the android and love my iPhone. maybe it's just because I had the iphone first, so it's what I'm used to -- but I do not find the android intuitive at all. And the way the phone is designed, i'm always accidentally hitting the way-to-easy-to-trigger buttons on the front.

We have an even split of Iphones and Androids at work, both on Verizon, and the pattern is, everyone that has an Android hates it, and everyone that has an iPhone hates it. Not sure how that happen. I do not have a company phone.

The whole intuitive thing intrigues me. I finally broke down and got a smartphone 2 weeks ago, and I went with an Android after borrowing both android and iphones from co-workers for a couple months. Everyone talks about iPhones being intuitive....as a non-geek 57 year old, I have never encountered anything less intuitive than those iphones. I have the same issue with my daughters Mac Book Pro. I just don't think that way.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I just got a Samsung S4 from Verizon and box says "Samsung S4 4G LTE" so it may be a provider issue, not a phone issue.

Yes I my cousin has a Verizon Samsung S4, it is definitely 4G LTE. The iPhone 4s is the one in question. I had a Verizon 4s, it was most definitely not compatible. There has been a lot of debate about the At&T version of the 4s.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4734068

http://forums.att.com/t5/Apple/4G-on-the-Apple-iPhone-4S/td-p/3087141


It appears as if AT&T has a technology labeled as 4G that is not 4G LTE.



On a side note... I know it is comparing Apples and Oranges here (kind of a pun in there somewhere), but I tried out a low end Nokia 4G phone (AT&T). Side by side, the Verizon iPhone 4s was faster on 3G than the AT&T Nokia on 4G.

 

[disney1990]

These conversations have run just about as I thought they would - iPhone people love their iPhone and Android people love their Android.

We have been with Verizon since our first cellphones - back when cellphones first came out. My very first cellphone was a "bag phone" - anybody remember those? Both DH & I have basic cells, have never had smart phones.

We are looking to leave "contract" Verizon behind and go with a prepaid plan $45 per cellphone with 1GB of data per phone. The reason I gave these 2 particular phones is because of cost - prepaid requires that you buy the phone outright. iPhone 5 is way out of the budget (especially to buy 2 of them). Leaning toward the Samsung. After all, if we never owned iPhones, we won't know what we are missing. (Except that we do own an iPad).

 

[tvguy]

These conversations have run just about as I thought they would - iPhone people love their iPhone and Android people love their Android.

We have been with Verizon since our first cellphones - back when cellphones first came out. My very first cellphone was a "bag phone" - anybody remember those? Both DH & I have basic cells, have never had smart phones.

We are looking to leave "contract" Verizon behind and go with a prepaid plan $45 per cellphone with 1GB of data per phone. The reason I gave these 2 particular phones is because of cost - prepaid requires that you buy the phone outright. iPhone 5 is way out of the budget (especially to buy 2 of them). Leaning toward the Samsung. After all, if we never owned iPhones, we won't know what we are missing. (Except that we do own an iPad).

DW and I both still have our bag phones, in the back of the closet. I think I mentioned, I have been "bought up" twice. Our first cell phones (or car phones as they were known then) were purchased in 1990 from PacTel Cellular, which years later got bought up by Airtouch Cellular....and years later bought up by Verizon. Had the same phone numbers the entire time, which throws off some of the Verizon sales people when they realize that my accounts shows are the second and third prefixes for cell phones in our area code. In there system, we have been with Verizon longer than Verizon has existed.
My original plan was $19.95 a month per phone 25 cents a minute during the day and 15 cents a minute at night and on weekends. No such thing as texting yet.

 

[disney1990]

DW and I both still have our bag phones, in the back of the closet. I think I mentioned, I have been "bought up" twice. Our first cell phones (or car phones as they were known then) were purchased in 1990 from PacTel Cellular, which years later got bought up by Airtouch Cellular....and years later bought up by Verizon. Had the same phone numbers the entire time, which throws off some of the Verizon sales people when they realize that my accounts shows are the second and third prefixes for cell phones in our area code. In there system, we have been with Verizon longer than Verizon has existed.

DH worked as a cable technician for Verizon - that's where we started and that's where we stayed. He has retired and my loyalty is what it used to be. If I remember correctly, our first phone included 20 minutes a month - "texting"?? What was that??

 

[havaneselover]

Are you considering buying used? I've heard good things about swappa but haven't used them yet. After the 6 comes out in a few weeks I expect iphone prices will come down more.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

The 3rd most important thing I do with my phone (after make calls and take pictures) is use the navigation.
DH has iPhone 4S and I have had a cheap Samsung Android for a couple years and recently got an S3.
Google navigation always beat the iPhone when we'd start them at the same time while traveling - the iPhone would come up faster but it could not keep up with the twists and turns of tiny streets in places like Santa Cruz, or the freeway interchanges in southern CA.
We also had one hilarious screaming match with Siri and after about 10 minutes she hung up on us.
I'm trying to figure out how to get the old Google navigator on the Galaxy S3 - the updated version is too like iPhone navigation.
The Galaxy has many more settings than the iPhone - since the most effort I'm willing to make is charging it, I am annoyed by all of the settings I have to figure out.

 

[pryncess527]

After all, if we never owned iPhones, we won't know what we are missing. (Except that we do own an iPad).

Then I think this is a huge point in favor of getting the iPhone. I find the syncing between devices immensely helpful.

 

[richmo]

This is one of those questions that has no definitive answer, because both devices are good.

A partial answer may be in what you already have. If you are already invested in the Apple world via an iPad, iPod Touch, Mac computer, etc., going with the iPhone makes a lot of sense since you're likely already using iTunes.

One thing that does concern me a little with an older device is the battery. They simply degrade over time, whether used or not. In fact, unused batteries seem to do worse. If you're going with an iPhone 4, I would hope you are getting it direct from Apple...since they will put a new battery in it. Unfortunately, the iPhone case is sealed, so it is difficult to change the battery yourself. That would be an advantage for Samsung...if the battery goes, its easy to replace; and replacements are cheap.

Do you need external storage? The Samsung will let you put in a microSD card; Apple does not. Of course, there are cloud storage options with both.

iOS vs. Android is a personal choice. Try them both out and see which you like. They've been in competition for several years now and push each other for improvements, which is very good for the consumer. At this point, there are more similarities than differences.

 

[havaneselover]

This is one of those questions that has no definitive answer, because both devices are good.

A partial answer may be in what you already have. If you are already invested in the Apple world via an iPad, iPod Touch, Mac computer, etc., going with the iPhone makes a lot of sense since you're likely already using iTunes.

One thing that does concern me a little with an older device is the battery. They simply degrade over time, whether used or not. In fact, unused batteries seem to do worse. If you're going with an iPhone 4, I would hope you are getting it direct from Apple...since they will put a new battery in it. Unfortunately, the iPhone case is sealed, so it is difficult to change the battery yourself. That would be an advantage for Samsung...if the battery goes, its easy to replace; and replacements are cheap.

Do you need external storage? The Samsung will let you put in a microSD card; Apple does not. Of course, there are cloud storage options with both.

iOS vs. Android is a personal choice. Try them both out and see which you like. They've been in competition for several years now and push each other for improvements, which is very good for the consumer. At this point, there are more similarities than differences.

Iphone batteries can be purchased for $8 on ebay. Watch a three-minute you tube video and five minutes later you have replaced your battery. It's really not that hard speaking from experience. My Iphone 4 battery is over three years old and going strong, but this is definitely an issue with older Iphones.

 

[ejcraft]

Iphone batteries can be purchased for $8 on ebay. Watch a three-minute you tube video and five minutes later you have replaced your battery. It's really not that hard speaking from experience. My Iphone 4 battery is over three years old and going strong, but this is definitely an issue with older Iphones.

Yes, but I think what she was getting at was with a Samsung you can carry a spare battery with you and when you phone dies in the middle of no where and no oulet around you can just changeo out your battery and you are good to go.