Budget 15-20K Samsung Galaxy S4 for 16k - worth it in 2015?

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kadavul

Recruit
Hi all,

I was looking to buy a smartphone in the 20k range and I found the Galaxy S4 is on sale at amazon for 16k. Is it still worth considering this phone in 2015?

These seem to be the good things (that matter to me):
  1. Great display, perfect size (1080p,5 inches,440ppi)
  2. Decent Camera
  3. Physical home button
  4. Custom ROMs, cases, and easily available parts because it is a popular model
  5. After sales service that exists (with real people wearing badges and stuff)
  6. Expandable storage upto 64 gb
  7. Removable battery

Main concern:
There are lots of complaints about heating and battery issues. The Exynos chip seems to have been faulty in some way. Can this be fixed by simply tweaking some software settings? Or is the hardware really faulty? People also complain about UI lag after using it for some months. I am curious to know how this device is performing if anyone is using it as a daily driver.

Is scrolling performance and browsing smooth on this device? I will be using it for whatsapp, fb, instagram, twitter, taking photos, listening to music/podcasts, watching sitcoms, taking notes and reading. I won't be installing any heavy games on it. Display quality and battery life (1 day with moderate-heavy use) are my top priorities.

Others concerns like build quality and bloatware does not bother me much as I can deal with it.

Is buying a 2013 flagship the right thing to do? Or am I better off buying one of the mid range phones?

Almost all the other phones I considered had one of these drawbacks: questionable camera quality, non-removable battery, non-expandable storage, large form factor, or I simply did not like how they looked. These are the phones I considered: The Zenfones (hate the asus branding on the face), Lenovo A series, Yu yureka/yuphoria, Honor 4x, Mi4, Oneplus One (My closest bet. Out of stock right now. Also have doubts about size and camera quality)

I also briefly considered buying a used Nokia 808 pureview :D

Here is the link to Galaxy S4 on Amazon. I am considering this only because it is 16k. Seems to be a good deal:

http://www.amazon.in/Samsung-Galaxy...UTF8&qid=1434823815&sr=8-1&keywords=galaxy+s4
 
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adibaba said:
So which phone do you suggest if I am stick with it for a max 2 years.
Click to expand...
Sorry, no ideas, technology is changing so fast that it's difficult to stick with the same phone for 2 years (May not be anything wrong with the phone but you'll have the urge to change it) I'd go with something like YU Yureka or Yuphoria (Cheap Phones) and change them in a year, instead of sticking with the same phone for 2 years, but that's just me.
 
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adibaba said:
How is the OPO in terms of the build quality and shud I consider the Nexus 5 second hand at 23 k
Sorry for hijacking the thread mate
Click to expand...

I tried the Nexus 5 and OPO side by side. My highly unscientific and subjective comparison:

- The OPO is built very well. It feels solid in the hand. I liked the sandstone finish and felt confident holding it.
- The OPO specs blow the Nexus 5 out of the water. It is a beast for the amount you are paying. It is available for 20k on flipkart right now.
- The Nexus 5 felt just right in the hand. 5" seems to be goldilocks size for phones. At least for my hand. The OPO definitely required some conscious effort while holding.
- The shape and material of the Nexus 5 felt just right. The OPO had hard edges which I felt was a bit harsh while holding.
- I don't how to explain this properly but the screen part of the OPO is a little raised while the top and bottom of the body is recessed. Like steps. It is also in two tones. This somehow ruined the look for me. You can look at the images to see what I am talking about.
- The face of the nexus 5 is beautiful. One seamless sheet of glass.
- This might be because of the screen guard on my friend's OPO, but the screen on the Nexus 5 seemed a lot smoother to touch and swipe. The OPO's screen was somehow 'grippy'. Not as pleasant as the Nexus 5.
- One can say that the naked eye cannot differentiate between 401ppi and 445ppi but the Nexus 5 screen definitely looked richer and sharper to me. The oneplus one screen seemed to have a blue tinge.
- Camera speed and image quality were clearly superior on the OPO. No competition here.
- On the Nexus 5, my friend opened an article on pocket, switched to dark mode. The soft buttons disappeared from view and for a moment it felt a bit like reading white text on a solid piece of polished black glass. This was the moment when the Nexus 5 'clicked' for me and I decided I liked it more than the OPO. The OPO ticked all the boxes in my head but did not make me feel anything like the nexus did. Kinda stupid reason but that is just me :D
- Both phones ran on lollipop and the animations felt more 'delightful' on the nexus 5 - like it was designed for this phone. A lot of developers use this phone, so using the very same phone on which your apps were developed on must count for something. Again, I am not very sure about this. Just a guess.

I would feel more confident recommending the OPO to other people because it is so good on paper and you simply cannot go wrong. But the Nexus 5 was my personal preference. Your call.

Also, you are not hijacking this thread. I got all the input I wanted from the community. Thanks to all who replied. But you would be better off opening a separate topic as it would be easy to find for other people having the same questions as you. This thread was about the legitimacy of the S4 as a valid option in 2015.
 
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paarkhi said:
Sorry, no ideas, technology is changing so fast that it's difficult to stick with the same phone for 2 years (May not be anything wrong with the phone but you'll have the urge to change it) I'd go with something like YU Yureka or Yuphoria (Cheap Phones) and change them in a year, instead of sticking with the same phone for 2 years, but that's just me.
Click to expand...
Yeah you are right about that, how long has it for you using the OPO
 
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kadavul said:
I tried the Nexus 5 and OPO side by side. My highly unscientific and subjective comparison:

- The OPO is built very well. It feels solid in the hand. I liked the sandstone finish and felt confident holding it.
- The OPO specs blow the Nexus 5 out of the water. It is a beast for the amount you are paying. It is available for 20k on flipkart right now.
- The Nexus 5 felt just right in the hand. 5" seems to be goldilocks size for phones. At least for my hand. The OPO definitely required some conscious effort while holding.
- The shape and material of the Nexus 5 felt just right. The OPO had hard edges which I felt was a bit harsh while holding.
- I don't how to explain this properly but the screen part of the OPO is a little raised while the top and bottom of the body is recessed. Like steps. It is also in two tones. This somehow ruined the look for me. You can look at the images to see what I am talking about.
- The face of the nexus 5 is beautiful. One seamless sheet of glass.
- This might be because of the screen guard on my friend's OPO, but the screen on the Nexus 5 seemed a lot smoother to touch and swipe. The OPO's screen was somehow 'grippy'. Not as pleasant as the Nexus 5.
- One can say that the naked eye cannot differentiate between 401ppi and 445ppi but the Nexus 5 screen definitely looked richer and sharper to me. The oneplus one screen seemed to have a blue tinge.
- Camera speed and image quality were clearly superior on the OPO. No competition here.
- On the Nexus 5, my friend opened an article on pocket, switched to dark mode. The soft buttons disappeared from view and for a moment it felt a bit like reading white text on a solid piece of polished black glass. This was the moment when the Nexus 5 'clicked' for me and I decided I liked it more than the OPO. The OPO ticked all the boxes in my head but did not make me feel anything like the nexus did. Kinda stupid reason but that is just me :D
- Both phones ran on lollipop and the animations felt more 'delightful' on the nexus 5 - like it was designed for this phone. A lot of developers use this phone, so using the very same phone on which your apps were developed on must count for something. Again, I am not very sure about this. Just a guess.

I would feel more confident recommending the OPO to other people because it is so good on paper and you simply cannot go wrong. But the Nexus 5 was my personal preference. Your call.

Also, you are not hijacking this thread. I got all the input I wanted from the community. Thanks to all who replied. But you would be better off opening a separate topic as it would be easy to find for other people having the same questions as you. This thread was about the legitimacy of the S4 as a valid option in 2015.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed input mate and I thought of posting in this thread cos I am in the same place as you were,I considered the S4 for a moment.
 
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koolcoolkg said:
Build Quality facepalm:/
Worst build quality.Name a single phkne after S2.
Click to expand...
S5, S6 (both Edge and Standard variant) and Note 4, even Note 3 actually.
The poor build was of Note 2 and S4. However, poor built when compared with stronger phones like HTCs or Nokias, nothing else.

OP has bought Nexus 5, congratulations, he will however understand what is the definition of poor build quality (and utterly horrible reception). And please cut the crap with saying nuisances like just put a protective cover, everyone does that anyway! No, not everyone puts a protective case on their phones.
 
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koolcoolkg said:
Build Quality facepalm:/
Worst build quality.Name a single phkne after S2.S6 current version is OK and Edge has issues and pink screen problem.

Anyways S4 isn't worth now.

I really don't know about service but build quality is bullshit.
Click to expand...
All of them.

What do you mean by 'build quality' ? i drop a s3, s4 or s5, how many parts will it break into. if its many then 'build quality' is poor. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the 'build quality'.

I think what you mean to say is design.[DOUBLEPOST=1435140704][/DOUBLEPOST]
kadavul said:
No, I got the 16b version. More storage would have been nice but I think I'll be able to manage. The 32gb version was above my budget.
Click to expand...
By how much ? 3-4k

you are going from 4GB to 16GB so i think you will be ok.

Otherwise the recommend is for 32gb given the lack of expandable storage.
 
Last edited:
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Replying to the OP -
Yes, I bought an S4 very recently. I came very close to buying an OPO, but in the end , the S4 won out.
Reasons -
1. wanted something with enough options in terms of acessories support (screen protectors, cases etc)
2. Decent After Sales support - Have had to work with samsung support before - they're decent. Not sure about this for OPO and have had pathetic experience with LG, so nexus ruled out
3. Camera - Main requirement - I wanted the best sensor i could get for below 20k. blr_p had pointed out the S4 zoom, but that was too much of an oddball - the OPO sensor was pretty good, and at almost half the price - and the reason why it was in contention
4. SD Card support - I lost of bunch of pics i had shot when I had my S Advance crash, and the built in memory took the pix with it - so decided to buy a phone with SD card support - this was the deal breaker for the opo
 
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