25K+ Should I get the S5?

[ithehappy]

Hey guys, I was an S4 user for pretty long (8+ months) before getting frustrated and selling it. I hated it cause with every update something broke and the phone itself was very fragile so that I had to put a protective case to it. Then I searched further and saw how disgusting and slow TouchWiz is. So I bought a hTC M7. However I received a damaged product but the major things of the phone were okay and I came to know the disadvantages of a metal phone. It took at least 3-4X more time to fix on GPS and same time to regain back network signals from areas of low / no network. Also the phone was really slippery, so I had to be careful each and every time I held it. Sense was great, but nothing extraordinary, far better and lighter than TW though.
Now I am all confused as to what to get! Sometimes I think that I need a phone with a compact size (I hate big phones), so I was thinking about the Moto X or Xperia Z1 Compact, then heard that neither of them are really that great and missing something from a high end flagship, so I now I am back to either Z2 or S5. But that Z2 is really huge! And I hate on screen buttons! Do you guys think I should get the S5? Has anyone moved to S5 from S4? Is TW little better now? I am only considering the S5 because it has a much better build quality now, if it were like S4 I would even think about it for a second.

There are no budget limitations, but honestly I don't feel that paying 45+k for Z2 is worth it, where I can get the S5 for around 38k, however doubtful that's worth it either. And if I get the S5 I am talking about the Snapdragon variant here, not Exynos.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ithehappy]

Undoubtedly S5 should be your choice...

Top specs, awesome screen, extra add-ons and lesser price makes it worthy.

People who are saying that TW becomes laggy after phone got filled, I think they don't know how to use their phone.
Just root and install greenify it, best way to stop/limit running fore-ground/background apps, which ultimately saves battery and data too.

Also need to mention that S5 is a very sturdy phone......Sammy this time has hardened the phone by doing their own drop-tests(check google).

I know it's a sturdy phone, that's why I am even considering it. But don't agree about the TW part. My last four phones are Samsung, and you can do nothing to make it run smoothly, TW is the worst Android skin one could ever make. Samsung releases a dozen phones in one month, why don't they just release two S5 or any flagship phone, one with TW and another with plain vanilla Android? Wish there was a GPE of S5.

 

[AMG]

Next time you're on a forum, come with an open mind.

Don't just make a decision and then come for re-affirmation of your views.

That being said, I will no longer reply to this thread.

 

[ithehappy]

Stop the nonsense and keep the crap out this topic.

 

[ashrr]

"So people dont know how to use their (smart)phone."

you need to be smart to utilize the smart features, rooting is one of them.

You know what I consider being smart? Not throwing top dollar at a company who can't be arsed to ship their products with good software.

Besides, Greenify doesn't do jack to the abomination that is Touchwiz. It's still laggy as hell. You can install a custom AOSP based ROM as a workaround, but then you're hit in the face with a myriad of other issues like lower battery life, poor camera performance and losing "S" features completely. At that price point, one shouldn't need to do all this just to get their device running smoothly. It's a 2014 flagship, after all.

 

[srkmish]

yeah tw is such crap. i was using my friends galaxy core and i was like this is damn slower than my dirt cheap lenovo a369i. i couldnt help but chuckle

 

[psdatta2005]

S5 is 36800 on flipkart

 

[prateekS]

Few weeks more and s5 will be ~ 33k..hopefully

 

[psdatta2005]

ya looking at how its dropping !!! 32-33k will be a killer price for this phone

 

[rakesh_ic]

ya looking at how its dropping !!! 32-33k will be a killer price for this phone

And I am sure some people might lose interest to buy this phone just because they wont be paying the premium anymore to get it and its priced similar to Nexus 5?

IMO, Samshit last made a good phone when they released SIII.

 

[blr_p]

Lol, no, the Z2 was not a demo model. It was a working model which was used by a Sony employee in the store where I checked it, D.P Electronics in Madan St. It had a Vodafone SIM already inserted, and I just asked for his permission to call Vodafone's CC. The S5 was the demo model.
I have six years old SE Bluetooth headset. GV435 I think, not really a Bluetooth kinda guy.

Very good, lucky that one of the guys had one for test. There are some tweaks that can be done here, software mods as well as service menu level. Increasing sound means losing quality or causing more saturation so sony might have configured it lower. The only other way i know of getting to hear headset is to enter diagnostics/service menu and run the test. Each phone has its own code to enter there. This is something i'm going to explore more as i think its essential to be satisfied with. All models can be heard in a quiet room but a little more noisy environment and then YMMV.

Yeah. You are in Bangalore, I am in Calcutta. I don't even use 3G to be honest, so those bands don't matter to me, at least not yet.

No, FDD-LTE 1800Mhz (band 3) is not available any where in India yet. Your model has it should it become available in the future and it will as spectrum at that frequency has recently been bought. I notice it said pacific, so it must be an Australian variant. Are the roms you want available for this variant ?

TDD-LTE 2300Mhz (Band 40) is available right now, even in Cal. Course whether you are 350m away from a 4G tower is the question. The G2 802T supports it, again an australian variant with no roms that i can find.

And that's the problem. I was so determined and sure when I sold my S4 that I would never come back to Samsung, at least not in couple of years.

Bear in mind the S4 exnos variant had issues, i recall trying to record 1080p and in a couple of minutes it got very hot. Stability was a major issue with S4. Which does not exist with note 3 & S5 as it uses a different chip.

Then after getting the M7 and used it for two weeks all my attraction towards metal gone away. Other than that, I missed the display of S4, I missed the camera and the rooting process or any custom package flashing process on hTC was just so complex!

why did your attraction towards metal go away after just two weeks ?

If I think practically, selling the S4 and getting S5 is just stupid as hell. But the main thing is this time it's the Snapdragon model, thus way more support, and less bugs. And you are right, at 37-38k the S5 is a very nice deal, especially when the rivals are still at 45k, though with warranty.

Are there any sellers in your city, just a bit leery of getting high price devices like this over ebay, that too without any warranty. If you can verify the device is acceptable by doing some tests and then part with the money, that is one thing. If it survives 1-2months chances are you are good.

All I know that, if I get the S5, I will be getting an awesome display, very good battery life, nice camera and top notch hardware (however I don't play any games, so I don't know how that'd affect me) and an IP67 certified unit. If I get the Moto X, I will get nothing at their best, all average product, but with optimization at it's best, and at a compact size. God, why is it so hard to decide?

The S5 screen is good, battery is little better than S4. Camera has been upgraded too.

Will not call out the X+1 until i see it. Comes out in Aug. Moto x is a different kind of phone.

If you ask me size of the unit is your major concern. S4 size is what works with you. The only reason i can see you did not like it is stability, fragility and lack of roms.

See the comparison of S4 to S5. Are you ok with bigger size of S5 ?[DOUBLEPOST=1402661722][/DOUBLEPOST]

There are drop tests of almost all phones, S5, M8 but nothing of Z2!

Don't read too much into it though.

 

[ithehappy]

why did your attraction towards metal go away after just two weeks ?

Reception, both GPS and mobile network. I use GPS a lot, and at first I was shocked to see how long it took to fix using GPS Test! I thought definitely something was wrong with the phone. Then searched a little and saw some YouTube videos, then I was peaceful. Just search S4 vs M7 GPS / GLONASS.
Also I cross Howrah subway almost everyday for business, and usually there's no signal there, but with other phones like S4 and all as soon as I crossed the subway the signal used to bounce back, with the M7, forget about signal coming back after crossing the subway, I got taxi, crossed Howrah bridge and then it used to come back! I mean that's just awful. If technically put, it is at least 3-4X slower to restore mobile reception, which is for a person like me who needs to call my client whenever I bloody want is just beyond tolerance. Again, this should not be an issue at all for college or school kids, but that doesn't interest me in slightest.

Hail plastic / poly carbonate. I take back all the sh!t and abusive comments I used against plastic and especially Samsung. Extremely sorry.

Are there any sellers in your city, just a bit leery of getting high price devices like this over ebay, that too without any warranty. If you can verify the device is acceptable by doing some tests and then part with the money, that is one thing. If it survives 1-2months chances are you are good.

Nope, no local sellers, at least none with SD variant. Honestly most stores don't even know there is a different version of S5! Dumb.

The S5 screen is good, battery is little better than S4. Camera has been upgraded too.

Yeah, nothing can be said about that display, nothing. The camera is pretty nice too, but honestly in good lighting I don't think there's any noticeable difference between S4, if any at all. What I would call an improvement though is the instant image processing (and preview also) in HDR mode on S5, on S4 it took an awful lot of time to process an HDR image.
But still no hardware OIS, also the low light performance is dull, nothing in front of device like XZ1C or XZ2 and of course the Lumias.

If you ask me size of the unit is your major concern. S4 size is what works with you. The only reason i can see you did not like it is stability, fragility and lack of roms.

See the comparison of S4 to S5. Are you ok with bigger size of S5 ?[DOUBLEPOST=1402661722][/DOUBLEPOST]

No. I hate big size. But am I not okay with it at all? No. So confusing. If it were sized like say Note 2 I would not even have considered it, but it's not. S4 size is perfect, it's slightly bigger, but sill manageable. Can't say the same about S5. Without using S5 for at least two weeks I can't say for sure either.

Sometimes I am even thinking about going with a Lumia

PS : Here is a size comparison,

 

[blr_p]

Reception, both GPS and mobile network. I use GPS a lot, and at first I was shocked to see how long it took to fix using GPS Test! I thought definitely something was wrong with the phone. Then searched a little and saw some YouTube videos, then I was peaceful. Just search S4 vs M7 GPS / GLONASS.
Also I cross Howrah subway almost everyday for business, and usually there's no signal there, but with other phones like S4 and all as soon as I crossed the subway the signal used to bounce back, with the M7, forget about signal coming back after crossing the subway, I got taxi, crossed Howrah bridge and then it used to come back! I mean that's just awful. If technically put, it is at least 3-4X slower to restore mobile reception, which is for a person like me who needs to call my client whenever I bloody want is just beyond tolerance. Again, this should not be an issue at all for college or school kids, but that doesn't interest me in slightest.

Interesting, i suggested wifi would be weaker wit hthe m7 but was very quickly corrected by m7 owners that firmware fixes made it similar with others. GPS however was never mentioned.

Hail plastic / poly carbonate. I take back all the sh!t and abusive comments I used against plastic and especially Samsung. Extremely sorry.

Certainly, form follows function and all that. When someone goes on about about how build quality and design is what made they buy a device then be wary of anything more they say. Their priorities are clearly very different.

Nope, no local sellers, at least none with SD variant. Honestly most stores don't even know there is a different version of S5! Dumb.

You make an easy mark. not bothered about warranty, how are you going to increase your chances of being safer. There are nightmare stories in the feeback section of people that bought devices with no warranty. You've still not mentioned whether the roms you want are available on the s5 versions being sold on ebay.

No. I hate big size. But am I not okay with it at all? No. So confusing. If it were sized like say Note 2 I would not even have considered it, but it's not. S4 size is perfect, it's slightly bigger, but sill manageable. Can't say the same about S5. Without using S5 for at least two weeks I can't say for sure either.

Right, can you expand on why you don't like the big size, difficult to operate with one hand ? too bulky in the pocket ? what ? i've seen people manage with 6 inch screns and they put up with whatever because legibility is their priority.

The most common answer i hear is 'you get used to it' whether its small size iphone or phablet 5.5 inch plus. You evidently tried with note 2 and couldn't manage it.

PS : Here is a size comparison,

And that tells me the successor to moto x is the phone for you.

If I get the Moto X, I will get nothing at their best, all average product, but with optimization at it's best, and at a compact size.

You think if you get a moto it be as fragile as s4 build, i think you may have to overlook it.

If you can get the s5 without getting ripped off, then go for it. It's a gamble.

How long do you plan to hold on to this new phone ? it seems you change phones almost ona yearly basis.

 

[ithehappy]

You've still not mentioned whether the roms you want are available on the s5 versions being sold on ebay.

Actually I don't care much about a custom ROM, yeah if ARHD was available for S5 then it'd be great, but it isn't. Mike supports only hTC nowadays. The only ROM which interests me for S5 is the XtreStoLite one, it's just 550 MB, so without all the junks, can't go any lighter. But then again I don't think just by flashing a light ROM the horribleness of TouchWiz will go away, it's the whole framework that's the culprit here. I can uninstall individual apps with Uninstall Master too.
What I need is a good kernel, and yes, there are few for S5, like Faux, Ktoonsez etc. I need the "interactive" governor to work properly, that's all. With that Governor I find Android to work very smoothly, smoothest actually. So that's a plus. However the problems / bugs of S4 are still there and I am amused by that. If I use a custom kernel, which I will use anyway, I will loose the Screen Mirroring functionality, just like S4. It's just a glimpse of what other problems I might / will be facing. Private mode won't work with root, S-Health won't work with Xposed installed and so on so on......! WOW Samsung, BRAVO.

Right, can you expand on why you don't like the big size, difficult to operate with one hand ? too bulky in the pocket ? what ? i've seen people manage with 6 inch screns and they put up with whatever because legibility is their priority.
The most common answer i hear is 'you get used to it' whether its small size iphone or phablet 5.5 inch plus. You evidently tried with note 2 and couldn't manage it.

I feel uncomfortable to hold on to big phones. I send emails / messages to my clients a lot and I use Swype, so I only care about one hand usage. I have never used any phone in landscape to type. Honestly I had a Tasker profile which I had set that when I went outside my home the phone would disable the screen auto rotation feature, so that I can only use Portrait view outside. Tasker did that by checking whether I was in my home's WiFi range or not and it worked excellently every time.

Also I like thick phones. Cause if personal experience has taught me anything then thick phones are more comfortable to hold on to than slim phones, like S4. Also vibration intensity of thick phones are much better than slim phones, however I might not care about that any more with the introduction of Sony's Smart band.

And yes, I was in that group of getting used with too. First really big phone I had was the Xperia X1, which back at that time was HUGE. Then gradually I got used with even bigger phones, like Samsung Jet, Omnia HD, then S2 and then finally the Note 2. Note 2 actually taught me my sweet spot and it is the size of S4. I honestly don't know if I could handle any bigger size than S4. Eh

And that tells me the successor to moto x is the phone for you.

I know dude, I know. But God knows when that will be announced, then how long will we Indians have to wait to get it. I can't really use the Nokia 1200 any more.

You think if you get a moto it be as fragile as s4 build, i think you may have to overlook it.

I don't understand this part. Are you saying Moto X is as fragile as S4 or ... ?

If you can get the s5 without getting ripped off, then go for it. It's a gamble.

I don't think I will get ripped off. Well chances are there, as I don't believe any seller any more regardless of their feedback and all.

How long do you plan to hold on to this new phone ? it seems you change phones almost ona yearly basis.

10-11 months. I try to use a phone for one year, but ultimately I can't. The longest phone I have used was the Galaxy S2, I used it for 16½ months!

Whatever I get it will be my 28th phone, and if I pay 40000 for S5 then officially I will be spending 1.2 millions. Yeah, I am weird, I am keeping and updating the notepad file I have from 2002, the year when I bought my first phone! How dumb am I really? Spending a ridiculous amount behind some toys!!!

Eh

 

[rdst_1]

I would say just go ahead and find a good deal even if it means importing yourself from US. For more than a year now, I have stopped looking at reviews or asking for opinions. I also like thick phones and now add bulky cases to my phones. It just aids in typing for me.
I now import and try all the phones I am interested in and then stick with the one that works for me. Rest, I sell for profit.

 

[blr_p]

Trying to figure out why he wants a snapdragon in the first place.

Actually I don't care much about a custom ROM, yeah if ARHD was available for S5 then it'd be great, but it isn't.

Does not need ROMS.

Nothing can be done for KNOX, that bloody infectious thing will just remain there.

no problems with KNOX since he does not need ROMs. Does not care about warranty either.

All I know that, if I get the S5, I will be getting an awesome display, very good battery life, nice camera and top notch hardware (however I don't play any games, so I don't know how that'd affect me) and an IP67 certified unit.

Does not need Adreno and its not a problem that the Mali GPU that comes with exynos does not support games as well as Adreno. Easier to optimise games for Adreno than Mali.

So why does he want a snapdragon?

What I need is a good kernel, and yes, there are few for S5, like Faux, Ktoonsez etc. I need the "interactive" governor to work properly, that's all. With that Governor I find Android to work very smoothly, smoothest actually. So that's a plus. However the problems / bugs of S4 are still there and I am amused by that. If I use a custom kernel, which I will use anyway, I will loose the Screen Mirroring functionality, just like S4. It's just a glimpse of what other problems I might / will be facing. Private mode won't work with root, S-Health won't work with Xposed installed and so on so on......! WOW Samsung, BRAVO.

So does anyone know if its possible to get this kernel with its interactive governor on exnos ?

Are there any reasons you want snapdragon other than this ?

I feel uncomfortable to hold on to big phones. I send emails / messages to my clients a lot and I use Swype, so I only care about one hand usage. I have never used any phone in landscape to type. Honestly I had a Tasker profile which I had set that when I went outside my home the phone would disable the screen auto rotation feature, so that I can only use Portrait view outside. Tasker did that by checking whether I was in my home's WiFi range or not and it worked excellently every time.

So you're a portrait typer. Isn't it easier to type with both hands in portrait on a larger screen ? Swpe i suppose enforces one hand usage and its difficult to use both hands. Is Swpe is the reason you want one handed typing, is swpe preventing you from geting a bigger screen.

clearly portability isn't a problem for you. Why this requirement of one hand only that too just for typing. It's easier yes but also easy for phone to slip out of your hand too.

Also I like thick phones. Cause if personal experience has taught me anything then thick phones are more comfortable to hold on to than slim phones, like S4. Also vibration intensity of thick phones are much better than slim phones, however I might not care about that any more with the introduction of Sony's Smart band.

That smart band ends up in the drawer after a couple of days. Don't know many that use it much.

The vibration intensity thing is curious. Thicker is easier to feel but why is it so important. How could you miss it if it vibrates, whether thick or thin will work, right

And yes, I was in that group of getting used with too. First really big phone I had was the Xperia X1, which back at that time was HUGE. Then gradually I got used with even bigger phones, like Samsung Jet, Omnia HD, then S2 and then finally the Note 2. Note 2 actually taught me my sweet spot and it is the size of S4. I honestly don't know if I could handle any bigger size than S4. Eh

It seems your ideal form factor range is moto x - s5.

I know dude, I know. But God knows when that will be announced, then how long will we Indians have to wait to get it. I can't really use the Nokia 1200 any more.

If moto g & e are any indication then as soon as it is launched elsewhere. Aug is when moto x came out.

I don't understand this part. Are you saying Moto X is as fragile as S4 or ... ?

I wondered whether you thought the moto x was constructed similar to the s4. I've always heard it was well built. There will be no fragility problems with moto x as you experienced with S4.

I don't think I will get ripped off. Well chances are there, as I don't believe any seller any more regardless of their feedback and all.

What are your options in case it happens ? this really is the only thing you have to ensure before getting in to the deal.

10-11 months. I try to use a phone for one year, but ultimately I can't. The longest phone I have used was the Galaxy S2, I used it for 16½ months!

Whatever I get it will be my 28th phone, and if I pay 40000 for S5 then officially I will be spending 2 millions. Yeah, I am weird, I am keeping and updating the notepad file I have from 2002, the year when I bought my first phone! How dumb am I really? Spending a ridiculous amount behind some toys!!!

What stops you from holding onto a phone for more than one year. Do you get tempted with new offerings. Since you buy at the flagship level there should be no performance issues for at least 2 years if not longer.

Note 2 you had problems with the size. S4 had its own issues. So i would discount these. But if you got a phone that performed to your expectations, was the right size and no stability problems, why wouldn't you hold onto it for longer than a year.

Want VFM with smartphones, depending on budget and preference
- keep a flagship for 4 years
- keep a midrange for 3 years
- keep a capable entry level for 2 years

After 2 years a flasgship will be matched by midrange.
After 2 years a midrange will be matched by entry level.
After 4 years a flagship is matched by entry level.

 

[sarthakk250193]

2 million/28= Rs 71428.You must have a lot of vertus on that list.

 

[haris5sani]

Now I think we are deviating from the main topic and over-exaggerating facts !!

Mods should intervene and put end to this conversation.

 

[blr_p]

Now I think we are deviating from the main topic and over-exaggerating facts !!

Explain the underlined bits.

 

[ithehappy]

So why does he want a snapdragon?

As I said, to be able to use a good kernel. Also other mods, which will support the SD variant only.

So does anyone know if its possible to get this kernel with its interactive governor on exnos ?

Not possible. There is literally NO support for G900H version, the only kernel available for it is the Aqua kernel. Don't know what governors that kernel has, not interested when there are kernels available from better devs. The people of India who bought an S5 didn't even root it, at least most of them, those who did just flashed the CF auto root and that's it.

I don't disrespect the simplistic users, but I don't see the point of using an Android as it is. I mean why I am bothering to go for an Android then? WP is there, that fruit company is there!

Are there any reasons you want snapdragon other than this ?

Other than the custom support of XDA? I suppose no. But if users are right, then apps are overall optimized well for SD than Exynos, and also the SD overheats less.

So you're a portrait typer. Isn't it easier to type with both hands in portrait on a larger screen ? Swpe i suppose enforces one hand usage and its difficult to use both hands. Is Swpe is the reason you want one handed typing, is swpe preventing you from geting a bigger screen.

Absolutely not. I tried SwiftKey for one month, didn't like it at all. I don't depend on predictions, at all. Swype is THE thing why I am still with Android, along with very few other things. That is the only on screen keyboard where I can type as fast as my hardware keyboard, sometimes, even faster. And it's just a pleasure to Swype on on a 4.5-4.8" display rather than 5.1". It will the phone's physical size that'll matter most thought, rather than screen size.

That smart band ends up in the drawer after a couple of days. Don't know many that use it much.

Really? Why? I thought it'd be an efficient way of getting the notifications, as I tend to miss almost all calls when I am outside, at least that was the case with S4. The only reason I was thinking about getting the Smart Band was about the vibration notifications it provides for texts and calls, nothing else. I don't care about other features of Sony's lifelog app.

The vibration intensity thing is curious. Thicker is easier to feel but why is it so important. How could you miss it if it vibrates, whether thick or thin will work, right

If a phone is thicker then when it's in your pocket it will stay in touch with your skin, and that means you will feel the vibration. With slim phones, the phone sometimes stay at the front side of your pocket, so when it's not touching your skin you won't feel the vibration. With the S4, I never felt it vibrating, never. Until I realized that if I press the phone firmly with my hand when it's in my pocket then I could feel the vibration. So from then I used to put my handkerchief in the same pocket to fill up the gap. That didn't do wonders but well at least I felt the vibration, sometimes. However when I put on the UAG case on the S4, well the vibration was almost dead, as it was totally absorbed by that case.

It seems your ideal form factor range is moto x - s5.

Yep.

If moto g & e are any indication then as soon as it is launched elsewhere. Aug is when moto x came out.

That's right. However the actual Moto X was brought here by Flipkart after six months of it's release.

I wondered whether you thought the moto x was constructed similar to the s4. I've always heard it was well built. There will be no fragility problems with moto x as you experienced with S4.

Oh yes, that's right. I think the Moto X is way better built than S4.

What are your options in case it happens ? this really is the only thing you have to ensure before getting in to the deal.

Well my option would be asking eBay to agree for a refund, if the item doesn't come as described.

What stops you from holding onto a phone for more than one year. Do you get tempted with new offerings. Since you buy at the flagship level there should be no performance issues for at least 2 years if not longer.

Craziness No seriously that's the reason. Nothing in this world tempts me, nothing (excluding wrist watches), but once in a while I feel that I need to waste some money, and that's what happening here.[DOUBLEPOST=1402859299][/DOUBLEPOST]

2 million/28= Rs 71428.You must have a lot of vertus on that list.

Horrible typo. It's 1.2

 

[psdatta2005]

its 36k on flipkart now!!! just go and buy it ull love the camera and the stepped down touchwiz