Galaxy S4 and Note 3 Leave 5S in the Dust????

[flashhh]

I've owned the IP5 for just a few weeks now. It's my first "smart" phone and I chose it because of it's great sale price and also for it's purported ease of use. I'd been very reluctant to buy an iphone in the past because of it's smallish screen and also because I didn't want to be saddled with a data plan. Increasingly however, internet access on the go is no longer a luxury but a necessity. And the great sale price at walton mart pushed me, finally, to buy. 4"? Not so great, but it was a noticeable, if not dramatic, improvement over a 3.5" screen.

Right out of the box, I was dazzled at first by the IP5's capabilities and ease of use. I'll ignore the deplorable arrogance and it's impact on "customer service" at apple retail stores for now, but my no. 1 concern otherwise with the iphone is screen size. It's simply too small to function as a web browser. Obviously, it CAN be used as a browser, but not optimally so. Reading any page typically involves flipping the phone and lots and lots of swiping, both vertically and horizontally and a good deal of pinching (outwards) as well. Minor inconveniences to be sure considering the fact that I didn't have web access at all previously with my phone, but still a minor inconvenience nonetheless.

The screen is also too small to enjoy gaming to it's fullest. There is a TON of information there with that retina display but it's hard to appreciate when the details are nearly microscopic.

---

Of course I know quite a few people with the note 2 and s3, and those big, bright screens will cause any IP5 user to "take note" (pun intended) and likely give pause as well.

Viewing the note 2 and IP5 screens side by side is extremely sobering. Esp. if you've just committed to a 2 year contract with the IP5, and find yourself just outside the return period. :/

The note 2 screen is very sharp, the blacks are fantastic, and color saturation is top notch. It is a gorgeous screen. And the pre-release specs for the note 3 and s4 look absolutely amazing. 13 megapixel cameras and a 6" screen, full 1080p HD, and that's just for starters.

Meanwhile the 5s is due to add a slightly improved camera. There is simply no conceivable way that apple will NOT lose market share to samsung/android this summer.

I am pleased that I own a very nice phone with full internet access. But this is a holdover phone until I get a look-see at the note 3 due for release this summer/early fall. I think that will indeed be the phone I will truly be proud of owning. It will be the first "smart" phone that is not hobbled in any way with any significant compromises.

IP5, you brought us this far, but the S4 and Note 3 are about to leapfrog the 5/S by a gangnam mile....


edit: I know this is a long debate, but one issue which has already started to annoy me is that the phone feels hamstrung by itunes. There is no way to drag and drop and copy individual files. Itunes syncs everything or wipes your phone clean. There's no in between.

I don't know why iphone users aren't up in arms about the lack of flexibility with the itunes approach. It is terribly outdated, and no sane person believes this is the best way of syncing devices.

 

[BLiNK]

i am very curious as to what the GS4 brings to the table

unlike you, i have not committed to anything yet and my upgrade is literally burning a hole in my pocket!

 

[fridayxiii]

OP, can I borrow your crystal ball? Since you state that the 5S will have a slightly improved camera, you must be clairvoyant with some serious skillz as I have yet to see anyone else claim to know what you do about specs of the upcoming iPhone.

I hate to burst your bubble, but every single device out there has drawbacks and forces the owner-user to make compromises, some of which may be significant. If you don't think the Samsung devices involve compromise, then you fall into the fanboy class. Get your rose-colored glasses now!

As for screen size, you claim to know many people with the GS3 or Note 2, yet you still bought the i5. Feelings of disappointment about the screen size are on you for making the decision to begin with and not returning the iPhone within the given grace period.

I hope you're able to get the device you truly want, one that meets all your needs. Clearly the iPhone ain't it; good luck with your future Samsung!

 

[Just_Me_D]

I've owned the IP5 for just a few weeks now. It's my first "smart" phone and I chose it because of it's great sale price and also for it's purported ease of use.

Now that you've used your iPhone 5 for a few weeks, can you confirm that it is indeed "easy to use"?

I'd been very reluctant to buy an iphone in the past because of it's smallish screen and also because I didn't want to be saddled with a data plan.

This is not an iPhone issue. This is a "smartphone" issue so no matter what smartphone you purchase, you will have to get a data plan. ....(snipped)...

I'll ignore the deplorable arrogance and it's impact on "customer service" at apple retail stores for now,

Apple is recognized for it's amazing customer service so if you've experienced otherwise, please share your experience with us.

but my no. 1 concern otherwise with the iphone is screen size. It's simply too small to function as a web browser. Obviously, it CAN be used as a browser, but not optimally so. Reading any page typically involves flipping the phone and lots and lots of swiping, both vertically and horizontally and a good deal of pinching (outwards) as well. Minor inconveniences to be sure considering the fact that I didn't have web access at all previously with my phone, but still a minor inconvenience nonetheless.

Did you not look at the screen size before making your purchase? Did you not surf the web the day of or shortly after making your purchase and if so, why didn't you return the device for a refund?

...(snipped)...

---

Viewing the note 2 and IP5 screens side by side is extremely sobering. Esp. if you've just committed to a 2 year contract with the IP5, and find yourself just outside the return period. :/

The difference in screen size is night & day. No doubt about it. Some people hate the huge size of the Note while others love it and the same goes for the iPhone 5.

The note 2 screen is very sharp, the blacks are fantastic, and color saturation is top notch. It is a gorgeous screen. And the pre-release specs for the note 3 and s4 look absolutely amazing. 13 megapixel cameras and a 6" screen, full 1080p HD, and that's just for starters.

Other than being "too small", describe the iPhone 5's display. Personally, I find that the blacks are fantastic, color saturation is top-notch and the screen is gorgeous.

Meanwhile the 5s is due to add a slightly improved camera.

Have you taken photos with your iPhone 5's camera? Also, define "slightly improved". If you cannot give specifics like you did with the Note then why waste your breath?

There is simply no conceivable way that apple will NOT lose market share to samsung/android this summer.

You could be right, but we we all see soon enough.

...(snipped)...

Well, try to enjoy your iPhone 5 while you have it. Take care care and enjoy the rest of your day...

 

[thechemE#CB]

I have the galaxy s3 now and just ordered an iphone 5. I started out with blackberrys, went to android for a while, then the iphone 4 and back to android. In terms of technology I feel like samsung is ahead. However with the android operating system, I constantly find myself rooting the device, flashing new operating systems(because of fragmentation and lack of carrier updates), and tweaking things because I can never get things just right. When I had my iphone 4 I had no desire to jailbreak. Everything worked fine so I just used the phone. That is why I am switching back and just ordered the iphone 5. It is something to consider.

 

[flashhh]

iTunes does not force you to sync all music or none. You just have to check the box to manually manage music and video and then you can drag and drop.

You have to use the checklist; you can't copy individual files over. I create playlists now. You can't select individual song files to transfer as far as I know.

 

[flashhh]

1. The phone is certainly easy to use. It's a cleaner, prettier, more elegant interface than android's as far as I can tell. I'm a noob to 'smart' phones, but that was my impression based upon playing around with the S3, Note 2, and IP5 before purchasing.

Furthermore, the Note 2 didn't quite feel like a phone at all to me; it struck me more as a downsized tablet.

I felt like the IP5 would be the best choice for a 1st 'smart' phone. I have a macbook with 10.6 and the att sales rep thought there'd less of a learning curve with an iphone, and he was almost certainly correct.

Also, price was a big factor as well. I had a walton mart gift card and with it, I barely paid $100 upfront.

The IP5 is a stunning device, with far more functionality than I had ever anticipated or imagined. As a former ceo once boasted, it is indeed your life in your pocket, forgive the exaggeration and hyperbole.

I still feel like the IP5 is the best choice for me RIGHT NOW, ie at the start of 2013. However, there are very significant, even severe compromises inherent to the IP5 design, just as there are costs associated with a bigger screen (a bit heavier, takes up more space in your pocket).

However, I do believe that the Note 3 and S4 will be the phones to overtake the IP5/S.

Apple would do well to drop it's one hand use dogma. Most people as far as I can tell, have two functional hands and therefore the ability to use the phone with a single hand is vastly over rated as a selling point. What does apple expect us to do? Are we supposed to multi-task by checking our email with one hand while twirling spaghetti with the other? Should we be driving with one hand and making a phone call with the other?

The IP5 is a very impressive achievement, but it would be far more impressive and much more useful with a 5" screen.

Right now, Apple has a sizeable sales lead and they likely don't want the iphone to cannibalize ipad mini sales either, so they are understandably reluctant to offer a radically larger screen.

I think in 12-15-18 months, the market will force their hand as more and more hands abandon the iphone in favor of the S4, Note 3 and their successive iterations.

All in all, I feel like the iphone could be flat out unbeatable with a larger screen, say 5" or at least in the ballpark, say 4.75."

Now that you've used your iPhone 5 for a few weeks, can you confirm that it is indeed "easy to use"? This is not an iPhone issue. This is a "smartphone" issue so no matter what smartphone you purchase, you will have to get a data plan. ....(snipped)... Apple is recognized for it's amazing customer service so if you've experienced otherwise, please share your experience with us. Did you not look at the screen size before making your purchase? Did you not surf the web the day of or shortly after making your purchase and if so, why didn't you return the device for a refund?

...(snipped)...

---
The difference in screen size is night & day. No doubt about it. Some people hate the huge size of the Note while others love it and the same goes for the iPhone 5.

Other than being "too small", describe the iPhone 5's display. Personally, I find that the blacks are fantastic, color saturation is top-notch and the screen is gorgeous.

Have you taken photos with your iPhone 5's camera? Also, define "slightly improved". If you cannot give specifics like you did with the Note then why waste your breath? You could be right, but we we all see soon enough.

...(snipped)...

Well, try to enjoy your iPhone 5 while you have it. Take care care and enjoy the rest of your day...

 

[END]

You have to use the checklist; you can't copy individual files over. I create playlists now. You can't select individual song files to transfer as far as I know.

Flashhh,

You can select individual files to download to your device.

When in iTunes, after you have selected that you wish to manage everything manually you can just drag a song from your collection over to your device that is plugged in and it will drag and drop that one song.

When you go to sync in iTunes in the music section you will now see a list at the bottom that shows the songs you manually moved to your device.

Hope this helps.

 

[shanghaichica]

To be fair no one knows what the 5S will bring to the table. Personally I'm not interested in the Samsung S4. I have a galaxy note, with its big screen yet I'd much rather have an iPhone. I don't believe the android operating system is as polished as iOS. Also I find that my note is too big to be used as a mobile phone. My iPod touch on the other hand at 4'' is an ideal size. I'm interested in the 5S and am holding off getting the iPhone 5.

 

[Highrisedrifter]

Apple would do well to drop it's one hand use dogma. Most people as far as I can tell, have two functional hands and therefore the ability to use the phone with a single hand is vastly over rated as a selling point. What does apple expect us to do? Are we supposed to multi-task by checking our email with one hand while twirling spaghetti with the other? Should we be driving with one hand and making a phone call with the other?

For me, the one handed use is a big draw. I don't drive whilst talking on my phone as that's illegal and I have a Bluetooth connection in my car anyway but when a call or a text comes through, I like the fact that I can reply one-handed.

I think in 12-15-18 months, the market will force their hand as more and more hands abandon the iphone in favor of the S4, Note 3 and their successive iterations.

I think you're probably right on this point though. People are mercurial at best. they will go with whatever fits their needs or, with the magpie syndrome, with whatever is biggest and shiniest. The iPhone has lost ground to the Android platform, it's true. but that's because there are a million and one different Android phones out there and only two iPhones currently on the market being sold as of today. I do think they will bow to some pressure though for the next iPhone.

All in all, I feel like the iphone could be flat out unbeatable with a larger screen, say 5" or at least in the ballpark, say 4.75."

I would love to see a screen with approximately the same height but with slightly more width to it. However, I would prefer the phone dimensions to stay pretty much identical, except maybe a little deeper to accommodate a slightly bigger battery (think 4S depth). Now if the width of the actual phone stays the same, then I would like the screen to be as near as damn it to an edge-to-edge screen as possible. Maybe add 5mm (half an inch) to the width and half that to the height, if anything. Not much but maybe just enough. They won't do it though. i foresee the screen size of the iPhone 5 staying the sme through the iteration of the iPhone 6 so as not so piss off app devs and the such like again. OIf course, this is just my opinion and not based on any kind of tangible evidence, so i'd love to be proved wrong by Apple.

 

[anon(4698833)]

Saw thread title, saw OP...

 

[Just_Me_D]

1. The phone is certainly easy to use. It's a cleaner, prettier, more elegant interface than android's as far as I can tell. I'm a noob to 'smart' phones, but that was my impression based upon playing around with the S3, Note 2, and IP5 before purchasing.

Furthermore, the Note 2 didn't quite feel like a phone at all to me; it struck me more as a downsized tablet.

I felt like the IP5 would be the best choice for a 1st 'smart' phone. I have a macbook with 10.6 and the att sales rep thought there'd less of a learning curve with an iphone, and he was almost certainly correct.

Also, price was a big factor as well. I had a walton mart gift card and with it, I barely paid $100 upfront.

The IP5 is a stunning device, with far more functionality than I had ever anticipated or imagined. As a former ceo once boasted, it is indeed your life in your pocket, forgive the exaggeration and hyperbole.

I still feel like the IP5 is the best choice for me RIGHT NOW, ie at the start of 2013. However, there are very significant, even severe compromises inherent to the IP5 design, just as there are costs associated with a bigger screen (a bit heavier, takes up more space in your pocket).

However, I do believe that the Note 3 and S4 will be the phones to overtake the IP5/S.

Apple would do well to drop it's one hand use dogma. Most people as far as I can tell, have two functional hands and therefore the ability to use the phone with a single hand is vastly over rated as a selling point. What does apple expect us to do? Are we supposed to multi-task by checking our email with one hand while twirling spaghetti with the other? Should we be driving with one hand and making a phone call with the other?

The IP5 is a very impressive achievement, but it would be far more impressive and much more useful with a 5" screen.

Right now, Apple has a sizeable sales lead and they likely don't want the iphone to cannibalize ipad mini sales either, so they are understandably reluctant to offer a radically larger screen.

I think in 12-15-18 months, the market will force their hand as more and more hands abandon the iphone in favor of the S4, Note 3 and their successive iterations.

All in all, I feel like the iphone could be flat out unbeatable with a larger screen, say 5" or at least in the ballpark, say 4.75."

Well stated, Flashhh...

 

[wolfedude88]

The best android phones almost always have better specs. I'd say the gs3 has better specs than the iPhone 5 and it was release before hand as well.

Still the iPhone 5 is great like you mentioned and I'm sure the 5s will be too and plenty of people will flock to it because it is apple.

I prefer android but love switching to my iPhone from time to time. I would prefer a bigger screen personally, maybe like 4.5.

I think apple will keep doing what they are doing. Some people prefer android because of choices, different features, lots of different phones to choose from.


Some will stick with the iPhone, because of a high polished device, the ecosystem.

While I think iOS is more polished than android, android has came a long ways and is close the iOS now.

Both are great choices going forward.

 

[jorbjorb]

I don't know what i'm missing but i've been a bb user for the past 5 years.
Got an iphone 5 and i'm blown away.

I don't know what else is out there lol.

 

[Jeremy]

How anyone wants to compare a device that is not even out yet with one that has been on the market for almost a year now is beyond me. And when the Galaxy S 4 does come out sites will be comparing them. It's pretty laughable, of course a new device will have better specs but does that mean it's a better device? Nope.

And to those who say Android phones have better specs in general, it doesn't really matter when the software is not as polished. Good example is my Nexus 4 - with the latest and greatest hardware and Android software can and will lag at certain times. I can't even make my iPhone 5 lag if I tried and why is that? SOFTWARE.

*And I love my Nexus devices.

 

[anon(279851)]

Flashh,

I couldn't have said this better myself. I just wonder what in the hell is Apple waiting for with Samsung coming out with better and better flagship phones? Stop with the incremental "S" series and GO HARD with a better phone. If the public is crying out for a bigger screen than give the people what they want. It's really that simple of a FIRST STEP. Geesh...

 

[anon(4698833)]

Just going by the thread title, why does this post even exist? None of the phones are out yet, nor are there any real legitimate detail break downs on them...so it's kind of like me going "The 2020 Ford Mustang is going to leave every car ever made in existence in the dust...". The word asinine comes to mind.

 

[Jeremy]

Just going by the thread title, why does this post even exist? None of the phones are out yet, nor are there any real legitimate detail break downs on them...so it's kind of like me going "The 2020 Ford Mustang is going to leave every car ever made in existence in the dust...". The word asinine comes to mind.

I knew just by reading the title it would not last but... figured I'd give it a chance.

 

[Highrisedrifter]

And to those who say Android phones have better specs in general, it doesn't really matter when the software is not as polished. Good example is my Nexus 4 - with the latest and great in hardware and Android software can and will lag at certain times. I can't even make my iPhone 5 lag if I tried and why is that? SOFTWARE..

This hits the nail on the head for me. My Samsung Galaxy S3 was a phenomenal phone with an amazing screen, just let down by a poor operating system and shoddy build quality (flimsy plastic, really?).

 

[Just_Me_D]

Flashh,

I couldn't have said this better myself. I just wonder what in the hell is Apple waiting for with Samsung coming out with better and better flagship phones? Stop with the incremental "S" series and GO HARD with a better phone. If the public is crying out for a bigger screen than give the people what they want. It's really that simple of a FIRST STEP. Geesh...

But see, that's just it. Apple's core users aren't asking for those things. They are satisfied with the status quo and the sales numbers are indicative of their satisfaction. Techies and the tech media are the primary ones who are pushing For Apple to make the adjustments and provide certain things that the competitors have which is sort of amusing. If competitors have what you want then why bother pushing Apple to provide those things? Simply go with a competitor. To be fair, I realize the investments that users have made in regard to the Apple ecosystem and that may prompt some people to hang on, but as I've stated on numerous occasions in the past, why would Apple risk messing up a good thing just to please a fraction of its customers?