[nicktyler]

Now I know this is a 'middle class problem' but I can't decide weather to get a Galaxy s4 or wait for the iPhone 5s.

I currently have an iPhone 4s and it is out of contract. It works perfectly well and I like it, but now I have paid for it there is no point letting the contract run as it is and I would like something new.

The iPhone 5 was a massive dissapointment to me and I feel like it is not an upgrade at all. I get the feeling that the 5s will be the same. The s4 looks really good on paper but it is quite big. Whichever phone I go for it will be on a 12 month contract. Once you move away from Apple there is too much choice, the HTC One, Sony and new LG etc but I think it is narrowed down to S4 or wait to see if Apple up their game. I haven't spent a lot on iOS content and also have an android tablet so I know how to use it and I'm set up on the play store.

What are your thoughts? Or should I just get a £10p/m Giff Gaff sim and call it a day?

[Billyray911]

I've an IP 4 and whilst I love the iPhone as I use masses of apps,I was recently disappointed with the the 5 so didn't upgrade.
I ran out of contract,unlocked my phone and pay £12 pm via a Tesco sim.
I'm waiting until September 10th and the release of new hardware and IOS7.
I've been seriously tempted by the HTC one,but I think with the release of this and the S4 et al,I believe that Apple will up their game considerably.The size of these phones is also a massive issue for me whilst at work.
Early indications appear hopeful...http://www.zdnet.com/ios7-review-7000019260/
Personally,I would wait and see what's released.You'll only regret it if you make a rash decision before all the cards have been revealed!

[peterg1965]

Same dilemma a few weeks back, I have just gone from iPhone 4 to Galaxy S4 on a 4G tariff. I have to say I absolutely love the S4, it is brilliant, a little bigger than the iPhone but I wanted a bigger screen to be able to surf on the move.

I am a real S4 convert now, it is intuitive and versatile and I think much better than the Apple. 4G is fantastic in London and other cities where it is available and the S4 is also a mobile hotspot for my wifi iPad ( so great for the train and i didn't have to upgrade my iPad)I was a bit apprehensive about the move from iP4 but the Samsung Smartswitch programme is very good and transfers across contacts/music/pictures in a few minutes. I also bought a 32Gb micro SD card for the S4 so have 3 times the space I had on my IP4.

[nicktyler]

Thats true and we are pretty close to the new 5s being revealed.

[gaza01]

Ive got the same issue but waiting to see what apple do before i upgrade

[nicktyler]

I ahve put my phone on a much cheaper 30 day rolling contract like BillyRay so I can just go and upgrade whenever I feel like it and save some money while I wait. I thinjk I will wait to see what the iP5s is like. If nothing else it should knock the S4 price down a bit.

[mowflow]

I have an IP5 for testing sites at work and I used to have a 4 as my personal phone. I changed to an S3 last September and have never looked back. Unless you are a complete technophobe it is so much better in every way.

My only concern when i changed was about it's size but I got used to it almost instantly and now i just can't understand how i ever tolerated a smaller phone. The 1 complaint i have is that I drop it a lot. However, it's stood up to everything, even having a can of baked beans dropped on it from a height of about 4 foot.

From what I've seen of iOS7 I won;t be going back unless Apple pull something totally revolutionary out the bag. That is highly unlikely.

[Kerr]

I did have iphones before moving away.

Currently have a Galaxy S3LTE and it murders the iphone for everything I do and nothing short of Apple doing something extraordinary, I won't be going back.

From the screenshots I've seen of ios7, it does appear they have been heavily influenced by android.

[Chris_506]

the galaxy s4 will still be superior and more resourceful then the iphone 5s

[bmwak]

I own the Galaxy S4 and have the iPhone 5 as a work phone. I also own an iPad mini which I love. But for some bizarre reason, I just don't like the iPhone 5 as phone. The OS has been pretty much the same for donkeys years and its just little tweaks (IMO) that have differentiated it from its predecessors. I probably get along with the iPad more as i simply use it for music and web browsing - that's it. The S4 on the other hand is one amazing phone. Yes build quality is not great in comparison (plastic) but you get so much more for your money and its actually packed with useful features. Some things the phone does is just wow. I'm no Android or Apple fan, but if I had a choice it would be S4 without a doubt.

[davyk31]

So in a nutshell what does the Samsung do that is so much better than the Iphone, people talk about being so tied with IOS but that is just jargon - what actually is better?

[doughboy]

Count how many people have left apple for s4 and said they want to come back to be tied up with that 10 year old god forsaken shite Itunes garbage.

I went HTC one X, just brilliant, slick, fast, amazing screen, flexible, mega free apps.

Leave apple, you'll never look back.

[gaza01]

Thats a good point doughboy...itunes is such a shite programme! Fair enough if u know how to use it properly but i dont think anyone can honestly say its straightforward!

[gangzoom]

Far too many people have Apple products, I liked it better when only sad Apple fanboys bought their stuff...the more people that move away from Apple the happier I get .

[adamroutley]

Iphone are stuck with a profile that they are scared to change. They have something that works for the masses and have left it at that with miniscule changes every few months.

The thing with Android is you have a whole spectrum of phones to choose from. Plus the versatility and freedom you have with the OS. I had an iphone for 18 months in the past and since leaving for Android I will simply never return. My mrs is all about Apple but is constantly complaining she can't open something or how slow her phone is!

[davyk31]

No-one has answered my question yet ...... statements like the "versatility and freedom of the OS " needs more explanation.

[gIzzE]

You can set your phone up exactly how you like it for start.
Until you use one it is hard to explain.

I am a mac user, but the IP5 doesn't interest me, if it wasn't for the fact everything is designed to work with the iphone first I would move.
In fact my contract is up next month I will keep my 4s and get an HTC ONE to try as well.

[Richardlkay]

Originally Posted by davyk31

No-one has answered my question yet ...... statements like the "versatility and freedom of the OS " needs more explanation.

Go for the S4!!

It's a much better phone than the iPhone. Currently trying to get my wife to swap from an iPhone too.

[BoondogUK]

Originally Posted by davyk31

No-one has answered my question yet ...... statements like the "versatility and freedom of the OS " needs more explanation.

The thing with the S4 or is it works for you... everyone uses there phone differently but the S4 has the much more intelligent google now. So if your using it for emails, calendar integration sat nav etc it bundles the services much better than anything apple can do.

Its fast... very fast... so apps or browsing are better

The screen is as good if not better than the iP5... its bigger too...

You can increase the size
You can open more files

Basically you CAN do what you want... not what apple tells you that you can do...

[mowflow]

Originally Posted by davyk31

No-one has answered my question yet ...... statements like the "versatility and freedom of the OS " needs more explanation.

It's not an easy question to answer but I'll give it a shot.

With IOS certain aspects of the ui within any app both in terms of look and functionality are fully controlled by IOS. When I design a UI for IOS there are certain things that just don't need designed because IOS will do it all. Years ago this was good but now it's really restrictive.

When I design a UI for an android device the possibilities really open up and this translates into a better user experience for end users. The down side is that it means crap designers can produce much worse experiences for people. However, over time the wheat naturally seperates from the chaff with these things and that's what has happened with the android platform over the last few years.

From a users perspective the android platform is just so much more customisable. And I don't mean customisable in an IOS way (you can change the wallpaper and that's about it). If I pick up a friends android phone it could be totally different. Yes, touch gestures are still the same so you are still interacting in the same way and yes, the basic foundations of the OS remain but it just has the ability to be more personal.

Even very basic differences in Android seem to make a huge difference in terms of usability and productivity as a user. For instance, being able to place customisable (within certain constraints) widgets for the simplest of tasks and information streams.

I feel that I'm failing to answer the question here. It's like Gizze says, you really need to spend some time playing with one to see. It's not really a transition that can be made in 5 minutes but it's not a huge change either. The small differences do add up though.

[335iLondon]

I think you have to keep in mind that with the new Iphone 5s they will be launching the new OS - this looks alot different and should address the stale image and no change feeling you get from moving phone just to be greeted by the same screen.

I moved from Iphone 4 to Nokia Lumia on Windows system, and its great.
Would recommend taking a look at one, as I think they OS is genuinely better than Android and its million incarnations.

Just to confuse matters more, I will be moving back to Iphone 5s as I mis the quality f the apps, the fact they all just work and too be honest the clever little touches and reliability make me stick with Apple. Even though you do pay through the nose for them.

Hope that helps.

[misterS3]

HTC One is a better phone than the S4 if only for it's case.

Samsung put too much of their own crap on Andriod - ruining it in my opinion eg implementing their own calendar etc.

HTC aren't perfect - before i get all the Samsung fanbois on me And Blinkfeed is actually pretty cool once you get used to it. And set it up properly.

The Google Nexus 5 (when it comes out) will be the one to get if it's like it's predecessor. The Nexus 4 was brilliant VFM and is still a cracking phone.