iPhone 5c/5s vs Samsumg Galaxy S5

J OGorman · June 17, 2014, 04:24:46 PM

Quote from: Syferus on June 17, 2014, 04:13:33 PM
Quote from: whiskeysteve on June 17, 2014, 02:01:08 PM
Took out the HTC One M8 on a 28/month contract from Carphone Warehouse last week. As Gallsman says I was very tempted to just buy the Nexus 5 outright at 250 and get a sim only deal. Nexus 5 sounds like the best value of all the quality androids.

Anyway, just opted for quality and very happy with the HTC, had the Galaxy S3 and the new phone is much slicker, one thing I like is the sound quality, for a mobile its outstanding. Played the same song on it and the brothers iPhone 5s to compare and its distinctly deeper and richer, big advantage for me as I'd get a lot of use out of Spotify.

Would probably have more to say about it after another few weeks. For value I'd say the Nexus 5 would be hard to beat though.

Showbox is a great app, the guy in Carphone put it on for me.

Like putting widgets on the home screens with Android phones, once you have it customised to your taste you will not miss an iphone.

Personally I will be sticking with a mix of Android mobile devices and Linux OS laptops for the forseeable. Slicker, cheaper and more innovative. Linux in particular I am enthusiastic about, a bit of perserverence and you'll wonder why anyone wants to throw money at Microsoft. Oh, and laugh and at these e-mail virus scares in the news as they have no registry to write to in Linux

The reason the sound on the One is deeper is because of they used the Beats Audio software drivers on the M7 that blows up the bass to insane levels. The M8 isn't Beats branded but obviously they've taken their cues from the Beats Audio settings.

Nothing much to do with any tech in the One and nothing to stop you doing likewise with another phone with the right app if that's the sound you want.

so its the software / drivers producing a much superior sound and not the hardware? Surely the speakers are just better?

re the sound, but slightly off topic...got one of these a while back and think its class

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Bluetooth-backward-compatible-Enhanced/dp/B00C4Q61Z6

Syferus · June 17, 2014, 04:26:42 PM

Quote from: J OGorman on June 17, 2014, 04:24:46 PM
Quote from: Syferus on June 17, 2014, 04:13:33 PM
Quote from: whiskeysteve on June 17, 2014, 02:01:08 PM
Took out the HTC One M8 on a 28/month contract from Carphone Warehouse last week. As Gallsman says I was very tempted to just buy the Nexus 5 outright at 250 and get a sim only deal. Nexus 5 sounds like the best value of all the quality androids.

Anyway, just opted for quality and very happy with the HTC, had the Galaxy S3 and the new phone is much slicker, one thing I like is the sound quality, for a mobile its outstanding. Played the same song on it and the brothers iPhone 5s to compare and its distinctly deeper and richer, big advantage for me as I'd get a lot of use out of Spotify.

Would probably have more to say about it after another few weeks. For value I'd say the Nexus 5 would be hard to beat though.

Showbox is a great app, the guy in Carphone put it on for me.

Like putting widgets on the home screens with Android phones, once you have it customised to your taste you will not miss an iphone.

Personally I will be sticking with a mix of Android mobile devices and Linux OS laptops for the forseeable. Slicker, cheaper and more innovative. Linux in particular I am enthusiastic about, a bit of perserverence and you'll wonder why anyone wants to throw money at Microsoft. Oh, and laugh and at these e-mail virus scares in the news as they have no registry to write to in Linux

The reason the sound on the One is deeper is because of they used the Beats Audio software drivers on the M7 that blows up the bass to insane levels. The M8 isn't Beats branded but obviously they've taken their cues from the Beats Audio settings.

Nothing much to do with any tech in the One and nothing to stop you doing likewise with another phone with the right app if that's the sound you want.

so its the software / drivers producing a much superior sound and not the hardware? Surely the speakers are just better?

re the sound, but slightly off topic...got one of these a while back and think its class

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Bluetooth-backward-compatible-Enhanced/dp/B00C4Q61Z6

I'm assuming he's piping the sound through headphones or a speaker system, that's usually how people use music on their phones. The speakers on the M8 could easily be better than the speakers on the iPhone 5s.

gallsman · June 17, 2014, 04:30:11 PM

The dual stereo speakers on both the M7 and M8 are far and away the best speakers on any phone out there, and this is one of the things referenced most when trying to flog the phone. However, I think it's a bit of a waste as if you're sat there listening to music or watching something on your phone without headphones, it'll still be tinny. Don't really see the appeal myself.

gallsman · June 17, 2014, 04:32:54 PM

Quote from: Syferus on June 17, 2014, 01:38:23 PM
The Android app store is a mess. And even then it'll only gets many of the best apps after iOS has had them for months, that is if it gets them at all.

No it's not.

Syferus · June 17, 2014, 04:52:50 PM

Quote from: gallsman on June 17, 2014, 04:32:54 PM
Quote from: Syferus on June 17, 2014, 01:38:23 PM
The Android app store is a mess. And even then it'll only gets many of the best apps after iOS has had them for months, that is if it gets them at all.

No it's not.

Google use algorithms to curate most of the store. That in itself is a big sign of how wrong their approach to the store remains. They're trying to solve an issue of man-power with maths and failing miserably.

It's filled with clones of exactly the same name as 'real' apps and the genuinely good stuff is weighed down by a mountain of crap. The App Store isn't much better with me-too stuff but Apple are way better at shoveling it aside and proactively taking that stuff down. Trying to find proper tablet apps on the Play Store remains an absolute comedy of errors.

And if you do find the app you want you still have to cross your fingers and hope both your phone and your chosen firmware are supported at all, nevermind in the correct resolution.

The App Store unquestionably has the better apps as so much of mobile development is made on Mac for iOS and the Android versions are either secondary concerns or stretch goals if the app is successful on iOS.

whiskeysteve · June 17, 2014, 05:25:11 PM

Quote from: macdanger2 on June 17, 2014, 03:58:31 PM
Quote from: whiskeysteve on June 17, 2014, 02:01:08 PM
Linux in particular I am enthusiastic about, a bit of perserverence and you'll wonder why anyone wants to throw money at Microsoft. Oh, and laugh and at these e-mail virus scares in the news as they have no registry to write to in Linux

Without getting into too much of the technical details, what's involved in putting Linux onto a laptop? Is it possible for someone who's not super techy? And are there any disadvantages?

I'm not overly technical myself, very little is involved, you should be up and running in<10 minutes and it won't interfere with your Windows OS, you can have a dual boot option on start up from now on. Once you try it you just have to challenge yourself for a while if you have been raised on Windows. Lots of guidance on forums/youtube etc.

Linux is one core operating system but it comes in many different distributions. I've only ever really used 2 to any degree - Ubuntu and Mint. Either of these are probably the best starting point for someone using Linux for the first time.

I am currently using Mint and since becoming familiar with the Windows emulator WINE the Windows on my laptop has been lying dormant for ages.

Ubuntu is a little more established than Mint and has a very good support community online, Mint on the other hand has a bit more of a 'windows like' feel with its desktop layout.

Both are excellent so try either. Follow the download links on the websites:

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Syferus, I don't mean to home in on the sound quality of the M8 - just one feature that sprang to mind. And yes I meant the speakers, don't like walking round with earphones in all the time.

On the Play store, its not that hard to verify decent apps from the crap yourself

pullhard · June 17, 2014, 06:33:08 PM

Which one of the modern crop of phones have the best battery life?

macdanger2 · June 17, 2014, 08:40:25 PM

Thanks whiskeySteve

take_yer_points · June 18, 2014, 10:08:16 AM

Cheers lads - plenty to think about. I've had a look at a few YouTube videos of the user interface on the S5 and would prefer the iPhone on that score - however someone mentioned changing that. I would've jailbroke my iPhone up until a year or two ago so hopefully this wouldn't be too much difference.