New Phone? Samsung Galaxy S6 v. Nexus 6 v. LG G4 v. Keeping my Galaxy S4

[Drew Dowdell]

So I'm up for an upgrade in 4 days.   My current Galaxy S4 performs mostly fine.  I did get the lollipop upgrade a few weeks back.  It does have a battery drain issue that seem to be an issue for all phones on Android 5.0.1... the likelyhood of getting to Android 5.1 is slim unless I go with a 3rd party rom.  I don't need to be on the latest and greatest OS version, it's just that 5.1 seems to fix some of the battery issue.

 

I only see 3 options if I upgrade

 

Galaxy S6

Pros:

Been a Samsung owner since the original Galaxy... had the S2 and now the S4... been generally happy with them.

Best screen

Lightest

Best 3rd party accessory selection

Optional upgraded built in storage without using an SD card.

Fast Charging

Wireless Charging

Performance - one of the fastest phones on the market right now

 

Cons:

Touchwiz - I almost always immediately replace Touchwiz with NovaLauncher, so this isn't that bad.

BLOAT - Samsung packs their phones with huge amounts of bloatware that you can't remove. The S6 reportedly has at least 10 gigs of bloat pre-installed.

Slow software updates

No more removable battery

Battery has less capacity than my current S4

 

Google Nexus 6

Pros:

First to get android updates

little to no bloat

Big battery

Raw android - no heavy launcher

Fast Charging

Big screen

Performance

 

Cons:

Internal memory is 32gig max - no external SD card slot - you are expected to save everything in the cloud

Non-Removable battery

Not the best quality screen

 

LG G4

Pros:

Middle range battery capacity - larger than my S4 but smaller than the Nexus 6

Removable battery

Upgradeable Storage

Slightly better camera

 

Cons:

Performance - roughly half that of the S6

 

 

None of these options really inspire me to spend $200 to upgrade my phone, so keeping the S4 for now is also a possibility.  At the moment I'm leaning towards the S6, but I wonder if that is just out of habit.

 

Thoughts?

[frogger]

Some good phones, but nothing too compelling has happened in Android devices or software for anyone who bought a flagship 2 years ago IMO unless they are gadget freaks who always need the latest and greatest.  The S6 is nice but wow they went full into aping Apple again with that frame.

Also, isn't there a 64gb version of the N6?

[cp-the-nerd]

HTC One M8

 

Pros:

- Free right now because of the M9 release

- Expandable memory slot

- Excellent design and build quality (machined aluminum)

- 2.3 ghz quad core, 2gb ram, 32 gb built-in storage

- Screen is gorgeous

- IMO phone size is perfect

- Solid battery life

- Surprisingly good built-in stereo speakers

 

Cons:

- Mediocre Ultrapixel camera

- Non removable battery

 

HTC One M9

 

Pros:

- Everything from M8

- Better camera

- Improved battery life

 

Cons:

- Only an incremental improvement over M8

[Drew Dowdell]

Some good phones, but nothing too compelling has happened in Android devices or software for anyone who bought a flagship 2 years ago IMO unless they are gadget freaks who always need the latest and greatest.  The S6 is nice but wow they went full into aping Apple again with that frame.

Also, isn't there a 64gb version of the N6?

Not on Verizon apparently, and at the moment Verizon does not allow Nexus devices that weren't purchased through them on their network.... It was specifically to target the N6

[Drew Dowdell]

HTC One M8

 

Pros:

- Free right now because of the M9 release

- Expandable memory slot

- Excellent design and build quality (machined aluminum)

- 2.3 ghz quad core, 2gb ram, 32 gb built-in storage

- Screen is gorgeous

- IMO phone size is perfect

- Solid battery life

- Surprisingly good built-in stereo speakers

 

Cons:

- Mediocre Ultrapixel camera

- Non removable battery

 

HTC One M9

 

Pros:

- Everything from M8

- Better camera

- Improved battery life

 

Cons:

- Only an incremental improvement over M8

 

The M9 doesn't seem to stack up against any of the ones I listed except in looks.

[FAPTurbo]

If you're aiming to use the phone to shoot photos in a pinch at autoshows, auto events, and reviews, I'd probably opt for the G4 for a few reasons. 

• The replaceable battery is good to have. Fast-charging tech on the Samsung is awesome, but no help if you're scrounging for an outlet. 
• The G4 has RAW photo capability. That means you can quickly feed the uncompressed image into your laptop and use photo editing software to get the best image possible. 
• The manual mode on the G4 is also excellent. So should you decide to shoot JPEG, you can at least adjust settings for exposure, shutter speed, white balance and the like. This is a boon in situations like dim, fluorescent-lit halls, or very sunny outdoor settings. 
• Inherent durability of plastic. 

I wouldn't worry much about the G4's deficit in processing power. It's still flagship-level. Samsung provides high specs to satisfy benchmark fans and those who play demanding games on their phones. 

 

That said, I have read that Samsung will debut RAW functionality in the S6 this summer. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Another option came to mind... the Galaxy Note 5 is rumored to be released in July.

[cp-the-nerd]

M9+ appears to be out now too. It has a 2.2 ghz octacore.

 

What makes you say it doesn't measure up? Even the standard M9 goes tit for tat with the Galaxy S6 in terms of hardware. Is it because you like bigger screens or certain camera features?

[Drew Dowdell]

If you're aiming to use the phone to shoot photos in a pinch at autoshows, auto events, and reviews, I'd probably opt for the G4 for a few reasons. 

• The replaceable battery is good to have. Fast-charging tech on the Samsung is awesome, but no help if you're scrounging for an outlet. 
• The G4 has RAW photo capability. That means you can quickly feed the uncompressed image into your laptop and use photo editing software to get the best image possible. 
• The manual mode on the G4 is also excellent. So should you decided to shoot JPEG, you can at least adjust settings for exposure, shutter speed, white balance and the like. This is a boon in situations like dim, fluorescent-lit halls, or very sunny outdoor settings. 
• Inherent durability of plastic. 

I wouldn't worry much about the G4's deficit in processing power. It's still flagship-level. Samsung provides high specs to satisfy benchmark fans and those who play demanding games on their phones. 

 

That said, I have read that Samsung will debut RAW functionality in the S6 this summer. 

 

Thanks, useful input.  I don't play high end games on my phone, but I do notice some lag on my S4... though that has decreased noticeably with Lollipop.

[Drew Dowdell]

M9+ appears to be out now too. It has a 2.2 ghz octacore.

 

What makes you say it doesn't measure up? Even the standard M9 goes tit for tat with the Galaxy S6 in terms of hardware. Is it because you like bigger screens or certain camera features?

 

Screen image quality - there is a big difference in pixel density, and Samsung's Super AMOLED is pretty much the best on the market right now.

Camera image quality (the biggest MP isn't the decider here since I have to end up cutting down the photos for posting on the website anyway)

overall performance

[Cory Wolfe]

I've enjoyed my Moto X, but I can't really recommend it unless you never, ever take pictures with it. Camera is truly awful in most circumstances. 

 

I would suggest the S6. It's the one phone that really seems like it has all bases covered. You'd really have to nitpick to find flaws, unlike previous Galaxies. Then again, if you like the plastic-fantastic construction of those that allowed for the removable battery, then I suppose the fancy new body would be a negative. Making more a nice thing sort of makes the phone less practical. Still, you could always buy a portable power pack to charge it when needed. 

[cp-the-nerd]

I've enjoyed my Moto X, but I can't really recommend it unless you never, ever take pictures with it. Camera is truly awful in most circumstances. 

 

I would suggest the S6. It's the one phone that really seems like it has all bases covered. You'd really have to nitpick to find flaws, unlike previous Galaxies. Then again, if you like the plastic-fantastic construction of those that allowed for the removable battery, then I suppose the fancy new body would be a negative. Making more a nice thing sort of makes the phone less practical. Still, you could always buy a portable power pack to charge it when needed. 

 

Before picking up a free M8 last month, I had a motorola Photon Q. The camera was by far the worst thing about the phone. 8 mp with a lame aperture that was mediocre enough in full day light from the start, but soon after I got it, I had some sort of burn develop that made all my pics look 5% over exposed in the middle. I've never seen a camera do that before, it looked like halfway to an instagram filter, and I HATE instagram.

 

However, despite the camera and the 1.5 ghz dual core steadily becoming more dated and overworked, I kept the phone for two and a half years. Why on earth would I do that??

 

Boom baby. Fully back-lit qwerty keyboard. I'm a sucker for analog! God, I miss that ONE aspect of the phone...

Edited May 29, 2015 by cp-the-nerd

[G. David Felt]

Go with the Note 5, I have the Note 3 on Lollipop and it rocks as does the battery life, really lasts. Camera is good but also eligible for an upgrade so figure I would wait since the Note 5 is around the corner. I like what I have read about the phone. Been very pleased with my note 3, Wife and Daughter both have the note 4 and love it. I suggest you go for the note 5!

[Drew Dowdell]

So I went to Best Buy last night and looked.  The LG G4 isn't out yet.  The Galaxy S6 is nice, but I don't see a compelling reason to upgrade to it while my S4 is running fine The S6 in the store was running Android 5.0.2 rather than the 5.1 I was expecting.  I didn't care for the S6 Edge at all.  If I had to buy today, that's probably what I would get.   The bloat on the S6 is ridiculous... you get a 32gig phone with only about 16 gig available for use.  There are windows installations smaller than that.

 

I looked into the LG G4 a bit more online and my interest is piqued enough to check it out when it is released.... I like the leather backs on it, plus the camera seems really good.  It also has the removable battery and SD slot.

 

I also checked out the Note 4 while I was in the store. Interesting, but I think the S-Pen is gimicky and it might be just over sized for me. 

 

I didn't get to check a Nexus 6.

[cp-the-nerd]

When you get it, keep us updated on how the G4 pans out. I've had several LG products and felt their quality was extremely sub-par, but their new smart phones are supposed to be competitive with the top tier.

[SalesmanSean]

When you get it, keep us updated on how the G4 pans out. I've had several LG products and felt their quality was extremely sub-par, but their new smart phones are supposed to be competitive with the top tier.

I agree with this, after the last LG I had I vowed never to buy their phones again.  I'm still open to some appliances from them (not a TV, but maybe a refrigerator), but definitely not a phone again, though I'd be interested to hear if the quality has improved (I would say no, because my wife recently got an LG she hates, but it's not near the top of the line for them, either, so I'll give them a little slack for that one).

[SuperDuper]

I have a G3 now and it is nice. But I still loved my Lumina 900 best of all cellphones I've ever owned. I'll be back to a windows phone next go around. Phenomenal specs are necessary with Andriod OS.

 

I haven't really come across anything that I can get for Driod as an app that makes using a crappier functioning OS worth it for me. I just really appreciate the design of the Windows OS I had with Mango 7.5 and found it very responsive despite what on paper are very lack luster hardware specs.

 

Both the Lumia and the G3 had well performing Cameras. My wifes HTC - she has never been happy with the Camera. It always wants very specific lighting conditions to get a good photo. LG has always known how to build a good cellphone, Of what you want I would tell you to go LG. Having sold phones years ago and taken apart more than likely anyone else in this forum to perform repairs, I'd like to think I have a pretty good backround for my opinion.

[Drew Dowdell]

I think I'll be waiting at least for the Note 5 at this point.  I'm traveling almost all of June so I won't really have time to go get the upgrade done until July anyway.

[Suaviloquent]

Lumia 640? It's what our firm was about to get, until MS dropped the ball in Canada.

 

Okay, I'll admit it's a low-end device; but all of MS Office. Onedrive. 8 MP Camera in the 640, something like 13 in the XL, with Zeiss Optics. Lumia ClearBlack technology.

 

A great 2500 miliamphour battery with one of the best optimized Mobile OS's.  3000 MiAH in the XL.  And Windows Mobile 10 is supposed to arrive to this new device.  It seems like a good choice for productivity; but your use seems to be heavier on Multimedia as well. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Lumia 640? It's what our firm was about to get, until MS dropped the ball in Canada.

 

Okay, I'll admit it's a low-end device; but all of MS Office. Onedrive. 8 MP Camera in the 640, something like 13 in the XL, with Zeiss Optics. Lumia ClearBlack technology.

 

A great 2500 miliamphour battery with one of the best optimized Mobile OS's.  3000 MiAH in the XL.  And Windows Mobile 10 is supposed to arrive to this new device.  It seems like a good choice for productivity; but your use seems to be heavier on Multimedia as well. 

 

My usage is all about the social media apps and camera.  I don't to "productivity" stuff on my phone, I have my Galaxy Tab 4 and a keyboard case for that which is almost always nearby if I really need it. 

[Suaviloquent]

 

Lumia 640? It's what our firm was about to get, until MS dropped the ball in Canada.

 

Okay, I'll admit it's a low-end device; but all of MS Office. Onedrive. 8 MP Camera in the 640, something like 13 in the XL, with Zeiss Optics. Lumia ClearBlack technology.

 

A great 2500 miliamphour battery with one of the best optimized Mobile OS's.  3000 MiAH in the XL.  And Windows Mobile 10 is supposed to arrive to this new device.  It seems like a good choice for productivity; but your use seems to be heavier on Multimedia as well. 

 

My usage is all about the social media apps and camera.  I don't to "productivity" stuff on my phone, I have my Galaxy Tab 4 and a keyboard case for that which is almost always nearby if I really need it. 

 

Yeah, for Multimedia and being in the here and now; I'll admit it, Windows has a LONG  way to go. It doesn't help that they've got such a small market share, and the escalation of commitment by MS. You gotta love their determination. 

[SuperDuper]

 

 

Lumia 640? It's what our firm was about to get, until MS dropped the ball in Canada.

 

Okay, I'll admit it's a low-end device; but all of MS Office. Onedrive. 8 MP Camera in the 640, something like 13 in the XL, with Zeiss Optics. Lumia ClearBlack technology.

 

A great 2500 miliamphour battery with one of the best optimized Mobile OS's.  3000 MiAH in the XL.  And Windows Mobile 10 is supposed to arrive to this new device.  It seems like a good choice for productivity; but your use seems to be heavier on Multimedia as well. 

 

My usage is all about the social media apps and camera.  I don't to "productivity" stuff on my phone, I have my Galaxy Tab 4 and a keyboard case for that which is almost always nearby if I really need it. 

 

Yeah, for Multimedia and being in the here and now; I'll admit it, Windows has a LONG  way to go. It doesn't help that they've got such a small market share, and the escalation of commitment by MS. You gotta love their determination. 

 

Well - he said social media. FB seemed to work just fine for me. What social media doesn't work on Windows?

[Drew Dowdell]

 

 

 

Lumia 640? It's what our firm was about to get, until MS dropped the ball in Canada.

 

Okay, I'll admit it's a low-end device; but all of MS Office. Onedrive. 8 MP Camera in the 640, something like 13 in the XL, with Zeiss Optics. Lumia ClearBlack technology.

 

A great 2500 miliamphour battery with one of the best optimized Mobile OS's.  3000 MiAH in the XL.  And Windows Mobile 10 is supposed to arrive to this new device.  It seems like a good choice for productivity; but your use seems to be heavier on Multimedia as well. 

 

My usage is all about the social media apps and camera.  I don't to "productivity" stuff on my phone, I have my Galaxy Tab 4 and a keyboard case for that which is almost always nearby if I really need it. 

 

Yeah, for Multimedia and being in the here and now; I'll admit it, Windows has a LONG  way to go. It doesn't help that they've got such a small market share, and the escalation of commitment by MS. You gotta love their determination. 

 

Well - he said social media. FB seemed to work just fine for me. What social media doesn't work on Windows?

 

 

There are multitudes of other social media sites and apps out there. 

[SuperDuper]

I don't doubt there are others. I was more curious as to what you can access on Andriod that you can't on a Windows phone?

[G. David Felt]

 

When you get it, keep us updated on how the G4 pans out. I've had several LG products and felt their quality was extremely sub-par, but their new smart phones are supposed to be competitive with the top tier.

I agree with this, after the last LG I had I vowed never to buy their phones again.  I'm still open to some appliances from them (not a TV, but maybe a refrigerator), but definitely not a phone again, though I'd be interested to hear if the quality has improved (I would say no, because my wife recently got an LG she hates, but it's not near the top of the line for them, either, so I'll give them a little slack for that one).

 

I have to say NO to LG products period. Daughter has gone through 2 LG phones before going to the note4 and had nothing but problems and repeat replacements of the LG phones. My sister and her husband own their own appliance repair business and say LG appliances are the worst to work on cheap internal parts and they do not last. Plus LG is terrible to work with even when it is a warranty repair. I have heard other horror stories from people about LG products also. So just say NO to LG.

[SalesmanSean]

 

 

When you get it, keep us updated on how the G4 pans out. I've had several LG products and felt their quality was extremely sub-par, but their new smart phones are supposed to be competitive with the top tier.

I agree with this, after the last LG I had I vowed never to buy their phones again.  I'm still open to some appliances from them (not a TV, but maybe a refrigerator), but definitely not a phone again, though I'd be interested to hear if the quality has improved (I would say no, because my wife recently got an LG she hates, but it's not near the top of the line for them, either, so I'll give them a little slack for that one).

 

I have to say NO to LG products period. Daughter has gone through 2 LG phones before going to the note4 and had nothing but problems and repeat replacements of the LG phones. My sister and her husband own their own appliance repair business and say LG appliances are the worst to work on cheap internal parts and they do not last. Plus LG is terrible to work with even when it is a warranty repair. I have heard other horror stories from people about LG products also. So just say NO to LG.

 

When I sold TVs and appliances we didn't carry LG, and I often had to correct people who thought that LG was the top-of-the-line brand in various departments.  They aren't bad, they aren't Vizio or anything like that, but they're a decent middle-of-the-road company at best.  On the other hand, they have a pretty good marketing department that has built their hype up very well, creating that top-line image that they can't quite live up to.

[G. David Felt]

 

 

 

When you get it, keep us updated on how the G4 pans out. I've had several LG products and felt their quality was extremely sub-par, but their new smart phones are supposed to be competitive with the top tier.

I agree with this, after the last LG I had I vowed never to buy their phones again.  I'm still open to some appliances from them (not a TV, but maybe a refrigerator), but definitely not a phone again, though I'd be interested to hear if the quality has improved (I would say no, because my wife recently got an LG she hates, but it's not near the top of the line for them, either, so I'll give them a little slack for that one).

 

I have to say NO to LG products period. Daughter has gone through 2 LG phones before going to the note4 and had nothing but problems and repeat replacements of the LG phones. My sister and her husband own their own appliance repair business and say LG appliances are the worst to work on cheap internal parts and they do not last. Plus LG is terrible to work with even when it is a warranty repair. I have heard other horror stories from people about LG products also. So just say NO to LG.

 

When I sold TVs and appliances we didn't carry LG, and I often had to correct people who thought that LG was the top-of-the-line brand in various departments.  They aren't bad, they aren't Vizio or anything like that, but they're a decent middle-of-the-road company at best.  On the other hand, they have a pretty good marketing department that has built their hype up very well, creating that top-line image that they can't quite live up to.

 

I would agree with you that they are a mid level company that has a high end rep due to their marketing. I would still never recommend LG to anyone mainly due to the issues I have seen with their products.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't doubt there are others. I was more curious as to what you can access on Andriod that you can't on a Windows phone?

 

The big ones are all there, but the quality of the apps is poor on many of them. I'm pretty set on staying with android... I have a lot in the ecosystem and am comfortable there.

 

Also, I'm now hearing rumors that the S4 will get the update to 5.1 or 5.1.1

[NicCris]

I guess it all depends on how you use your phone, but If you've got cash to burn, the S6 Edge might just be what you've been searching for.

Edited June 26, 2015 by NicCris