Samsung Galaxy S4

[bwframe]

I have an S3 and it is nothing to go 2 days without a charge on moderate use. Maybe not "awesome" but I cant complain.

An S3 would be an upgrade for me. I need 4G on a fast smart phone to take advantage of the high monthly dollars I'm paying.

 

[fullauto 45]

I went from a slider phone to a Galaxy S3. It has a screen I can actually see, and in color.

 

[IndyBeerman]

An S3 would be an upgrade for me. I need 4G on a fast smart phone to take advantage of the high monthly dollars I'm paying.

4G is a awesome upgrade over 3G, I had tons of people tell me "Oh you won't use much more data", first billing cycle with the S3 I used 6.5 gig. Great thing I bought a used one and stayed on my grandfathered unlimited. I think I'm averaging right about 2.6 gb's per month.

 

[steveh_131]

4G is a awesome upgrade over 3G, I had tons of people tell me "Oh you won't use much more data", first billing cycle with the S3 I used 6.5 gig. Great thing I bought a used one and stayed on my grandfathered unlimited. I think I'm averaging right about 2.6 gb's per month.

Who is your carrier? My grandfathered 'unlimited' data plan has a cap at 5GB. Once you hit the 5GB, they throttle you down to EDGE speeds until your month resets

 

[steveh_131]

Has anyone tried out any new ROM's on the S4? I've rooted mine and done some customization. I'd really kinda like to try out a CM10.1 based ROM on it, but the touchwiz camera blows the CM camera out of the water and I use the camera a LOT.

 

[threefiftyfour]

sell me on rooting my s4. then convince me not to please. I have heard about it for a long time, but have never understood the benefits/liabilities involved.

 

[Harry2110]

i have the Note 2, and absolutely LOVE it. getting my GF the S4 active soon.

really cant beat the galaxy devices.


thats strange - the N2 is known for having awesome battery life. i get a good 2 days out of mine, with a lot of use.

I just did that with mine. I sold my note 2 to get my active I love the screen as its a proper lcd not a omled. and I havent noticed any battery life loss over the note 2

 

[steveh_131]

sell me on rooting my s4. then convince me not to please. I have heard about it for a long time, but have never understood the benefits/liabilities involved.

Rooting is really simple and easy. I think it can also be undone, for warranty purposes.

There are some apps that require root access to do some things. Titanium backup, for example.

After rooting, I was also able to install something called 'Xposed Framework'. It is basically a framework that allows you to customize the rom to your liking. I used a customization called the 'Nottach Xposed'. Benefits:

• Cleaned up the status bar. The thing was ALWAYS full of stuff I didn't need, so I couldn't even tell if I had a message or email. I disabled the AM/PM on the clock, used a better and smaller battery icon, hid the AT&T logo, that silly 'smart stay' eye icon, etc.
• Got rid of the 'loud volume' warning
• Able to skip music tracks with the volume keys

Other miscellaneous customizations.

[XPOSED MOD] NottachXposed v12 [ATT][6/22] - xda-developers

So you can do this without going as far as unlocking your bootloader and potentially voiding your warranty by installing a new ROM.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Who is your carrier? My grandfathered 'unlimited' data plan has a cap at 5GB. Once you hit the 5GB, they throttle you down to EDGE speeds until your month resets

Verizon

 

[jetmechG550]

Who is your provider? I have two lines both with unlimited data and go over 5GB every month and never get throttled down on AT&T?

 

[jetmechG550]

sell me on rooting my s4. then convince me not to please. I have heard about it for a long time, but have never understood the benefits/liabilities involved.

As mentioned plus you can kill all the bloat ware. You can unroot check out androidforums.com

 

[steveh_131]

I use AT&T. I've received several threats about throttling but haven't actually been throttled so far. Maybe it's just an empty threat that they send out when I get close to my limit.

 

[jetmechG550]

I use AT&T. I've received several threats about throttling but haven't actually been throttled so far. Maybe it's just an empty threat that they send out when I get close to my limit.

Is it a text message from AT&T? I noticed my s4 has a data usage meter you can set to warn you but I haven't changed it but I haven't ever received a message from AT&T and I was blowing through some data when I got my Skyrocket in 11/11 when LTE went live around here and nobody else had it, the speeds were crazy so I was using it instead of my home service.

 

[bwframe]

Found a 16 gig for $649 on Amazon.
Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy S4, Black (Verizon Wireless): Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[the only Qualk]

what say ingo about the htc dna on verizon? I am kind of in need of a phone lol

 

[steveh_131]

Is it a text message from AT&T? I noticed my s4 has a data usage meter you can set to warn you but I haven't changed it but I haven't ever received a message from AT&T and I was blowing through some data when I got my Skyrocket in 11/11 when LTE went live around here and nobody else had it, the speeds were crazy so I was using it instead of my home service.

Yeah, it was straight from AT&T. This was a while back though. Maybe a year or two. I wonder if they only do it in certain markets.

Anyways, I'm loving the S4. I got my wife the S4 Active in the hopes that it would survive longer than the first touch-screen phone I got her (2 days).

It's been about a week so far...a few rather large gouges in the casing but still rolling along. It honestly could have used more rubber and a much higher bezel around the screen for impact protection. I'm getting a case for hers as soon as they come out, and a screen protector.

 

[IndyBeerman]

I got my wife the S4 Active in the hopes that it would survive longer than the first touch-screen phone I got her (2 days).

It's been about a week so far...a few rather large gouges in the casing but still rolling along. It honestly could have used more rubber and a much higher bezel around the screen for impact protection. I'm getting a case for hers as soon as they come out, and a screen protector.

If your wife has dinged it and the S4 Active is the same size as the S4, then get this for her asap before she has a chance to destroy it.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Cases | OtterBox

I've got the Silicone wrap with hard exterior shell that Verizon sells, love it, I also got a much sturdier case that the previous owner had on it, but it adds a little bulk to it. If I needed heavy duty protection for my phone, the Otterbox would be it. Lot's of guys that I know delivering beer have it because it takes a ton of abuse.

I always left my personal phone in the beer truck, people who needed to get a hold of bad enough knew my work cell number.

 

[Bosshoss]

Found a 16 gig for $649 on Amazon.
Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy S4, Black (Verizon Wireless): Cell Phones & Accessories

Here is a site that has new and used. The new ones are a lot of flippers that upgraded contracts and take the phones at reduced price even if they don't want them.
Good place to sell your old phones. Sold mine in about 1 hour and got good money for it.
Buy and Sell Used Mobile Phones and Tablets > Swappa

 

[bwframe]

Here is a site that has new and used. The new ones are a lot of flippers that upgraded contracts and take the phones at reduced price even if they don't want them.
Good place to sell your old phones. Sold mine in about 1 hour and got good money for it.
Buy and Sell Used Mobile Phones and Tablets > Swappa

Wow, thanks Bosshoss! I'll keep an eye on this. Anyone else have experience with this site?

Just checking back in after a small bit of research. I have a couple questions for the new phone savvy folks if I may?

One of the supposed weak points of the S4 is all the junk put on the phone by Samsung, sucking up a whole lot of the advertised usable memory. Your experience with this?

I'm waiting and watching prices for now. With the Aug 1st MotoX announcement followed by a new iPhone in the upcoming weeks, back to school, then the holiday season, how long would a smart person wait to jump on the best pricing?

 

[jetmechG550]

Root and freeze, no more bloat ware. Takes about 2 minutes to download files needed and root the phone