HTC President pleased with the Galaxy S4 reviews

29 April, 2013
This is in response to the negative feedback for the plasticky build quality of the Galaxy S4.

Sort by:

  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • phr
  • 29 Apr 2013

Blankman, 29 Apr 2013Seriously, just what does the S4 have that is better than t... moreeverything?

    HTC ONE X design was already miles ahead of S3. HTC did not learn the lesson. A smartphone is more of a tool than a jewel.

      • C
      • Common_636
      • RcF
      • 29 Apr 2013

      Blankman, 29 Apr 2013Seriously, just what does the S4 have that is better than t... morethat question goes both ways, What does the one have in real world application that the s4 doesnt

        • D
        • AnonD-139068
        • 7X9
        • 29 Apr 2013

        pfft.. it's not like you're not going to wrap your phone in a rubber case or something.

        material is moot point when choosing a phone. a microSD slot though, now that's something that i can't live without.

          • B
          • Blankman
          • m77
          • 29 Apr 2013

          Seriously, just what does the S4 have that is better than the HTC One in real world usage apart from the camera?

            • D
            • AnonD-74435
            • UQZ
            • 29 Apr 2013

            Oh wow. "S4 is better in any way compared to our phone but hell, we have the aluminum body". I can only lols.

              • D
              • AnonD-88512
              • Tk1
              • 29 Apr 2013

              "I'm pleased, because our biggest competitor has made a great phone with a crappy build quality, and people are bitching about it"

              Way to go, HTC. Real Mature!

                • P
                • Paximos
                • jdU
                • 29 Apr 2013

                I stopped by at the local tech store this weekend, and I must say that HTC One is not that great piece of work with it comes to design. It is silverish, rather light when you hold it, it is tall just like iPhone 5 (really dislike that(, and I have never liked HTC Sense to begin with. So for me, functionality is more important than the design. htc, nothing to show off here.

                  • c
                  • chopsticks
                  • nFK
                  • 29 Apr 2013

                  Anonymous, 29 Apr 2013when i first saw the SG4 online, i kinda had mixed feelings... moreExactly. I was slightly underwhelmed when I when we the design in photos as it looked almost identical to my S3. Went to my local Vodafone store on Saturday to see it in the flesh.
                  I was really impressed. The huge display real estate, slim bezels and that awesome screen dispelled any doubts I had. Feels really nice in the hand to.

                  Going to upgrade as soon as the UK get more stock in.

                    • D
                    • AnonD-81051
                    • Yhd
                    • 29 Apr 2013

                    i have to spend time and do my home work with a Smartphone and not just going on looks , ( if that's your thing then cool ) i already played with the Galaxy s4 , the Htc one , Oppo find 5 and the Apple iphone 5 , And the Smartphone that best suits me and my every day movement is the Galaxy s 4 . Play with each Smartphone , do your Home work about each phone Pros and Cons, then Buy which ever Smartphone suits you the best , ( not people )

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 9xB
                      • 29 Apr 2013

                      AnonD-140702, 29 Apr 2013HTC one is crap. I just returned 2 of them in then same day... morereally? you owned both phone? how much did samsung pay you to spread this kind of news?

                      this is why I dislike samsung, dirty marketing strategy.

                        • J
                        • Jon (Swe)
                        • mhB
                        • 29 Apr 2013

                        part 2.

                        design:
                        These are devices made to be used by every kind of person. So they are best off design wise offering a clean and "modern" look. That way, it will never really clatch with personal style/preferences, it will as much as it can blend in, by it's more functional design.

                        The user, usually looks at the front of the device, and they are displayed like that in stores, so lets start with that. (I would recommend you not to put your phones display down on any surface, no matter how good the back looks, since, even if it is gorilla glass, it might be scrathed).

                        Nowadays the display it what makes up most of the front. But in design-terms, lets start off, with the display off, since that is more objective way of looking at the design.
                        The S4 has a design that is pretty clean, without a lot of details. Thin bezels around the centered display, and not many areas to fill with design-elements. A bit booring perhaps, but clean. And clean is renerally preferred these days. So it's pretty well designed, and not much to comment on.
                        The HTC One, well, it has those speaker grilles, that are not really discrete. It feels a bit less clean, with a hint of industrial look. So in terms of offerering the cleanest look (what most are looking for these days), it falls slightly behind, but it's certainly not clattered, so the difference is only marginal.
                        Both are covered with a hugh part of glass, with the HTC having a plastic area hidden beneath, but that is not that visual when turned off. But really when turned off, that hugh dark part, covered with what could have been plastic is a big turn off, clearly design wise speaking.

                        With the display on, you will hardly think much of the design, as both have very good displays, with samsung a bit ahead. The Samsung has a bigger, and better display (more over saturated for those who wants, and more neutral for those who selects that setting).


                        And well, then we have the back.
                        Had aluminium not been considered a more premium material, there would not be much difference to talk about.
                        Both are pretty clean, with not a lot of details.
                        The more pertruding camera on the Samsung is less attractive.
                        The Logo on the Samsung is less attractive.
                        But the HTC has more text, since it can not be hidden beneath a cover (it has none).
                        So far, the HTC is slightly ahead.
                        Just looking at how they stand up design-wise, with the goal of having the cleanest possible look, they are close. The inlayed pattern on the back of the HTC is clean, and a nice detail lifting it from being completely booring. The amount of text is a bit of a let down. But the logo looks nice.
                        The samsung has a speaker grille, that is pretty discrete, but not well designed. The petruding camera isn't that nice either. And the Logo, is not as disrete and nicely done as on the HTC, but over all, still pretty clean looks.

                        There simply isn't much you can do, when the goal is having a clean look. HTC has done it very well on the back, but not as well on the front. The FCC text, and that beats logo on the back, are things that gives it a bit of cluttered look, and strays away from a almost perfectly balanced clean, but not booring look.


                        When we factor in materials, the front of the devices, are still mostly display covered with glass, that when looking at it, could as well just have been plastic. So the cleaner look of the Samsung is still slighly ahed there.

                        When it comes to the back.
                        Both devices has textures, but the HTC has the advantage of it beeing the texture of aluminium.
                        Samsung has kept their design of the texture clean, with an interesting, but very discrete shift in the texture depeding on how light hits it. Texture wise, the difference isn't that far off, objectively, and the nice shifting in the Samsung could even prove slightly more exciting.
                        But material wise, well, had the Samsung had a aluminium back, but still with a chromed Logo, the HTC would still win, despite the clutter with text.
                        Had them both been plastic covers, we could only assume that HTC would have gone for either clean plastic, or aluminium mimicking plastic. Well, then it would have been to close to call, I think. Samsung has more interesting texture that keeps it from beeing booring. But HTC has that Inlayed pattern making lifting it's design from booring. The HTC has less petruding camera, no speaker grille, probably more discrete logo (and we should assume for all fairness that the HTC back cover, should have been user replaceble to hide the text and sim-slot beneath).

                        But as it is HTC has the generally concived more premium material. The texture itself plus the inlayed pattern, is perhaps not enough to win over the slightly more exciting texture of the S4s back, but over all, it offers a better design.
                        So both material and design of the back is better.


                        But really disctly design-wise, they are not far off... both are pretty clean. There is not much you can do.
                        You should stay away from overdesigning the back, and both have done that. HTC with just that inlayed pattern, and Samsung with that texture. But samsung should have put more though in to the camera lens and speaker grille. And HTC should have skipped the beats logo, and found some way of hiding that FCC text.

                        The Samsung has one advantage, though, the user could actually replace the back. So all the people out there wanting a less clean look, with more personal look to it, could possibly find it. But then Samsung should not get credit, and will probably not, since it will probbly not have a samsung logo on it. Had samsung made it possible to order custom backs from a site, that would have made it so much more interesting.
                        So really, you can't credit samsung for the ability to put your personal touch on the device, since it's the 3rd party manufactors you will have to turn to in hope of finding a look that fits your personality.


                        But then, why is design important.
                        Well, it might not be as much as you would think.
                        Few devices offers design that sticks out in a way that you would really feel any desire for it. On a lune-up you could probably find a favourite, and it would be more likely to be the HTC One, than the S4, and I think, had it not been for size, the HTC One would probably be picked over even iPhones, most of the times. But there are other devices out there, and the HTC One, might not be the device most picked.

                        When you see people talking in to their devices, you will see the back. But most of the time you wouldn't really notice. People talk in to their phones all of the time, so why would you go around noticing peoples choice when it comes to device to talk in to?
                        And the Samsung is not a device is not one that would stick out in a bad way either.
                        I'm sure, some people could be put of by someone talking in to something that looks like a teddy bear, others will like it very much... but that is just a cover by a third party.



                        There are no real Ferraris or Porches among mobiles. But those are aeronically designed, a phone doesn't have to be.
                        What a phone could be, however is ergonomical. but that would not make it more streamlined, slimmed down and clean. They would have a pertruding grip, less continues surface area for a display. Hardware buttons. They would be thicker. And designed more like a handle.
                        But rather, they would be handsfrees. Well, not the discrete ones with mic on the chord, but rather a boom. But still lightweight, over the head and not much more distracting than headphones.
                        And surfing, gaming, and so on. Well, smart glasses could solve that... and no Google wasn't first to think of that, by a long shot. Just like tablets and mobiles really, they have been in sci-fi for half a century. Ergonocially, it would consist of glasses plus some kind of handheld devices to control input, and that is one device per hand, and not a hugh slab like a keyboard, and you should not have to look down on it. Expect some kind of joystick for your thump and a button for each finger, held upright with the thump on top. And a new way you would have to learn, to type (but with some visual aid in the glases for beginners).
                        Well expect the technology for displaying information, and camera sensor/s, and so on, to be designed to fit in pretty much any frame you could think of. So just like today when you pick up new glasses, you would go to the store, try them out, but then the frames are sent off (or ordered by model number), and you will get them a few days later from the manufactor. But really a big hurdle here will be patents. Technology to build displays and cameras in to thin glass or plastic layers, with the possibility to be, transparent, semi transparent, and without transparendy alltoughter, requires some invention, that will all be patented. And the risk is that every manufactor will have their own solution, with their own twist to it, and thus, you will be limited with what frames that manufactor has to offer.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-140702
                          • HBy
                          • 29 Apr 2013

                          HTC one is crap. I just returned 2 of them in then same day. One kept dropping signal and the second HTC One the speakers busted! The volume setting was set 3/4 of the way up. Never again will I buy an HTC phone. On the other hand my s4 worked with no problems! Design is overrated! They all go in a case anyway. And I don't mind the material. Its a great phone with amazing power! HTC one failed

                            • D
                            • AnonD-17831
                            • 2m$
                            • 29 Apr 2013

                            I say this, if you choose your phone only based on the phone frame then your not a smart person.
                            Its a shame that some reviewers see a aluminum body and go crazy / blind to all other flaws.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-17831
                              • 2m$
                              • 29 Apr 2013

                              Anonymous, 29 Apr 20133 friends bought s3 and 2 of them got their screen cracked ... moreSorry but that is a pretty stupid logic you have. Most (if not all) use Gorilla glass and if they break or not is just a matter of luck. Meaning if the phone fall on the side, back , front etc. S4 has Gorilla glass3 which is better than any other available phone on the market so how is that for quality?
                              Aluminum body is only bad in my own opinion since it dents and gets scratches super easy so its not a plus.

                                • s
                                • sam1902
                                • s%R
                                • 29 Apr 2013

                                If HTC doesn't have the market infrastructure and showrooms to sell their product then how can they even dream of to compete the Samsung giant? i saw one HTC showroom in Suria Mall, KL, MALAYSIA. it was so horrible, even being a HTC fan i didnt feel to buy anything from therr. but others such as SONY , samsung are way ahead in this regard. pl put some gorgeous showroom before make a gorgeous phone. but anyway i am going to buy HTC One. its simply beautiful.

                                  • M
                                  • M8
                                  • 7sa
                                  • 29 Apr 2013

                                  Anonymous, 29 Apr 20133 friends bought s3 and 2 of them got their screen cracked ... more"your friends" eh?
                                  I could say ten friends broke their Sony's, but that would be just my word.
                                  whats Sony made from ? Titanium ?

                                    There are some plastics around this world, who likes plastic, and that's why Samsung still use plastic. I think Samsung will be forced to move to metal, if we kill those plastics all.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • SaE
                                      • 29 Apr 2013

                                      3 friends bought s3 and 2 of them got their screen cracked in just one fall to the floor, which of course was not delebrate, and i bought Xperia ion, it fell down but never broken
                                      \now to all of us friend moral is, we never going to go for samsung until they do not give build quality, its just a shit for my frirnds using s3 with cracked screen, any one who can not afford this sort of situation, shud avoid buying samsung cheap material

                                        • J
                                        • Jon (Swe)
                                        • mhB
                                        • 29 Apr 2013

                                        Here we go again.

                                        Plastic vs "unibody" "aluminium"
                                        1st the unibody design, not that it actually is unibody, cause there are several of parts that are mounted on to it. Speaker grills semingly often gets knocked loose and can't be fitted again.
                                        And what does unibody mean, well, it's pretty much just a monicker to trick you in to think it's sturdy. Well a solid monolith of aluminium is pretty sturdy, but when you make it this thin, you have no significant benefits of the unibody design.
                                        Why did i write "aluminium", well, that is simply not true, the HTC One has several of parts of the outer shell that is not aluminium, so you can't really think of it as a aluminium phone (that would not allow much of a user experience, with aluminum buttons and drilled holes hiding a matrix of leds for simple text and icons, but well it could be a cool thing for those not in to surfing on their device).

                                        Why is plastic so bad?
                                        Depending on the surface treatment it can hide small scratches pretty well. Simply painted plastic or aluminium or any other material shows off the colour beneath, with every scratch. Samsung and Nokia have different solutions to this, both works pretty well.
                                        Plastic can be flexible, in a way that is can act as a shoch absorber, when thin aluminium has a tendency to insted of absorbing, simply get dents (samsung uses pretty thin plastic, so thats a good thing).
                                        Signal reception is better thru platic, then thru aluminium.
                                        Depending on thickness, weight can be an advantage, too (again samsung has a pretty thin and lightweight plastic shell).
                                        The bad things, well, we have been taught that plastic is a cheap material. That is true (at least when there is still oil to pump out of the earth, platic materials made from other resources than oil are not cheap), but the research and development going in the the outer shell of a plastic phone + material, will cents away from the aluminium chassi designs. So actually the save is not that great. So maybe, just maybe we should be taught, to think that plastic is sometimes just the better choice, and that it can be a good thing, despite us growing up getting to know platic as just a cheap material to be used for cheap products.
                                        Xperia Z glass body, actually to touch feels like it could have been plastic (it's not cool to the touch, and quite slippery).
                                        And the paint on the iphone, I think actually is oil based and maybe even acrylic (pretty much plastic in other words), and when the phone is most of the time not cool to touch, in that typical metallic sense.
                                        A blind person could probably tell, but if a seeing person was blindfolded and the phones had been running, so the temperature was up a bit, a lot would probably be fooled to think they were all plastic.