I'm looking to get a new smart phone. Anybody have any suggetions?

First of all, Hi all! This is my first post.

Back to the topic.

I recently got a Samsung Galaxy S4, my previous phone being a 5 year old flip-phone, so I really don't have any complaints about the comparison... XD

I did have an Apple 4th generation iPod before, so here are my comparisons between the two(I don't know how relevant this is between the actual Apple phones, but here goes):

Galaxy S4 Pros:
1. The S4 has just about the best smartphone camera out there - it can record high-def video and take clear pictures regardless of light conditions. There are also a ton of cool camera modes to try out. If you don't have a good camera already, this may be something you'd be interested in.
2. There are a ton of cool features, like the hand gesture and eye gesture stuff I'm sure you've heard about if you've done any research on the phone.
3. The voice recognition is very good - the talk-to-text feature on the phone works flawlessly as long as I speak clearly.
4. Big screen. It's a little hard to fit into a pocket, but the phone's screen is so much bigger that when I grab my old iPod, the everything looks pathetically small.

Cons - these are mostly things that are very different when you're switching from an Apple product, and that took some getting used to:
1. The keyboard, and more specifically, the autocorrect. The S4 doesn't autocorrect your words for you, it just puts up suggestions above the keyboard and you have to tap one to make the phone change it. This was VERY annoying at first, especially when compared to the Apple autocorrect. You can bypass this entirely if you use the voice recognition, though.
2. Having to switch your iTunes content over to Kies, the Samsung version of iTunes. If you have any kind of music library to switch over, this can be a real pain... of course, I had to do it on a very old computer and it was plagued with problems. Also, I can't seem to find any way to create playlists on the Samsung music app unless I create them from my computer, which is annoying.
3. A lot of the features are hard to find/know about. I bypassed this by looking them up on the internet, though.

I do love my S4, though - the battery life is good, I love the challenge of finding the cool hidden features, love the camera, and I've come to terms with the negatives.

So, I suppose my final advice would be, think about what you use your phone for most - if it's texting and you want smooth autocorrect, the iPhone 5 may be better. If you're looking for something a little more challenging(and I do agree that Apple products are more intuitive) and/or with a better camera or voice recognition, you might want the S4. That said, I'm only talking about those two phones as options - there are a lot of other worthwhile Android phones, especially those with a much smaller price tag.

Good luck finding the right phone for you!

 

I've had the Samsung Galaxy S since it first came out in June of 2010 and it has delivered both in terms of hardware and software. If you have any questions about the phone, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

i holding out for the next IPHONE 5S or 6
currently on 4S

 

i have the samsung galaxy s3 its a great phone id recomend that or the s4 or the htc one, the nexus 4 is also a very good phone and cheap too, also keep in mind the iphone 5s is coming out so they will lower the price on the 5 and right now is the best time to upgrade to the galaxy s3 because its so cheap,most carriers are offering the s3 for 20-50 bucks with an upgrade.

 

Samsung Galaxy s4 is the way to go

 

At the moment, I'd say none. In just a few days the Moto X is coming (the next Google phone) and in a month the iPhone 5s. Whatever they turn out to be, they will shake the market and drop the prices. It's worth the wait.

 

I feel it all depends on YOU!!! If you are a die hard Mac user then you should stay with the iPhone. If you don't care what operating system you use then go for what you feel comfortable with.

For me I am a die HARD IPHONE 5 user. I love love the whole Apple Mac interface. It's funny that you posted this thread because when I was on the fence because of friends on what to purchase for my next phone I decided to try something different. I tried the windows operating system for 2 days and was ready to throw the phone up against the wall. Thank God that I have AT&T and they have a 14 day return policy. I returned it in a heart beat to find that I am truly an iphone user. I love my iphone 5. Honestly there is not much of a difference between the 4s and 5 but I wanted to update my account so went ahead and purchased the iPhone 5. I am NOT unhappy. I am in love with my phone but of cause I have always been an Apple user from day one so I am a die hard. Maybe you will do the same thing that I did. Try something different depending on your carrier if you don't like what you have maybe you can return it.