News - Samsung’s profits reach a record high as Galaxy S4 launches

[HEXUS]

Profits up over 40 per cent from a year ago, thanks to smartphones and tablets.

Read more.

[crossy]

Comparative reviews of the new Galaxy S4 haven’t shown it to be the obvious flagship smartphone choice with recent premium Android efforts by the likes of HTC and Sony being on a par with the latest and greatest from Samsung.

Seriously - the Xperia Z is as good as the Galaxy S4 these days?

As an ex-Sony owner, I'd be happier if it was since I get a bit tired of the "HTC launches best Android phone" / "Samsung new phone better than HTC class leader" flip-flopping.

I think that next years phone replacement won't be a Samsung unless the S6 is as big a jump as the S3 was - not that there's anything really amiss with my S3, but it seems like everyone has one these days - I want something a bit more exclusive.

But I don't want to switch to a crappier phone to gain the exclusivity.

(Note that I didn't use this headline to slag off Apple - I'll leave that to others).

[Harkin]

Good for Samsung. I'm still really digging the new HTC though, seems about the right size and has a really cool style to it. I wouldn't buy any of them now with all this low stock nonsense which seems to be a marketing strategy to make it look more popular and maybe keep the price high? I dunno but why they wouldn't just make a lot more of them if they were expecting so many sales..

[cheesemp]

I love my note 1 but not sure i'll be upgrading to note 3 or 4. Samsung make good cheap devices and seem pretty good at releasing updates but it does seem to be a little unstable (as does the wife's S2). Tempted to switch back to Sony (loved my rock solid X10) but do they still support removable SD/Battery? Thats the one thing that keeps me away from HTC otherwise I'd consider snapping a One up.

[mark22]

Quite interested in the s4 active, or maybe a note 3 active. I need dust proof and really expected all phones to be water proof by now.

[3dcandy]

I love my note 1 but not sure i'll be upgrading to note 3 or 4. Samsung make good cheap devices and seem pretty good at releasing updates but it does seem to be a little unstable (as does the wife's S2). Tempted to switch back to Sony (loved my rock solid X10) but do they still support removable SD/Battery? Thats the one thing that keeps me away from HTC otherwise I'd consider snapping a One up.

Hmmm and Sony was well known for bad software, not updating stuff and the X10's weren't supposed to be great. Spoke to a guy yesterday about phones and he said Samsung were by far the best at the moment in relation to software, hardware and support for them beating even Apple. He said avoid HTC like the plague as they've been having high returns due to battery issues, and that whilst the new new Sony's were better they still had software issues...
Of course, he's paid to support who gives him the biggest kickback but...

[crossy]

I love my note 1 but not sure i'll be upgrading to note 3 or 4. Samsung make good cheap devices and seem pretty good at releasing updates but it does seem to be a little unstable (as does the wife's S2). Tempted to switch back to Sony (loved my rock solid X10) but do they still support removable SD/Battery? Thats the one thing that keeps me away from HTC otherwise I'd consider snapping a One up.

Bad news/good news time on the Xperia Zee (cos we're all 'merican's now ain't we) according to http://www-support-downloads.sonymob...3_xperia_z.pdf there's a uSD slot (for "up to 32GB", but what's the betting that 64GB will still work - same as the Galaxy S3?), unfortunately that same document refers to an "embedded" battery => non user serviceable.

Now for me personally, I can probably live with the non-removable battery, but I need that large memory because I'm too lazy to filter my music library. The rest of the spec (13Mpix camera, HD screen, quad core, 2GB RAM, LTE) looks pretty solid.

I thought the gen these days were that Sony'd learned from the X10 upgrade debacle and were now actually supporting their phones properly. Only downsides of the Xperia though are the glass back and the squareness of the thing. The former shouts "fragile" to me, the latter "uncomfortable".

Hmmm and Sony was well known for bad software, not updating stuff and the X10's weren't supposed to be great.

Funnily enough I've seen a lot of satisfied ex-X10 owners - note cheesemp says "rock solid X10" and that was my experience too. Camera, build quality and case design were better on the X10 than my S3 - the problem with that older phone always was Sony's lack of support. But hey, if Google are serious about spreading the Nexus brand further and there's a Nexus version of the Xperia Z next year then I'd be quite tempted.

[3dcandy]

Yeah rock solid perhaps, I think more of the reputation was if you got a bad X10 and phones of that era they were dire - a good one and you were fine. My experience is that they seemed good enough but slow, camera solid if a little uninspiring. I had an Xperia Pro for a year and I liked the hardware camera button, but it was never updated till ages after the Android version was released. Think it was on something like 2.1 when 2.3 Gingerbread was old hat

[Funkstar]

As much as their handsets are tempting, I just don't think I could bring myself to using something with Touch Wiz (or whatever it's called) out of choice. I've got a Galaxy Ace+ through work and the wife has a Note 2. Both are great devices in their own way, but I just do not like the Samsung software compared to my HTC One X. The X is so much slicker, and I'm not talking about speed, but the presentation of the software. Much nicer icons, buttons, design etc. It's just a much nicer device to use than the Note 2 or the Ace+.

[3dcandy]

Well I'm still looking at phones for people and Samsung is the manufacturer most shops and people are recommending. Most people have warned me off HTC because of very poor battery life, some handsets only managing 8 hours of light use after about 3 months and so I've been told a high failure rate. My mates in the business have said the same, Samsung is getting the recommendations at the moment because they are the best for after sales, support and getting the right blend of hardware and software at a given price point. Touchwiz isn't bad or great in my mind, but some of the other Samsung bundled stuff is quite useful, I use the multiscreen and all-share stuff a lot as we happen to have a Samsung TV too. I guess Samsung are just doing the best all round job, or are they?

[TheAnimus]

Soooooo, how long before everyone starts hating on Samsung?

I'll start, my series 9 battery died after only 8 months!

[avi8tor]

Im ready for a new phone and I will probably get the S4 however as I want a Sim Free phone and Amazon are quoting £600 for this I think I'll be waiting a few months yet!

[tenshin111]

Xperia Z is a joke. A flagship phone that looks ugly, cheap and plasticky. And a tad too large for my liking. I was offered one at work by my employee but after a week of testing I gave it back. The new HTC looks fantastic however (if I remember correctly) there are supply issues with that one. I will give it a go anyway as soon as we get one for the company. Not so keen on Samsung either - S3 was a bit underwhelming, Note 2 is just too big. Besides, Samsung doesn't shine when it comes to design and build quality either. So where is the "best" Android phone out there? Haven't found one yet

[crossy]

Not so keen on Samsung either - S3 was a bit underwhelming, Note 2 is just too big. Besides, Samsung doesn't shine when it comes to design and build quality either. So where is the "best" Android phone out there? Haven't found one yet

I'd be interested to hear why the S3 was "underwhelming" - sure it didn't live up to the rumours spread around at lunch time, (e.g. wireless charging, bezel-less display, ceramic body, high MPix camera), but to describe as "underwhelming" is a bit harsh surely?

And while Samsung is (rightly so) castigated for overuse of cheap plastic (S3's battery cover being the most obvious) I'd also disagree that they're numpties in the design area - consensus is that the S3 (and the S4 being an evolution) design is pretty clean, modern and serviceable.

And to agree with you - there is NO "best" Android phone anymore than there is a "best" phone. imho there's always only going to be the one that's best for you personally. And given the sales figures there's quite a few folks for whom the Xperia Z is in that sweet spot.

[Smudger]

I had a look at this:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/smart...tc-one-nexus-4

yesterday, but I'm only a little bit closer to choosing. It's between Nexus 4 and HTC One. I guess I'll wait until the I/O this month and see what's announced then...