I upgraded from the 4s to the 5s. If you have been satisfied with your 4 its a nice improvement in everything it does. For your use the camera is very good and the extra processing power helps with web browsing.

Ah. I knew of the Droid, but I didn't know it was a Motorola. I guess the review was talking about what Kyle was saying about switching to Google, and I misunderstood. My bad.

Yep. The MotoX is the first effort they have made that is from the ground up GOOGLE-owned Motorola and not based on anything from the old Motorola.

Get the S4, easy transition from the iPhone and a much better product.

I'm thinking about eventually getting rid of my laptop and getting a tablet. I do not want the iPad, so I think I'll steer clear of the iPhone 5s and switch back to a Samsung.

I switched from the iPHone to a note II and don't use my tablet anymore.

My wife (who isn't good with technology) switched from the iPhone 4 to S4 and is loving it. Pictures are great, very easy to upload to The Facebook or whatever else.

This is why I hate Samsung phones. They're just too freaking big. If they made a smaller phone, I'd probably buy it.

http://www.androidbeat.com/2013/10/v.../#.UkyoKZm9LCQ

Luv, how important is music playback to you on your phone?

You mean that's really a thing? I thought it was some kind of joke.

Not very. The only time I listen to music is when I workout, and I usually just put on my Salt-n-Pepa radio on Pandora. I want a decent camera, easily accessible internet, and, well, that's about it. I have Siri on the 4s, but I hardly ever use her.

I would go with one of the androids then.

Not quite sure why you are not into the 5s if camera and internet are all you care about.

Whatever you end up deciding on your 4s is worth a fair amount to sell depending on your carrier and may cover your upgrade charge

I do a lot of online research, but am very interested in some of your opinions here on CP. Currently looking to get back into the smartphone world. Been using a basic for two years. On T-Mobile, so will be paying for the phone monthly.

Right now it's between the note 3, g2, or the upcoming nexus. I would consider the new Sony z1, if it was available. Really liking the note 3 reviews, but I haven't held one yet. I like the specs and it should last a few years, especially with the ability to swap batteries. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Well the G2 software has gotten awful reviews. The hardware has gotten good remarks, but that skin...ouch.

I'm a big believer in the Nexus program. Dealing directly with Google and avoiding the carriers and manufacturer skins...it's just great. And being GSM and unlocked, for me perfect.

But everyone has different tastes and different needs. I don't care about removable batteries or storage. If you do, no Nexus. I also think Samsung has some of the worst design language of any mobile company. Every time I see one of their products it makes me cry. So, you know, try before you buy. :)

Happy with the 5c I got. Plastic body's no big deal, and aside from that I think the 5s has some extra camera flashes and a slightly faster chip. For the $100 upgrade (vs. the $200 upgrade for the 5s) it's fine.

I'm also a fan of the Nexus family. I'm an Android purist, and it's great to get updates so quickly compared to a lot of the third-party devices.

I've been using a nexus 7 since they came out, which got my wife to upgrade her phone to a nexus 4 earlier in the year. Love stock android and quick updates. I have heard very little good about the G2 skin. The only thing worrying me about the nexus 5 is the small battery. I really don't want to be tethered to a charger. I'm not a power user, but I want to use my phone. These big beast phones like the note 3 and g2 have good reviews on battery life.

I would consider an iPhone, if I wasn't already set up with a lot of android apps. I love android and it's openness. Don't want to deal with iTunes to set a ringtone. BTW, I am really intrigued with the note because... This is going to sound funny.... I like to eat messy stuff. My fingers get messy. Make my screen messy. Most styli suck. Note has the s pen which seems to be amazing. Sounds crazy, I'm sure.

This isn't a solution to battery issues per se, but as someone with a phone with limited battery life, this thing is awesome:

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Exter...dp/B005K7192G/

I keep it charged up at home and take it along any time I'm running low. It's a little clunky, but charges my phone three times.

Love my charging brick

I picked up this one when it was on Sale for $29

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Damn, that's a lot of juice! I went with the smaller one just because it fits in my pocket easily, but it would be nice to be able to carry around enough power to charge my phone and four of my friends'. :)

That is actually a pretty good idea, if I happen to get a phone with crap battery life. Still not going to keep flaming hot Cheeto dust off my screen though! Wish this damn nexus 5 would come out already!

Does anyone actually need a $500+ cell phone?

We really only NEED food, water, and shelter from the elements and animals such as lions and dinosaurs. Super phones are just cool. No different from getting a $50,000 Chevy when a used Hyundai will get you where you need to go.

For a lot of people I know, yes.

Seriously. What the **** is the point of a curved RIGID display?
http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d..._1_610x407.jpg

Say hello to the idiotic Galaxy Round.

Huh. Can't say I'm very intrigued by that.

If it was FLEXIBLE that would be badass.. but adding a curve to a rigid display seems ridiculous.

Why on Earth would someone want a phone shaped like that? Just so it can flop around on every flat surface you put it on?

Exactly what i was thinking. They say it conforms better to people's faces.. but what the hell? Do you know anyone with a massive curve like that on the SIDE of their head? Just weird.

so it fits better on their buttcheek. It amazes me how many kids put their phone in their back pocket and sit on it.

Samsung's entire design process is:

1. Look at rumors of what its competitors are planning.
2. Release it first in some shitty way.
3. Wait for someone else to release a better product.
4. Copy them.

They've been doing this shit for ages.

So I'm thinking of switching to an iPhone. All I really use my phone for is phone calls, browsing the internet, and downloading podcasts.

I also have a Bose Sounddock with the Lightning Connector, so it would make my audio entertainment a lot easier I think. Unfortunately, my iPod nano with the lightning connector cannot connect to Pandora.

I'm waiting for the nexus five I've decided. I have my unlimited data for 30/month still through verizon, so the upgrade option is a little more expensive. I was leaning toward the G2 but the new price point of the nexus 5 for practically the same hardware plus new android os? hawt.

I've decided to wait for the nexus five, as well. I've been doing a lot of digging through tech sites and boards and whatnot, and it seems like the five might not be well supported by Verizon. Who knows, I just wanted to pass that along.

Huh. Well I guess we'll see here shortly. It's rumored to be released on the 15th.

I hope they announce something on Monday, but it might not be officially unveiled until the end of the month. If it hits around the same price point as the nexus 4, while upgrading the camera, they're gonna sell out crazy fast.

Yeah I don't think Google is doing CDMA any more

Note 3 is badass

I bet. I wish there was a nexus device with a digitizer. Don't want to deal with TouchJizz.

I'm a big Android fan, but I always tell people - the iPhone is a great phone. For people that don't mind the ecosystem (it's great for podcasts, for example. And accessories), it's perfect. It just doesn't work for me.

Apple might run into some problems in a year or two with their design constraints, but they still have some of the best hardware out there. I'd say most of my friends still have iPhones and iPads.


As for the Nexus 5 and Verizon, I'd be really surprised if they have it. Google and Verizon don't get along well, and Verizon is no fan of open devices. My guess is it'll be a pure GSM device. Maybe even without any carrier partnership at all. I'm not sure Google wants to compete with itself with the Moto X now. But that's pure speculation. I'll be buying one!

Nexus 5 is available to buy today. The Black 16 GB is sold out but you can get the white 16 GB and both 32 GB models.

Nexus 5 is not available for Verizon. Piss.