s4

Asus Padfone Infinity

s4 ofc

nexus 5 :)

As a S3 owner, I've never been temped to upgrade. Never actually tried the S4 though, so I can't speak for that other than the from what I've read about the specs.

As for the S3; yes you can play music while gaming. My battery (with a battery saving app) nets me around 2 days of medium to light use( some internet browsing, some texting, couple of hours of music and maybe an hour of phone time) after which I have around 20% and I get panicky and usually charge it.
Some cpu/gpu heavy games can eat up the battery like you wouldn't belive though, while music hardly makes a dent in the battery %.

Also, always get a screen protector, case or no. And unless you want to carry around a brick in your pocket or charging stations are few and far between, I'd advice against getting an extented battery.

Honestly, if you've got the money, id say go for a galaxy note 3. That thing is a beast, and great for... Well, everything. If I was planning to buy my first smartphone, that's the one I'd go for. Hands down.

If you're unsure about the phone to choose, I'd highly recommend checking out some professional reviews on youtube. Like MobileTechReview. Their reviews are really thorough.

Hope that helps :)

S3 vs S4 ? S4.

Dude, I have the Note 3, it's the best phone in the world. Honestly, i don't have any problem with that phone, or phablet...how you want to say. It's performant, it's big, it's very elegant, it's a premium phone...it's awsome.

The next phone will be Note 4 or 5...because i will keep this note 3...~3, 4...or maybe 5 years. :X

I currently have an S4, my first android phone after switching from iPhone 4. I can't answer all your questions but I can answer a few:

• Yes, you can drag n drop files on and off the phone in Explorer just like a camera. Samsung has software called Kies which does the syncing/auto backup thing if you want but I've found it to be a pain in the ass so I never use it. It's not at all required, you never have to use Kies if you don't want to.

• Yes, you can play music while playing a game!

• I charge my phone usually once a day, sometimes every 2 days. At first when I got the phone the battery life was pretty bad but I was told it does that for the first week and sort of 'adjusts', I was skeptical but it did actually get better. It really depends what you use it for (constant games etc are gonna drain the battery faster), how many widgets and things you have running on it and how vigilant you are with closing apps when you're done with them etc.

• When I had my iPhone I kept a BRICK of a case on the thing, you could peg it at a wall and it'd be fine. Couldn't shell out for the S4 version but got given an alright Casemate two-piece silicone+plastic back-only case. Never had a screen protector on it and my screen has no scratches at all (had the phone about 4 months). If you're after a durable case I'd highly recommend the Otterbox Defender. It's what I had on my iPhone which kept it pristine for the two years I had it, but the S4 version is much less brickish (my partner has one on his S4) and has a built in screen protector as well as silicone inner and plastic outer. I can't really speak for how fingerprint resistant the screen is as I'm a chick and every time I answer my phone I get makeup all over it so admittedly it's usually kinda dirty.

• I dunno if you are after suggestions for the apps you mentioned, but there are heaps of free QR readers available for download, Shazam is probably the best app I've found for music recognition, and the phone comes with an email app although I'm not sure if there are email apps that can automate the sending of emails. However, I'd definitely recommend the app Tasker, which you can use to automate pretty much anything you want, whether it be location based reminders, cutting out wifi at certain times of the day, automating notifications etc.

We have a lot of Samsung devices, can confirm s4 is awesome.
Source : Have Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3 , Galaxy S4, Nexus 10, Nexus 7.

I was choosing between the two earlier this year and ended up going with the S3 simply because I could get it for free whereas the S4 was $120 at the time. If you are OK with spending the money, I would go with the S4 just because it is newer and has better specs. However, I have been more than happy with my S3 in terms of performance and battery life. No complaints here! You pretty much won't lose either way IMO.

Oh, and, I went with this case and I love it!

For those suggesting other phones, thank you but the S3 and S4 are the 2 I'm considering.

There is a Galaxy Note 3, but its 200bucks more. I might be able to swing the 75, but the 200 is certainly out of the question.

I have S4 but I haven't used S3. For your uses I think S3 is just fine. S4 is more powerful so could probably play more games with that. The screen is very resistant to scratches, you can see videos of people scratching gorilla glass with keys, knives, screwdriver etc and there's barely a scratch. There will ofc be finger prints but it has never mattered to me. Just wipe with any cloth to get rid of them.

Go with the S4

Yes you can drag and drop files through USB. You can also use WiFi apps to download/upload files to your phone and sd card.

I don't play many games on my phone, but you can play music while using other apps, so I would imagine you'd be able to listen to music in the background as well.

The battery life will vary by user. Some apps consume more battery than others. It just depends on what you're doing on the phone. If you plan on rooting your phone and tweaking it you can further extend its battery life. There are also several apps that can optimize your battery life. I highly recommend the app Juice Defender.

I used my phone for a few days without a screen protector and yes it is a fingerprint magnet and I haven't seen any scratches. I am using an invisible shield screen protector and it still leaves some fingerprints, however it doesn't leave as many prints as using the phone out of the box.

I would suggest getting a case that is shock proof.

s4 for sure.

Got S3 right after the release, last year and never been tempted to switch to S4.
Custom ROM, runs like butter. Love it. I also find S3 big enough for one hand while I'd have to use 2 hands to use S4 like I'm using S3 right now.

just one word -

iPhone

Flip phone with a unlimited pay as you go plan(no contract). Not paying for data and you don't get nailed with fee's ever. You will save 500+ a year vs a contract phone with a major carrier. You could take the money you would save for the first year and buy a really decent tablet and do all the things smart phone users can do but on a screen you can actually see and enjoy. If you want to save money this is the route I would take but those fancy phones suck everyone in.

It really doesn't make much difference. I'm still using an S2 and feel no need to upgrade anytime soon. Though you could have got the S4 free (with 2 year contract) a couple weeks ago from Amazon or Best Buy. If you watch the sales I wouldn't be surprised if it's free again before the holdays are done.

S4 is currently $50 at Amazon and Best Buy.

OK, missed that you are in Canada. Those are US prices.

If I have it connected to my computer either via wireless or USB can I just drag and drop stuff onto it instead of having to have some silly program "sync" everything up? you can just connect your S4 or S3 doesn't matter :)
Can I play music while playing a game? Yes you can! Both of them!
How long does the battery really last with real world use? S4 will last longer if you save battery life.
How scratch and finger print resistant is the screen? It's pretty good for the S4 not sure about the S3.
The S4 has a better battery life and a better screen. The screen is (was) one of the best. The camera is also a + it has a nice camera.
S4 is quicker and the screen is bigger. I would pick the S4.

I have a S4

If I have it connected to my computer either via wireless or USB can I just drag and drop stuff onto it instead of having to have some silly program "sync" everything up?

Yes, there is a program called kies air that should allow you to do that (connect wirelessly). I use Kies since I connect with usb. It's still better than itunes. You go to my computer (or autoplay) and you can choose phone memory or memory card and it opens like any other folder. You can drag n drop, cut/copy/paste etc like a normal folder.

Can I play music while playing a game?

Don't see why not if you turn off the game music. Haven't tried it though.

How long does the battery really last with real world use?

Well, here I have some experience. S3 will last longer than S4, because S4 has a more powerful processor and other features that require battery. That being said, I can use the S4 for 20 hours and only lose around 50% charge on a good day. It varies of course. And I use a battery saving app, not sure how much it saves though. But, I bought the phone in August I think, and I had to take it to service centre for the battery. Sometimes, it would overheat and discharge really quickly. They replaced the main board and battery under warranty. Now, I saw that problem twice more, but both times my antivirus app was stuck scanning the phone so I think the app is to blame this time. The replacement did improve the battery life considerably.

How scratch and finger print resistant is the screen?

No idea about that, but it shouldn't be an issue in normal use. I think it can handle some deep scratches, check scratch test on youtube.

What kind of case should I get for it? So I consider one of those cases with the extra battery in it?

If you are really worried about battery, but I don't see why unless you plan to use the phone 24/7 and travel or can't charge it frequently. My phone came with Samsung S view cover. It's a bit plain, but it works quite well. You can accept/deny calls and stuff without opening the cover. Check youtube. I would say get a cover with S View. Many manufacturers make them.

Looks like I forgot to finish my thought on the e-mail one, I meant to say an app that would sent out and e-mail, or text to another phone or something with the phones GPS location

Yes that feature is built in the S4. There are also many free apps that do that along with locking phone, sounding alarm etc.

Now a word of warning. Samsung is slowly closing off their phones and making it impossible to root/use custom roms without losing warranty. I rooted my phone with stock firmware to backup my phone properly and lost my warranty. So if you plan to mod it, prepare to lose the warranty. This decision of theirs made me decide to get another android for my next phone.

Keep the info coming if you have something to add that hasn't been said or want to +1 someones comment or what ever.

As as I said, heres a little thank you, 2 of them actually for all this info it is going to help me decide if I should spend the extra cash if I can.
http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/J1qIS/nation-red
And another one
http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/YHYeY/natural-selection-2

Honestly, even S2 doesn't feel the least bit outdated so far and while I've occasionally felt like I might switch to a newer model, there hasn't been any need whatsoever. Sure S3 and S4 are better, but while this still mops the floor with any non-Android competitor, why bother until something really special comes along.

Sorry for not really answering any of your questions though. If you don't mind paying the bit extra, you probably won't regret getting the S4, but if you want to keep your budget that much tighter, the S3 should definitely meet all your needs for the foreseeable future.

S3

S3 for the price
Use airdroid app to send from pc to phone and back again via wifi
Team viewer app to access your pc/laptop from anywhere
There are many free apps to find your phone or wipe take pic if lost stolen
Would have some sort of bumper case on phone as screen is easy to crack if dropped
Could go on :-D

S3 or the Galaxy Nexus. IMO nobody gives the Nexus a chance, and that is by far the best phone I've ever owned. Went through Iphones, the S3 a couple times, and several Metro Piecashit phones, and still to this day none were as great as the 30gb Nexus was.