Are mobile hardware specs there yet for 100% satisfying basic content consumption?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I use my phone primarily for media consumption and light tasks:

- emails, texts, chat
- browsing websites
- streaming / playing 1080p video
- switching instantly between these above basic programs

The hardware requirements for these tasks can only ever be so much. IMO my Samsung Nexus isn't there yet - there is still sometimes considerable lag when typing, for example, and waiting to switch to another program.

When I got my first SSD and an i5 CPU was when I felt that hardware had finally caught up and allowed 100% satisfaction for these basic requirements. Everything was just... snappy. And it hasn't really changed much since the earlier days of SSDs and i5 CPUs - the basic activities above are just as snappy as they were then as they are now. I can take my 4 year old SSD and i5 and still be just as happy doing the basic things on it as on my current and updated lappy, which I got because I needed a rig for video processing.

The only way for this old hardware to become unsatisfactory is if you throw in some externality like 3D gaming, video encoding, or having to drive 4K displays. And in the case of a small 5" phone, 1080p is the highest resolution that we will ever need simply because that is already past the limit of our ocular acuity.

My question is has current hardware, like in the SGS4, gotten to this stage yet?

 

[Ravynmagi]

I dunno about the SGS4, I still hear stuttering complaints with Samsung Touchwiz phones (hearsay, I haven't used one myself). But my Nexus 4 (with lesser hardware) has been quite smooth and more than satisfactory performance with web surfing, watching videos, running apps.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I dunno about the SGS4, I still hear stuttering complaints with Samsung Touchwiz phones (hearsay, I haven't used one myself). But my Nexus 4 (with lesser hardware) has been quite smooth and more than satisfactory performance with web surfing, watching videos, running apps.

So it's possible that removing TouchWiz (that would be the first thing I would do anyway) may fix any stuttering?

 

[poofyhairguy]

So it's possible that removing TouchWiz (that would be the first thing I would do anyway) may fix any stuttering?

Yes my AOSP S4 is super smooth. Get a good Google Edition ROM (or just buy one of those S4s) and it flies.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Anybody playing with custom ROMS for long enough will come to the conclusion that Android performance is ~95% dependent on how good the optimization is on the software. Some of the custom ROMs are so good that they make ancient single core A8s + 512MB feel fast by today's standards. Provided optimization isnt an issue I would deduce that a dual A9 + 1GB will more than sufficient for basic use and there is zero reason for hiccups at S4 Pro territory and beyond.

 

[s44]

So it's possible that removing TouchWiz (that would be the first thing I would do anyway) may fix any stuttering?

Not necessary. 4.3 already fixes the remnants on the S4.

Basically Samsung likes to release on beta firmware. Sucks for first day buyers who are particular, but later buyers get a much better experience (most notably with last year's Note 10.1).

 

[lopri]

Yesterday I spent a few hours searching the Internet what can be safely done on the Note 3 for performance and battery improvement. It was for my friend who is upgrading (I have the phone for the weekend) so root was not an option. I read about it and got the basic idea but it still felt too complicated and risky.

Ended up disabling a bunch of apps/processes/services and installing Apex launcher. Final count was 49. Yes, 49 apps disabled.

The end result so far is very satisfying. It is buttery smooth and battery life is excellent, albeit only using Wi-Fi. It is just as smooth as my Nexus 4 and battery life is noticeably better. It is a great mystery why Samsung cannot get its act together wrt Touchwiz when a third party launcher that cost $0 can make such a difference.

Having said that, I am uncertain how far we are at on mobile performance. I know that I am the bottleneck on my desktop computers in 90+% of tasks. But on mobile I think there still are ways to go. Not only our expectation of what is "good enough" changes with experience, but on mobile front we have to deal with the speed of connection and performance/watt much more severely. Streaming 1080p requires both the mobile device and wireless connection to be adequate, for example. (and what kind of 1080p.. )

 

[McWatt]

Stock 4.3 on Sprint SGS4 is unbearably laggy, especially if you try to scroll through any halfway complex website. I came back to Android (SGS4) from an iPhone5, and I don't regret the move, but I haven't found a Touchwiz or AOSP-based rom, let alone stock firmware, that doesn't leave me wondering how such good hardware can be so sluggish. I honestly think that the computing experience on iOS and Android right now is comparable to running Windows 3.1 on a 286 with 2 MB of RAM in terms of both capabilities, GUI quality (though Windows 3.1 had better multitasking than Android or iOS) and speediness.

 

[s44]

Stock 4.3 on Sprint SGS4 is unbearably laggy, especially if you try to scroll through any halfway complex website.

We're talking about the system speed, not Chrome. Even then, comparing an interface designed to scroll quickly with one designed to scroll smoothly and unbearably slowly... doesn't work.

And I don't even want to think about what sort of data lag you're getting on Sprint.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

OP, is wiping out TouchWiz and installing Cyangenmod out of the question? Because a GS4 with CM will run very nicely without the TouchWiz bloat.

From a Nexus 4 perspective, the hardware we have is more than enough to run basic tasks. It's just that not all apps are there in terms of smoothness. Google Voice for example is still a lagfest in scrolling despite its uglyass interface.

BTW, I think OP here complains so much about the Galaxy Nexus when there have been 2 generations of phones since, and maybe it's time to move the hell on. Most of these problems are really related to your phone and not so much Android itself.

 

[Joe1987]

I dunno, content consumption and phones really aren't optimal, now if you're talking tablets...

 

[biostud]

In terms of snappiness while web browsing PC >>>>>>> Lumia 920 > Ipad 4, when it comes to the devices I have. I really don't like web browsing on the ipad, it feels really slow.

 

[MBentz]

My Droid Maxx has a lowly dual core processor and I have no lagginess or slow downs. So to answer your question, yes, it appears we've been there.

 

[gmaster456]

Almost 11 months in and I still don't have complaint about my N4's performance. Still smooth as butter and handles everything. Email, video, apps, web browsing, social networks. It does it all. If battery and the camera was better it would be the perfect phone.