No handset is perfect: survey

A new study highlights the biggest frustrations that owners have with the iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy SIV, Motorola Moto X and HTC One. The results are based on Fixya users' experiences with their handsets and issues range from battery life to overheating to screen problems and a lack of expandable storage.

A new study highlights the biggest frustrations that owners have with the iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy SIV, Motorola Moto X and HTC One.

The results are based on Fixya users' experiences with their handsets and issues range from battery life to overheating to screen problems and a lack of expandable storage. To arrive at its conclusions, the community-based trouble-shooting company aggregated information from its 30 million users including their troubleshooting requests posted either via its product Q&A site or its iOS mobile app. As a result, the report makes a great buying guide for anyone considering a flagship phone purchase before the end of 2013.

For the Samsung Galaxy SIV the biggest problems are overheating (25% of troubleshooting requests) and battery life (20%). However, that's not surprising considering how powerful the phone's processor is and the fact that unlike a number of premium handsets currently available, the SIV's casing is predominantly plastic and therefore more prone to conducting, rather than insulating, heat.

Motorola Moto X users' biggest gripe is storage (30%). The device is only available with 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage and there's no MicroSD slot for further expansion, meaning users either have to delete content or use cloud storage. Other gripes include display quality. At 720p rather than full HD, owners have also complained about text pixilation and color saturation.

The iPhone 5S suffers from poor battery life (25%), especially when running apps and using mapping and location services together. Users are also concerned about the device's fingerprint sensing technology, with 25% of requests pertaining to security issues surrounding biometric technology. Interestingly, some owners are less than impressed with the phone's display size, especially when compared to the 4.5-inch and 5-inch screens that are quickly becoming the norm on flagship Android handsets.

HTC One users are disappointed mostly with the handset's battery life (30%) and by the fact that it can take upwards of five hours to recharge completely. The phone's photo-taking abilities are also disappointing. Images taken during the day are over-saturated yet it appears to perform very well at night and in low light conditions.

The problems in full:

Top 5 Samsung Galaxy SIV Issues:
1. Overheating - 25%
2. Battery Problems - 20%
3. Screen Issues - 20%
4. Phone & Text Issues - 15%
5. Other - 20%

Top 5 Moto X Issues:
1. Storage Space - 30%
2. Screen Quality - 20%
3. Camera Quality - 20%
4. GPS Problems - 15%
5. Other -15%

Top 5 iPhone 5S Issues:
1. Battery Problems - 25%
2. Fingerprint Password - 25%
3. Display Size - 15%
4. Apps Crashing - 15%
5. Other - 20%

Top 5 HTC One Issues:
1. Battery Life - 30%
2. Audio Issues - 20%
3. Camera Quality - 20%
4. Blinkfeed Feature - 10%
5. Other - 20%