Galaxy tab for Christmas, major problems - Galaxy Tab 10.1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello,
I bought my wife a Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Christmas, and its been a pretty horrible experience thus far.
The device force closes constantly, and reboots every few minutes. We managed to make it all the way to the settings menu one time and clicked on the software update. It failed so we ended up updating through kies.
After the update, no change, force close city, constant reboots.
Is this at all normal?
I'm an experienced Android user and have been searching high and low for a solution, but i have no specific problem, simply nothing works.
I am considering returning it (hopefully the Amazon seller i bought it from won't give me any ****) if i can't get it fixed and getting another.
I just wanted to check here to see if there was some kind if common problem that could be remedied before hassling with a return.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I too, just got a Galaxy Tab 10.1 but I'm not having any of those problems you mentioned. My only grief is that the browser is really problematic but other than that, my experience has been pretty good so far.

Thats not normal its should be working fine out of the box.
Br
Sent from my GT-P7500 using xda premium

Nope not normal...nor good

If I were you I'd return the tab and get a replacement. It's definitely not normal for it to be acting the way it does, everything should work out of the box (if it was just a FC here and there or a bit of lag or sth it would be understandable, but what you're experiencing is definitely not normal).
While it could be a simple software problem that you could fix with a new ROM/kernel/whatever, it could also be something else, so I'd definitely recommend getting a replacement to be on the safe side.

Thanks for the replies!
Yes i am returning it, the Amazon seller tried to charge a restocking fee, which sounded scammy to me (sell defective product, charge $60 to return it, sell again to someone else, wash, rinse, repeat), but Amazon came through in a big big way.
So we will be headed to the store soon to get a brand new one.
I look forward to participating in this forum!
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

And we hope you enjoy your stay
After getting the tab back (and one that works fine this time ) I'd recommend flashing a custom ROM/kernel to really make it fly. But as you said you're an experienced Android user, I'm sure you already know the basics - if you don't and can't find them on the forums, feel free to ask away ^_^

Related

[Q] Can someone explain the steps to getting a free replacement?

I've just become aware of the new replacement program for problem Fascinates. I've been reading the forums but it wasn't completely clear EXACTLY what i need to do in order to be offered a replacement. I bought my Fascinate on eBay like 3 months ago (pre-rooted with a Blackhole ROM i believe) and while i do like it, it does have it's share of issues. i get the phantom button press a lot, GPS is VERY slow to lock at times, i occasionally get random voicemails from calls i didn't know i missed, my screen timeout setting is constantly changing back to 15 secs when i set it to 2 minutes, and MMS rarely works.
so yea, from what i've read so far, it seems like i'm prime for a replacement. but i need to know first off, do i need to flash a stock rom or will it not matter? will i need to take it in and prove it's not working because it only has these issues sometimes and i may not be able to replicate on the spot? also what exactly do i need to say (and who do i call) in order to prompt them to offer me a new device? thanks in advance for the help and i apologize if this is explained somewhere already. i've looked and it just seems to mostly be people talking about their new phones and not how they actually got them.
1. Go to Walmart.
2. Buy knee pads and lip gloss.
3. Go to Verizon.
4. Put on knee pads and a good amount of lip gloss.
5. By now you should know where this is going.
superchunkwii said:
1. Go to Walmart.
2. Buy knee pads and lip gloss.
3. Go to Verizon.
4. Put on knee pads and a good amount of lip gloss.
5. By now you should know where this is going.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seriously, i would like to know how to get this free upgrade.
Just act stupid and say your phone doesnt work right and yes u should change everythin to stock couz root voids your warranty. But sometimes they still replace even if i did it. But change back to be safe
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
You may have a problem because you didn't get the phone directly from vzw & they can find that out. Also, they're getting hammered right now with people trying everything to get this deal whether they need it or not. Seems like they're becoming a little more stringent with their criteria. But I think the real problem for you is where you got the phone.
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA Premium App
B1gC72 said:
seriously, i would like to know how to get this free upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ugh! I hope you get nothing. vzw knows YOU didn't buy the phone from them.
good day.
I wish I could tell you good news, but I've been down this road before. My hub bought a phone off ebay and found out something was wrong with it that same day it came in the mail. He went to Verizon and asked them if they could do anything and they said since he bought it from ebay they can't do anything. They are going to look into your account and know that you didn't get it from them, so I don't think you have any hopes at all getting it replaced.
You could however flash it back to stock and try...if you don't succeed...keep it stock and put it back on ebay. The fassy's are still selling for quite a bit and use that to purchase new phone.
well thanks for all the help. some people seem really offended but the only reason i even asked is because people on other forums said they traded in their eBay Fascinates and got the deal. i don't know if the warranty is transferable or not, but it's still been out less than a year and should be covered. also, there is no way they can tell i bought it on eBay either. the most they should be able to see is when i activated it and maybe track the ESN back to the original owner, still doesn't say i bought it on eBay. i didn't buy it directly from Verizon but the guy i bought it from did. people were even having success with phones bought from Best Buy.
You don't understand.... It's people like you taking advantage that makes it harder than it needs to be for people actually having problems and honestly want to return the phone...
It's people like you also who everyone thinks badly of in there heads and in the IRC xD
And you really don't think they can't tell where you bought it?
Sent from my SCH-I400 using XDA Premium App
chopper the dog said:
Ugh! I hope you get nothing. vzw knows YOU didn't buy the phone from them.
good day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think it only has to be from an authorized retailer? I bought mine from Best Buy and they never even asked me where I got my phone. So maybe they can somehow tell if it was either bought from them OR an authorized dealer OR maybe the reps that I worked with didn't care.
They probably won't be doing swaps anymore because ED05 is official and ready.
times_infinity said:
They probably won't be doing swaps anymore because ED05 is official and ready.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For sure the swap ended yesterday due to the new ED05 update. Right now, they're only offering replacement Fassys. I was however, able to talk them to giving me an early upgrade for the trouble since I REALLY hate this phone. Better than nothing, and they were real cool.
trailblazer101 said:
You don't understand.... It's people like you taking advantage that makes it harder than it needs to be for people actually having problems and honestly want to return the phone...
It's people like you also who everyone thinks badly of in there heads and in the IRC xD
And you really don't think they can't tell where you bought it?
Sent from my SCH-I400 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i understand perfectly. and don't you think your being a little extreme? it's not like my phone doesn't have issues. it WAS bought from Verizon and it has a warranty. so I didn't personally buy it from Verizon but what the hell difference does it make? if it's messing up and under warranty, they should fix it or give me a replacement. did you even read my original post? i said what was wrong with the phone so it's not like i'm making stuff up, i just wanted to know what they were listening for in order to qualify for the upgrade replacement since i have more than one issue. don't make me out to be the bad guy, read on other forums where people are just saying they have issues to get the upgrade when their phones work fine. i even saw one story where a store manager encouraged someone to say they were missing calls to get a Charge for free when the guy said he was saving money to replace his Fascinate. so it really falls on the reps to do their jobs anyway since they are supposed to actually check for issues, so isn't it their fault if they don't? i ended up not even calling anyway, so get off your high horse guy.
and no, i don't think they can tell where i bought it. they can most likely tell where it was originally purchased and see when and where it was activated and deactivated but how can they possibly know more than that? stop spreading propaganda.
call vzw and tell them the problem and theyll tell you if you are eligible for one
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
fordee11 said:
call vzw and tell them the problem and theyll tell you if you are eligible for one
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll probably just wait for a new ROM based on the latest update now if that actually fixes the issues. sure the allure of a new device is intriguing (especially if it's free), but i don't dislike the phone, i just want it to work like it's supposed to.
trailblazer101 said:
You don't understand.... It's people like you taking advantage that makes it harder than it needs to be for people actually having problems and honestly want to return the phone...
It's people like you also who everyone thinks badly of in there heads and in the IRC xD
And you really don't think they can't tell where you bought it?
Sent from my SCH-I400 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the holier than thou forum white knights. I swear you relative moralists leave no forum untouched with your auto-ego stroking.
Listen, everyone who owns a Fascinate and went through the OTA update process had the same issue with missed calls and texts. Furthermore, even custom ROMs (CM7 included) experienced this issue. Until now, there was no work around and not everyone is an XDA daily driver and knows that ED05 has been released. We all went through the exact same run around waiting for Froyo, I know I for one wasn't about to sit back and wait for this release to be pushed back 4-5 times. I took the free upgrade and I don't feel the least bit bad about it. I even posted the script that worked for me on the first try, because at the time ED05 had no firm release date and I feel like everyone pumping out $200 for a phone and $100+ a month deserves a product that won't cause them huge issues like the Fascinate caused for me. I lost thousands in sales because I missed calls and the Google Voice missed notification wouldn't show up for 15-20 minutes.
Bottom line is, don't try to crucify everyone that asks for help with this situation. Odds are they don't know about ED05 being released and they probably don't trust Samsung to get an update out on time because they never have. The only reason this one came so fast is because Verizon/Samsung were losing their asses on replacement costs.
TLDR: Don't be a ****.
B1gC72 said:
i'll probably just wait for a new ROM based on the latest update now if that actually fixes the issues. sure the allure of a new device is intriguing (especially if it's free), but i don't dislike the phone, i just want it to work like it's supposed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 and I also would enjoy the better camera and front facing as well.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Tell them you lost it somewhere where there is a high volume of people coming and going i.e the mall, hospital etc. if you have insurance on your phone you should be able to get a new one
Sent from my I500 using Tapatalk
If you think you can call Verizon and say your phone is defective and expect them to send you something different then it wont happen.
1. You bought the phone off eBay, thus you no longer have a one year manufacture warranty.
2. Without the manufacture warranty they cant send you a replacement phone.
3. Your best option is to see if you have an upgrade or go through your insurance and see what kind of phone they will send you. You never know sometimes they send you UPGRADED phones!
To the people WHO ACTUALLY GOT THERE PHONE THROUGH VERIZON. If you are within a year and your phone is "defective" then you can call them and make it clear that you have done a full factory reset and everything you try doesn't work. They will then send you a replacement, it might be the same phone or you might get lucky and get an upgraded phone.
I work for Verizon and I've had customers come in with a Droid and manufacture sent them a Droid Three.

Anybody have fully functional units after ICS update?

I felt very fortunate last week when HHgreg apparently priced the prime incorrectly for $399.00. I immediately ordered one online and my local store had it in stock. First thing I did when I opened it up was to check for the ICS update and it started downloading it. My battery was at about 27% when the update started downloading and at around 20% when I attempted to install. After the install was complete I had the same issue as many others in that the screen banding was happening and so I called HHgreg to see if I could exchange it. The reason I mention battery % was that I had read somewhere that if the update was completed on a low battery that it could cause the issue that I experienced. They had one more in stock and allowed me to exchange. The next one I received was one with the serial number issue that would not even recognize there was an update available. I am now waiting on my third tablet to arrive but wandering if I should keep it. I hate to take it back seeing I got it for 349.00 after the 50.00 coupon but I dont see to many comments of people who are having no issues and are completely satisfied with the tablet. Please comment if its possible to have a prime that is functioning properly.
I also purchased my TP from HHgregg for 399. but i waited before I upgraded to ICS. I was nearly charged or i might have been fully charged. But the only Issue is my gps. wifi works from 35- 40 feet from the router anlong with my other 3 device's I use in my house. Been playing agry birds for hours not problem at all. Only once did it show that Baning issue when I started using the camera after the 4th picture it started. I shut the app down and restarted the prime. No problems using the camera app again so far. Never had a screen issue either. Ialso tested the wifi with my home router and my htc sensation how spot. both work fine.
todds67 said:
I felt very fortunate last week when HHgreg apparently priced the prime incorrectly for $399.00. I immediately ordered one online and my local store had it in stock. First thing I did when I opened it up was to check for the ICS update and it started downloading it. My battery was at about 27% when the update started downloading and at around 20% when I attempted to install. After the install was complete I had the same issue as many others in that the screen banding was happening and so I called HHgreg to see if I could exchange it. The reason I mention battery % was that I had read somewhere that if the update was completed on a low battery that it could cause the issue that I experienced. They had one more in stock and allowed me to exchange. The next one I received was one with the serial number issue that would not even recognize there was an update available. I am now waiting on my third tablet to arrive but wandering if I should keep it. I hate to take it back seeing I got it for 349.00 after the 50.00 coupon but I dont see to many comments of people who are having no issues and are completely satisfied with the tablet. Please comment if its possible to have a prime that is functioning properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love mine, it works BETTER after ICS and it's your own fault you got impatient and borked your first one. Us with working Primes don't come on here and *****.
We just watch everyone else and try to help when we can. Maybe it's karma that the second one didn't work...cuz you screwed up your first one.
So respect the equipment. Either way if you wait or don't, it's a nice tablet.
willowwave,
your probably right , I was very anxious to update because I've been using an Acer Iconia for a couple of months now and was really looking forward to the update. Has nothing to do with respect for the equipment, whatever that would mean, just didn't know it would cause an issue with the update. Really I'm not trying to *****, I've just read so much negative and not enough positive about the tablet. Thanks for your letting me know that yours is working perfectly. By the way, I do not believe in Karma, I would say its more likely providence.
willowave said:
I love mine, it works BETTER after ICS and it's your own fault you got impatient and borked your first one. Us with working Primes don't come on here and *****.
We just watch everyone else and try to help when we can. Maybe it's karma that the second one didn't work...cuz you screwed up your first one.
So respect the equipment. Either way if you wait or don't, it's a nice tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not his fault that he got two units that wouldn't update correctly. While it's true that it's best practice to do upgrades either plugged into the mains or fully charged, if the tablet didn't actually run out of charge in the middle of the update I don't see how that could affect anything.
todds67 said:
willowwave,
your probably right , I was very anxious to update because I've been using an Acer Iconia for a couple of months now and was really looking forward to the update. Has nothing to do with respect for the equipment, whatever that would mean, just didn't know it would cause an issue with the update. Really I'm not trying to *****, I've just read so much negative and not enough positive about the tablet. Thanks for your letting me know that yours is working perfectly. By the way, I do not believe in Karma, I would say its more likely providence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Todd don't listen to him you did nothing wrong I updated to ICS as soon as I got my new one from HHGrregg with 20% battery life and it works perfectly fine with no lockups something is different in some Primes making this happen we just don't know what that is until Asus owns up to it.
PrimeTimeBro, thats good to hear, I really want to keep the device but unfortunately I've received two bugged devices. Hope that the next one is solid.
I had no problems with my TP during or after ICS install. There are other problems - but they had nothing to do with the firmware update.
No problems here.....other than dropping off my desk and cracking the screen in 2 places.
DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!!!!!
Not your fault.....you just got 2 bad ones. I updated mine at 20% and have had no issues. Just return it and get one that works.....350 is still a lot to pay for a tablet that can't be updated.
I have returned two as well. Both had screen issues. I am still hoping to get a good one. I ordered two just in case this time from best buy. If i get 4 bad tablets I'm not sure what I will do... I really wish another company had the nice matching docks. I suppose i would continue this until either best buy bans me from buying more or the tf700 is released and i start the process over.
Don't worry, you will get one. Just keep returning them if there is problems. Asus will not tighten qc if people keep problem tablets. I am sure they directly correlate the % they accept as defective during manufacture to the number of returns they get.
I've yet to notice any problems with mine caused by the update. The only problem is that GPS still doesn't work lol but I wasn't expecting it to be fixed either.
EDIT: Forgot to mention the GPS works with WiFi, stuffs, but I can't connect to any satellites. Nothing new lol.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium.
Evo_Shift said:
I have returned two as well. Both had screen issues. I am still hoping to get a good one. I ordered two just in case this time from best buy. If i get 4 bad tablets I'm not sure what I will do... I really wish another company had the nice matching docks. I suppose i would continue this until either best buy bans me from buying more or the tf700 is released and i start the process over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rofl this is classic I like your thinking
Fully Functional since day 1 with honeycomb. Still fully functional after ICS. WIFI is fine and GPS is shocking. Apart from a slight back light bleed in top right corner everything is great.
I feel sooo fortunate that i have a working Prime after reading pretty much every thread dedicated too faulty devices.
My name is Optimus Prime and I send this message..
one works great before and after the update. if you wanna read more about good devices, just read the Positive Transformer thread on General section.
Gotta admit, you're pretty nice and all, giving Asus so many chances.
I received a Champagne gold unit from Amazon, charged the battery up, connected to my Wifi and got the ICS update notification.
It loaded with zero problems and I have had no problems with it since then.
I cannot say if my TP has GPS issues because I have no expectation of using GPS on a Wifi only product. (.02)
No probs here just had one reboot using some app cant remember what
Just got to get a good case and protector from uk
I did have a few lock ups and random reboots after ICS, but a factory rest took care of all that. No issues anymore.
i still havent updated my hhgregg to ICS due to some games not running correctly. one of which is dead space. Once i finish that then i will probably update and hope i dont run into any issues.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk

Thinking about sending it back, advice?

Hey!
I think my Prime is faulty. I can't load a large webpage without the browser crashing. I tested it with multiple browsers. When I leave an app and open another, you can vaguely see the previous app. The left side of the screen sometimes glitches, and I have a dead pixel. Wifi isn't great, but that's common, right? I also have random reboots. But here's the problem: I bought it in NYC, and I live in the Netherlands. Is there a way for me to send it back, preferably somewhere not too far away?
Thanks!
Ridder
The issues are normal. Pretty much everyone has them.
Be patient for ASUS (6 - 12 months by the looks of it) or sell the tablet.
benchmarks show that the 300 / 700 and several reports of other teg3 devices also say similar problems, bad IO. Nothing you can do.
leppie said:
The issues are normal. Pretty much everyone has them.
Be patient for ASUS (6 - 12 months by the looks of it) or sell the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say sell it while you can, guys over at ASUS seem awfully quiet about actual progress of fixing this mess, and that's usually bad news.
ridder215215 said:
Hey!
I think my Prime is faulty. I can't load a large webpage without the browser crashing. I tested it with multiple browsers. When I leave an app and open another, you can vaguely see the previous app. The left side of the screen sometimes glitches, and I have a dead pixel. Wifi isn't great, but that's common, right? I also have random reboots. But here's the problem: I bought it in NYC, and I live in the Netherlands. Is there a way for me to send it back, preferably somewhere not too far away?
Thanks!
Ridder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get rid of it while you can !
Nvidia tegra 3 sucks
Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2
I have an Asus prime and while the wifi range isn't quite as good as my laptop, it's still very livable and I don't have the browser crashing or screen glitching you described.
It sounds like there's a problem with yours. Contrary to what's been posted, we don't all have problems like this, the I/O should not be causing issues like that.
How long has it been since you bought your prime? Like a week or two, or several months?
Add me to the list of people who say sell it. Buy a Samsung or even apple. The original iPad is better than this.
sputnik767 said:
Add me to the list of people who say sell it. Buy a Samsung or even apple. The original iPad is better than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah stop wasting your time trying to get this thing working and start enjoying a Tablet.
Get something else, personally I would go for an iPad 2/3 if customization or expansion does not worry you. After comparing various tablets, iPad owns them all in terms of smoothness and performance experience.
If you need an SD card reader or keyboards then are attachments to iPad. It may not be as integrated but hey
I hope you don't think that I am an Apple fanboy or that I am trolling or starting a flame war. I am not, this is my personal comment after having tried a lot of them.
If I was buying a phone I would go Android all they way. But with tablets it's still not mature enough.
Mine is scheduled to go up on eBay tomorrow night. I am done with it. Most disappointing tech device that I have ever owned. I am choosing my Xoom Wifi and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 over the prime
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 using Tapatalk 2
ridder215215 said:
Hey!
I think my Prime is faulty. I can't load a large webpage without the browser crashing. I tested it with multiple browsers. When I leave an app and open another, you can vaguely see the previous app. The left side of the screen sometimes glitches, and I have a dead pixel. Wifi isn't great, but that's common, right? I also have random reboots. But here's the problem: I bought it in NYC, and I live in the Netherlands. Is there a way for me to send it back, preferably somewhere not too far away?
Thanks!
Ridder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The TF101 has an international warranty and can be returned to be replaced in other countries by sending it direct to an asus service centre. I returned mine this way. It is better than nothing but they should repair it. Guessing it is the same for the prime which is eventually what they replaced mine with after the second RMA and lots of letters and correspondence. Generally their customer service is lacking. G ood luck
Unlock, root, and flash wookie 2.1. Changed my life.
ridder215215 said:
Hey!
I think my Prime is faulty. I can't load a large webpage without the browser crashing. I tested it with multiple browsers. When I leave an app and open another, you can vaguely see the previous app. The left side of the screen sometimes glitches, and I have a dead pixel. Wifi isn't great, but that's common, right? I also have random reboots. But here's the problem: I bought it in NYC, and I live in the Netherlands. Is there a way for me to send it back, preferably somewhere not too far away?
Thanks!
Ridder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you contacted Asus support and discussed it with them?
I know that they are unlikely to suggest buying an Ipad (as some on here feel they need to suggest) but you might find that they would arrange to send it to the Europe repair centre for repair as this does not sound like a typical TFP fault.
Return it via RMA and ask for a refund and purchase, I hate to say it a iPAD 3 and all of your issues will go away like mine did and I have no regrets.

Drawbacks should I encounter after buying S3

Hello,
I want to buy a second-hand pebble blue S3 for 220euros. Apparently it is in good conditions, it works perfectly, everything is in order. I wanted Note2 but there is no longer in stock (~350euros 2hand). I want to know couple things about this S3. My brothers have S1 and S2 and no serious problems so far (owned for more than 2 years)
1. Is it a durable device?
2. What problems could I encounter?
3. Is there any way to check the history of the phone? (e.g. how many hours have been spoken)
4. I am not going to root/mod it in any way, which genuine software version seems to be the best?
5. Is there any differences between white and pebble blue version?
6. Compared to Note2, is it a major difference? (apart from the screen size)
7. What about the price? Does it seem right?
I would appreciate if anybody would sincerely answer my questions.
P.S: I do not want HTC/LG alternatives as I do not trust them. (already had experiences with their products and they're rubbish).
AfXv237 said:
Hello,
I want to buy a second-hand pebble blue S3 for 220euros. Apparently it is in good conditions, it works perfectly, everything is in order. I wanted Note2 but there is no longer in stock (~350euros 2hand). I want to know couple things about this S3. My brothers have S1 and S2 and no serious problems so far (owned for more than 2 years)
1. Is it a durable device?
2. What problems could I encounter?
3. Is there any way to check the history of the phone? (e.g. how many hours have been spoken)
4. I am not going to root/mod it in any way, which genuine software version seems to be the best?
5. Is there any differences between white and pebble blue version?
6. Compared to Note2, is it a major difference? (apart from the screen size)
7. What about the price? Does it seem right?
I would appreciate if anybody would sincerely answer my questions.
P.S: I do not want HTC/LG alternatives as I do not trust them. (already had experiences with their products and they're rubbish).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far i know..
1. It's up to you... do not try harmful things (installing wrong roms/mods) and it will be solid as a rock.
1a. If you install the correct mods/roms (which one is ok for your phone) it will fly!
4. the latest Official (4.1.2 At the moment; watch out for EMG4 new EFS Data format) firmware
5. Colour? :cyclops:
AfXv237 said:
Hello,
I want to buy a second-hand pebble blue S3 for 220euros. Apparently it is in good conditions, it works perfectly, everything is in order. I wanted Note2 but there is no longer in stock (~350euros 2hand). I want to know couple things about this S3. My brothers have S1 and S2 and no serious problems so far (owned for more than 2 years)
1. Is it a durable device?
Its a year plus old .
2. What problems could I encounter?
SDS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2344125
3. Is there any way to check the history of the phone? (e.g. how many hours have been spoken)
NO
4. I am not going to root/mod it in any way, which genuine software version seems to be the best?
No such thing in respect of rooting or modding .
5. Is there any differences between white and pebble blue version?
NO
I would appreciate if anybody would sincerely answer my questions.
You are posting in the wrong forum and clearly if you are looking to root or mod will need to read the faqs and guides first ..
You may find more answers by searching for this identical frequently posted question .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the threads here about Sudden Death and Freezing. I had fits with the freezing issue. While mine is working fine now (after a LOT of pain), I would not recommend it due to this.
I'm about to sell the phone, honestly I would recommend you go and get the Note II if you are on a budget, this isn't the best phone ever, it could have been the best phone of 2012 if it had 2GB of ram, 1GB just isn't enough anymore.
I dont see any reason not to get this phone, if you get it that cheap in a good condition. 2gb are not really necessary. The only downside it has is the UI touchwiz which is kind of slow and overloaded, but this is still an issue on the note 2/3 and s4. But to be honest, other custom UIs from htc and so on are not really better.
The sudden death syndrome also shouldnt affect you, as long as the phone was updated to 4.1.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I found a cheaper one, at ~210 euros, white, 16gb. I know that 1GB RAM might not be enough, this is why I wanted Note2 (i like the bigger screen too). Unfortunately, I am worried about the durability of the Note2 because theoretically it does not come with Gorilla Glass. I work in kind of severe conditions, I'm a mechanic (ofc the phone will sit in a comfy hard leather). Also, is more than 100 euros more expensive and I'm a bit tight with money. Regarding the S3, I've read about the update that fixed the sudden death syndrome, but I've also heard that the phone might stop working after 150-200 days (at least some people said so). Should I be afraid of this or not?
Update: the cheapest Note2 I've found is at ~330 euros. The extra 120 euros are not justified. My brother has S2 (same 1GB RAM) and it does just fine, not to mention that even the S1 handles pretty well with 512MB .
In conclusion, I am going to buy a 2nd-hand S3 i9300 (used ~ a year or less). It looks and works normal, as it should. Considering the fact that I am paying over 200 euros for it, I really want to be sure that I am making a good decision. So far, S1 and S2 did an amazing job, so I am expecting the same from the S3. If are there any problems/reasons not to buy it, please enlighten me up. (apart from SDS if it isn't already fixed or it won't get fixed after software update)
I just want to say, like you, I went with the exact same reasoning about the 1gb on the s3. I upgraded from the s1 and also thought Samsung did a good job with the s1 and s2, etc. Well, not so. Thing is, they bloated the phone so bad that 1gb is really REALLY short. All i'm saying is that way of thinking is wrong and I thought you'd want this clarified.
That said, 1gb is not the end of the world (just the end of multitasking lol) and for the price you're paying I do believe it's totally worth it. Phone is still a beast on most cases and you probably won't be disappointed.
About the sds, had one s3 failing 1 weak after buying. Ics was the firmware of the moment and therefore not safe. Was replaced by a new one and never had another issue. If you can use the phone for 1 day before buying you can check for random freezing and rebooting. Those are really clear signs of imminent failure. To be honest, I've not heard of anyone's phone falling on a 150, 200 days timeframe. People do complaint about a bit of lag from time to time and and like to think thats the 'fix' working.
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kaynpayn said:
I just want to say, like you, I went with the exact same reasoning about the 1gb on the s3. I upgraded from the s1 and also thought Samsung did a good job with the s1 and s2, etc. Well, not so. Thing is, they bloated the phone so bad that 1gb is really REALLY short. All i'm saying is that way of thinking is wrong and I thought you'd want this clarified.
That said, 1gb is not the end of the world (just the end of multitasking lol) and for the price you're paying I do believe it's totally worth it. Phone is still a beast on most cases and you probably won't be disappointed.
About the sds, had one s3 failing 1 weak after buying. Ics was the firmware of the moment and therefore not safe. Was replaced by a new one and never had another issue. If you can use the phone for 1 day before buying you can check for random freezing and rebooting. Those are really clear signs of imminent failure. To be honest, I've not heard of anyone's phone falling on a 150, 200 days timeframe. People do complaint about a bit of lag from time to time and and like to think thats the 'fix' working.
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Thank you for the 'gold' info. about 1GB RAM not being enough for S3. Obviously, I/we tend to mix things up and compare an unknown thing with a related known one. But at the end of the day I have no other choice, I just can't see any better option at this value. Moreover, I had couple occasions to play with it a bit and I find it really fast, responsive (while surfing on the internet for instance). Anyway, I am not going to push it to extremes. Mostly surfing the internet, talking, messages, FB, maybe music, couple games (just in case I get too bored when I am waiting or sth ). After all, every phone freezes from time to time, it isn't something specific to S3.
Thank you for the precious info, mate. :good:
Save up for the nexus or wait for refresh nexus
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tonyt3rry said:
Save up for the nexus or wait for refresh nexus
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LG Nexus 4? If so, no thank you, never LG again.
HTC one maybe they are quick with updates
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Those phones dont fit his current budget. Also, htc is definitely not fast at updating their devices. It only seems to look like this, since they recently updated their flagship, but thats it.
@op, you are definitely not doing anything wrong with the s3. Guess why it was and is still very popular
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The only thing that holds me from buying HTCs is the fact that the battery is not removable. I always had a spare battery with me wherever I went (in the car/jacket/blazer). Same rule will apply for the S3.

[Q] Glitched screen

The issue is about screen getting glitched output. I don't think this is a software issue. There is some hardware issue because I tried flashing 5.0, 5.0.2, 5.1.1 still problem persists. Randomly at any time the glitched screen like seen in the pic is popped up in between from any app or just home screen. First i thought some app may be causing this but its not the issue. I deleted all the apps still this problem stays.
If you purchased off Google they'll repair or replace. 1 year you get.
adamberns said:
If you purchased off Google they'll repair or replace. 1 year you get.
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No, I got this from ebay. What else can I do?
Adarsh_nair said:
No, I got this from ebay. What else can I do?
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call HTC.. but other than that, you might be out of luck... since you got off ebay..
NJ_RAMS_FAN said:
call HTC.. but other than that, you might be out of luck... since you got off ebay..
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Hmm thanks
I've been spreading word in xda about the same issues. If you search the Q/A forum, you'd find too many people having this issue. This is due to a faulty GPU when the device heats up excessively. Recurrent issue in a Nvidia chip. If you bought it recently within 30 days on eBay, I'd suggest you return your device and claim your money back. Else I'm afraid you are screwed since neither HTC nor Google offer warranty if purchased through unofficial sources in India.
valentine86 said:
I've been spreading word in xda about the same issues. If you search the Q/A forum, you'd find too many people having this issue. This is due to a faulty GPU when the device heats up excessively. Recurrent issue in a Nvidia chip. If you bought it recently within 30 days on eBay, I'd suggest you return your device and claim your money back. Else I'm afraid you are screwed since neither HTC nor Google offer warranty if purchased through unofficial sources in India.
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Now that what i feared. Let me see if they will take this back. Anyway thanks for the info that was really helpful
Unfortunately your Nexus 9 is toast. This happened to my first one and it got so bad it would happen during boot and I couldn't get any further. HTC was next to unless. Delt with them for 3 weeks trying to get an exchange. They are clueless. They wanted to try flashing stock image over and over. I'm like dude, I'm a Nexus owner. Don't you know your customer base? Anyways, best buy agreed to exchange it for a new one if I bought their premium protection plan, which I did gladly. But it is a hardware failure. There's no fixing it.
I just had my day one nexus replaced for the same issue last week. Had been getting worse for months. I called warranty service, told them about the screen corruption/noise/lockup issue needing a mainboard replacement. sent my tablet back and they overnited me a replacement that appears brand new (mine was mint condition as well). Still has lightbleed and so-so buttons but works great and I've put it through its paces. Only thing I had to tell them was the serial # but I was the original amazon purchaser.
Is it a newer build date than your original?
I had an experience similar to techiedj's. Got my old N9 replaced by Google a few weeks ago. Replacement looked brand new, but is actually an older built with slightly crappier buttons. Curious how long this one will last now...
These are the symptoms that I saw: At some point the screen started to flicker for a few seconds, then froze, and slowly turned black. After a few second I could turn on the display again. The area on the back next to the camera had become hot, but apps that read the sensor values did not really show high temperature (50 degrees or so). A good way to trigger it was to open Chrome and open multiple pages in a short time (opening different links in new tabs). Surprisingly, seemingly GPU intense games were less affected by this than Chrome. Factory reset did not help, even when I skipped the initial login/restore apps step.
Hopefully they aren't all doomed to this fait at some point. I have best buys replacement plan now, so this this can die early Jan 2017 and I'll get whatever the new Nexus is then.
Not really. HT4AJ I think it was, HT4AY on this one.
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techiedj said:
Not really. HT4AJ I think it was, HT4AY on this one.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app
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I went from an AE to an AF. Hard to believe best buy still had old stock, but I guess they didn't sell a lot of these. Buttons are nearly perfect on this one though. Way more tactile and the volume up isn't sunken in.

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