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Hey guys/gals,
I'm literally counting the days til my upgrade, however with phones like the One X and a few others which i can't think of off the top of my head. Rather than asking VS. questions which will be answered by biased views or perhaps answers which don't answer the why i'll ask it like this.
What was the feature that made you buy the phone over the other phones on the market, what is your favourite feature which made the phone a defo puchase?
Thanks to all that answer this for me.
Mainly the processor, big ass screen and clearly the brand Samsung. HTC are good but from past experience I know that what they seem to offer is not always what they actually have to offer. Other phones are just out of the question, like nokia pure view since I would rather buy a camera than buy that phone (though I already have a DSLR so I don't need one). And to be honest I normally pick phones right away and then find everything there is to know about them. I just told myself that now is the time and this is the phone I want to buy.
what is your favourite feature which made the phone a defo puchase?
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- Huge community with lots of ROM's and customizations
- Large AMOLED screen (only had good experiences so far)
- Cool addon features such as Smart Stay
- Perfect USB OTG support
- Large battery
- Samsung-branded. (No issue with their devices so far)
- Powerful 4core SoC
Thanks for the input so far guys, its not a case I'm doubting the s3 but I'll probably get lumbered with a 24month contract and I don't want to miss out on another phone due to blindly buying the s3
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
If I had a Galaxy Nexus as your signature suggests I would have skipped the S3, I don't think the incremental benefits merit a 24 month tie in. Or you could upgrade now and when the next gen handsets are released your S3 and GN should raise enough to buy whatever tickles your fancy.
For me it was the SD card slot and removable battery. Also I was concerned about all of the screen scratch talk with the one X.
On AT&T, the One X looks to be the better performer but couldn't get past the issues above.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
diablous said:
Thanks for the input so far guys, its not a case I'm doubting the s3 but I'll probably get lumbered with a 24month contract and I don't want to miss out on another phone due to blindly buying the s3
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Contract ????? £500 PAYG unbranded CPW .
jje
Because the One X is inexcuseably flawed with the lack of replaceable battery and memory slot and traditionally rubbish battery life, and even though the S3 is also flawed most of it is just software problems that can be bodged up after the fact.
SIII doesn't have any serious competition imho. It is the best phone in the market at the moment hands down. If only my other decisions in life are that easy
diablous said:
Hey guys/gals,
I'm literally counting the days til my upgrade, however with phones like the One X and a few others which i can't think of off the top of my head. Rather than asking VS. questions which will be answered by biased views or perhaps answers which don't answer the why i'll ask it like this.
What was the feature that made you buy the phone over the other phones on the market, what is your favourite feature which made the phone a defo puchase?
Thanks to all that answer this for me.
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Click to collapse
I chose this phone because it is the successor of the previous best android device, the Samsung galaxy s 2. Things could only improve with the galaxy s 3.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Frostfree said:
If I had a Galaxy Nexus as your signature suggests I would have skipped the S3, I don't think the incremental benefits merit a 24 month tie in. Or you could upgrade now and when the next gen handsets are released your S3 and GN should raise enough to buy whatever tickles your fancy.
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I totally agree. Especially the fact that the nexus is about to get jelly bean, it's gonna be a brand new phone. Yes the S3 is the best phone out right now ( in my opinion) but the nexus is also fantastic and I miss that phone sometimes.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
To be honest I believe that there soon won't be a device (including Samsung) that will be let's say 2 or 3 times faster, better, etc. that the SIII. Quad core processors came out now so next year probably they will continue to distribute them. Plus custom roms or the SIII will get better, these guys at xda do a better job than any company out there, they are users that make upgrades for users and know what we exactly need. Software is never an issue it can always be upgraded, modified unlike hardware that is something that is hard to replace in a phone. So when I look for a phone I mainly look at the hardware, for the hidden potential of the phone. And to be honest Samsung SIII is the fastest phone currently on the market and we all know well that it has the most juice in it.
barondebxl said:
I totally agree. Especially the fact that the nexus is about to get jelly bean, it's gonna be a brand new phone. Yes the S3 is the best phone out right now ( in my opinion) but the nexus is also fantastic and I miss that phone sometimes.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
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The Nexus always gets the latest OS first but as soon as the Galaxy S's get upgraded you just get stuck with a phone that's always worse than the equivalent Galaxy S, and I'd never buy a phone just to get an OS a few months early because I'd quickly realise the mistake I made.
barondebxl said:
I totally agree. Especially the fact that the nexus is about to get jelly bean, it's gonna be a brand new phone. Yes the S3 is the best phone out right now ( in my opinion) but the nexus is also fantastic and I miss that phone sometimes.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
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+1. If you have a Nexus already, I agree that it will feel like a new phone with JellyBean on it.
I am still getting the S3 though. I will be new to Android so will have a bit of learning to do, and JellyBean is supposed to be coming to the S3 in Q4, so by then I'll be ready for it and I think it will make the S3 super-super-swishy (from the mere super-swishy it is now).
For me, replaceable batteries & memory cards are a must, so that basically blew many other phones out of the picture. Good camera, USB OTG, MHL-ing to use it as a games console, proper HD screen, good battery - all of these things sold it too me.
No iThings for me. I don't want to get tied into any restrictive iContract with iEULA, not shackled to iTunes, titchy screen, etc etc.
I was happy with my Windows HTC HD2 (before I bricked it). Hoping buying a Samsung flagship model on Android (with the massive user group that's gathering behind it and seemingly fast updates OTA from Sammy) will mean this phone will function well out of the box, and function amazeballs with a few custom tweaks & mods.
Hopefully I will get my UK blue this week :cyclops::victory:
Screen size and speed
Already running Jellybean, but like people have said you can change Software you can't change hardware and one thing i do miss is the S2 camera I had, so the Samera on the S3 is one of my big reasons.
Thanks to everyone who has posted so far.
What competition?
My last phone was an HTC Desire, and since I was displeased with the HTC Sense UI, I just decided that my next phone would be a Samsung. And the S III just happened to be the best phone out there.
hox has too weak battery in my case, so its a no-competition thing actually
next close to perfect phone is still good old i9000
The hype about it - I figured that with all the talk there would be loads of custom roms developed for the phone. I signed up for a two year contract and I wanted a phone that could last two years which this should do well with that processor. Had a Nexus S before and considered buying a Galaxy Nexus, but 16GB internal and no option for external SD just didn't appeal to me.
Hey all just looking for some opinions on whether I should wait for the n4 or just upgrade to the s3 now. I'm on tmobile, so the lack of lte is not a big deal to me. My biggest concerns are with the non removable battery and lack of sd on the n4. Plus the s3 has a ton of development already.
As you can probably tell, I'm pretty conflicted. Just wanted to hear some other opinions.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
ninjasalad said:
Hey all just looking for some opinions on whether I should wait for the n4 or just upgrade to the s3 now. I'm on tmobile, so the lack of lte is not a big deal to me. My biggest concerns are with the non removable battery and lack of sd on the n4. Plus the s3 has a ton of development already.
As you can probably tell, I'm pretty conflicted. Just wanted to hear some other opinions.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
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Nexus 4 is the better phone. It has a better display that the Galaxy S 3, it is cheaper and does not require a contract. It has a faster processor as well as better battery life. It's development will take off faster than you can even imagine, this is because it is a nexus, one of the most heavily developed upon devices.
One other device you might want to consider is the Galaxy Note 2, it runs circles around the Galaxy S 3, it is already out for T-Mobile. It isn't for everyone, but I have the first one and absolutely love mine.
Is space a big thing? If so get a s3. Battery on the s3 is about 28hrs with around 4hrs screen time of moderate use, thats on the stock battery and they have expanded ones that double.
What phobe are you coming from? Do you like touchwiz? Or would you run a AOSP rom on the s3? If i had the choice i would go with the Nexus but a lot of people love the s3 too.
The s3 has a bigger screen which is nice if u watch stuff a lot. The s3 is kind of slippery if you have sweaty/greasy hands (which i do and hate it). They just announced today that the 64gig international is open for pre sales so not that long for the states i would think. That and a 64gig card and you would have a 128gig phone which is awsome! But really its up to you.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
willblake13 said:
Nexus 4 is the better phone. It has a better display that the Galaxy S 3, it is cheaper and does not require a contract. It has a faster processor as well as better battery life. It's development will take off faster than you can even imagine, this is because it is a nexus, one of the most heavily developed upon devices.
One other device you might want to consider is the Galaxy Note 2, it runs circles around the Galaxy S 3, it is already out for T-Mobile. It isn't for everyone, but I have the first one and absolutely love mine.
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You could say that the N4 is better if you want. But that will never translate into fact. Because better is an opinion based on what is better suited to ones needs. I can tell you this, to me personally the N4 is not an adequate device. The s3 on the other hand is by far superior in my opinion. I can almost guarantee that most people will not be able to tell the difference between either screen's. And if they could, it will be minor at best. Reason for it is because the screen's are to small to make a big impact on the difference.
So the N4 has a better processor? Perhaps it is faster. But does any one know how it truly runs in a real world use? No they do not. It is not out yet. Now, when I tell you that the S3 is fast. I mean it. It is fast, and on the stock firmware at that. With JB on here it is even better even wit a JellyWiz ROM. This phone is fantastic in all aspects.
To the OP, what is the most important feature to you. Base your decisions on that.
For me a removable mSD card is invaluable. And a removable battery is also. I am not a cloud person when it comes to certain business practices and or personal info. That is where the removable media comes in for me. Also, take into consideration data charges. All carriers will move to step data pricing. Even TMobile will eventually. Heck I have VZW and unlimited data. And I still want a card slot. The screen and processor upgrade and supposed better battery does not do this for me. And I would expect it wouldn't do it for you either.
Granted the N4 will have development or updates far after the S3. But quite frankly, that does not concern me. Once I got my phone working g exactly the way I want bit with the ROM and Kernel. I am golden. I don't need.
Question is, do you want to control your data. Or do you want to hand over your data freedom to that of corporations and governments? Do you eventually want to pay extra fees if you are in a pick and need to sent and or receive info from the cloud? All because data fees are stupid expensive?
Just so that you know. The S3 mSD slot is positions in such a way that is easily on the fly with a battery in.
@ willblake13. I would love to try out the Note2. Sounds like a very awesome device.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Jaytronics said:
You could say that the N4 is better if you want. But that will never translate into fact. Because better is an opinion based on what is better suited to ones needs. I can tell you this, to me personally the N4 is not an adequate device. The s3 on the other hand is by far superior in my opinion. I can almost guarantee that most people will not be able to tell the difference between either screen's. And if they could, it will be minor at best. Reason for it is because the screen's are to small to make a big impact on the difference.
So the N4 has a better processor? Perhaps it is faster. But does any one know how it truly runs in a real world use? No they do not. It is not out yet. Now, when I tell you that the S3 is fast. I mean it. It is fast, and on the stock firmware at that. With JB on here it is even better even wit a JellyWiz ROM. This phone is fantastic in all aspects.
To the OP, what is the most important feature to you. Base your decisions on that.
For me a removable mSD card is invaluable. And a removable battery is also. I am not a cloud person when it comes to certain business practices and or personal info. That is where the removable media comes in for me. Also, take into consideration data charges. All carriers will move to step data pricing. Even TMobile will eventually. Heck I have VZW and unlimited data. And I still want a card slot. The screen and processor upgrade and supposed better battery does not do this for me. And I would expect it wouldn't do it for you either.
Granted the N4 will have development or updates far after the S3. But quite frankly, that does not concern me. Once I got my phone working g exactly the way I want bit with the ROM and Kernel. I am golden. I don't need.
Question is, do you want to control your data. Or do you want to hand over your data freedom to that of corporations and governments? Do you eventually want to pay extra fees if you are in a pick and need to sent and or receive info from the cloud? All because data fees are stupid expensive?
Just so that you know. The S3 mSD slot is positions in such a way that is easily on the fly with a battery in.
@ willblake13. I would love to try out the Note2. Sounds like a very awesome device.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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Hit the nail on the head, One thing I would have to argue with is that the nexus 4 will be late to get updates. Nexus devices are usually the first to get new operating systems. Just look at the Xoom. Once the development takes off, this device will be light years ahead of all of the other's in terms of updates. It launches already packed with 4.2! Google looks out for their nexus device users.
As for the SOC of the Nexus 4 I. I have to agree that we will not know for sure until we get our hands on it. But look at the Nexus history, seems like they are the phones that are pushing the companys that make the hardware that android runs on to do better. This is just my opinion.
I'm currently using an HTC Sensation running cm10. I hate touchwiz, wish the manufacturers would stop adding their own skins. I could understand it in earlier versions of android, but with the introduction of ics I see no need. They just slow down updates. However, I plan on flashing an aosp rom if I get an s3, so that's not a big deal.
My contract is a 2gb cap, so this push to cloud storage and streaming isn't really for me. I like removable batteries, as I am a bit of a flashaholic. I'm not sure of the impact on battery life the quad core will have, and dual core seems more than sufficient (perhaps not in 2 years?) Oh, camera is a big deal too, doesn't the s3 have a superior ffc? I'm not a huge fan of the plastic chassis of the s3, but it's not a big concern to me.
I guess I'm just wondering on how much development there will be for the n4. Alas, it's all speculation, from performance to battery life
Are any s3 users planning on upgrading?
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
ninjasalad said:
I'm currently using an HTC Sensation running cm10. I hate touchwiz, wish the manufacturers would stop adding their own skins. I could understand it in earlier versions of android, but with the introduction of ics I see no need. They just slow down updates. However, I plan on flashing an aosp rom if I get an s3, so that's not a big deal.
My contract is a 2gb cap, so this push to cloud storage and streaming isn't really for me. I like removable batteries, as I am a bit of a flashaholic. I'm not sure of the impact on battery life the quad core will have, and dual core seems more than sufficient (perhaps not in 2 years?) Oh, camera is a big deal too, doesn't the s3 have a superior ffc? I'm not a huge fan of the plastic chassis of the s3, but it's not a big concern to me.
I guess I'm just wondering on how much development there will be for the n4. Alas, it's all speculation, from performance to battery life
Are any s3 users planning on upgrading?
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
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If you are just wondering about development, head on over to the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus forums. That should give you an idea
The whole cloud thing was a wasted argument until we know how much media OP will be using. For most people, 16GB is enough, and even 8GB will be enough for some. MicroSD is a whole different problem, since the ability to take out your storage and use a card reader, or if your phone breaks then you have no way of retrieving your data are pretty important to me. That's just something to remember, it won't matter if you be careful.
This brings us the the whole nonremovable battery problem. What this would cause is the inability to swap out a new battery or use an extended battery. There is a virtual battery pull option which is hardware triggered, so battery pull problem solved. The fact that the battery is nonremovable boosted the battery size though, since a removable battery causes changes to the inside of the phone to make it easier to take out actually lowers battery capacity.
Extra cores helps with battery life, especially when they are all not being used. And people do know how it runs in real life usage. LG Optimus G, ever heard of it? The S4 Pro rivals the Apple A6, and the regular S4 does not match up. Without the LG skin to slow it down, the Nexus 4 should be even faster.
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
Hey guys, my contract expires in a month and I am looking at a couple of new phones to buy. I currently own a Droid Incredible, and I absolutely love it. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it has poor battery life, and it's kind of slow. Things that I do like about it are that I have a plethora of roms to choose from and it has great development support. Some phones that I am looking to buy are the Droid Razr Maxx HD, Samsung Galaxy S3, and the Google Nexus. Can you tell me about the pros and cons of the S3? How is the developer support for this phone? I appreciate any help!
Developer support isn't the worst but it isn't the best, the Exynos 4412 is Faster than it needs to be, don't go for a Snapdragon S4 Quad just because its faster... the differences are minimal.
If I was you I would get the Nexus 4 over the Galaxy Nexus if you were to get a Nexus device.
Cons:
Not much.
ra9b said:
Hey guys, my contract expires in a month and I am looking at a couple of new phones to buy. I currently own a Droid Incredible, and I absolutely love it. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it has poor battery life, and it's kind of slow. Things that I do like about it are that I have a plethora of roms to choose from and it has great development support. Some phones that I am looking to buy are the Droid Razr Maxx HD, Samsung Galaxy S3, and the Google Nexus. Can you tell me about the pros and cons of the S3? How is the developer support for this phone? I appreciate any help!
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CUSTOM ROMS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1566
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1685
je
everything is great with this phone, developer community, xda support community is good, frequency of software updates from samsung is also good compared to other OEMs at the moment...overall phone experience is excellent and you will not be disappointed...however, sgs3 suffers from two issues...
1) stock Contacts & Phone App lags, takes 3-4 seconds to open for the first time and will not stay in memory for a long time for fast opening..this sucks...work around is avaliable like Exdialer app from play store or Jkay mod for SGS3 to keep contacts and dialer app in memory always.
2) heavy apps installed from market cannot be moved into external memory (memory stick)...work around available though I guess..!
If you are comfortable flashing a custom rom, kernel or mods, then it's a wonderful phone.
Stock experience is good but has some shortcomings like mentioned before.
Overall, I think it's the most balanced device right now. Removable battery and micro sd slot surely give it an edge and it's not as large as a Note.
Xperia Z would be also a great choice if you decide to wait. Seems that it would be a better choice IF you can wait a month or two.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
@TheCraig: what do you mean it isn't the best? Like, the dev support for the droid incredible is great. The phone is 3 years old but we still have about 5 jelly bean roms, and 2 4.2 unofficial nightly roms which is great!
@gchindi: well, i am not too worried about the contacts and phone apks taking a while to load. and how big apk files are we talking about?
@drakester09: yeah, i am addicted to flashing. I have a gtab 2 so i'm familiar with the rooting process for samsung devices as well. i don't like the stock interface too much. i can't stand touchwiz for some reason lol.
thanks for your help guys. can one of you upload a screenshot of your battery usage graphs too? just for comparison with my battery life. i'd greatly appreciate that.
ra9b said:
@TheCraig: what do you mean it isn't the best? Like, the dev support for the droid incredible is great. The phone is 3 years old but we still have about 5 jelly bean roms, and 2 4.2 unofficial nightly roms which is great!
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he was talking about the SGS3, I thought you were too
Glebun said:
he was talking about the SGS3, I thought you were too
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haha let me clarify. i was telling him what the dev support is like on the dinc so that he could compare it to the dev support on the gs3.
oh, I got you.
ra9b said:
@TheCraig: what do you mean it isn't the best? Like, the dev support for the droid incredible is great. The phone is 3 years old but we still have about 5 jelly bean roms, and 2 4.2 unofficial nightly roms which is great!
@gchindi: well, i am not too worried about the contacts and phone apks taking a while to load. and how big apk files are we talking about?
@drakester09: yeah, i am addicted to flashing. I have a gtab 2 so i'm familiar with the rooting process for samsung devices as well. i don't like the stock interface too much. i can't stand touchwiz for some reason lol.
thanks for your help guys. can one of you upload a screenshot of your battery usage graphs too? just for comparison with my battery life. i'd greatly appreciate that.
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I meant to say the dev support for the Galaxy S3, which isn't massively impressive compared to the Nexus, but that's expected as AOSP is made for Nexus.
TheCraig said:
I meant to say the dev support for the Galaxy S3, which isn't massively impressive compared to the Nexus, but that's expected as AOSP is made for Nexus.
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Ohh OK. I was going threw the development forum and it looks pretty good.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
It's has great hardware but horrible software specially Ram Management.
For example, you wanna enjoy some tracks while browsing web ?
Forget it, the songs start to shutter .
eggman89 said:
It's has great hardware but horrible software specially Ram Management.
For example, you wanna enjoy some tracks while browsing web ?
Forget it, the songs start to shutter .
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Easily fixed with a new kernel or ROM.
Worst thing about Samsung bloatware, but that isn't as bad with the I9305 and its 2G ram.
I'd wait for the SGS4!
LG, Lucky Goldstar anything but...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Yeah, I'd hold off for a few months if you can - get a discount off your monthly bill from your service provider, save that money, then pull the trigger on a brand new S4 when that comes out. S3 is a great phone, and there's nothing else I'd rather have at the moment (except maybe the i9305 with more RAM, although a much weaker dev scene). But with the S4 release within spitting distance now, you'd be mad not to wait. Unless cost is an issue, in which case I'd still say wait, cos the S3 will drop in price quite a bit when the S4 is released. Might as well get yourself synced up with the Galaxy S release cycle now, cos once you have one you're unlikely to want to go elsewhere. I did buy myself a Nexus 4 when that came out, but the only benefits that had was the software (if you're into vanilla Android) and two gigs of RAM. EVERYTHING else was inferior to my S3, so I ended up sending the N4 back.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
setspeed said:
Yeah, I'd hold off for a few months if you can - get a discount off your monthly bill from your service provider, save that money, then pull the trigger on a brand new S4 when that comes out. S3 is a great phone, and there's nothing else I'd rather have at the moment (except maybe the i9305 with more RAM, although a much weaker dev scene). But with the S4 release within spitting distance now, you'd be mad not to wait. Unless cost is an issue, in which case I'd still say wait, cos the S3 will drop in price quite a bit when the S4 is released. Might as well get yourself synced up with the Galaxy S release cycle now, cos once you have one you're unlikely to want to go elsewhere. I did buy myself a Nexus 4 when that came out, but the only benefits that had was the software (if you're into vanilla Android) and two gigs of RAM. EVERYTHING else was inferior to my S3, so I ended up sending the N4 back.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
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i was thinking about waiting for the s4 but i don't know when exactly it will come out. regardless, i probably won't buy it since i personally think that it might be too over powered and the battery life will take a hit, but hey, you never know. you're right about the S3's cost dropping though. i was looking at the nexus 4, but the no microSD card
(at least that's what i've read) was a complete turn off for me.
40 million S3 units sold, having come from HTC I can see why just on the quality of components Samsung uses in it's phones. I had a choice between the new nexus and the S3, the removable battery and sd card sold it for me but I'm very impressed by how well the software works. All my phones up to now had AOSP, this is the first that has ( albeit a stripped down version) a stock ROM onboard after three months use.
boomboomer said:
40 million S3 units sold, having come from HTC I can see why just on the quality of components Samsung uses in it's phones. I had a choice between the new nexus and the S3, the removable battery and sd card sold it for me but I'm very impressed by how well the software works. All my phones up to now had AOSP, this is the first that has ( albeit a stripped down version) a stock ROM onboard after three months use.
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Yeah the s3 is pretty great. I've played around with it and I really like it. Is the battery life good with touchwiz or is it better with cm10.1?
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
Its all about choice. I have a nexus 7 which is a bigger version of the Google nexus in theory. Do you mean Google nexus or the nexus 4? I have to say that I love the jelly bean on the nexus and especially the user interface which I think is very simple to use on my nexus7. The RAZR maxx has the best battery life out of any phone I have seen on the market. My friend has one and funnily enough I have a s3. The s3 is brilliant you can really feel and see the quality Samsung put into making their phones. I came from HTC myself after having alot of issues with the one x . I would recommend either the nexus 4, simply because of the software and easy access and the s3 because of the removable battery and SD card which is what made me go for the s3 rather than the nexus
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
ra9b said:
i was thinking about waiting for the s4 but i don't know when exactly it will come out. regardless, i probably won't buy it since i personally think that it might be too over powered and the battery life will take a hit, but hey, you never know. you're right about the S3's cost dropping though. i was looking at the nexus 4, but the no microSD card
(at least that's what i've read) was a complete turn off for me.
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I highly doubt this will be the case - the battery life will be no worse than the S3 (most likely better). Chances are it will have a bigger battery as well as a better CPU (which will have better power management). The possibly larger screen and 1080P will obviously have a negative effect. This is obviously basing off rumour specs (and no one will really know until the phone is released), though point is, just because the phone is more powerful doesn't mean the battery life will be worse. The S3 is more powerful than the S2, though has better battery life (for me anyways).
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
samkent6 said:
Its all about choice. I have a nexus 7 which is a bigger version of the Google nexus in theory. Do you mean Google nexus or the nexus 4? I have to say that I love the jelly bean on the nexus and especially the user interface which I think is very simple to use on my nexus7. The RAZR maxx has the best battery life out of any phone I have seen on the market. My friend has one and funnily enough I have a s3. The s3 is brilliant you can really feel and see the quality Samsung put into making their phones. I came from HTC myself after having alot of issues with the one x . I would recommend either the nexus 4, simply because of the software and easy access and the s3 because of the removable battery and SD card which is what made me go for the s3 rather than the nexus
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Yeah, the Nexus 4. What was wrong with your One X? But yeah, I think I'm going to go with the S3. It has a lot of roms (so that beats out the raxr) and it has a micro SD(beating put the Nexus). Having a rooted droid incredible has kind of made those two things a necessity for me.
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Hi.
I am considering on getting a new phone and one of the hottest options for me is the Galaxy S3.
I currently have an Iphone 4s (Yeah, I regret buying that piece of crap every second of my life) but I've had Android phones earlier too, most noticeably the Samsung Galaxy S2.
Originally I want the Nexus 4, but I can't find any with a good price in my country (they all cost like €400 or so) and buying form the Internet isn't an option because no one delivers online stuff here in this terrible country.
So, I found some SGS3 that cost around €300 and I think the price is OK. I can afford that, but I'd like to ask some questions to the users on XDA before purchasing it.
Since I've used Android before, I know almost everything about it (the stuff like rooting, custom Rom's, and custom recoveries. ODIN and so on) I\d like to know if the S3 is still a good phone. I mean does it still perform well. Im worried about this a bit because my GS2 was a good phone but it was laggy and tended to heat a lot when using it a lot or during high-graphic games.
Is the 1.4 GhZ quad core chip still a good processor that can handle perfectly most of the daily routine stuff.
BTW, I intend on putting stock Android of some form, like CM10.1 or AOKP or PA, on it because I hate TouchWiz.
Would you guys still suggest the Samsung Galaxy S3 even after more than a year since it's release?
if u want cm10 or any aosp Rom dont think of GS3 because of closed drivers the camera is still crap on cm10.1 because of that reason
so ur only option would be living with a themed touchwiz and removed blotware otherwise find your self another phone
dont go for s3
buy any htc or a sony device that u can afford.
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How about nexus 4 ?
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S3 always gave me good performance. i would recommend the same. you have many custom roms other than touchwiz that work perfectly as the stock f/w's. i feel so sad about the people using this phone supporting other brands.
Yeah as mentioned, if you want AOSP, go for something qualcomm based.
Camera IMHO is pretty good if you use the aosp camera mod from xda. Just poor in low light but sammy camera isn't much better in low light anyway
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Get it
It's a good phone in general, but on stock the RAM and CPU shows it's age. It's not exceptional in the graphics department, same GPU as S2
And the battery is kind of short compared to, say, the note II.
Ok, I see your point. It was probably the same thing about the drivers with the Galaxy S2. Always had problems in custom ROM's with the camera and the sound in some ways.
Like I feared, the S3 might be a bit better than the S2 in performance because of the better processor but since it has the same GPU and same amount of RAM, it shouldn't much different overall.
As I said, I want the Nexus 4 but it's hard to find it here in my country for an acceptable price (even then it's still not easy finding one).
Since some of you suggested HTC or Sony, what do you guys think about the One X? I can also find the HTC One X for around €300 which is OK imo.
But one of my friend has it, and he has problems with the Wifi a lot. The reception is very low, and sometimes his phone just won't start, or at times it wont play any kind of media, like music and videos and so on. That's why Im worried about the HTC One X. As for the Sony alternative, they do not have any good phones besides the new Xperia Z and upwards IMO.
I guess I will wait and see if I can find a Nexus4 for a month or so, but I really, REALLY want to move away as far as possible from the Iphone and get back ASAP to Android. At the end of the day, I think I will still be better with a Custom Rom based on Touchwiz than iOS.
May god help me.
i9300 is so much more comfortable to hold than the i9100, a huge improvement there. Right now I would buy the HTC One, but it's expensive
Oh well, I just bought a new sgs3 from my carrier subsidized and it's the best phone I could've bought for the money.
I'm coming from an abused HTC Desire so the upgrade is huge.
Still on stock rom so I'm experiencing some lag when pushing the phone a bit. Will probably root/custom rom in the near future.
Was aiming for the HTC One X + but couldn't find it anymore for sale.
Had my s3 for a year now and i love it. Its big screen is much better for me than iPhone 4s which my partner uses.
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Yes, it's still a good deal to buy it and it's still has support from Samsung, so it's means that it's will get latest updates.:good:
I had HTC Desire for nearly 3 years, and it is a great phone, but I think it is time to upgrade, because:
- it is annoyingly slow with my regular set of programs installed, even on fastest available roms
- it doesn't have kernel 3.0, and because of that JB roms have shortcomings
- a little bit too small screen for GPS navigation
- really crappy camera
- somewhat short battery life
Some time ago I had a chance to look at Galaxy S2 in person and it looked like a perfect phone (at least for 2 minutes I had it in my hands).
Somewhat bigger screen, more internal storage, kernel 3.0.
I use custom roms, so big development community is important for me. I have been spoiled by Desire as it (still) has a large one.
Galaxy S2 would cost me around 170-200 euro to get it.
Then there is S3, which looks like a better phone alltogether, even if more expensive (~350 euro).
But the doubts about that one after reading user opinions are:
- quite dark screen, worse than One X
- bad build quality
- flimsy home button
- external speaker on pair with Desire
I would welcome SGS3 owners views on the above.
My general requirements (compared to HTC Desire):
- larger screen (not necessarily much larger)
- solid build quality
- large development community
- noticeably faster CPU than Desire (Dual+ core would come in handy)
- microUSB
- good/very good camera
- good battery life
- have a good and loud external speakers for listening to podcasts
- would be nice if it had FM transmitter (not receiver) but it is not necessary
- it must by BLACK or therebout
the s3 fits each one of those requirements.....
Hi there. I was an owner of HTC Desire for 2 years. I loved that device and still have it in my drawer. I recently bought a Galaxy S3 to upadgrade my old DS. The transfer from Desire to Desire S was something logical to me back then. Almost the same device but newer software. I was searching for a new phone and I thought that one X was the only road for me. I had a chance to compare one X with SGS3 side by side. The screen on one X has more natural colors for me and I think the sound quality is better. Honesty I picked the SGS 3 cause of the community that has here in xda the removal battery the sd card slot and I think the camera quality is better. Im still new here and haven't managed to explore the hole forum but I found a lot of things and I'm amazed by the community
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There are better options market than s3 at this point of time
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kangerX said:
There are better options market than s3 at this point of time
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Thanks for this informative post. Could you share those better options?
I am not going to pay more than 350 euro for it, so unless those better options are the same price or cheaper than SGS3, mentioning them is pointless.
impactor said:
Thanks for this informative post. Could you share those better options?
I am not going to pay more than 350 euro for it, so unless those better options are the same price or cheaper than SGS3, mentioning them is pointless.
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Get the S4 i9505. Better dev support due to no exynos. Get 2nd hand
Got to be honest, if i was in your shoes, i wouldn't. Not for 350€. Would be a different thing if you had an awesome deal at hand, but if you're just getting them from a regular store, for the full price, no.
I've seen you don't require neither external sd nor an removable battery so i'd easily go with a nexus 4 if i could. Around same price point, best bang for the buck specs wise. Also, you get updates directly from google instead of waiting forever for samsung
If you're not into the nexus 4 (which isn't easy to come by for every country) you may want to take a look at the oppo find 5. Seems a fantastic phone, has even better specs than the nexus and therefore a bit more expensive. Easy to get in europe and they even throw in a few extras like NFC tags and a (flip?) cover for your phone. Also the developer openly encourages custom roms so there shouldn't be a problem having updates.
Moar ram (this is REALLY important on the S3 since 1Gb is not nearly enough for a samsung rom), no-bul**** touchwiz with a lightfast pure aosp rom (with the nexus) or anything close with the oppo and no exynos with closed sources, making custom roms not being able to be all they can. You won't get some somewhat useless bells and whistles (smart stay, camera effects, multiwindow, etc) but that can almost all be reinstated with 3rd party apps if needed. Samsung has a bad history of kind of neglecting their phones who're not flagships anymore - by this i mean they say they will update but only when convenient to them and that means waiting forever with no ETA at all. Not to mention you may get a unit with the screwed up chip which is apparently not in danger of suddently dying anymore but it's fix has been reported causing severe lag. It's not a bad phone at all, it's just there are better alternatives out there.
The S2 though is still a fantastic phone and it's probably the cheaper you'll get. It's just it's old and most likely not supported (or about to be, not sure) by samsung by now.
kaynpayn said:
i'd easily go with a nexus 4 if i could. Around same price point, best bang for the buck specs wise.
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This is a really good point.
I think the price points are still a little high
You should expect after September 5 or so, and then check prices for:
- i9300 unlocked new and second-hand; IMHO the best thing about it is the form factor + huge availability of ROMs; major downside = only 1 GB RAM
- i9305 unlocked new and second-hand; it fixes the problem with just 1 GB and also has LTE, but much less development and fewer ROMs to choose
- N7100 (note 2) unlocked new and second-hand; IMHO a good choice that fixes most problems with i9300 and i9305, BUT creates a new one - size; that one is a deal killer for me
- also look at the prices for note 3 (will be launchd around September 4-5) and i9505 (might drop a little, eventually the i9506 might become available).
Thanks guys.
- I never used stock rom on any android phone I had. I root and install custom rom instantly, so I am no bothered by Sense or Touchwiz or whatever bloat there is in stock.
- Nexus 4 has one major flaw - only 16gb, and not expandable. In my Deisre, I have a 16gb card and btween GPS maps, podcasts and backups, I am almost constantly out of space. Plus, it has lesser camera, and screen.
- SGS3 would be in silicon cover anyway, so I don't care much about the build quality EXCEPT for the front panel/home button.
impactor said:
Thanks guys.
- I never used stock rom on any android phone I had. I root and install custom rom instantly, so I am no bothered by Sense or Touchwiz or whatever bloat there is in stock.
- Nexus 4 has one major flaw - only 16gb, and not expandable. In my Deisre, I have a 16gb card and btween GPS maps, podcasts and backups, I am almost constantly out of space. Plus, it has lesser camera, and screen.
- SGS3 would be in silicon cover anyway, so I don't care much about the build quality EXCEPT for the front panel/home button.
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SGS3's problem is that AOSP devs cannot make ROMs as quickly (or make the "fully functional" as quickly) due to having an Exynos CPU. I personally would look for an S4 i9505 2nd hand if I wanted a good phone with AOSP support. It has no Exynos.
S4 is way to expensive for me.
How about HTC One X?
impactor said:
Thanks for this informative post. Could you share those better options?
I am not going to pay more than 350 euro for it, so unless those better options are the same price or cheaper than SGS3, mentioning them is pointless.
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What would be pointless is buying a exynos device paying 350 euro.. N4 / oppo find 5 great devices / or second hand i9505 / one x
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impactor said:
S4 is way to expensive for me.
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In the UK I found a 2nd hand i9505 for £330, 384 Euros on buy it now (ebay).
Wait a month or two, it will be lower. Worth considering. Or look for an auction instead. I'm confident it can be done.
Oh you didn't mention the need for more than 16gb. That actually weights in a lot. The oppo finder 5 should be a good candidate then, I believe it's the best price you can get for a phone with those specs that already brings 32gb (if bought new)
If you understand and don't mind the exynos, the 16gb+sdcard lte s3 is also an option (2gb ram), not sure about prices though.
Also, for what's worth, I've compared the camera of my s3 with the n4. Didn't think it was all that different apart from effects I don't really use. Phones are cool for the casual shot (and actually take very decent ones) but if it's serious quality I'm after, nothing beats a good, dedicated camera.
Edit: oops didn't realise you couldn't spend more than 350. I still wouldn't get the s3 and would wait out for the prices to get lower. Still, if you must change your phone now, for that price point, with your requirements is probably the best bet.
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---------- Post added at 02:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:24 PM ----------
rootSU said:
In the UK I found a 2nd hand i9505 for £330, 384 Euros on buy it now (ebay).
Wait a month or two, it will be lower. Worth considering. Or look for an auction instead. I'm confident it can be done.
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Main issue I find with ebay uk sellers, they won't send to any other country, even if its their neighbor Portugal few miles below
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kaynpayn said:
Main issue I find with ebay uk sellers, they won't send to any other country, even if its their neighbor Portugal few miles below
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I wasnt suggesting buying from Ebay UK. It's just an example.
rootSU said:
SGS3's problem is that AOSP devs cannot make ROMs as quickly (or make the "fully functional" as quickly) due to having an Exynos CPU. I personally would look for an S4 i9505 2nd hand if I wanted a good phone with AOSP support. It has no Exynos.
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I am not sure what is the problem with S3 cpu. S3 seems to have great support community, a lot of roms, etc. I do not really care if I have the newest subversion of Android available on my phone 5 days after the newest Android was released.
I just want it to work, and I couldn't care less if I have to wait a month, or 3 months for Android 4.3, if I have fully workin 4.2.2, with great battery life, photograps, excellent GPS, screen, and pretty great for a mobile audio quality (headphones, and speakerphone).
Considering that, would you still disadvice me an S3? I looked at prices of S4 and even 380 euro is a bit of a stretch, considering I wanted to spend 200 euro initially, and 300 for S3 is already a significant budget enlargement.
And what about HTC One X? Would that be better than S3?
Exynos documentation lacking. No sources. Poor camera. All devs complain including cyanogen. Read their threads, posts and blogs. Research. Or buy blindly. You choose
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rootSU said:
Exynos documentation lacking. No sources. Poor camera. All devs complain including cyanogen. Read their threads, posts and blogs. Research. Or buy blindly. You choose
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Here are results of my research:
1. Stable CM10.2 available on S3
2. S3 camera is one of the best among mobile phones
3. Considerable amount of roms available for S3.
I just don't see the point you are making. I do not want to get S3 blindly, but neither do I want to blindly reject it.
impactor said:
Here are results of my research:
1. Stable CM10.2 available on S3
2. S3 camera is one of the best among mobile phones
3. Considerable amount of roms available for S3.
I just don't see the point you are making. I do not want to get S3 blindly, but neither do I want to blindly reject it.
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1. Cyanogen refused to release 10.1 as "stable" release. Remains nightly build forever due to lack of exynos sources and documentation. Same with 10.2
2. Touchwiz rom camera great. Since samsung didn't release camera HAL, aosp camera not very good.
3. Loads of aosp roms. None meet their own potential due to the issues mentioned above.
4. Battery life poor on aosp roms.
S3 is great of you're happy with touchwiz. Bloated and slow but good pics and great battery life. But if you know you'll be using aosp roms, its a poor choice - and im sure any aosp dev would agree with that. Yes there's lots of choice. I even use aosp all the time but it cannot exploit the devices potential.
Also a lot of devs are starting to move on now. Kernel development for aosp is down to about 3 or 4 good ones.
Im trying to be Frank and save you buying a dying devices thinking it will be as good as you think it is. I wish I had known about the exynos issue before buying. Would I have held out and bought something else? Probably not. It was the only device that met my requirement 14 months ago. That said, would I recommend it now? No.
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