[Q] Huge mistake? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-I777

So I just got my SGS2 a couple days ago after narrowing down my decision to whether i should wait out on the dual-core S3 with 2GB of RAM, or get my S2 like i always planned
Now my thoughts are coming back about getting the S3, although like i mentioned, the US version has a dual core unlike the international version. but with an extra GB of RAM, however a huge deal breaker is the massive 4.8inch screen. After holding the Galaxy Nexus with the 4.65 inch screen thats a bit huge in my opinion and i cant imagine another .15inch even though thats a very small difference.
I love my S2 but i feel like im outdated again! But a year this time. Its lag free and is a solid performer and plus i got it for one hell of a deal, but i heard great things about the S3 like the battery life and performance which in favor excels much more than the S2 in those terms.
I'm considering returning my S2 and getting S3 towards the end of this month
idk if i should do it or not? Whats your opinion?

Your first mistake was posting a Question thread in the General forum instead of the Q&A forum...
Secondly... nobody can make this decision for you but you.
Thirdly, thread closed.

Related

Is S3 going to be worth price over Nexus

Thinking of getting S3, but obviously will be a price premium. Wondering if it will be worth it over the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?
Same size screen, removable battery, fair do only 16Gb on Nexus, few software features on S3. Anyone actually seen a S3 yet, is the screen as bad/good as people saying?
Is the screen completely different to Nexus, which is best?
Cheers
MrMrMr111 said:
Thinking of getting S3, but obviously will be a price premium. Wondering if it will be worth it over the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?
Same size screen, removable battery, fair do only 16Gb on Nexus, few software features on S3. Anyone actually seen a S3 yet, is the screen as bad/good as people saying?
Is the screen completely different to Nexus, which is best?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are quit a bit of software differences as Samsung added a lot of features to the SGS3.
The screen is added with Gorilla Glass 2, being thinner and allowing better visibility. http://mobile-review.com/review/samsung-galaxy-s3-fl-en.shtml
It's really up to you. The phone is nearly twice as powerful with a GPU close to 2.5 times more powerful as well. The battery life rating on GSMArena is rated pretty high also. It's a good solid phone and will be for 1 or 2 years with a good community and support.
The only reason to move to a SGS4 in the future might be for RAM, that is the only thing I didn't see a big jump for the SGS3.
The camera is much better as well.
I'd probably wait for the next nexus devices to come around with jelly bean.
MrMrMr111 said:
Thinking of getting S3, but obviously will be a price premium. Wondering if it will be worth it over the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?
Same size screen, removable battery, fair do only 16Gb on Nexus, few software features on S3. Anyone actually seen a S3 yet, is the screen as bad/good as people saying?
Is the screen completely different to Nexus, which is best?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus 4.65 inch -> S3 4.8 inch, also reported the S3's screen is brighter
Nexus dual core OMAP processor at 1.2GHz -> S3 Quad Core Exynos at 1.4GHz, very powerfull GPU
Nexus 5MP camera -> S3 very nice 8MP camera
Nexus 16GB memory -> S3 16/32/64 + 50GB dropbox + SDcard
Also what I like: the S3 has a wolfson soundchip like the S1, musicwise the S3 will be better then the Nexus as far as I understand.
Besides that, the S3 has software tricks the Nexus doesn't. I might have missed something but this is most of it. I don't know how big the difference is between the Nexus and S3, having a quad core might be good "future-proof" wise.
edit: forgot, removable battery (and bigger battery, 2100mAh)
One thing to consider is that Nexus is pentaband (i.e. works with the cheaper t-mobile prepaid) whereas s3 is not (to the best of my knowledge, anyway).
Another thing to consider is custom development; it's in the high now with the Nexus, and unlikely to be as active even when the S3 goes out in full blow.
Aside from these, I think the S3 has all the advantages, both hardware-wise and in terms of additional software (that you can remove later, if you don't like). The price premium is $200ish, but it's worth it for a long term device.
If you wait for the S3 to come out there's an okay chance the Nexus price would drop even further (though, to be honest, I'm not sure if it can beat the current google subsidy in the play store).
Being a Gnex owner I have to say I love it. Have the S3 on preorder as I have to have it, same will happen in November when the new Gnex comes to town. I don't keep my phones for long. To answer ur question I will have to say get the S3, if u want the ability to fully rock your phone with whatever and however YOU want then get a Google phone, they are first to get everything ie. updates, roms, themes, etc.
I have the Verizon version of the GNex. It's a great phone, but there's many things about the phone that make is sub-par, in my opinion.
I think the one good thing about it is it runs vanilla android 4.0.
With the S3, it's a huge upgrade from the GNex with a nicer screen, larger screen, better processor, thinner, better battery life (well compared to my LTE version), and I think I just looks much better. I'm sure it'll run smoother too, but that is yet to be decided as none of us have our pre-order units in our hot little hands yet.
On the flip side, GNex runs Vanilla Android while S3 run Sammy's TW UI over Android. Now, I was not/am not a huge fan of the previous version of TW on the S2, I think I might have different opinions about TW in S3.
I hope I'll like it, but I won't know until I get my phone
From my perspective, S3 all the way. Don't even consider GNex. If you want a GNex, I'd say get the next Google Android Nexus device with Jelly Bean, as other xda guys have mentioned.
My 2 cents.
yyhd said:
nicer screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is probably beating a dead horse, but we don't know if it has nicer screen, until everyone has it and make comparison. It is still Pentile, which is okay, but it would need better quality control and not suffer from grey banding and/or dark spots and/or tinting which half of phones I had in my signature suffered from.
The Samsung is best phone ever

S2 vs GNexus?

Hi!
I already asked this question at GNex forums, but I thought I could as well ask you guys too.
So, I'm buying a new phone. I'm not new to Android scene, but I've never actually had a high-end phone(well technically these both are last-era high-ends, but what ever...). So please guys, tell me why should I or why should I not buy S2 instead of Galaxy Nexus!
As far as I know, Nexus has better screen(larger and extreme resolution!), but S2 is more powerful. Though I've heard that Nexus' OMAP4 chipset is better than S2's Exynos. On the other hand Mali-400 is better than PowerVR...
Nexus would cost me 30€ less(GNex=370€ & S2=400€), that ain't a game changer though.
So tell me your opinions! So far I'm kinda gravitated on GNex due to the screen... Also it's the cheaper one of those two.
One thing that is a plus for S2 is larger community in XDA. I bet there are two times more roms for S2!(BUT, Nexus has alot of roms too, including CM9, AOKP, MIUI, Paranoid etc.)
Thanks!
ArmorD said:
Hi!
I already asked this question at GNex forums, but I thought I could as well ask you guys too.
So, I'm buying a new phone. I'm not new to Android scene, but I've never actually had a high-end phone(well technically these both are last-era high-ends, but what ever...). So please guys, tell me why should I or why should I not buy S2 instead of Galaxy Nexus!
As far as I know, Nexus has better screen(larger and extreme resolution!), but S2 is more powerful. Though I've heard that Nexus' OMAP4 chipset is better than S2's Exynos. On the other hand Mali-400 is better than PowerVR...
Nexus would cost me 30€ less(GNex=370€ & S2=400€), that ain't a game changer though.
So tell me your opinions! So far I'm kinda gravitated on GNex due to the screen... Also it's the cheaper one of those two.
One thing that is a plus for S2 is larger community in XDA. I bet there are two times more roms for S2!(BUT, Nexus has alot of roms too, including CM9, AOKP, MIUI, Paranoid etc.)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think that GNex will always have Google's native support. That's a plus for that one.
They're two beautiful phones. Very powerful.
I probabbly take the GNex, but, here's your choise
Also, you can wait and go for a better phone, like HOX, or SGSIII.
Greetings!
ArmorD said:
Hi!
I already asked this question at GNex forums, but I thought I could as well ask you guys too.
So, I'm buying a new phone. I'm not new to Android scene, but I've never actually had a high-end phone(well technically these both are last-era high-ends, but what ever...). So please guys, tell me why should I or why should I not buy S2 instead of Galaxy Nexus!
As far as I know, Nexus has better screen(larger and extreme resolution!), but S2 is more powerful. Though I've heard that Nexus' OMAP4 chipset is better than S2's Exynos. On the other hand Mali-400 is better than PowerVR...
Nexus would cost me 30€ less(GNex=370€ & S2=400€), that ain't a game changer though.
So tell me your opinions! So far I'm kinda gravitated on GNex due to the screen... Also it's the cheaper one of those two.
One thing that is a plus for S2 is larger community in XDA. I bet there are two times more roms for S2!(BUT, Nexus has alot of roms too, including CM9, AOKP, MIUI, Paranoid etc.)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my s2. I'd say go with the s2 if it was between those two.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
go with nexus you will get awesome hd screen (300+ppi not bat ! ) official updates from google first hand (no need to flash unofficial roms to get the latest) total google experience (also you will get rid of that awful touch wiz)
and its cheep..
but......
here are some cons
no sd card (it only gonna fell if you going to buy 16 gb version)
ok video recording (in that case s2 is winner)
that's it i won't find any more cons in nexus but lottssss of in s2 that's why i am also going to buy nexus (but i am going to wait for thier next version may be moto nexus ......)
good luck .
Well, i have never used a nexus but i can write some pros for the s2
1.HUUUUGE community for roms and mods
2.Easily rootable
3.Easily modifyable
4.Good hardware
5.Pretty much impossible to brick
6.Probably has the best kernel for any phone ever. The siyah kernel.
But at this point in time , personally if i were getting a high end droid, i would get the S3 or Htc One X
But i personally recommend the s2
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
I'm make it easy for you...
http://www.youtube.com/results?sear....0.0.0.483.1708.2-1j3j1.5.0...0.0.Gm8Af6ooc00
id buy the sgs2 over the nexus any day , no micro sd slot means i couldnt buy it if i wanted too , theres just not enough memory for my needs
also samsung sgs2 has a genuine 2000mah battery avalible
for me the sgs2 is only beaten by the sgs3 , id even rate the sgs2 more then the htc one x due to the one x having no removeable battery and no micro sd slot
horses for courses but sgs2 wins everytime for me
Hi i would go for gnex
Cuz of google support and cuz im pretty sure gnex will get gelly been inshallah
Bigger screen better resolution
And for me i have some problems with my sgs2 like over heat
So i would go for gnex if i had to choose again between them
I'd say go for gnex it got a better future i think
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Wanted the Gnex but only good thing about it is google support but the sII just pwns it in every other way... sad to say...
I own an s2 but not much experience with the gnex. S2 is good, when it works properly, but I suspect gnexus would be less hassles.
S2 isn't bad on paper but I miss the Nexus experience I enjoyed on my Nexus One.
PS. 2100mah genuine extended batteries exist for gnex, too.
Thanks guys! A s you see, i choose S2. It wad a hard decision, but I'm happy with this! I knew nexus would have been good, but i really think it wouldn't be any better than S2! This phone's performance is just mental! And it's fun to say Mali
And there was a campaign price for S2 due to there newly opened electronics store near me, I paid only 333 euros! Even cheaper than the Nexus!
Thanks for answers!
Edit. Damn You 8 thanks/ day
Edit 2. I hate you SlideIT keyboard!
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Galaxy S II still worth it?

So here's the thing.. I would like the Galaxy S III of course, but it has it's obvious faults, and without a scheduled upgrade from my provider I just don't think it's worth the 700+ dollars I would have to shell out.. So my thought was to buy a used Galaxy S II for around 200-300$ to tide me over until either HTC or Samsung release near perfect devices, or until the next Nexus whenever that is, do you think this would be worth it? Is development slowing down or staying the same and is 200-300$ worth it until and would it last until the next nexus or HTC/Samsung flagship?
Thanks in advanced for your opinions
Of course, S2 is still a great phone.
I will never switch for the S3, not that S3 is not better, just the S2 does everyting that S3 does..maybe S4 will give me a reason to switch.
im the kind of person that only switches cellphone or any other electronics when its really worth it, a big step ahead, or else I don´t think its worth it.
S4 will have 14 nm chipset
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/07/samsung-20nm-14nm-chip-production/
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
syndragon said:
Of course, S2 is still a great phone.
I will never switch for the S3, not that S3 is not better, just the S2 does everyting that S3 does..maybe S4 will give me a reason to switch.
im the kind of person that only switches cellphone or any other electronics when its really worth it, a big step ahead, or else I don´t think its worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I've got the Desire Z right now so it would be a pretty big jump.. but yeah I'm thinking if I can get this phone for cheap at least it will be a good jump and a nice holder until my carrier gives me a free upgrade next year ?
hikarugo said:
S4 will have 14 nm chipset
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/07/samsung-20nm-14nm-chip-production/
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dam that's amazing.. The only thing is I need the rest of it to be worth it too :S The problem with the S3 are the pentile (not a BIG deal obviously, don't care that much) the pink problem, the blacks problem, the screen being easily cracked, etc :/ maybe the S4 will blow me away
I also want a lot of dev community since for some reason the Desire Z had a TON and it would be weird not having it and like stupid amounts of ROMs
S2 is still a strong phone. No other devices offer significant improvements over what it does.
I thinks that there's not so much difference between Galaxy SII and SIII. The big difference to me is the design of the phone. Hardware of SII is actually very strong.
I don't know if the S3 has better battery life... but in other subjects S2 is not that far from S3... And the price now is very accessible as well...
SII is still great! We have a official ics which sucks but cm9 is pretty sick and stable for daily use. Oh and there are some really great roms and kernels out there.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
syndragon said:
Of course, S2 is still a great phone.
I will never switch for the S3, not that S3 is not better, just the S2 does everyting that S3 does..maybe S4 will give me a reason to switch.
im the kind of person that only switches cellphone or any other electronics when its really worth it, a big step ahead, or else I don´t think its worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1.I upgraded from x10 as s2 was worth it.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
You're looking to do exactly what I'm in the middle of doing. About 3 or 4 months ago I bought a relatively new SGSII for $300 due to my Nokia N97 breaking down about half way through my contract. It is an amazing phone and my first which is running Android. I have done lots of mods and flashed lots of roms and have really enjoyed it. At the end of the year my contract expires so the SGSII is going to my fiancée and I am going to upgrade to an SGSIII or a Galaxy Note II or the next Nexus. The SGSII is definitely a great phone with lots of support by all the great themers, modders and rom builders on XDA. Definitely recommend it.
Well I guess it really depends on the use you make of your phone.
SGS II is an excellent device on many aspects, but if you plan on playing the most recent games, for instance, I'd say the SGS III's quad-core will be more... "comfortable"?
As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick with my SGS I as long as possible, the engagement with my carrier goes to Feb 2013... Maybe SGS IV will be announced by then. Argh!!
IF you are out budget the S II is still a strong phone. Another advantage if you choose S II over other phone is community. S II has the biggest market in all Android phones and of course S II / Samsung 3rd party developers are just awesome!
noneabove said:
Well I've got the Desire Z right now so it would be a pretty big jump.. but yeah I'm thinking if I can get this phone for cheap at least it will be a good jump and a nice holder until my carrier gives me a free upgrade next year ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, then its up to you, either S2 and S3 will be a big jump.
So only you know if the aspects that make S3 slightly better than S2 its worth the extra money.
IMO S2 is the best phone out there. Yes, S3 and One X are more powerful, but are the worth 600€? S2 can do exactly all the same things as those two, play HD games like Modern Combat 3 and NOVA 3 without any notable lag!
Currently, I believe S2 has the biggest community in XDA(well, it's separated to many "divisions" here, due to many different models[US Carrier specific and i9100G], but cause it's so popular, why wouldn't it be good?)
Yes, S2 is worth it. Here, it costs two times less than an S3.
last week i played with the SGS3 and the SGS2 ( a updated one ( ICS ) of a friend )
i did not notice any BIG differents between the 2 phone's
so i got myself a SGS2 and saved me 300 euro's.
ArmorD said:
IMO S2 is the best phone out there. Yes, S3 and One X are more powerful, but are the worth 600€? S2 can do exactly all the same things as those two, play HD games like Modern Combat 3 and NOVA 3 without any notable lag!
Currently, I believe S2 has the biggest community in XDA(well, it's separated to many "divisions" here, due to many different models[US Carrier specific and i9100G], but cause it's so popular, why wouldn't it be good?)
Yes, S2 is worth it. Here, it costs two times less than an S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. The s2 has the best xda family in my opinion. Just look at rr or Rootbox thread. And it is probably going to not be outdated for another year or two
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
Same here buddy...
I wont switch to galaxy s3 from galaxy s2...
But if anyone want to buy a new phone its obvious if u can spend money and get galaxy s3,then buy that otherwise S2 is still a good phone sold more than 28million..
I think the development wont stop just because of S3..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Thanks for the advice guys! I will definitely be monitoring kijiji closely looking for one that's at least less than 300$ and maybe even less than 250$! Hope I find one soon!
No. Its display has low life. When people asked Samsung why did they change display in SGS3, they said that its because the samoled+ has low life and faster degradation of image quality.
For instance, some phones already had yellow tint on 30% brightness. Some have started to develop it now.
its display is great. But battery life is poor. With one charge, you will hardly be able to use (total hours of usage) it more than 8 hours given battery is new.
samoled+ is marvelous display but you will find running your phone at low brightness due to battery concerns. Whats use of such a phone then?
No wonder SGS3 has a different display.
Stock rom gave me bs battery life with my usage about 5-6 hrs but go custom with UV and UC i get 8-10 hrs! Use a little less and i get 14 hrs and im using the 1650 mh batt

[Q] Advice Needed: Rooted Note or SGS3

I am still within the window of returning my G Note (which i love except for a few things) and possibly getting a SGS3.
I really like the GNote and the massive screen, the extra real state is really nice! I am on AT&T and really like the idea of the HSPA network backup to the not yet present LTE here in South Florida. I am getting avg between 4-6 mbps DL.
NOTE (AT&T):
Likes:
* HSPA Network on AT&T
* Screen Size
* S-Pen (I actually use the thing)
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
* No OC on ICS (might be wrong here)
* Potential for less Dev support once SGS3 comes out.
SGS3 (VZW):
Likes:
* Camera...I have toddler at home and a quick camera would be great (this is my biggest factor for considering this phone)
* Power...this things seems like a beast!!!
* form factor
* ICS, although I am not as concerned about software bcs it's a matter of porting by one these great devs in XDA.
Dislike:
* Smaller Screen
* Slow 3G speeds when not on LTE area about 50% of time!
Any thoughts that might help me rationalize this decision is greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Crey23 said:
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
davaj said:
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not limited to Launchers, but they do affect normal navigation. I had ran GO, ADW EX, and Holo....and Holo being the "fastest". I just installed Go Ex and it's really fast. I think it more to do with one the widgets that I was running.
But lag can be seen while unlocking, but I hear that the SGS3 is the same...something to do with deep sleep that Samsung uses. It can also be seen while playing some games like Angry Birds. It ran kind of choppy on my old htc Vision(G2) Oc'd @ 1.2 Ghz, but the Note sometimes shows that choppiness too.
One thing that also concerns me is that the RAM is ually running at 65%-75% capacity anyone else?
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3. I sold my international note for the one x and didn't like that phone so I would probably regret trading for the gs3 as well. Once you get used to the screen on the note its hard to downgrade. Believe me when I say that the note's screen looks way better than the one x, even the guy at Walmart's at&t store agreed with me. Hopefully when we get a kernel source it will speed up our notes, although my note isn't that bad now.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
First and foremost determine what you need in a phone, do you need the Horsepower of a quad core? Most apps aren't designed to work with the quad cores and I would believe that the support of them in ICS is kind of like windows, yes they will use them, but will it use them effectively? Do you want the screen or the camera more? I know for my needs I prefer the screen and the camera is plenty quick enough for what I do, but I don't have kids. As for lag, if it's really that bad, I'd exchange it for another. I only saw lag on my phone after I had launched 20 or 25 apps, running tons of widgets and hadn't shut my phone down in 3 weeks.
So in the end, the trade off is what will you utilize more and what would be best for you. I for one wouldn't trade my note for anything, but again I came from a streak and make full use of my very large screen and not the camera so much. Not to mention, you could wait to get the S3, get it, and in a year they'll probably release a phone that has 3.2GHz quad cores with brand new LTE system that's 10x faster than what we have now.
Technology has always grown faster than we can keep up with, the real question is, how long will you wait to get the latest and greatest? That's the reason why I haven't upgraded my home PC. There's always a new CPU coming out with a new form factor, or the next best graphics card is going to be released in a month or two. My current logic with it now is, hey it works, it works well, I'll keep it until it doesn't suit my needs anymore.
Just my thoughts on it.
Apex launcher is the best launcher for the note no lag on my end. I couldn't see myself going to a smaller screen. My hands fit the phone perfect.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I will share my views with my days with the ATT Note. If you are running stock ROM..it was a HORRIBLE experience. I had my Captivate at the time and it was super smooth compared to the ATT Note stock.
If you are cool changing ROMS, which I think you are since you are here, I would expect it to be a lot better.
As for the dev on the ATT one dying after the GS3 comes out...well , unless you are buying an international GS3, I wont expect the dev for it to be that huge either compared to the international version but this is just a guess.
davaj said:
If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this.
lyall29 said:
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly my concern.....Yes it might be all that, as the hox was when it came out, but after I played with it for a bit I was not convinced and actually opted for the GNote instead despite the additional $70 that it cost me.
I guess I like to be a s bleeding edge as possible, being that at the speed of industry... in two years, by the time my contract is over, there will be 6.8Ghz eight core, 0.5 TB solid state drive phones with 21MP cameras that wipe my butt too.... But reality is that it might be overkill.
The other thing that attracts me to the SGS# is that finally an Android phone will have as many accessories as an iPhone given the number of pre-sales, and the fact that it will be the flag-ship device for the 5 major carriers in the US/Canada. I am tired of walking into a best buy and see 90 different cases for the iPhone and, if I'm lucky, finding the $hitty Speck case for my Note lol.
Lastly, my other concer is that in order to get the SGS3 I would have to go from AT&T to VZW, and I am not convinced at all of going from lightning fast VZW LTE to crawling speed 3g EV-DO signal. It is reliable in the area, but LTE does not reach 50% of my territory.
I guess I'm going to keep the GNote, root it and wait for a kernel to break 2.0 Ghz blazing fast phone. I have read a few reviews that measure web processing throughput and the Note beats the SGS3 in the benchmark. Also some of the ROMs available have been tweaked to improve DL perfromance quite drastically.
The camera is pretty snappy too....It seems to take long, but when the picture is revealed it look amazing!
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
littlewierdo said:
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
lyall29 said:
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
lufc said:
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks lufc, hadn't realized that I wasn't in Q&A. :
Well I bit the bullet..... I switched to VZW. Specs wise the sgs3 seems to be superior, but push come to shove, a $35 a month savings with unlimited voice and text and 4gb gigs once the new pricing plans kick in at the end of the month.
I will miss the huge screen and te s- pen. And I might regret it, but I had to do it from a logical perspective.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Crey23 said:
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
littlewierdo said:
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I hear ya.....I have seen multiple videos on the the SGS3 and it seems like an incredibly fluid device. I have to say the screen real state i will miss, but since I am returning my Note today, and will get the SGS3 in early July I am back on an Blackberry Pearl 8130...the screen size is about 1/4 of the Note's....maybe less LOL. So I think by the time i get the G3 it will seem like a huge screen!
I will miss the S-Pen....I did use it quite a bit. I stopped taking my notebook to meetings bcs all I needed was my note.
pyro254750 said:
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right in the sence that many phones just need to be optimized in order to get them smooth. I did that with my htc Vision/G2 once I rooted, swaped kernels, flashed a "few" ROM's including ICS and had it OC'd to nearly 2x it's rated processor speed. BUT, and you know a but was coming....
There is something to be said of the posibilities of a device being launched nearly simultaneously on all 5 major carriers in the US...no other device has ever done that (at least under the same name, and never in so close proximity of one from the other).
The other thing impressive about the G3 is the hardware, it's got 2GB of ram, and incredible camera, a very good processor (though not the latest), and note like beautiful screen. For me the camera alone draws my attention, and the fact that the spec are as close to bleeding edge as we can get in a production device, makes me pretty happy to know that I can pull of 2 years of no upgrades.
In fact, when I purchased the htc G2 on T-Mobile nearly 2 yrs ago, it was the only phone on 4G network, and it was the best phone out there for a while, and I found no reason to envy any other devices. I switched from it bcs I got tired of the poor data strength of T-mobile in my area, and the fact that sitting at my office, getting signal was a hit/miss situation, but the device itself it's still kicking....it's my toddler's mini tablet at the moment.
littlewierdo said:
my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
wase4711 said:
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive seen it first hand (the international version). The screen is probably the biggest thing about the SG3, its a better quality screen than the Note.
Samsung has NAILED every phone. Would people be buying it otherwise? Look at the world wide sales, look at the tech reviews, there is hardly anything negative to say about it.
In fact, the only negative is that it doesnt have the latest processor, big whoop in my opinion. Oh, and maybe touchwiz, but touchwiz is decent now, nothing like the pile of poo it was on the Captivate.

Looking at upgrades - SGN or SGS3

I have been looking at upgrades to my SGS2, and I am a bit torn between the two phones - Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy S III (AT&T).
Looking at the stats, there is very little difference, and the Nexus is about half the price for an unlocked one straight from Google.
Battery life should be close, but the specs all show a much lower number then I would expect, so I am guessing that it is from the quad core version, and not the US version.
Has anyone done a comparison? I have been looking and always end up with the Quad core version rather then the Dual core one for the US.
The Nexus isn't an upgrade from the S2, it's a sidegrade at best (and possibly even a downgrade depending on what's important to you in a smart phone).
I've been having the same trouble . It just seems like the SGS3 is a better choice. Also the SGN isn't LTE and the SGS3 is.
According to your question it's undoubtedly the Samsung galaxy S3
but on the other hand if you are a pure android fan and want fast updates from google then it's definitely the Galaxy Nexus...
I would say that the SGS3 would be the better one unless you want pure Android.
i would say wait for the next nexus phone with lte capabilities..that's gonna be my next smartphone maybe, want pure android not pure bloatware from carriers and delayed updates
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Nexus for sure
Jelly Bean makes it feel like a whole new phone, I am probably going to order mine next Week.
crimsonconcepts said:
I have been looking at upgrades to my SGS2, and I am a bit torn between the two phones - Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy S III (AT&T).
Looking at the stats, there is very little difference, and the Nexus is about half the price for an unlocked one straight from Google.
Battery life should be close, but the specs all show a much lower number then I would expect, so I am guessing that it is from the quad core version, and not the US version.
Has anyone done a comparison? I have been looking and always end up with the Quad core version rather then the Dual core one for the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As much as you would hate this... I'll say waite.
There is nothing wrong with the SGSII. Its freaking awesome, and for me, it's even better than the G Nexus.
As for the SGS3, Android as for now, is in no need of 4 cores, specially samsung ones that are a brand new technology that is still in developement. Even Tegra 3 are equaled in performance by S4 dual core chips, while consuming less power. (as seen on One X series)
I bet around fall we will see a new and decent Nexus device, that i say its worth the waite.
rich.x87 said:
As much as you would hate this... I'll say waite.
There is nothing wrong with the SGSII. Its freaking awesome, and for me, it's even better than the G Nexus.
As for the SGS3, Android as for now, is in no need of 4 cores, specially samsung ones that are a brand new technology that is still in developement. Even Tegra 3 are equaled in performance by S4 dual core chips, while consuming less power. (as seen on One X series)
I bet around fall we will see a new and decent Nexus device, that i say its worth the waite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The at&t s3 only has 2 cores
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
I'm waiting for the next batch of phones with a new SoC.
The only thing I want from the SGSIII is that screen.
I would say look at reviews of both and see which fits your needs and then make a decision. No one can make this decision for u
Sent from my SGH-i777 using XDA
IMO, the only reason to pick a Galaxy Nexus over any other phone is because you want quicker updates. It has nothing else over any other device, imo.
I too am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have 1 line available for an upgrade now and another on Aug. 1st. Problem is my SGS2s work perfectly and even though the S3 has some nice features (zero shutter lag for one). It does not feel like enough of an upgrade harware wise. The GNexus is pretty much on par with the S2 except a slightly larger screen size and NO removable sdcard. So I decided to just wait. But my daughters handed down SGS1 Cappy sdcard just failed a few days ago. She was runing it with CM7 still and liked it. So since I am STUCK with having to get a new phone my dilema is this. Get the SGS3 and hand down my SGS2? Get the Gnex from the play store which I like the updates available but give it to her, then I STILL have 1 phone available for upgrade and another soon so IF something better comes along I can jump on it. OR third choice get a SGS2 I777 for her and waste one upgrade. Decisions decisions...
Sent from My SGH-I777 Running UCLE5 SANGRE AZUL 2 Rom
RockRatt said:
I too am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have 1 line available for an upgrade now and another on Aug. 1st. Problem is my SGS2s work perfectly and even though the S3 has some nice features (zero shutter lag for one). It does not feel like enough of an upgrade harware wise. The GNexus is pretty much on par with the S2 except a slightly larger screen size and NO removable sdcard. So I decided to just wait. But my daughters handed down SGS1 Cappy sdcard just failed a few days ago. She was runing it with CM7 still and liked it. So since I am STUCK with having to get a new phone my dilema is this. Get the SGS3 and hand down my SGS2? Get the Gnex from the play store which I like the updates available but give it to her, then I STILL have 1 phone available for upgrade and another soon so IF something better comes along I can jump on it. OR third choice get a SGS2 I777 for her and waste one upgrade. Decisions decisions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That middle option sounds good to me. It'd be nice to have an upgrade available late in the year or early 2013 when new phones start coming out...
Wait for the Next Nexus that will hopefully come out in the fall/winter season.
mattdm said:
That middle option sounds good to me. It'd be nice to have an upgrade available late in the year or early 2013 when new phones start coming out...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I'm edging towards with my upgrade. I was considering selling my SGSII and buying the GNex in order to have the upgrade available for the next batch of phones (Krait Quads) or just wait until then with my SGSII although I would be able to sell if for much less at that time.
SGSII is such a great phone but seeing the SGSIII, that screen is just making me so tempted to upgrade. I'm a sucker for bigger screens with better res. Someone smack the temptation out of me!
RockRatt said:
I too am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have 1 line available for an upgrade now and another on Aug. 1st. Problem is my SGS2s work perfectly and even though the S3 has some nice features (zero shutter lag for one). It does not feel like enough of an upgrade harware wise. The GNexus is pretty much on par with the S2 except a slightly larger screen size and NO removable sdcard. So I decided to just wait. But my daughters handed down SGS1 Cappy sdcard just failed a few days ago. She was runing it with CM7 still and liked it. So since I am STUCK with having to get a new phone my dilema is this. Get the SGS3 and hand down my SGS2? Get the Gnex from the play store which I like the updates available but give it to her, then I STILL have 1 phone available for upgrade and another soon so IF something better comes along I can jump on it. OR third choice get a SGS2 I777 for her and waste one upgrade. Decisions decisions...
Sent from My SGH-I777 Running UCLE5 SANGRE AZUL 2 Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... Give your daughter the SGS2 and get a SGS3 or One X. And you'll have the extra upgrade to get any of the phones coming later this year.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
Now when you say s3, att crap or real, int s3? Because if att one, id say stick to s2 or maybe Note.
raduque said:
IMO, the only reason to pick a Galaxy Nexus over any other phone is because you want quicker updates. It has nothing else over any other device, imo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I know that the idea of getting updates quicker is what is would seem, but in reality, that is not the case. The Nexus models may be a Google phone, but they still have to go through the carrier to get updates.
I think that although a new phone may be nice, many of you are right that the S2 is an amazing phone, and should be good for a while. As far as the comment about no need for Quad cores, I thought the same thing when I got my Eris, and thought it was lighting fast... until the new apps came out and then the phone ran like a slug, even rooted and modded.
The software will push the hardware limits at all times, so if new hardware comes out, software will start to use it, which means that eventually the old ones just don't work right. This is the bane of technology. I also have an iPad, and as of later this year I am out of luck and will not get any software updates before iOS 6 won't install on it. (But that is whole different conversation)
Looking at the specs between the two on phone arena is actually funny, since they are both SO close. I have worked in computers for long enough that I know that a .2 or .3 different in CPU speed, isn't going to make or break a difference. Memory, Cores, and Storage tend to make the biggest difference.
crimsonconcepts said:
Well I know that the idea of getting updates quicker is what is would seem, but in reality, that is not the case. The Nexus models may be a Google phone, but they still have to go through the carrier to get updates.
I think that although a new phone may be nice, many of you are right that the S2 is an amazing phone, and should be good for a while. As far as the comment about no need for Quad cores, I thought the same thing when I got my Eris, and thought it was lighting fast... until the new apps came out and then the phone ran like a slug, even rooted and modded.
The software will push the hardware limits at all times, so if new hardware comes out, software will start to use it, which means that eventually the old ones just don't work right. This is the bane of technology. I also have an iPad, and as of later this year I am out of luck and will not get any software updates before iOS 6 won't install on it. (But that is whole different conversation)
Looking at the specs between the two on phone arena is actually funny, since they are both SO close. I have worked in computers for long enough that I know that a .2 or .3 different in CPU speed, isn't going to make or break a difference. Memory, Cores, and Storage tend to make the biggest difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus updates except for Verizon and sprint do not go through any carrier
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