My phone is less reliable than my S2 - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Browser crashes are similarly irritating
Launcher redraws are a pain... which I believe cause...
Regular music app cut outs (whilst browsing etc...)
the gallery widget 'forgets' the pictures I've chosen
Home screen wallpaper gets lost and reverts to default
I really don't want to believe it but this phone may not be as good as my s2...
This evening I'm also seeing poor sms behaviour i.e. suggesting sent on one screen but not on the other. All a bit shoddy and below s2 standard...

It's just teething problems and will be fixed in firmware updates.

I'm sorry you feel that way, hope you kept your s2 so you can safely go back to that
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Don't worry about it, it's absolutely normal. Every smartphone has similar software problems when they are first released, what you have to be glad for is that software problems can be fixed, at least you don't have any hardware problems which cant be fixed with an update. I remember I got my s2 when it first came out and to be honest it had very similar problems to what you have just mentioned and Samsung did fix them, or at least made the problems happen a lot less frequently. I hope this helps you

Hope so... but I wasn't that late to get an s2 and I don't remember things like this... but maybe the s2 heightened my expectations...
In day to day use, I'd be happier with my old phone bit my missus has now pinched it.

Well the S3 has more stuff running in the background, the higher resolution, quad core and all the other stuff they got running on ICS with all the new drivers they have to write, where S2 was running the same OS as S1 and basically similar kind of phone.

Michael_P said:
Well the S3 has more stuff running in the background, the higher resolution, quad core and all the other stuff they got running on ICS with all the new drivers they have to write, where S2 was running the same OS as S1 and basically similar kind of phone.
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How do I turn that stuff off to give me a reliable phone then?

Well you can't. They just wrote the Firmware for a new device and have to balance out the resource allocation and making it all gel together and you get bugs, and it's annoying but we all just have to live with it and wait for Samsung to get off their arses and fix it.

Related

Noticeable Lag?

Hopefully I won't get attacked for asking this but I have seen some lag on the device; both in videos and playing with it. Browsing the web seemed to produce the most lag. It just didn't seem as zippy as it should. I know the device as a Qualcomm Processor which isn't as powerful as the Exynos processor but I didn't think you could tell a difference. Can I get some feedback on this before I purchase the device tomorrow? Thanks
MattMJB0188 said:
Hopefully I won't get attacked for asking this but I have seen some lag on the device; both in videos and playing with it. Browsing the web seemed to produce the most lag. It just didn't seem as zippy as it should. I know the device as a Qualcomm Processor which isn't as powerful as the Exynos processor but I didn't think you could tell a difference. Can I get some feedback on this before I purchase the device tomorrow? Thanks
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It's impossible to tweak until you get the device. It's best to do some research on these forums before or after you buy the phone.
I personally have no lag at all, along with many other people on this forum.
Installing a different launcher and custom roms are just one of the many things you can do to improve performance.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
I am currently on one of the ICS leaks, using nova launcher, and have virtually no lag. ICS seems to have fixed video playback being a bit jumpy for me, though it wasn't a huge problem on GB. On GB I was running Solaris Prime, overclocked to 1.83 GHz, and using ADW EX, experienced no lag whatsoever there either. I use Dolphin Browser HD instead of the stock browser most of the time, and that had given me very smooth performance all around, as well as access to desktop sites instead of mobile sites.
If you get a Note that seems super laggy, exchange it for a new one in your first 30 days until you get a good one. It seems as though most Notes are fine, with only a select few experiencing poor performance, most of which can probably actually be attributed to the person's own apps and not the actual device.
Buy it and be prepared for all other phones to pale in comparison to this beast...it has ruined all other phones for me, so that I will likely only upgrade to the Note 2 when that rolls around. This thing is crazy awesome.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the replies. I plan on picking it up and loading the custom rom Saurom which everyone says is super stable.
I noticed *minor* lag with scrolling using Dolphin Browser in gingerbread. In ICS, it is smoother than an iphone.
Noticeable Lag
I upgraded my galaxy note to the ICS upgrade. I was a horrible experience as seems to be the norm with ATT rom upgrades. First there was no OTA support for the upgrade. I had to search for the Samsung Kies app and download it. Which took almost 2.5 hours for a 70mb file. Though the program did work okay once i got it downloaded and installed.
So now im upgraded to the long awaited ICS for the ATT Galaxy Note. It turns out its complete garbage. It has all but crippled my phone. The phone lags so bad i cant flip from screen to screen without having to stop and wait 10 to 15 seconds for it to reload each screen. Half the apps no longer work as they should. My Go messenger no longers alerts me when i get a text. When i take a picture to send it to someone. The picture never sends and it doesnt save. it just gets lost in limbo forever.
Answering calls is a futile experience as well. If the phone doesnt crash and reset. It blacks the screen out from lag so long that the voicemail picks up before i can answermy call. So them i have to wait for all this to stop go to my log see who called and try to call them back. Then the phone proceeds to crash back to the home screen 2 out of every three times i try to make a call.
This upgrade is garbage. Give me back gingerbread. Before this upgrade my galaxy note was the fastest most responsive phone i have ever seen. I rarley even had to turn it off to reset it and i think i have only taken the battery out of it once since i got it on launch day. Now the phone has been rendered completley usless.
bugluv67 said:
I upgraded my galaxy note to the ICS upgrade. I was a horrible experience as seems to be the norm with ATT rom upgrades. First there was no OTA support for the upgrade. I had to search for the Samsung Kies app and download it. Which took almost 2.5 hours for a 70mb file. Though the program did work okay once i got it downloaded and installed.
So now im upgraded to the long awaited ICS for the ATT Galaxy Note. It turns out its complete garbage. It has all but crippled my phone. The phone lags so bad i cant flip from screen to screen without having to stop and wait 10 to 15 seconds for it to reload each screen. Half the apps no longer work as they should. My Go messenger no longers alerts me when i get a text. When i take a picture to send it to someone. The picture never sends and it doesnt save. it just gets lost in limbo forever.
Answering calls is a futile experience as well. If the phone doesnt crash and reset. It blacks the screen out from lag so long that the voicemail picks up before i can answermy call. So them i have to wait for all this to stop go to my log see who called and try to call them back. Then the phone proceeds to crash back to the home screen 2 out of every three times i try to make a call.
This upgrade is garbage. Give me back gingerbread. Before this upgrade my galaxy note was the fastest most responsive phone i have ever seen. I rarley even had to turn it off to reset it and i think i have only taken the battery out of it once since i got it on launch day. Now the phone has been rendered completley usless.
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Click to collapse
Clearly your phone experience is "not" normal as compared to most users here.
Perhaps you are unlucky and have a bad upgrade ?
Mine went well , and I only did it to test the update to gather information .
If you are not rooted ...might I suggest doing so , and trying one of the many great roms here.
Or you could restore back to GB to restore your original functionality.
Either way ...I'm sorry that your phone experience has been so miserable. And surely there is help here for you ...g
gregsarg said:
Clearly your phone experience is "not" normal as compared to most users here.
Perhaps you are unlucky and have a bad upgrade ?
Mine went well , and I only did it to test the update to gather information .
If you are not rooted ...might I suggest doing so , and trying one of the many great roms here.
Or you could restore back to GB to restore your original functionality.
Either way ...I'm sorry that your phone experience has been so miserable. And surely there is help here for you ...g
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I used to really enjoy my galaxy note. But the last two weeks or so have been unbearable. Im no tready to go with a custom rom since it seems to em that most of them are not fully functional in some way or another. But i did read on here that some people had very successful upgrades. So im going to figure out what i need to do to redo the upgrade and try again.
I am running the offical att flavor of ics and it sometimes wants to multitask like the iphone. I do get a lot of music skips when running power amp.
If you're nervous about stability, don't be. At the very least you could flash a debloated stock based ROM, or if you're feeling a little more adventurous try Cyanogenmod. Very stable, more so than the ICS update.
Its common knowledge that carriers and OEMs make horrible stock ROMs. Everyone has had a problem like you, and have taken the plunge of flashing a ROM.
There's nothing to be afraid of. Its not a life decision that you can't turn back on. Its easy to go back to stock if you're scared. But there's around 10 great options in the Development section if you want stability.
Bloatware and Touchwiz cripples the phone. Thank goodness for XDA devs!
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
NOTE user:
"take a deep breath, make sure to get a good look at it, relax and slowly take it in, the size is overwhelming at first but you will have a happy ending afterwards".
Woman:

[Q] LOW performance on Galaxy S3!

Hi,
Is anyone else experiencing this, or does anyone have a solution?
For some reason i'm not expereincing the full thrust of performance the Galaxy S3 has to offer.
The home screens 'jolt' when moving left to right, but the more annoying thing is that widgets (like the weather etc) KEEP disappearing and reloading (doesnt take long to reload, fine, but still! Galaxy S2 didnt do this!)
This was all noticiable in the 'TouchWiz' Launcher, so i thought i would try another launcher... Nope, same thing!! Apex, Launcher Pro, GO Launcher etc..
Also, some apps crash, more than the occasional crash you would experience on the S2.
It also freezes up on my for about 10 seconds before reloading the widgets/icons...
I've gone down SO many routes. Its definetly not that theres too much running, because i find myself closing apps through task manager ALL the time, more than i should need to ...But even with NO apps running, same thing
I just dont get, does anyone have a solution or could shed some light on WHY this is happening? I've hit a brick wall for trying to stop this and am hoping that its not just a 'dodgy device'!
Thank you to whoever responds...
Def sounds like a dud there. Try going into Apex launcher and tick the setting to keep the launcher in ram. Ive heard loads of problems about TW reloading itself after running things like the web browser and gaming :/
Dude just flash custom rom....or latest stock rom.
avetny said:
Dude just flash custom rom....or latest stock rom.
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Shouldn't NEED to be flashing anything, mine was sheer awesome out of the box.
All I've done was flash the insecure kernel... which is the same just adb etc. enabled, and rooted.
avetny said:
Dude just flash custom rom....or latest stock rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the Omega 4.0 ROM work on the o2 Network?
Apologies if this is a dumb question :/
AndyGalaxy said:
Does the Omega 4.0 ROM work on the o2 Network?
Apologies if this is a dumb question :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes
AndyGalaxy said:
Does the Omega 4.0 ROM work on the o2 Network?
Apologies if this is a dumb question :/
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Click to collapse
Networks do not matter with custom ROMs, as long as you are flashing a ROM for the right phone i.e. the international version, and not the north american version. (which you don't need to worry about yet because it's not out yet)
Check if you have Power Saving turned off. It throttles the CPU making scrolling etc noticeably slower.
Mine loads the weather widget coming out of S-Voice. But other than that never misses a beat. Smooth even when using 90% of its ram.
Did a test of its speed and its above the Asus prime easy, so sounds like you have an issue.
AndyGalaxy said:
Hi,
Is anyone else experiencing this, or does anyone have a solution?
For some reason i'm not expereincing the full thrust of performance the Galaxy S3 has to offer.
The home screens 'jolt' when moving left to right, but the more annoying thing is that widgets (like the weather etc) KEEP disappearing and reloading (doesnt take long to reload, fine, but still! Galaxy S2 didnt do this!)
This was all noticiable in the 'TouchWiz' Launcher, so i thought i would try another launcher... Nope, same thing!! Apex, Launcher Pro, GO Launcher etc..
Also, some apps crash, more than the occasional crash you would experience on the S2.
It also freezes up on my for about 10 seconds before reloading the widgets/icons...
I've gone down SO many routes. Its definetly not that theres too much running, because i find myself closing apps through task manager ALL the time, more than i should need to ...But even with NO apps running, same thing
I just dont get, does anyone have a solution or could shed some light on WHY this is happening? I've hit a brick wall for trying to stop this and am hoping that its not just a 'dodgy device'!
Thank you to whoever responds...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Similar issue with my phone... through I have not yet copied my songs and data... but exactly the similar problem...
same here
Man same thing here - only been 4 days since i bought my gs3 and i'm having issues.. i was running a benchmark when i saw cpu it said 1000MHz and max cycles 1400MHz i think we got a gs3 without exynos system - like they did with galaxy s2 had the i9100G model. Of tjis is the case and i find out i'm gonna spend any ounce of energy i have getting it replaced. The worst thibg is the browser cant handle videos on youtube. Performance is pathetic and weirdest tthibg i didnt have flipboard pre loaded on my gs3. Even now im on my gs3 and the browser wont let me fix "thing" that i wrote in the previous sentence. Totally shud have gotten htc one x
you all can flash latest version which should help with launcher redraw ... and after that do a full hard reset: *2767*3855#
poke82465 said:
Man same thing here - only been 4 days since i bought my gs3 and i'm having issues.. i was running a benchmark when i saw cpu it said 1000MHz and max cycles 1400MHz i think we got a gs3 without exynos system - like they did with galaxy s2 had the i9100G model. Of tjis is the case and i find out i'm gonna spend any ounce of energy i have getting it replaced. The worst thibg is the browser cant handle videos on youtube. Performance is pathetic and weirdest tthibg i didnt have flipboard pre loaded on my gs3. Even now im on my gs3 and the browser wont let me fix "thing" that i wrote in the previous sentence. Totally shud have gotten htc one x
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I'm not having these issues. YouTube in browser is fast and no problems editing.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Not having any issues. Suggest you uninstall apps and track down what's causing you pain or take it back. There is nothing wrong with this phone. If you are having slow performance obviously a quad core phone may I suggest an iphone.
Yeah I'm being a prick but common sense and a bit of troubleshooting will teach you a life skill.
Sent from my GT-I9300T using xda premium
This did the trick for me. Also upgrading your firmware would also help.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27476986&postcount=39
Edit: phone is now running sweet with above patch and WanamLite, but will give Omega a try soon.
Sent from my GT-I9300T using xda premium
Same for me
The thing is that a big company that is trying to resemble other competitors cant release a product that will act that way and call it their flag ship.... Most of the owners wont twik it. the phone its a big draw back for me and disappointment... Really miss my s2 some times. Its one thing to pile new features wether they work or not and make the product worse than its predecessor. Big big disappointment. Happy with the screen, battery and looks though will wait for a proper Rom or Google clean products that are to come.
aninim said:
The thing is that a big company that is trying to resemble other competitors can release a product that will act that way and call it their flag ship.... Most of the owners wont twik.ittwik.its a the phone its a big draw back for me and disappointment... Really miss my s2 some times. Its one thing to pile new features wether they work or not and make the product word than its predecessor. Big big disappointment. Happy with the screen, battery and looks though will wait for a proper Rom or Google clean products that are to come.
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Click to collapse
Your S2 has had a years worth of development and optimization. I bet you'll say the same about your S3 when we're all using the S4.
I completely agree with the guy. My most common activity on my phone is browsing whilst listening to music, and this phone just can't hack it. Waaaay too regular cut outs, I'm pissed off.
Remove all bloatware and corresponding background services, get a good kernel (Franco r5 is great), you'll find phone is much better, in a few months, it will have moved on loads and will be so much better
Sent via TCP/IP
Yall are the odd ones out then. my phone was actually VERY VERY good at multi tasking out of the box. i could surf the web, play my music, and watch a movie with super video....and never get redraws, or hickups, leave apps open and keep going......i could not get it to do any lagging unless you speaking of the micro stutter in home screens. which is gone now with a custom rom and a few misc things here and there.
yall seem to keep wanting to blame it on the phone.....i dont quite understand this.

SGS3 is full of problems..and everyone on silent??!!

Must point out is strange that nobody complains about ...
Slow
lags and stuck when return to launcher - each time coming out of something heavy ,everything in SLOW MOTION ..i can see the icons and WIDGETS back one by one....(even with omega 5,6,7,8)
Sudden departures from heavy games
Where are the 4 cores??
its not bother anyone that we bought the BEST SMART STRONG phone .. IPHONE BREAKER ...
and its working like "unfinished product"...
maybe its all abouy the launcher??? i dont know..im worked with servel launchers...everything seems to be that same...
maybe tommorow i'll find ROM that will fix all of it....for now...I'm really disappointed...
Take it back you have a defective phone!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
tomerhd said:
Must point out is strange that nobody complains about ...
Slow
lags and stuck when return to launcher - each time coming out of something heavy ,everything in SLOW MOTION ..i can see the icons and WIDGETS back one by one....(even with omega 5,6,7,8)
Sudden departures from heavy games
Where are the 4 cores??
its not bother anyone that we bought the BEST SMART STRONG phone .. IPHONE BREAKER ...
and its working like "unfinished product"...
maybe its all abouy the launcher??? i dont know..im worked with servel launchers...everything seems to be that same...
maybe tommorow i'll find ROM that will fix all of it....for now...I'm really disappointed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alot ALOT of people will atest that this phone is not the lagging mess you make it out to be. i see NO lag at all. even out of the box when using certain launchers. TSF shell is a ZERO lag launcher no matter what. but its 15 bucks
other than that other roms may help your issue, but it is not a dissapointing phone at all in my OP
Agree one or the other is defective .
jje
Poker gypsy said:
Take it back you have a defective phone!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
sorry but those felling are after i saw the same problems in couple of friends phones...
came from all over the world...
I'm silent about all these problems because I don't have any. Phone is like butter, it's a wonderful user experience and the best phone I've ever had. A real keeper, might even keep a phone for a year this time.
I'm not disputing your issues but you chose a terrible thread title. 99% of owners are happy just like me that's why we are "silent".
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
It might be any hardware or software issues .. take it to the service center asap
Edward Cullen
I know you're exaggerating the problems a bit, but I can see some of the problems you experience. There are instances where it does lag on touch response and I don't see it too often, but it does happen.
Redraw is an issue that's for sure. I've updated to LFB and I still see the redraw but not as often.
I'm running stock on the current LFB firmware and I haven't rooted the phone. I don't install alot of crap on my phone either.
I love the phone regardless; the few minor problems don't deter from the overall experience. It's generally smooth I have to say.
Also, the issues probably have to do with software optimization both with Samsung's firmware and apps from the Play Store. I'm sure as Samsung pushes more updates out, the phone will get smoother and most of the initial problems people experience will be ironed out. This goes the same for Apps in the Play Store. S3 will be the most supported phone so developers will optimize all their apps to run smoother with the S3.
Patience.
There are some problems as the launcher redraws and some lag from time to time, but I'm coming from the HTC Desire. To get the experience you get on the S3 on the Desire you have to tweak the crap out of it and it won't even get close to the S3. It's a wonderful phone, you are either overreacting or your phone is defect.
There are rare Launcher redraws (and it is happening less on LFB). I don't know how this can be "full of problems". It happens very ocasionally and the redraw is very fast and then the phone is buttery smooth again.
Im having a slight lag sometimes after leaving shadowgun or a different heavy game such as nova 3 but after few seconds, everything goes back to normal. Nothing major to complain about.
I guess you might have a faulty phone so take it back for inspection and best of luck.
tomerhd said:
Must point out is strange that nobody complains about ...
Slow
lags and stuck when return to launcher - each time coming out of something heavy ,everything in SLOW MOTION ..i can see the icons and WIDGETS back one by one....(even with omega 5,6,7,8)
Sudden departures from heavy games
Where are the 4 cores??
its not bother anyone that we bought the BEST SMART STRONG phone .. IPHONE BREAKER ...
and its working like "unfinished product"...
maybe its all abouy the launcher??? i dont know..im worked with servel launchers...everything seems to be that same...
maybe tommorow i'll find ROM that will fix all of it....for now...I'm really disappointed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're overreacting. Lag? No .Maybe stutter but I don't experience that at all unless I have a bunch of apps install while i m using the phone Plus being on checkrom I have yet to have the redraw issue. You need to compare your S3 to the competition to see how butterry smooth that phone is. As far as home button lag, just disable s voice and it will be gone.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
tomerhd said:
sorry but those felling are after i saw the same problems in couple of friends phones...
came from all over the world...
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Click to collapse
Not from Brazil, I guarantee.
As far as the hardware goes, my phone is flawless, like a top grade diamond!
Perhaps you have some buggy widget on your home screen, that is making the home screen app misbehave, and - not being a developer thus not knowing how everything interconnects - starts blaming the device.
You sound like those car owners that blame the manufacturer because the car run out of fuel or because they simply can't drive.
If you think the device is such a mess (that you apparently caused, because you already tried non-stock ROMs on it), just return it.
Maybe Android is not for you... try an iPhone instead.
tomerhd said:
sorry but those felling are after i saw the same problems in couple of friends phones...
came from all over the world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry also but my friends have the same phone and no lag
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
He maybe got a bad app and got some kind of virus? I'm sorry but I can't see this phone lagging? And maybe if there was more complaints about it I would say something wrong?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Poker gypsy said:
He maybe got a bad app and got some kind of virus? I'm sorry but I can't see this phone lagging? And maybe if there was more complaints about it I would say something wrong?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I can certainly see the bad app/rouge widget messing with your screens.
i had a battery widget on my galaxy Note right before i got the S3 and it would make EVERY Launcher Lag when i had it sitting on my home screen.
was just by chance that i forgot to add it back after installing a new Rom and noticed all the lag/stutter was Gone. so it happens man just check it out, i hope its something as simple as just a bad app/widget.
Buy iPhone and no problems for you if you dhont like Sgs3.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
I am the pickiest guy in the world. I went from GS2(perfect except battery life), iPhone 4s(Bluetooth, wifi, had to reset, everybody and their grandma has the same phone as me), Xperia S(too thick for pockets, old CPU, yellow screen, USB port flap and placement), and HTC One X(stutter and just about everything).
No problems. This phone is amazing. Believe me, I am super vocal about any little problem myself.
IThe S3 was the best compromise for me.
The One X hasnt got SdCard, One S the same + unswapable batteries.
Galaxy nexus also hasnt got SdCard so i went to the S3
I dont like Touchwiz and Samsung Crap, this is the reason I run a custom firmware.
The Phone is blazingly fast.
Regards.
maybe im overreacting ....BUT...on iphone i'd never had those lag problems..never got kicked in the middle of a game or application...
i can't fell the monster CPU it had...
just formatted the phone and installed PARANOID rom...i will try to work few days without installing alot of applications....

Buy S3 or stick with S2?

Hey Guys,
I know there are probably tons of threads such as this but I would like some concrete feedback from previous S2 owners and new S3 owners as to why the S3 really stands out. I saw a few threads and did enough searching to find out many reasons as to whether the S3 is truly a worthwhile upgrade or not. I'll be honest with you all, I love Android and I love my SGS2. Have had it ever since the launch date and I still don't see any phone out there that has quite truly been this staggering in terms of performance, user customizability and dependability. Sure it has had few hiccups and I have had a few bad ROMS installed before (particularly on Gingerbread) but I haven't had trouble with any ICS roms that I have used so far and I love how this phone handles so well even though I have put it through some extreme loads.
I have seen the S3 being sold in huge numbers within Toronto, even more than the S2 already and I am surprised because I think the 4S is truly a magnificent phone on its own. I'd appreciate your opinions and mostly would welcome previous S2 owners who upgraded this year to the S3 as to why they did so. I'll keep the S2 most probably even if I get the S3 because I truly adore this phone so I am not sure whether the S3 really would cancel the use of my S2 or not. I need good battery life and 2100mAH is a huge improvement and I hear the new phone can go the whole day even with extreme browsing, not sure if its true or not.
I don't play games, I browse, email and perform some normal trades, so it has to be a good premium phone to replace my S2. I don't see any phone out there other than the 4S and SGS3 that competes well against my S2. I'll be okay with stock roms for now, will root for sure but don't necessarily need a custom ROM already. I know the community and its ROMs will grow everyday and finally with Jelly Bean, someone nail it and get us the perfect ROM for the S3 so I'd be okay if there aren't many options on the list of custom roms at this moment.
Yes.
I would honestly just stick with the S2 and wait for the S4 whenever it comes out. Your phone is only a year old, take some more time to enjoy it. Unless you play games, really demand a larger screen or just simply have money to blow, then there's no reason to upgrade so fast.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
The 2GB's RAM is more than enough to make you jump ships. As a former S2 owner, I would definitely do it. Dev support for the S3 has picked up really fast. With CM10 previews being available now, i can only imagine how far this phone will go. Consider that the JB source code has only been out for what...a week or two? This phone will really go far.
Having owned (and still own) both, I'd say you're fine with the GS2 if you have no complaints.
For me, I had 'upgraded' (downgraded) to the GSM Galaxy Nexus, and gave my GS2 to the wifey... and regretted it so much that I bought the GS3 as soon as it came out.
The first thing I said was "ahhh thank God, feels like I have my phone back"
It's nice to have the latest and greatest, don't get me wrong - but I saw no short comings on the GS2, and the few new features of the GS3 are cool, but nothing to lose sleep over.
I'd say wait it out, if you don't have money to blow. If you do, then get it! The GS3 is every bit as good as the GS2 and then of course there is the extra RAM, slightly more internal memory, new features, etc.
but it's a toss up, honestly.
Also I should mention that I prefer the build quality on the GS2, the back cover and design was perfect IMO. Plus capacitive buttons are better than physical (and software buttons IMO)
This is not to take away from the GS3 AT ALL, the truth is the GS2 was simply the best phone ever made prior to the GS3.
Which is just another testament to the amazing GS2.
Sent from the current Heavy Weight champ GALAXY SIII
Thanks everyone for the awesome replies. I'll wait and look out for more suggestions in this thread. I am keen on the S3 and while I can afford it, I also am aware that having two phones of almost the same calibre is a waste so will have to get rid of the S2 if I do get the S3. The only things I am mostly fond of in the S3 is the new development behind all the ROMs and how everyone's making such a great effort into getting the best package out there to all S3 owners. I don't like too big of a phone and the S2 is just as big as it can do for me. I remember S2X and other LTE phones based on S2 came out after a few months of the I-9100 launch date so maybe I can get the second variant come fall/winter time.
auto_freak said:
Thanks everyone for the awesome replies. I'll wait and look out for more suggestions in this thread. I am keen on the S3 and while I can afford it, I also am aware that having two phones of almost the same calibre is a waste so will have to get rid of the S2 if I do get the S3. The only things I am mostly fond of in the S3 is the new development behind all the ROMs and how everyone's making such a great effort into getting the best package out there to all S3 owners. I don't like too big of a phone and the S2 is just as big as it can do for me. I remember S2X and other LTE phones based on S2 came out after a few months of the I-9100 launch date so maybe I can get the second variant come fall/winter time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery life improvement alone is almost worth it for me. Beyond that, the improvement is incremental. If you're not desperate for the HD screen and you are ok with the battery life on the GS2, I don't think you'll be blown away by the GS3
If you like the s2 as is, keep it. I think its sleeker, nicer to hold, and plenty fast.
Honestly if I were to do it again I wouldn't have bothered with the s3.
Sure its a bit faster, has lte and has a bigger screen, but it really isn't that big of an upgrade.
neubauej said:
If you like the s2 as is, keep it. I think its sleeker, nicer to hold, and plenty fast.
Honestly if I were to do it again I wouldn't have bothered with the s3.
Sure its a bit faster, has lte and has a bigger screen, but it really isn't that big of an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is about as spot on as spot on gets!
I'm in the same boat and was set to return mine but work sent me out of town and I missed my window. :crying:
Other than that after my ICS update on the SGS2 a battery calibration kicked my battery life into overdrive and is giving me great usage.
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the lack of Mass Storage on the SGS3. Its my biggest gripe and I really miss it. MTP can suck eggs till the chickens come home to roost. I use my phones alot for everything (play - work [office/field environment]) so its a real problem when I can't preview my pics on the phone through my computer when connected with my SGS3. I have to copy everything over to the PC first then filter through everything deciding on what I am/not going to keep/rename/edit. Also some people have reported having issues when trying to copy a large amount of files and/or large file sizes timing out when trying to transfer to the SGS3. I get that alot of the younger teens/early 20somethings don't care about this but I want my phone to do for me not work against me.
Sorry for my diatribe there...I could tell you how I really feel.
In short you are not missing out on anything if you don't get the SGS3. Don't worry about Jellybean either, the SGS2 WILL get it. Heck most likely even the HTC HD2 is getting Jellybean.
i would stick with the s2
Honestly its a minor upgrade. Would I go back to the S2 though? Hell No!
Sent from my SGS3!
ubigred said:
Honestly its a minor upgrade. Would I go back to the S2 though? Hell No!
Sent from my SGS3!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
The Gs2 was an amazing phone for its time. Almost perfect. The gs3 is an incremental step above that. But it's hard to improve on perfection
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
rosedog said:
This is about as spot on as spot on gets!
I'm in the same boat and was set to return mine but work sent me out of town and I missed my window. :crying:
Other than that after my ICS update on the SGS2 a battery calibration kicked my battery life into overdrive and is giving me great usage.
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the lack of Mass Storage on the SGS3. Its my biggest gripe and I really miss it. MTP can suck eggs till the chickens come home to roost. I use my phones alot for everything (play - work [office/field environment]) so its a real problem when I can't preview my pics on the phone through my computer when connected with my SGS3. I have to copy everything over to the PC first then filter through everything deciding on what I am/not going to keep/rename/edit. Also some people have reported having issues when trying to copy a large amount of files and/or large file sizes timing out when trying to transfer to the SGS3. I get that alot of the younger teens/early 20somethings don't care about this but I want my phone to do for me not work against me.
Sorry for my diatribe there...I could tell you how I really feel.
In short you are not missing out on anything if you don't get the SGS3. Don't worry about Jellybean either, the SGS2 WILL get it. Heck most likely even the HTC HD2 is getting Jellybean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HD2 already has Jelly Bean bro !
man, tough decision even after its been debated 1000 times.
For me, the s2(epic touch 4g) was THE BEST PHONE I EVER HAD. Everything about that phone was just perfect. The display, even at 800x480 was amazing. Amazing camera, fast as hell, GREAT for gaming, great speaker. Even given its so so reception. Still the best phone ever to me.
I went ahead and took the plunge and upgraded to the s3. It is indeed a great phone. Its fast as hell, gets INSANE battery life, has a higher res screen which looks awesome (though because of the pentile arrangement viewing angles are not as good as the s2). Its got a great speaker and some real slick software features.
Heres what I miss about the s2. I miss the camera more than anything. The camera on the s3, while not a bad camera, to ME leaves something to be desired. The camera on the s2 was awesome.
I also miss gaming. its not as strong on the US s3 as it is on the s2. Mostly because of the increase in resolution. I feel like the s2 exynos was more than powerful enough to push the display on the s2. I dont feel the same way with the s4(krait) core and the s3. It just does not seem to perform as well. But that could be due to a number of things.
My opinion? If you got the money, then do it. If not, the s2 is STILL one of the best phones out there.
Im happy with my purchase for the most part. The s2 was a epic phone, the s3 is a minor improvement in my opinion
seoulstyle said:
I would honestly just stick with the S2 and wait for the S4 whenever it comes out. Your phone is only a year old, take some more time to enjoy it. Unless you play games, really demand a larger screen or just simply have money to blow, then there's no reason to upgrade so fast.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to agree with seoulstyle on this one. Really the only thing I have noticed is biggerscreen, clairity of screen and battery life. I find it really difficult to type on the g3 vs my skyrocket in landscape mode. I had the s2, skyrocket and now s3. So if you have the cash to fork out do it, otherwise just wait. I haven't found the s3 usefull enough to say "man I glad I spent the money to upgrade to the s3" :-(
Dont get me wrong I really like the phone, but I paid the no commit price so its harder on the wallet.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
If you got the money and more than one line with upgrades than do it.
It's a very nice phone, it not a huge upgrade, but an upgrade indeed.
If you really think about it from here on out how much better can a phone get. It's always gonna be small upgrades moving forward.
Well at least that's how I see it.
This phone is a beast and I personally like everything about it, so much that I haven't even had the urge to root and flash anything.
Maybe when JB is stable enough, but I'm actually happy stock.
Only real problem I've had is signal drops here and there, but I'm sure that will get fixed with a different modem or something.
Powered by the SGSIII
Thanks for all the replies guys, really appreciate all your efforts into helping me decide. So far I'm inclined to stick with the GS2 since its quite frankly one of the top 3 phones out there and I am so used to it too. I just wanted to experience Rogers LTE since I do have 6 gigs of data to play with. I also would welcome the longer battery life since the GS2 is a thirsty model with every single ROM/Kernel out there. I am going for the 2000mAH extended battery to see if there is a huge improvement or anything and if there is, then I'll stick with the phone till a new version of S3 comes out or better yet next year's S4.
Well, I really like the S3, it's a very smooth device. But, I think I'd wait on the developer community a little longer before deciding whether to upgrade.
Sent from my LOCKED (Verizon, you suck), SCH-I535.
KillaHurtz said:
The HD2 already has Jelly Bean bro !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:highfive:

[Q] Galaxy S3 multitasking issues.

Hi,
First of all, I did a forum search and it seems that not a lot of people are experiencing the same problem as me with the GS3 (almost all related entries are about HOX).
I own an international Galaxy S3, recently updated to Jelly Bean (Vodafone Spain firmware). Thing is multitasking management in my device is a complete crap... for instance, if I open the Kindle app (or the web browser or any other app), then open another app, wait 20 secs and open Kindle again through the multitasking button... it works as expected, reopening the app in the same state it was... but if I wait around 4 or 5 minutes, multitasking doesnt work, this means when I try to reopen the previous app, the S3 redraws it (refreshes it) so I lose the page i was reading on Kindle or the webpage and scroll I had opened in Chrome, etc etc etc.
It just seems to me that memory management in this device goes like this: "Do a kill -9 to every running app process after a given (short) amount of time".
I really like Android and all that but, coming from an iPhone 4 as my previous phone, I've got to say that multitasking management in iOS was far superior... I could reopen apps that had been several hours in background and it always saved the app state, never experiencing these annoying "refreshes" or "redraws" or whatever it's called.
Is there any fix for this? Maybe some custom ROM with better memory management??
I just want to subscribe this thread. Interesting question!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1888081
There, enjoy 7+ apps at the same time.
There are several threads about this already... I know, because I made one of them and there was another one with the same subject. ("Multitasking issues?" And the other one was something with ram
To the topic, I'm having the same issues, but on the galaxy S2 I didn't experience such problems. I don't know but something is really f***** up with the memory management...
You can try making a swap partition, there is a thread somewhere on here about how to make one. That'll dump some memory on the SD CARD. Instead of killing the app..
I can assure you it is not a general android problem. As on the s2 with the same amount of memory (1gb) I didn't have any problems. I thought this phone would be an upgrade.. it is in many ways, but the memory management is really a huge let down...
So my recommendation for you is to first try to remove the bloatware (apps of Samsung or other using memory which you don't need) and see if it makes a change.
If you're still not satisfied try the swap partition.
This phone with it's current software configuration needed 1.5gb of Ram, but with some mods and tweaks you'll be fine!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Same problem here
http://android.caotic.it/2012/10/samsung-galaxy-s3-presto-jelly-bean-4-1-2-con-multi-window/
Inviato dal mio GT-I9300 con Tapatalk 2
Put Samsung and Google against the wall...
I'd argue that it is a general android issue. I had exactly the same problem with a htc One X, which also has a high res screen and only 1Gb of mem.
I think the problems with the S3 is ignored because lots of the reports on the web about the S3 is about the US version, which runs fine on it's 2Gb.
This IS a big issue, and i wish someone with a bit of authority would stand up and put Samsung and Google against the wall.
The customers shouldn't have to tweak the OS by adding adding virtual memory management, and whatnot to get basic functionality working.
I had no problems running web radio software in the background on my htc Desire, but with my S3 I can't have anything in the background basically.
This really needs to be resolved. I'd rather have a simpler launcher and having RAM enough to keep stuff running in the background.
I'm running JB since a week ago now, and the behaviour is the same.
I must say I'm dissapointed with Android, first having to live with the Desire for years, that came with next to no space to install apps and now th S3 having no RAM to run in...
Hans
GS3 Swedish 9300 w 4.1
hassebasse said:
I'd argue that it is a general android issue. I had exactly the same problem with a htc One X, which also has a high res screen and only 1Gb of mem.
I think the problems with the S3 is ignored because lots of the reports on the web about the S3 is about the US version, which runs fine on it's 2Gb.
This IS a big issue, and i wish someone with a bit of authority would stand up and put Samsung and Google against the wall.
The customers shouldn't have to tweak the OS by adding adding virtual memory management, and whatnot to get basic functionality working.
I had no problems running web radio software in the background on my htc Desire, but with my S3 I can't have anything in the background basically.
This really needs to be resolved. I'd rather have a simpler launcher and having RAM enough to keep stuff running in the background.
I'm running JB since a week ago now, and the behaviour is the same.
I must say I'm dissapointed with Android, first having to live with the Desire for years, that came with next to no space to install apps and now th S3 having no RAM to run in...
Hans
GS3 Swedish 9300 w 4.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember, this is the first Jellybean update batch, there should be tons of updates later fixing bugs instead of getting it "working", 1GB is enough when managed properly.
hassebasse said:
I'd argue that it is a general android issue. I had exactly the same problem with a htc One X, which also has a high res screen and only 1Gb of mem.
I think the problems with the S3 is ignored because lots of the reports on the web about the S3 is about the US version, which runs fine on it's 2Gb.
This IS a big issue, and i wish someone with a bit of authority would stand up and put Samsung and Google against the wall.
The customers shouldn't have to tweak the OS by adding adding virtual memory management, and whatnot to get basic functionality working.
I had no problems running web radio software in the background on my htc Desire, but with my S3 I can't have anything in the background basically.
This really needs to be resolved. I'd rather have a simpler launcher and having RAM enough to keep stuff running in the background.
I'm running JB since a week ago now, and the behaviour is the same.
I must say I'm dissapointed with Android, first having to live with the Desire for years, that came with next to no space to install apps and now th S3 having no RAM to run in...
Hans
GS3 Swedish 9300 w 4.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The US 2gb version has a max hidden app limit of 50 hence no complaints.
The others have a 20 max hidden app limit.
Most android devices have a 15 max hidden app limit and some sense roms it's as low as 10.
How do I know?
Because I fixed it
http://goo.gl/IvGL1
There are other vital changes that I make but Maximum Overdrive the biggie.
Skander1998 said:
Remember, this is the first Jellybean update batch, there should be tons of updates later fixing bugs instead of getting it "working", 1GB is enough when managed properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problems are identical on 4.0.4, and I've not seen any acknowledgement on the issues neither from Samsung or Google. I used to think the Apple believers were the most tolerant to absent functionality, but this really puts us on the top as android users. I would probably accept it from a low end device for $100, but the S3 is the pinnacle, the superphone, in short, the dogs bollocks, or awesome, like a hundred billion hotdogs.
I think it just stinks and the thought of having to keep using the S3 every day for a year or two in the current sorry state really pisses me off. The thing is it's my work phone, and I don't expect I'll get a new premium phone if I try 'scrapgrading' it. If it was mine, I'll sell it in a hartbeat.
/Hans
The same non-existing multitasking brought me here. I got my GSG3 on Saturday, 4 days ago. Am loving it so far.
But one thing I was looking forward the most is mostly absent: switching between apps without them reloading every time I access them again.
I had a HTC Sensation (768mb RAM) where as soon as I left the browser and returned to it, the page was being reloaded, even if I just left quickly for checking my mails or whatsapp. Not cool if you're surfng on your mobile network and have a datacap. Same goes for Games.
Then I had a Xperia S (1 GB Ram) for a few weeks. Same crap. Even if I didn't leave the game but just clicked the standby button, the game would reload when unlockign the phone a few minutes later.
Am really disappointed to see this happen all over again with the Galaxy S3. iOS might not have real multitasking, but I'd take it any day over the crap we are being served.
Just ****ing freeze the app if you can't make it run constantly in the background, I don't care, I just want it to resume EXACTLY where I left it.
I always had the impression its because of low RAM. Even with the SGS3, my RAM is usually something like 730/833mb without really doing anything. Even after clearing memory it's still 614/833mb used. Of course stuff's gonna close.
I really wanted to go for a 2GB model but there simply is nothing on the market here in europe apart from the new Nexus 4. I actually wanted that one real bad - until I learned about 16GB, no SD Card slot and non-removable battery.
So yeah the SGS3 is awesome in many ways, but this blows. I have yet to find a phone that satisfies all my needs. Oh well maybe with the S4, but there's always something isn't it?>.<
before S3 a had a HTC Sensation..multi tasking din't work at all, it always refresh|reload apps
on S3 and android 4.0.4 i think multitasking work better but not so good
as far as i know the only one phone work well with multitasking is Google Nexus and the phones with clean OS from Google.
others brand make modification with OS for their launcher etc and multitasking was broken
This problem is so annoying. Even on my HTC Desire HD switching between apps worked better. I really hate Samsung for all the Touchwiz bloatware crap and for not releasing the Exynos sources/documentation.
Well, I don't have such problems, multitasking is working just fine here unless I open a 2 gb game or Google maps or Google Earth. My ram is between 530 and 640. I have some redraws on home screen sometimes, especially on the weather widget, I can't deny that. Also is true, no 2 gigs phone in Europe until now. I bought mine in May. I will get the S4 next year. Hope to see a better and faster phone.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
demlasjr said:
Well, I don't have such problems, multitasking is working just fine here unless I open a 2 gb game or Google maps or Google Earth. My ram is between 530 and 640. I have some redraws on home screen sometimes, especially on the weather widget, I can't deny that. Also is true, no 2 gigs phone in Europe until now. I bought mine in May. I will get the S4 next year. Hope to see a better and faster phone.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
demlasjr, close all apps and then try opening a page in the browser, leave with home key. start a game, leave again. then open whatsapp/messaging and leave again. finally, open any other app (FB or youtube or whatever) and leave one more time with home button.
Thats just 4 (four) apps! By now the phone has killed your game and your browser. Just bring up the recent apps menu and switch back to the browser. It will reload your entire page from scratch, not a big deal when on wifi but a real pain in the ass when on mobile data. Now try switching to you game, it will reload from the starting screen instead of from where you left.
This IS an issue. People in denial are either oblivious to it (the average user sure is) or they don't mind their apps relaoding from scratch. I could make a nice video to show it since alot of ppl pretend they don't have the problem, but I'm too lazy to prove the obvious and since our international GSG3's all run on 1gb and more or less the same firmware, this simply can not be the case. What is possible is people using only 2-3 apps all the time, thus they never experience the problem. But there are others who don't use their smartphones only for texting and FB.
As a reference, see this thread http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/629432-multitasking.html. Exactly what I'm talking about.
Only remedy so far is installing aokp, it alleviates the problem a bit because it allows more open apps. it's still not good.
+1
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Vipeout said:
demlasjr, close all apps and then try opening a page in the browser, leave with home key. start a game, leave again. then open whatsapp/messaging and leave again. finally, open any other app (FB or youtube or whatever) and leave one more time with home button.
Thats just 4 (four) apps! By now the phone has killed your game and your browser. Just bring up the recent apps menu and switch back to the browser. It will reload your entire page from scratch, not a big deal when on wifi but a real pain in the ass when on mobile data. Now try switching to you game, it will reload from the starting screen instead of from where you left.
This IS an issue. People in denial are either oblivious to it (the average user sure is) or they don't mind their apps relaoding from scratch. I could make a nice video to show it since alot of ppl pretend they don't have the problem, but I'm too lazy to prove the obvious and since our international GSG3's all run on 1gb and more or less the same firmware, this simply can not be the case. What is possible is people using only 2-3 apps all the time, thus they never experience the problem. But there are others who don't use their smartphones only for texting and FB.
As a reference, see this thread http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/629432-multitasking.html. Exactly what I'm talking about.
Only remedy so far is installing aokp, it alleviates the problem a bit because it allows more open apps. it's still not good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you bro....I am struggling to find an alternate solution to this problem as I don't want to root my phone as I just bought it 15 days back.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Read my post on page 1.
Its fixed.
Yesterdays update makes the fix all automatc.
http://goo.gl/IvGL1
zeppelinrox said:
Read my post on page 1.
Its fixed.
Yesterdays update makes the fix all automatc.
http://goo.gl/IvGL1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, saying something is fixed, and then pointing people to a page that suggests a fix which is just as confusing and difficult to use as the supercharger script, which I could not get to work for love nor money, won't help the majority of people who want a nice and easy fix to something that requires a nice and easy fix.
I tried the supercharger script a number of times and could never get it to stick no matter what I tried so the multitasking patch surely will be just as difficult to get working for the layman as that.
What people really need is a CWM runnable file that fixes this issue.
I will personally use a custom ROM that manages to fix or at least alleviate the issues until Nexus 4 comes back into stock or the Optimus G comes out next year lol.
Vipeout said:
demlasjr, close all apps and then try opening a page in the browser, leave with home key. start a game, leave again. then open whatsapp/messaging and leave again. finally, open any other app (FB or youtube or whatever) and leave one more time with home button.
Thats just 4 (four) apps! By now the phone has killed your game and your browser. Just bring up the recent apps menu and switch back to the browser. It will reload your entire page from scratch, not a big deal when on wifi but a real pain in the ass when on mobile data. Now try switching to you game, it will reload from the starting screen instead of from where you left.
This IS an issue. People in denial are either oblivious to it (the average user sure is) or they don't mind their apps relaoding from scratch. I could make a nice video to show it since alot of ppl pretend they don't have the problem, but I'm too lazy to prove the obvious and since our international GSG3's all run on 1gb and more or less the same firmware, this simply can not be the case. What is possible is people using only 2-3 apps all the time, thus they never experience the problem. But there are others who don't use their smartphones only for texting and FB.
As a reference, see this thread http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/629432-multitasking.html. Exactly what I'm talking about.
Only remedy so far is installing aokp, it alleviates the problem a bit because it allows more open apps. it's still not good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried mate. I tried with Tapatalk + whatapp + yahoo mail in Dolphin + cut the rope. Everything works fine and no redraws or refreshes. Only with Google Earth and Maps or very very big games. I can even make a video to shop you that I have no issues. Try this combination and let me know if you have redraws
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

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