should I upgrde to S3? - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've had an s2 for little under a yr and after the impressive features, games and ability, I'm now just using the device as a normal phone (as it should be), with the occasional satnav app, and mainly for music.
Apart from the screen size and sheer speed of the s3, is there any alternative advantages to be had having the s3; except of having the latest device.
I'm rooted with stock ROM.
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smash
SGS2 GT-I9100 using xda prem

Not worth upgrading TBH

Read the other exact same posts >> should i upgrade to S3 etc .
jje

It's easily worth upgrading. If you read a lot, Smart Stay is a godsend.
NFC tags are INCREDIBLY useful. I've got one in my car that puts my ringer/notification volumes on full, enables bluetooth and starts Spotify for me. Even though it only takes about a minute to set the phone up, it's very repetitive when you have to do it every time you get in and out of the car. This is also a "future proof" feature for when mobile payments become more popular, which they will do, especially with things like Barclays Paytag pushing for them.
The speed difference is incredible, as is the much longer-lasting battery.
I bought my S3 outright as I was still in contract with my S2, then I sold my S2, so I basically got the phone half price. It's easily worth an upgrade

Personally I wouldn't IMO its not a monumental upgrade...

Definitely not worth the upgrade. The GS3 is mostly filled with gimmicks like Wallet, NFC and a few other that a average user like yourself will probly have no use for. Also the phone isn't that much faster then its predecessor. Yeah its a bit faster but not much faster that one will notice without benchmarking.

Thanks for the heads up all. Appreciated
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smash
SGS2 GT-I9100 using xda prem

Related

This phone vs. iPhone

Name your pros and cons for having each. I'm deciding whether to get this or the 4S. Obviously you're on here cuz you probably have the GS2, so I'm expecting some good pros! But I also want to be aware of things I might miss or run into. This is probably easier for people who've had an iPhone in the past, but really, you can participate either way.
Edit: I'm also really concerned about battery life. What kind of battery life do you get? How long does it go without a charge, and what kind of screen-on time do you get? And how does this compare to the battery life of your past iPhone (if you've owned one)?
my gf has the 4s i have the gs2. her phone is tiny, its really disappointing to use. I used to own an iphone 4 and was very pleased with the os, now though whenever i hold one i get sad because there's so much goodness being spoiled by that small screen.
anyway, on to the part that matters to you: battery life.
This one really varies, when i first got the gs2 and android i would get about the same battery life as her 4s but i was a noob and had all sorts of background data going and wasting battery. Since i've downloaded juice defender ultimate and set it up correctly, i get about 24 hours or more out of the phone b4 needing to charge.
Go with the gs2.
systoxity said:
my gf has the 4s i have the gs2. her phone is tiny, its really disappointing to use. I used to own an iphone 4 and was very pleased with the os, now though whenever i hold one i get sad because there's so much goodness being spoiled by that small screen.
anyway, on to the part that matters to you: battery life.
This one really varies, when i first got the gs2 and android i would get about the same battery life as her 4s but i was a noob and had all sorts of background data going and wasting battery. Since i've downloaded juice defender ultimate and set it up correctly, i get about 24 hours or more out of the phone b4 needing to charge.
Go with the gs2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
24 hours? That's sweet. How much do you use the phone during that time? Heavy or moderate user?
the only thing that iphone wins in is the connectivity with a mac (ical, address book, itunes) i know there are apps for this and while they are good, they dont match the easiness (IMO)
I was an Iphone user since the 2007 when it first came out. I have had everyone one of them since. I just switched to the SG2 from my 4S and I absolutely love this phone. Yeah, the Iphone has a polished OS, but I had to jailbreak it to use any of the better functions.
I rooted and put a rom on this puppy and I get 48 hrs of battery life moderate use. If I go heavy I can easily get 24 hrs...
i have the skyrocket now and i'm really disappointed with it. longtime 3gs user and android is definitely less polished with many more force closes than ios. another thing is that you're always worried about whether or not an app is poorly written and just spinning in the background. i don't have energy to deal with such things- when i download an app (words with friends or facebook are two really good examples on android vs. iphone) i just want it to work and not screw up my phone. yes, i know there are other apps other than words with friends but everyone i know uses words with friends and i don't think i could convince everyone to switch over just to play with me.
that said, yes you can do a lot more but you really have to mess with all the settings to get them just right. and even then the battery life is awful.
i'm a med student so i spend long hours studying and listening to music on my phone. with my 3gs i could easily get through a 12+ hour study session listening to music the whole time with frequent browsing to look up drugs, diseases, etc.
yesterday i was in the library for a little more than 10 hours with my skyrocket (on wifi the whole time) and it was at 10% when i left whereas the 3gs would be 50%+
hurley81388 said:
i have the skyrocket now and i'm really disappointed with it. longtime 3gs user and android is definitely less polished with many more force closes than ios. another thing is that you're always worried about whether or not an app is poorly written and just spinning in the background. i don't have energy to deal with such things- when i download an app (words with friends or facebook are two really good examples on android vs. iphone) i just want it to work and not screw up my phone. yes, i know there are other apps other than words with friends but everyone i know uses words with friends and i don't think i could convince everyone to switch over just to play with me.
that said, yes you can do a lot more but you really have to mess with all the settings to get them just right. and even then the battery life is awful.
i'm a med student so i spend long hours studying and listening to music on my phone. with my 3gs i could easily get through a 12+ hour study session listening to music the whole time with frequent browsing to look up drugs, diseases, etc.
yesterday i was in the library for a little more than 10 hours with my skyrocket (on wifi the whole time) and it was at 10% when i left whereas the 3gs would be 50%+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The skyrocket has much lower battery life than the Galaxy S II because of the 4g. I usually get a whole days worth of usage out of mine (14+) by the end of the night with about 2-3 hours of screen on time and still have about 40-50% battery left.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
I had an iPhone 4, before 3gs and 3g.
I hated having to wait for jailbreaks to use some features.
Hated Itunes with a passion.
The OS felt boring without jailbreaks.
Bluetooth is closed to share files, songs with other people.
Can't use it as a mass storage device, everything from pc have to go through itunes.
Means you can't copy files directly from other pc, have to rely on third party apps like dropbox which sucks for big files.
Only thing I miss is Activator, which is a jailbreak tweak.
I'm going to attempt a different approach here....
You need to ask yourself what type of user you are. Either a tech/geek/hacker (whatever you want to call it) or someone I would call a general user. By general user I don't mean light phone user. I mean somebody who doesn't want to monkey with settings/themes/roms/kernels etc. The tech user will probably always pick the android over the iphone for its ability to be modded. The iphone is good because you don't have to think about it. Let Apple do all the worrying for you and just use it.
This is not to say that the GS2 is not a great device for a general user, or that an iPhone is not a great device for a techy, but they both shine in different ways. Take a look through the themes section and check out some screen shots of the GS2. Look at all the different ways you can make it personal. The iphone (non jailbroken) will always look pretty close to everybody else.
To answer your battery question though, I easily get 24hrs with moderate to heavy use (caveat: I run an app called tasker that helps with battery saving. Great app).
GeremyHamlett said:
I'm going to attempt a different approach here....
You need to ask yourself what type of user you are. Either a tech/geek/hacker (whatever you want to call it) or someone I would call a general user. By general user I don't mean light phone user. I mean somebody who doesn't want to monkey with settings/themes/roms/kernels etc. The tech user will probably always pick the android over the iphone for its ability to be modded. The iphone is good because you don't have to think about it. Let Apple do all the worrying for you and just use it.
This is not to say that the GS2 is not a great device for a general user, or that an iPhone is not a great device for a techy, but they both shine in different ways. Take a look through the themes section and check out some screen shots of the GS2. Look at all the different ways you can make it personal. The iphone (non jailbroken) will always look pretty close to everybody else.
To answer your battery question though, I easily get 24hrs with moderate to heavy use (caveat: I run an app called tasker that helps with battery saving. Great app).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you about what kind of user you are. The iPhone is meant for certain people while android is meant for others. It really comes down to what you want from your phone. If you like the freedom of changing every little thing about your phone then go with the Galaxy S II. If you like something that you don't have to mess with much and still have a good user experience, get the iPhone.
I say go gs2. Better community, xda is awesome. More customizable stuff...and androids eat apples.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Pretty much just echoing what has already been said, but I switched from the 4 and while it was a beautiful piece of hardware, I had so many headaches dealing with Apple's restrictions. I'm not much of a widget guy and keep just one homescreen with almost nothing running in the background and get amazing battery life, certainly just as good as the 4 if not better (flashing UnNamed helped as well, but not necessary).
This phone is lightning quick, feels great in the hand and I just can't imagine going back.
Agree with Geremy.. used a 3GS before, then an Aria, now the SGS2..
How you approach using the phone is the key decision point.
As to battery life,the SGS2 is pretty good for an android phone. On a light-use day (some email, 20 minutes of newsreaders, about an hour of music...I can go 14-15 hours. On a heavy use day, extensive emailing, web browsing for a hours, navigating in car, music while working, phone calls,I will get about 8 hours. BUT I always carry a backup battery, so I don't pay much attention to that issue.. on a heavy day,I will switch batteries at about 4 pm and use the phone until the end of the day... just start charging when I go to sleep, meantime, the second battery is charging in the external charger... the next day,I am ready for either situation.
(actually I have 3rd battery for when I am traveling an don't know how much I will use the phone, or when/ where I will be able to charge it again..).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Yup
GeremyHamlett said:
I'm going to attempt a different approach here....
You need to ask yourself what type of user you are. Either a tech/geek/hacker (whatever you want to call it) or someone I would call a general user. By general user I don't mean light phone user. I mean somebody who doesn't want to monkey with settings/themes/roms/kernels etc. The tech user will probably always pick the android over the iphone for its ability to be modded. The iphone is good because you don't have to think about it. Let Apple do all the worrying for you and just use it.
This is not to say that the GS2 is not a great device for a general user, or that an iPhone is not a great device for a techy, but they both shine in different ways. Take a look through the themes section and check out some screen shots of the GS2. Look at all the different ways you can make it personal. The iphone (non jailbroken) will always look pretty close to everybody else.
To answer your battery question though, I easily get 24hrs with moderate to heavy use (caveat: I run an app called tasker that helps with battery saving. Great app).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to agree with this whole-heartedly. The other main difference are the apps that are available and how well they are written. I fall as someone who is a techy but isn't too much for visual customization. I don't mind the phone looking the same as others, but do like tinkering with the internal processes from time to time.
I used iphone 3gs, 4 and am using ASGS2 now.
iphone +s.
As apple is manufacturer of phone + OS, they know the things inside out and fix the bugs easily and quickly.
Your iphone is guaranteed for at least 2 to 3 future iOS releases though some functions may not work with new releases.
I like Iphone Keyboard a lot, the accuracy of letters while you type in is excellent, with same speed of typing I make a lot of typos on ASGS2, I somehow managed to get nicer typing with help of "Go keyboard (free)" on ASGS2, my sincere thanks to "Go keyboard" Team!
Quality of hardware and resale-able on ebay! your return on investment works!
ASGS2 +s.
Bigger Screen/Display.
Open source, apps from 3rd party like Amazon apps store, support from forums like xda.
Easily unlock-able/ root-able.
More customizable than iphone due to big community of freelancers as you see on xda!! Hats off to them.
Flash videos works here, not on iphone!
I just came from a 3gs. From a core perspective, i.e, web, email, browsing, facebook, twitter, etc. it's pretty much the same. Lots of different options, way more control.
My recommendation is that you go into the store and spend a few hours over a few days playing with the devices. It's hard to get an true feeling of things but it will at least get you more time with Android.
Apple makes a nice product, iOS is solid. But for me the screen size on the 4s screwed the pooch. I'm older (42), and frankly was sick of the smaller screen.
My decision came down to two points:
1) Could I two way sync with icloud calendars (entire house is apple).
2) How much of a pain would it be to get Apple Address Book Contacts into Google
3) How much of a pain would it be to get/sync itunes to it?
Subjective:
4) Would I like Android.
Answers:
1) Smooth Sync for Cloud Calendars - perfect two way sync.
2) Export to vCard - Import to Google. Easy.
3) Doubletwist with Airsync - works like a charm. Installed doubletwist on device and imac, airsync on device and bam! Wireless sync of itunes to GS2.
4) This is the hardest one for you to answer. As a long time apple user I found myself so ingrained with how things looked with Apple that some things were an initial shock. Not that they didn't work, but because the look a little different etc.
I think most has been covered here already but+ 1 if you like to SET UP EVERYTHING the way YOU LIKE IT AND WANT IT TO WORK then OGSGS2. I have never and will never use a iPhone because I like to tinker with my phone to it's Max. And as far as battery life it is pretty darn good. I would say I am a pretty heavy user also.
The area where it levels out is while I was sleeping fyi and forgot to plug it in.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
I would say that I agree with everyone here so far. I really want to like android- I'm a techy nerdy kind of guy. I would never buy a Mac because I know I can build my own desktop with the same components for half the price and dual-boot hackintosh it if i really wanted the OS (which i don't). I only bought the first original iphone because I could unlock it and use it on my ridiculously cheap grandfathered T-mobile plan at the time (when there wasn't 3g). This was far before the days of untethered jailbreaking and unlocking so it was pretty involved and quite scary because it was fairly easy to brick the phone from my understanding. And I only got the 3gs because android was really unrefined at that point and ATT had no good offerings.
But at the same time my life has gotten busier and busier so I have less time to mess around with different ROMs of varying stabilities and worrying about whether or not that new app I installed is sucking up all of my battery in the background. Or having to unroot the phone before taking it in for any warranty issues. Maybe I'm getting old, grumpy, or work is ruining my life- I'm not sure which one it is haha.
I will say the one feature I LOVE about my SR though is that 4.5 inch screen. I know it has terrible pixel density and all that stuff but I love how big everything is- it's so much easier on the eyes. I also really like the ability to add widgets to the homescreen and that the customization options are there (but something I don't really care for).
But at the same time I think it's the little things where Apple has really outdone everyone. For one thing, the scrolling on the stock web browser is jumpy and I find that using the headphone remote to double click to skip the song is blah. For some reason (as I mentioned before) Samsung also thinks that nobody cares about bluetooth headset voice dialing and left it out of this phone. Also, you can't change the auto-brightness settings at all and the stock settings are horrific. Yes I know there are 3rd party apps for all of these things but then you're introducing another variable which you then have to worry about if it's sucking up all of your battery in the background (in my experience I found both the Dolphin and Opera web browsers to use significantly more processor time than the stock web browser)
Also, yes having a removable battery is awesome and theoretically easy to switch throughout the day but I have the Otterbox Defender on my SR which is definitely not a case you want to be taking apart and putting back together all the time. All of the other cases for the phone (and I'm a clumsy person so I definitely need a case) don't seem much easier to take on and off as well.
Oh well, maybe with ICS Android will smooth out the edges and developers will stop writing crappy code to allow for all sorts of rogue apps....
I had the S2 for about 3 weeks and then returned it to get my wife an iPhone 4s. I currently use my Captivate. I hate Apple with a passion, but I will say the iPhone is just soo polished! If you dont want to hack anything it really is a great phone (minus flash) and battery life is better than ANY Android phone. My wife gets 3 days of life per charge easily. She doesnt have push email but she does use it.
My S2 only got me a day of battery life (push enabled). For me I would stay Android (i love the customizing) but if battery life is a big concern there is no doubt Apple as Android beat. Thats my 2 cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
If you want great battery life, go use an old 3310 Nokia phone.

Regrets with android

Hey everybody. I have been a longtime iPhone user and I enjoy the phone but I'm getting so bored with it. I love the androids that my friends have especially the Galaxy S3. I really want a Note or the Note 2 but worry about reliability or loss of features. Are there any iPhone converts on here that have no regrets with switching? Thanks!
I'm confused. Your prior posts indicated you owned an android phone since last year.
anyway, i owned 3 versions of iphones and last year switched to Samsung infuse (disappointing because of poor gps issues) but once I went to the NOTE I'll never turn back to iphone (u hit the nail on the head...boring).
I had the 3g and the 4 and do not regret switching to Android. Bought the Dell Streak years ago when making my switch and now own the gnote. Best move I ever made. If u are a tweaker then go with Android, if like the same old vanilla flavor stay with apple.
Sent from the TermiNOTEr!
I have but always just to mess around with android and never used as a daily driver. I have since sold those other ones and am thinking of going with just an android form. Seriously thinking about the Note 2 when it comes out on AT&T. I really want a bigger screen since I love mobile games.
Do you guys have issues with force closing and app reliability? That's the stuff I worry about.
tEcHsAvY said:
Do you guys have issues with force closing and app reliability? That's the stuff I worry about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Force closing is not really an issue anymore. If you had an app on iphone close on you unexpectedly, basically its the same thing but it just didn't advertise it.
Sent from my Galaxy Note
Yeah that's true come to think of it. On the iPhone it just exits out and doesn't say anything.
I migrated from iPhone a few weeks ago. Had an iPhone 4, and then bought an iPhone 4S when it was released. So it's been about 2 years of using the iPhone. I wanted a bigger screen so I switched to the Note. It has definitely not been a smooth transition, but nothing I didn't really expect. Here are some major issues I had:
Pros:
- Widgets. Seriously, how has iPhone not enabled these yet
- Screen size
- Don't need to jailbreak/root for full functionality
- Flash support (although not possible with Chrome so this will vanish soon)
- No proprietary hardware, more freedom in general
Cons:
- eMail is terrible, need to pay for third party app which still doesn't work properly
- Music app is terrible, need to pay for Poweramp or equivalent, which is still buggy
- No built-in podcast app, need to pay for DoggCatcher or equivalent
- Browser UI is clunky and slow (dealing w/ bookmarks and tabs is a nightmare, much snappier on iPhone)
Overall I still think I'll like my Note more in the long run but getting everything to work properly is a royal pain in the ass, and not cheap, either. The only app I've really had an issue with is Poweramp which I use for music, and every couple minutes I get a static white noise for about a second. And like I said eMail overall is completely terrible, to the point where I said "eff this" and just forward everything to my GMail account. maybe that was their plan all along...
skinblues said:
The only app I've really had an issue with is Poweramp which I use for music, and every couple minutes I get a static white noise for about a second.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you purchased it, this shouldn't be happening. I've been using PowerAmp forever and there's never been anything like that. You may have had bad luck and your Note has bad hardware.
I used iPhone since 2007, from 2G to 4, back to 3G (cuz 4 was stolen) until June this year.
The ONLY thing I miss is Bejeweled Blitz. Yes, music/email apps are not as good, but for phone/text/browsing/video, Note has been far and away better than iPhone. And I was not impressed at all with iPhone 5 either.
skinblues said:
I migrated from iPhone a few weeks ago. Had an iPhone 4, and then bought an iPhone 4S when it was released. So it's been about 2 years of using the iPhone. I wanted a bigger screen so I switched to the Note. It has definitely not been a smooth transition, but nothing I didn't really expect. Here are some major issues I had:
Pros:
- Widgets. Seriously, how has iPhone not enabled these yet
- Screen size
- Don't need to jailbreak/root for full functionality
- Flash support (although not possible with Chrome so this will vanish soon)
- No proprietary hardware, more freedom in general
Cons:
- eMail is terrible, need to pay for third party app which still doesn't work properly
- Music app is terrible, need to pay for Poweramp or equivalent, which is still buggy
- No built-in podcast app, need to pay for DoggCatcher or equivalent
- Browser UI is clunky and slow (dealing w/ bookmarks and tabs is a nightmare, much snappier on iPhone)
Overall I still think I'll like my Note more in the long run but getting everything to work properly is a royal pain in the ass, and not cheap, either. The only app I've really had an issue with is Poweramp which I use for music, and every couple minutes I get a static white noise for about a second. And like I said eMail overall is completely terrible, to the point where I said "eff this" and just forward everything to my GMail account. maybe that was their plan all along...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What the hell phone are you using? I know your not talking about the note! And the iPhone doesn't have features lmfao it has apps that's it. iPhones don't do anything. Its a cosmetic aluminum can with a screen. I've had one since 2g-4 and at 4s I said I'm not that dumb which I really started to say at 4 not doing much more than 3gs! But hey a phone is a phone if you make calls!
skinblues said:
I migrated from iPhone a few weeks ago. Had an iPhone 4, and then bought an iPhone 4S when it was released. So it's been about 2 years of using the iPhone. I wanted a bigger screen so I switched to the Note. It has definitely not been a smooth transition, but nothing I didn't really expect. Here are some major issues I had:
Pros:
- Widgets. Seriously, how has iPhone not enabled these yet
- Screen size
- Don't need to jailbreak/root for full functionality
- Flash support (although not possible with Chrome so this will vanish soon)
- No proprietary hardware, more freedom in general
Cons:
- eMail is terrible, need to pay for third party app which still doesn't work properly
- Music app is terrible, need to pay for Poweramp or equivalent, which is still buggy
- No built-in podcast app, need to pay for DoggCatcher or equivalent
- Browser UI is clunky and slow (dealing w/ bookmarks and tabs is a nightmare, much snappier on iPhone)
Overall I still think I'll like my Note more in the long run but getting everything to work properly is a royal pain in the ass, and not cheap, either. The only app I've really had an issue with is Poweramp which I use for music, and every couple minutes I get a static white noise for about a second. And like I said eMail overall is completely terrible, to the point where I said "eff this" and just forward everything to my GMail account. maybe that was their plan all along...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um sir, why are you not using k-9 mail for your non Gmail emails?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
My last iPhone was the 3g. I have not regretted switching. The awesome thing about android its that if you want features, just flash another ROM. The experience has never been what I call boring.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
i switched from 2 years of iP 3GS to the GNote when it 1st came out. LOVE it...no regrets. Is it perfect? no of course not. but nothing is. the size of the screen is incomparable and worth it!
skinblues said:
It has definitely not been a smooth transition, but nothing I didn't really expect. Here are some major issues
Cons:
- eMail is terrible, need to pay for third party app which still doesn't work properly
- Music app is terrible, need to pay for Poweramp or equivalent, which is still buggy
- No built-in podcast app, need to pay for DoggCatcher or equivalent
- Browser UI is clunky and slow (dealing w/ bookmarks and tabs is a nightmare, much snappier on iPhone)
Overall I still think I'll like my Note more in the long run but getting everything to work properly is a royal pain in the ass, and not cheap, either. The only app I've really had an issue with is Poweramp which I use for music, and every couple minutes I get a static white noise for about a second. And like I said eMail overall is completely terrible, to the point where I said "eff this" and just forward everything to my GMail account. maybe that was their plan all along...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you've got some issues going on with you're phone, combined with a possible lack of general knowledge of android apps that a little google searching could help with.
The built in email app is pretty decent in the stock ics build, even then there are several free alternatives such as k9mail like was previously mentioned (it beats the pants off apple's mail app for iPhone).
For music, plenty of free apps that work great. Winamp, is one of the biggest ones that I can think of off the top of my head, Mortplayer is another.
The native browser in ics for my note compared to safari on my iphone 4 is quite a bit faster not only in rendering pages but also has quite a few features that safari lacks (dim screen, download files, save pages, desktop mode, just to name a few.) Plus scrolling pages is relatively lag free.
So I'm not sure where you're coming from on those issues you've listed. I've only had this phone for a week and I've already got everything working flawlessly.
My only one complaint is the very apparent lag when using the spen to write. I havent figured out a fix yet for the millisecond delay from the time you start writing something to the time it shows up in snote. The delay is a tad annoying (I wish it was more like actually writing on paper where the lines you draw show up instantly). I figured since this device was supppsed to be meant for note taking and drawing there should be very little lag with the spen, hopefully project butter will fix this in jb.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
K-9... no that good an app. Kaiten isn't either. I have to agree that the stock email app is week. These other alternatives aren't that great either. I have a Note, contemplated on going to iPhone 5, but I do love the Note and large screen though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
With so many improvements on android os and top notch high end phones, I'm never going back to an iPhone. When comparing high end phones..the iPhone never comes to mind anymore but that's just me. The look of the phone is tired and iOS is plain and boring. Nuff said.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
[Lady]: "How do you carry that huge phone in your pocket?"
[Note User]: "I'm used to having huge stuff in my pants"
borijess said:
I had the 3g and the 4 and do not regret switching to Android. Bought the Dell Streak years ago when making my switch and now own the gnote. Best move I ever made. If u are a tweaker then go with Android, if like the same old vanilla flavor stay with apple.
Sent from the TermiNOTEr!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoa! Another Streak owner. I had it too, and if Dell had actually DONE something with it, the potential was all there (though there were issues, like a battery not up to task, and build quality. I loved it, but had to abandon it for lack of development / upgrades - sheesh it took Dell 6 months to get to Froyo from Eclair!.
As for the op...Let me take a shot at this, and hopefully I can help you decide w if you are bored, and you like to tweak (not REQUIRED as some persist, but POSSIBLE, which iPhone is not designed for) you will likely wonder why you stayed with iPhone as long as you did. '
I was a Windows Mobile guy , but Windows Phone looked a but "dumbed down" and was looking less open to modding, as we called it "in the old days" So I jumped on android specifically for the hot n heavy development going on. You will NOT get bored on Android. I like to say, if there is something you can't do on Android today, you will be able to tommorow or soon, cause SOMEONE is out there developing it right now. Look at the rate that Android took over the phone market. That was not an accident. The iPhone was revolutionary, especially the original in 2007, but has gone evolutionary ever since. Did Android, and Samsung, and HTC and others "steal" iPhone stuff? Hell yeah they did, but "building and improving upon your competitors products is what all tecnical consumer companies DO. So what's the point? You want to lead in Mobile device sales and buzz? Make buzz worthy, sales worthy mobile devices. The Japanese famously cribbed European car designs, applied innovative thinking, and found ways to build EFFICIENTLY and make the cars themselves efficient, and basically outsold their competitors by building a more desirable product, on a number of levels.
That's all Samsung did vs. Apple, and Apple doesn't like it. Is Apple technically "right"? Probably. I say who freaking CARES. Samsung should perhaps pay something for cribbing things a but too obviously, but a Billion Plus?
Sorry, side tracked into all the stuff we are inundated with in the press. Basically, this is the worlds easiest decision. Every US Carrier (assuming the OP is in the US) offers a buyers remorse period. If you can;t tell in 30 days whether Android is for you, then you aren't ever going to know. Heck, I would know almost for certain in 2-3 days max, since thats enough time to use the phone for "phone stuff" and play with it as a portable computer, which is it's other persona. The OS CAN be a bit off-putting at first, and it is not a polished in some ways as iPhone. But that's MOSTLY due to the fact that you can DO so much more. You can't get power without a little complexity. As long as it's logical and intuitive, power is awesome.
One final example, and I think it is an excellent argument for Android vs. iPhone: I was in Japan on business, and found that even with a "World Phone" as AT&T calls it, I found that I had connectivity to everything, but my signal strength was poor. Like 2 bars of 4 on the signal icon. Calls weren't dropping, but were not too clear, and data (email, etc) was slow. I happened to have 3 different "radios" on my SD card (cool little memory devices that you can increase your phones memory with! Apple doesn't want you to know about them, LOL!) The phones "Radio" or Baseband is basically a software modem, of sorts, but it's the code that interacts with the transceiver in your phone, in any event. In my hotel room on the first night, I tried 2 different radios. Didn't NEED to try the 3rd. The second one bumped me to 4 bars of signal strength, and maintained 3-4 for the rest of the trip. Took me 5 minutes to do, and saved the day. Try THAT on an i Phone. Even an iPhone after "Jailbreaking it is limited as to what you can do. VERY few pwople "Develop" at the GUI or OS level for iPhone. They are all developing APPs, and iPhone apps ARE quality bits, for he most part. This is the ONLY area that Android is behind the curve, but I won;t go into some of the reasons, since I already typed a novel here. Suffice it to say that many Android apps need to get better. The killer apps already are great. There is just too much crap...
Good luck with your decision. You WILL have an adjustment period. Stay open minded, and willing to learn, and I think you can be a "convert" too in time, offering help to some other poor Apple drone (not that YOU are one, LOL!)
Has thus guy ran a custom ROM or just stock?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
I've used the stock email for my yahoo since going to android and never had an issue.. browser works fine.. does what its supposed to do, and poweramp is worth the measly $5..
I've of the same thought above.. I think your issues lie in the phone having minor malfunctions, I have never had any of those issues..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

[Q] T-Bolt vs. Note II?

Please read the post, in it's entirety before you scream "HEY NEWB!! This is how we do, hizere. You gots PWNED!"
Seriously. Read it. THEN reply.
I've got the TBolt now. Rooted, BAMF'd, and I've got it so that it runs. And is STABLE. The screen just died (dead spots in the touch sensors), but that's another story for another time. Aside from the communications aspect of what I need the phone for, I use the tether more than the 2-7,000 minutes a month that I'm using on the phone. I live in an area where I have no internets, aside from satellite, so the tether has saved me.
I like the phone. It works. It took me several months to get it to where I liked it. When I saw the Note, I swore that when it got to Verizon, I'd buy it. Well, here we are... So....?
What do I gain in giving up the TBolt for the Note?
Is the Note II rootable, and does the rooted tether work on it?
Is stability an issue with the ROMs for the Note?
I'm sure there are more questions, but it's midnight, and I'm fried. Thanks for you help.
bencozzy said:
If you are wanting tether strong signal the RAZR max HD has a stronger radio.
What other selling points are you looking at?
The s pen and big screen(non pentile) sold me on the note. Other wise I was going to get the RAZR max HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live RIGHT next to the tower, so the signal at the house isn't a huge deal. Do the "antenna enhancers" work, btw? A little random, but I've seen them on Amazon, and wondered if they work.
The screen size is the biggest selling point. I'm a big dude, with big hands, and I like the feeling of something substantial in my hands. Battery life is a big deal, hence the reason I've got the extended battery on the TBolt. Sometimes, I can't get to a charger.
I am finding the TBolt a tad slow, these days. Loaded with apps and all of the stuff I've thrown at it, it's just a little slow. My GF has the Razr, and it's substantially faster than the Tbolt in everything it does. Speed is something I'll like more.
I like having a plug-in micro-SD card. I've heard that some of the newer phones have eliminated this feature.
All this said, what made me look at the Note, and say, "THAT ONE! I want that one!"? The size. Performance increase was acknowledged, but it was the size of the phone that was the wow factor for me. If there's something that is a better fit for my application, I'm all for it.
The bulk of my phone use is texting, video streaming, and web browsing. The TBolt is acceptable, but honestly, if I had high speed connectivity and the phone was just my phone, I'd have been looking for something faster, and more robust months ago. And ESPECIALLY now that the screen is hitting the skids on me, I'd be interested in seeing if there is a better fit.
Canassis said:
I live RIGHT next to the tower, so the signal at the house isn't a huge deal. Do the "antenna enhancers" work, btw? A little random, but I've seen them on Amazon, and wondered if they work.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do and they don't.
If your phone only receive and and never transmit they usually worked. The effect is that your phone through parasitic coupling got a bigger receive antenna and got more received signals even with antenna impedance mismatched. Similar to an old UHF TV whenever you get close or touch the antenna the reception usually improved.
When your phone do transmit they don't work, the enhancers messed up your antenna transmit power impedance match, causing lost of effective transmit power for long distance coverage.
bencozzy said:
.....
Signal boosters if your talking about the stickers no they need to be in direct contact with the antenna to work. Repeaters do work though you'll gain a bar or two depending on various factors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The primary requirement is that the sticker had to be isolated from the touch of your hand which caused drastic changes in the enhancer antenna characteristics.
I had never seen any autotune antenna designs that could compensate for such drastic variance.
You guys rock! Thanks for all of your help.
Thanks for all of the info about the antenna enhancers. I'll go with that they work, but they might not, and they can create a disturbance in the force. :good:
If, based on what you've read above, any of you think a different phone would be a better fit, please.... tell me! This is merely a tool that I use. I need THE BEST tool for the application, and, frankly, I'm not current in my phone knowledge. I'm not hung up on a specific model or brand, I just have some preferences, but can overcome those with a better all around tool.
I want to verify that the Verizon Note II IS rootable, at this point. I also want to verify that root tether is NOT available, yet, on the Note II. That, obviously, is going to be the single biggest factor as to when I purchase the phone.
Given that the T-Mobile Note II was rooted, I would think that when the VZW Note II is actually released, it will be rooted too, but it's kind of hard to confirm/deny root before the general public gets the device.
If tethering is very important to you then you should consider how well the phone do at making connections, rooting and turn on features are well and good but if the connection is terrible having no data connection then even the best optimized perfect browser won't help.
According to the data collected here --> www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/11
The Thunderbolt did fairly well but DroidX and Droid2 are the best of the lot.
imnuts said:
Given that the T-Mobile Note II was rooted, I would think that when the VZW Note II is actually released, it will be rooted too, but it's kind of hard to confirm/deny root before the general public gets the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This makes sense, but if we're projecting forward, your guess would be that you super-nerds will crack that bizniz?
Is there ANY phone that has stumped the chump?
I'm sure it will get root fairly quick as well as the bootloader unlocked. You may have to wait a month though. But there are some app options that may let you tether without root (foxfi?)
I'm coming from the tbolt as well, 2 LONG years watching cool phones come and go. I'm very ready for this Note 2!
I am back on my TBolt after the last year on a GNex.. (shattered screen made me come back to my TBolt as a backup phone) And I put one of the newest ICS leaks on my bolt and I am shocked at how well it still runs.. on 3.x it ran like poop with horrible battery life, but on this ICS ROM, I can actually use the standard battery if I want too.. And the screen on the TBolt is not that hard to fix, might be worth it to resell or even to keep as a backup.. I did mine in about 25mins..
And Like you, I am beyond excited for the Note 2.. Its going to be awesome..
Note 2 is very complex Android device to say at the least. Probably the most complex Android device. For your use the Note 2 is way over kill. There are other large screen Androids that will be much more simple than Note 2. Like the HTC Droid DNA is a good example. Most Verizon devices right now will have the bootloader lock issue. But the community will find the way around that with each high end Verizon Android devices.
The point is that Note 2 is much more of a complex device than some would like to deal with. I would not be surprised that in Dec Verizon will get some Note 2 devices back because of the complexity of the device.
That said, if you are up to dealing with the complexity, then try out Note 2. If you can get over the complexity then you will love the Note 2 device.
Note: BTW - There is ClockworkMod Tether that doesn't need root. Just to let you know.
But yes, Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be able to root
The GN2 may have a higher learning curve, but it's by no means overly complex. My mom has one and she's figured out just about everything including multi window in under a week.
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk
They are people that are not geeks and yet have the knack for such things. My mom is one of those people.
But you will be surprised on how many people will find Galaxy Note 2 over complex for them. And yet Galaxy Note 2 attracts those same people to it. Those are the same people that asks questions like, why do you need so much storage space? And the same people that only uses their devices for facebook, email, texting, netflix, tethering, and checking the scores. For those people Galaxy Note 2 is way over kill. This device is more for organizing your life, productivity, heavy gaming, hand drawing, heavy media, and for the geeks. This is really like the difference between Microsoft computer vs Apple computer.
As long as one understands and accepts that then they will learn it and love it. But if simplicity is what you are looking for then this device is not for you. It is more about your personality if you find Galaxy Note 2 too complex or awesomely joyful. That is what I was trying to make the point.
Personally I would like to see Note 2 features, including the S pen, multi window, etc become the standard in all Androids. Well done Samsung.
JaguarXT said:
They are people that are not geeks and yet have the knack for such things. My mom is one of those people.
But you will be surprised on how many people will find Galaxy Note 2 over complex for them. And yet Galaxy Note 2 attracts those same people to it. Those are the same people that asks questions like, why do you need so much storage space? And the same people that only uses their devices for facebook, email, texting, netflix, tethering, and checking the scores. For those people Galaxy Note 2 is way over kill. This device is more for organizing your life, productivity, heavy gaming, hand drawing, heavy media, and for the geeks. This is really like the difference between Microsoft computer vs Apple computer.
As long as one understands and accepts that then they will learn it and love it. But if simplicity is what you are looking for then this device is not for you. It is more about your personality if you find Galaxy Note 2 too complex or awesomely joyful. That is what I was trying to make the point.
Personally I would like to see Note 2 features, including the S pen, multi window, etc become the standard in all Androids. Well done Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beg to differ. It is running the same software as the s3 (plus some s pen stuff) and the S3 sold a lot to non complex people. I have had 3 relatives all on iphones ask me about getting the s3. IMO the N2 and S3 are the simplest android devices for iphone switchers and the most complex for android vetrans that want complexity.
Why do you need root on the note 2 for? If its just for tether than its not needed, foxfi will work and it doesnt require root. If you need it for something else then that is a different story, but my guess is a month until the community figures out how to root and get around the locked bootloader.
My guess is a week. We kind of have kexec pros now just look at the s3 development before the BL got unlocked.
cortesjues said:
Why do you need root on the note 2 for? If its just for tether than its not needed, foxfi will work and it doesnt require root. If you need it for something else then that is a different story, but my guess is a month until the community figures out how to root and get around the locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Foxfi says in the description that it doesn't work well (at least wifi mode, which is all I use on it) on most JB phones. Obviously I dunno if it does or does not work on the VZW Note 2, but given its the same JB as all the other N2's, I doubt it will, as it didn't work on the Tmo Note 2 I sampled for a week. Hopefully that changes though (and they update foxfi to work on JB)
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The Note 2 is going to be big enough that I won't need to tether my tablet or computer to it.
And can you change the billing card for your pre order? I am thinking about getting my first credit card and putting my pre order on that just because most cards offer an extended warranty on products bought with the card. I have the money right now and I would pay it off right away. It would be an easy way to start building credit and get a extra warranty on the first phone I have bought new since my OG DROID.
Other then that I am stoked to get my new phone. Using my ThunderBolt kinda sucks after a year with my GNex.
Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk 2

Is the Rezound worth getting free over the other, newer phones?

I'm due for an upgrade now, and browsing through the phones on the Verizon store (I can't upgrade through any third party due to the fact I'm on a business account) the only decent 4g phone is the rezound.
I'm currently on a 2 year old Xperia Play, 3g, and it's only redeeming factor is the cool slide out gamepad I use to this day. However, it's seen better days and I gotta retire it. So my question is, is the Rezound worth the free price tag? I hear that rooting it is on the easier side, and that I can squeeze battery life/power out of it through this method, but I'm pretty new to phone hardware/software.
It's either that or pay 50-150 bucks for a new phone. I'd honestly rather not pay anything, but knowing that this phone is a full year old at this point might influence that decision.
Kamikaze-Turtle said:
I'm due for an upgrade now, and browsing through the phones on the Verizon store (I can't upgrade through any third party due to the fact I'm on a business account) the only decent 4g phone is the rezound.
I'm currently on a 2 year old Xperia Play, 3g, and it's only redeeming factor is the cool slide out gamepad I use to this day. However, it's seen better days and I gotta retire it. So my question is, is the Rezound worth the free price tag? I hear that rooting it is on the easier side, and that I can squeeze battery life/power out of it through this method, but I'm pretty new to phone hardware/software.
It's either that or pay 50-150 bucks for a new phone. I'd honestly rather not pay anything, but knowing that this phone is a full year old at this point might influence that decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're willing to spend the money, I strongly recommend the GSIII. I got mine for $99 right before Christmas.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I'd rather have something like a gs3 too. I really like this phone but would trade it in a heart beat for a gs3.
Sent from my Rezound using xda premium
The rezound was ahead of its time so font let the one year mark scare you. However, if your gonna have to keep this phone for two more years you'd be better off with a newer peice of hardware, like the sgs3 or the DROID dna. Also the DROID razr m doesn't look to bad but idk about the modding process for moto phones
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
I've had my Rezound for a while now and I'm always looking at which phones are new. So far, because I don't like huge screens and I like my micro SD card I don't see many new phones for me. I also prefer HTC phones because of the superior cameras. So at this point the Rezound is still a good phone, but it doesn't seem to have 2 years worth of life left.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium HD app
The DNA feedback has been surprisingly good. Battery life is amazing, and it runs like a beast straight out of the box unrooted.
However it's been out a while and like always, there's something better on the Horizon. The GS3 is a nice phone but I wouldn't burn an upgrade for it if you plan to keep your next phone longer than a year or so.
I can't say much about the rezound that's negative. Most of the comments people made who were unhappy was back before we had official ICS firmware and ice cream sandwich source code.
Since you're considering spending a little money on a newer phone anyway, have you considered buying a cheap rezound from a third party (as in a nice used one off contract) and saving your upgrade for the next batch of new phones?
The other advantage there is the readily available development, and HTC dev unlock and s off, all of which exist already.
A friend of mine had an older phone that was decent, but wanted a new toy. He held his upgrade but bought a mint nexus 7 off of somebody local for an extremely cheap deal. Just throwing out ideas, I know it's not likely that's something you're wanting to do.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
I'm probably not the person to ask. I don't buy on contract anymore (not losing my unlimited), and there's really not another phone out that interests me right now anyway. The DNA is the only one that piques my interest at all, but I'm waiting for an AOSP RIL. Samsung is the only other manufacturer that has anything resembling an attractive package to me right now, but I don't like Samsung phone hardware (their screens completely kill the deal for me). All things considered, the Rezound is still the right phone for me right now, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend one on contract.
shrike1978 said:
I'm probably not the person to ask. I don't buy on contract anymore (not losing my unlimited), and there's really not another phone out that interests me right now anyway. The DNA is the only one that piques my interest at all, but I'm waiting for an AOSP RIL. Samsung is the only other manufacturer that has anything resembling an attractive package to me right now, but I don't like Samsung phone hardware (their screens completely kill the deal for me). All things considered, the Rezound is still the right phone for me right now, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend one on contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can agree with that. I love the brightness and vibrance of my GSIII screen, but it is nowhere near as sharp as my rezound. The battery life is pretty sick though.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The battery life on the Rezound is, in my opinion, very poor. The only way my Rezound is useful to me is with the extended battery, which renders the phone a brick. Also, I'm tired of "plasticky" feeling phones. I haven't held a Droid DNA in my hands, but from what I've read about it, it feels more solid. That being said, I wouldn't get a Droid DNA until there's a strong dev community around it.
Appreciate the response guys. I'm probably going to just hold on to my upgrade. My Xperia Play may be a piece of garbage but it makes calls, browses reddit, and plays gameboy ROMs. I would have loved to get the 4g version of my phone but they just keep phasing out old phones and bringing in new ones so damn often.
Any phones I should be looking out for? I'm considering the DNA, but at 200 dollars on an upgrade that's pretty steep for me. Also, is a lack of micro SD becoming an industry standard? I don't keep up with the news like this, but reading some reviews for the DNA leads me to believe the 16 gig internal storage is all you get. I hope they don't go the way of Apple with memory capacity.
No. Save your upgrade for the next generation of phones.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Kamikaze-Turtle said:
Appreciate the response guys. I'm probably going to just hold on to my upgrade. My Xperia Play may be a piece of garbage but it makes calls, browses reddit, and plays gameboy ROMs. I would have loved to get the 4g version of my phone but they just keep phasing out old phones and bringing in new ones so damn often.
Any phones I should be looking out for? I'm considering the DNA, but at 200 dollars on an upgrade that's pretty steep for me. Also, is a lack of micro SD becoming an industry standard? I don't keep up with the news like this, but reading some reviews for the DNA leads me to believe the 16 gig internal storage is all you get. I hope they don't go the way of Apple with memory capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's becoming the industry standard on high end smartphones. Completely sealed except for the SIM slot. No expandable memory, no replaceable battery. I can see good and bad in it. I could easily get by with 8GB if I had to with everything I do being so cloud connected, but having more is nice and I don't like losing the option. The battery being internal is definitely doubled edged. It lets them optimize the battery to better utilize the internal space, which lets them squeeze the most out of the battery they can, but there are days I just need to pop a new one in.
shrike1978 said:
That's becoming the industry standard on high end smartphones. Completely sealed except for the SIM slot. No expandable memory, no replaceable battery. I can see good and bad in it. I could easily get by with 8GB if I had to with everything I do being so cloud connected, but having more is nice and I don't like losing the option. The battery being internal is definitely doubled edged. It lets them optimize the battery to better utilize the internal space, which lets them squeeze the most out of the battery they can, but there are days I just need to pop a new one in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the downfall to non expandable memory and cloud solutions is the tiered data plans that people are being forced into. Streaming any kind of music from say... Google music's cloud storage will burn through your data like you wouldn't believe(I have almost 10 GB of music on my phone). I just... don't like it. That's one reason I opted for my GSIII. The ability to have a 64GB SD is worth being behind slightly in software or hardware.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I just got the rezound today for free coming from an s2 on Sprint. I must say I'm pretty impressed! It's a bit heavy and I'm not rooting until I my 14 day trial is up. The beats headphones is a win win. Keyboard sucks but I'm overall happy for my first day. I'm more concerned about this 2gb of data I'm sharing with my girl than the phone itself. The DNA looks good but the battery and no expandable memory killed it for me
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
I love my rezound, but like others said..save ur upgrade. Ive always wanted an xperia play
Battery life is the only complaint I have on the rezound. Even a year old its as good or better than most other phones except a few high end phones. My wife got a razr m two months ago and its a very nice phone. Aside from the screen resolution its better than the rezound in almost everyway hardware wise. It's exactly the same hardware as the razr hd but a smaller screen. And it has jb. The ppi is crap on it is the only bad thing. And built in battery. But it does have an sd card. For an inexpensive phone it is extremely nice. But I still love my rezzie.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Right now is quite possibly one of the worst times to upgrade your phone. Just keep waiting, and you'll be glad you did. Seriously.
Kamikaze-Turtle said:
I'm due for an upgrade now, and browsing through the phones on the Verizon store (I can't upgrade through any third party due to the fact I'm on a business account) the only decent 4g phone is the rezound.
I'm currently on a 2 year old Xperia Play, 3g, and it's only redeeming factor is the cool slide out gamepad I use to this day. However, it's seen better days and I gotta retire it. So my question is, is the Rezound worth the free price tag? I hear that rooting it is on the easier side, and that I can squeeze battery life/power out of it through this method, but I'm pretty new to phone hardware/software.
It's either that or pay 50-150 bucks for a new phone. I'd honestly rather not pay anything, but knowing that this phone is a full year old at this point might influence that decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the GS4 is in production right now and the samsung mobile director said at CES that he needs to crank it out ASAP to stay competitive. Just be patient
I've had my rezound fit amidst a week and got 10 hours battery life today with light use and still have 30%
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA
shrike1978 said:
I'm probably not the person to ask. I don't buy on contract anymore (not losing my unlimited), and there's really not another phone out that interests me right now anyway. The DNA is the only one that piques my interest at all, but I'm waiting for an AOSP RIL. Samsung is the only other manufacturer that has anything resembling an attractive package to me right now, but I don't like Samsung phone hardware (their screens completely kill the deal for me). All things considered, the Rezound is still the right phone for me right now, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend one on contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in the same boat as you. I renewed my contract before they stop grandfathering unlimited contracts and got the rezound. At this point I see no reason to upgrade. The phone has GSM, great screen, good camera, 4G(best part ), and it feels good. I would recommend this phone if you are in the market for a free one. If your desires are for something else make sure to research the community behind the phone. The GSIII has a CleanROM for it but unfortunately the developer jumps devices faster than most people can keep up. The rezound just got a relatively stable version of jelly bean that is only going to get better.

LG Optimus L90 or Samsung Galaxy Light?

Just a quick question:
T-Mobile has a pretty nice deal going on, where you can purchase a combination of two smartphones (LG Optimus L90 or Samsung Galaxy Light) for a total of $100 + tax!
After hearing this sweet deal, I had to go out and purchase one of those phones, and so I went with the Samsung Galaxy Light, as my brother who will be entering his senior year of high school never had a smartphone in his life. I have heard great things about the Samsung Galaxy Light, but never looked into the LG L90 until I got home, and it looks like it is a 4.7 inch phone vs. the Samsung Galaxy Light's 4 inch screen.
My question is, after looking at the details, which phone is superior then the other? One phone would serve for my brother (he is going to download games and what not, so I figured the 1.4GHz would be superior to LG's 1.2GHz?) and the other phone would serve as a backup (always good to have one laying around!)
Would love to hear your insight on which phone you would chose and why, my brother doesn't care about what phone he gets, just wants an Android that has something he can take pictures with and download tons of apps/games. At the moment, he really is happy with the Light, but I can always switch the other phone to the LG L90, if it is worth the trip to the T-Mobile trip, of course.
BTW: Before someone suggests another phone, I really am looking for something CHEAP, and having an external MicroSD card slot really is a big deal!
Thanks!
darkgiant said:
Just a quick question:
T-Mobile has a pretty nice deal going on, where you can purchase a combination of two smartphones (LG Optimus L90 or Samsung Galaxy Light) for a total of $100 + tax!
After hearing this sweet deal, I had to go out and purchase one of those phones, and so I went with the Samsung Galaxy Light, as my brother who will be entering his senior year of high school never had a smartphone in his life. I have heard great things about the Samsung Galaxy Light, but never looked into the LG L90 until I got home, and it looks like it is a 4.7 inch phone vs. the Samsung Galaxy Light's 4 inch screen.
My question is, after looking at the details, which phone is superior then the other? One phone would serve for my brother (he is going to download games and what not, so I figured the 1.4GHz would be superior to LG's 1.2GHz?) and the other phone would serve as a backup (always good to have one laying around!)
Would love to hear your insight on which phone you would chose and why, my brother doesn't care about what phone he gets, just wants an Android that has something he can take pictures with and download tons of apps/games. At the moment, he really is happy with the Light, but I can always switch the other phone to the LG L90, if it is worth the trip to the T-Mobile trip, of course.
BTW: Before someone suggests another phone, I really am looking for something CHEAP, and having an external MicroSD card slot really is a big deal!
Thanks!
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I have no issues with my L90. Quad core 1.2 ghz BTW , 4 GB internal storage ( user data ), 2 GB system storage. I think 1 GB RAM is advertised by in actuality it's a little over 800 MB. Device is pretty quick. There is a CM11 ( 4.4.4 ) ROM that's fairly stable and with most things working already available for the L90 as well. For most, myself included, the L90 is much much faster running CM11 than stock. Just my opinion tho I paid $150 for mine so if you can get one for $100 I'd climb all over it. LMAO...
Decisions decisions...
Thanks for your response!
I currently have the two Samsung Galaxy Lights... I was wondering if it is worth the extra trip to switch it for the L90's? Just curious since I didn't even look into the phone before buying it...
Sent from my SGH-T769 using XDA Free mobile app
Bump? Would love to get more insight on this!
darkgiant said:
My question is, after looking at the details, which phone is superior then the other? One phone would serve for my brother (he is going to download games and what not, so I figured the 1.4GHz would be superior to LG's 1.2GHz?) and the other phone would serve as a backup (always good to have one laying around!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Between these 2 phones, the main choice is bigger screen vs faster data. The 4.0" screen on the Light is pretty small. The status bar is cramped, the notification menu takes up a ton of space, typing is a bit iffy, and it's obviously not the best choice for watching videos or playing games. But it has LTE data.
The bigger screen on the L90 is definitely better for easier use and viewing. Pixel density is practically identical to the Light, so text won't be any clearer, but there'll be more of it. However, the L90 doesn't have LTE. Heck, it doesn't even have 42.2Mb/s HSDPA+, only 21.1Mb/s. Thankfully T-Mobile has a very good 3G network wherever they have LTE, so speeds are still pretty decent (for example, in Tucson, T-Mo's 3G speeds are better than Sprint's LTE - although that's not saying much). You could see speeds as slow as 1/3 or 1/4 those of LTE.
If you use wi-fi at home and maybe even at work, I'd go with the L90. If you want to stream music or use it as a mp3 player, and don't care as much about games/video or browsing, go with the Galaxy Light since it's smaller and has LTE.
shinobisoft said:
I think 1 GB RAM is advertised by in actuality it's a little over 800 MB.
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Some RAM on every device is set aside for the GPU.
Planterz said:
Between these 2 phones, the main choice is bigger screen vs faster data. The 4.0" screen on the Light is pretty small. The status bar is cramped, the notification menu takes up a ton of space, typing is a bit iffy, and it's obviously not the best choice for watching videos or playing games. But it has LTE data.
The bigger screen on the L90 is definitely better for easier use and viewing. Pixel density is practically identical to the Light, so text won't be any clearer, but there'll be more of it. However, the L90 doesn't have LTE. Heck, it doesn't even have 42.2Mb/s HSDPA+, only 21.1Mb/s. Thankfully T-Mobile has a very good 3G network wherever they have LTE, so speeds are still pretty decent (for example, in Tucson, T-Mo's 3G speeds are better than Sprint's LTE - although that's not saying much). You could see speeds as slow as 1/3 or 1/4 those of LTE.
If you use wi-fi at home and maybe even at work, I'd go with the L90. If you want to stream music or use it as a mp3 player, and don't care as much about games/video or browsing, go with the Galaxy Light since it's smaller and has LTE.
Some RAM on every device is set aside for the GPU.
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Thanks for your detailed response! Yes you are right, I am majority of the times on WiFi, and so would be my brother (whether at home, or at work). That being said, I goes the LTE doesn't make that much of a difference, or at least for me.
My brother essentially would just download multiple apps and just watch videos on YouTube and various other online sources. He also wants to game, a lot.
With all that being said, so you feel getting the L90 would be a better idea for the long run?
Thanks once again!
Sent from my SGH-T769 using XDA Free mobile app
darkgiant said:
Thanks for your detailed response! Yes you are right, I am majority of the times on WiFi, and so would be my brother (whether at home, or at work). That being said, I goes the LTE doesn't make that much of a difference, or at least for me.
My brother essentially would just download multiple apps and just watch videos on YouTube and various other online sources. He also wants to game, a lot.
With all that being said, so you feel getting the L90 would be a better idea for the long run?
Thanks once again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the L90 would probably be the better choice in this case. Bigger battery and better camera than the GL too. And the IPS-LCD screen on the L90, although not having higher pixel density, should be of better quality than the TFT screen of the GL.
A co-worker of mine was faced with the same dilemma, and is going with the L90 as well, since he'll use wi-fi at home, and the 3G speeds in Tucson are plenty for streaming music while he takes the bus across town.
Planterz said:
Yeah, the L90 would probably be the better choice in this case. Bigger battery and better camera than the GL too. And the IPS-LCD screen on the L90, although not having higher pixel density, should be of better quality than the TFT screen of the GL.
A co-worker of mine was faced with the same dilemma, and is going with the L90 as well, since he'll use wi-fi at home, and the 3G speeds in Tucson are plenty for streaming music while he takes the bus across town.
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Glad to hear! My original assumption was the 1.4GHz was the way to go, as I assumed it would be faster performance wise (as I was just looking for the fastest phone), but I guess the fact that the processor is not that heard of in the community may be a bit of a risk (in terms of compatiablity) versus the L90 which seems to be popular within the Android community, especially with XDA.
Thanks for your insight! Going to swap both phones first thing tomorrow!
darkgiant said:
Glad to hear! My original assumption was the 1.4GHz was the way to go, as I assumed it would be faster performance wise (as I was just looking for the fastest phone), but I guess the fact that the processor is not that heard of in the community may be a bit of a risk (in terms of compatiablity) versus the L90 which seems to be popular within the Android community, especially with XDA.
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Click to collapse
Honestly, the extra 200MHz of the Galaxy Light's Exynos is wasted (and probably more) running the heavy TouchWiz interface. The L90 has a Snapdragon 400, which means an Adreno 305 GPU, which is superior to the Mali-400 the GL has.
I vote for L90, bigger screen, better battery and "self-healing" coating. You may choose samsung if you need performance but i think 1.2gz vs 1.4gz wont gain you any benefit except playing heavy 3d game
So it turns out that all the LG L90's are now backtracked, and there is some sort of "Restocking Fee" of $50 if I were to return both phones.
I told the sales representative that the the person never mentioned of the L90's, but she really kept on complaining that its not her fault (she was the manager). I personally have worked sales jobs as a teenager, but boy, the service at the store was complete crap.
She later goes on claiming the phones are pretty identical, with the screen size being bigger on the LG, but the processor is faster on the Samsung Galaxy Light, making it a far superior phone to the LG L90.
Apparently, if the phone is broken, unusable (OS is slow) then they can return the phone, but I dunno if using that excuse would get me any farther, to be honest.
Do you guys think its worth the hassle at this point?
Sorry but there are 3 threads devoted to discussions about devices, please repost your question in one of these three threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.
Thanks!
Hi Mike!

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