Related
Hello evry1...i am very new to this forum,,,and my question is basically for the Indian Users..
So i heard the indian version dont have any nfc chip installed on it??...Well so is for the UK users for now,,,but later they will have nfc models shipped,,,so it ll be a great irritation for those who bought it early,,is the situation same for the Indian users too??? i mean i know there is not much use for nfc in India,,but still i have seen what incredible things nfc can do,,,like pairing 2 devices for a very fast transfer(they have that video for Nokia N9 on gsmarena)....and more over many other phones are going 2 have the nfc chip(and their launch date is soon)...and i wont be able 2 call my phone having more features than theirs...
But i am so in love with this phone,,,and i am goin to buy it tomorrow or day after at the latest....so i want to know about the other problems,,,and whether m making a right choice or not??
like,
1)is the overheating problem so bad??
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware??
3)how is the support for games so far??
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone??
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad??
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality(as even iphone 4's camera is better than sgs2,while it is only 5MP compared to sgs2's 8MP camera,which i think is due to high contrast in iphone's screen quality,so may b u get a better picture with sgs2 when u transfer them to pc.P.S-Don't get me wrong,I really hate Iphone)??
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)??
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)??
PS-users from other countries may help too.... I ll be thankful.
No
None
Good
Heaps
No
Yes
Yes
No
Seriously all these questions can be answered by a 5min search and read.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
ummmm,,,,,wud u plz xplain a bit,,,
as in how can i improve the camera or sound quality,,,??..thanx btw,,
guitarmafia said:
ummmm,,,,,wud u plz xplain a bit,,,
as in how can i improve the camera or sound quality,,,??..thanx btw,,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously all these questions can be answered by a 5min search and read.
jje
guitarmafia said:
Hello evry1...i am very new to this forum,,,and my question is basically for the Indian Users..
So i heard the indian version dont have any nfc chip installed on it??...Well so is for the UK users for now,,,but later they will have nfc models shipped,,,so it ll be a great irritation for those who bought it early,,is the situation same for the Indian users too??? i mean i know there is not much use for nfc in India,,but still i have seen what incredible things nfc can do,,,like pairing 2 devices for a very fast transfer(they have that video for Nokia N9 on gsmarena)....and more over many other phones are going 2 have the nfc chip(and their launch date is soon)...and i wont be able 2 call my phone having more features than theirs...
But i am so in love with this phone,,,and i am goin to buy it tomorrow or day after at the latest....so i want to know about the other problems,,,and whether m making a right choice or not??
like,
1)is the overheating problem so bad??
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware??
3)how is the support for games so far??
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone??
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad??
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality(as even iphone 4's camera is better than sgs2,while it is only 5MP compared to sgs2's 8MP camera,which i think is due to high contrast in iphone's screen quality,so may b u get a better picture with sgs2 when u transfer them to pc.P.S-Don't get me wrong,I really hate Iphone)??
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)??
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)??
PS-users from other countries may help too.... I ll be thankful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems, this phone is out of stock already in india. Please do write if u buy one. Me too waiting for the fresh stock, i need to replace my cell for some screen issue. When u buy this phone please have a thorough look at the screen in all possible ways, many have reported issues.
Re:
1)is the overheating problem so bad??
Nope - even with WiFi and GPS on its nowhere near as hot as my N97 Mini. The highest battery temp I ever saw was 35 degrees C.
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware??
Appears to be an Android 2.3.3 bug - WiFi direct, WiFi sharing, and the Android OS bug. The next FW may solve it
3)how is the support for games so far??
Not much of a gaming person sorry
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone??
Tons of them if your referring to numbers
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad??
Although the strength shown in the notifications area is low, the signal and range is good on Wifi-G
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality?
Its good enough as it is, I am an amateur photographer with a DSLR, so all I can say is there are limits to a phone's image sensor.
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)??
Its not bad, get some quality earphones and its fine with Poweramp
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)??
I got the NFC version here in Abu Dhabi, dont see any point in having it though
Search around and you can find more info
EDIT: The only real problems that this phone has are the yellow colour down the left of the display and the battery drain bug. Some others have trouble with GPS too.
1)is the overheating problem so bad??
I have no overheating problem.
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware??
Killing the WiFi Sharing app fixes a lot of that, but the Android OS "bug" is a problem with Android 2.3.3 that gets better with 2.3.4 if my Nexus S is any indication? In any event, managing your use of major consumers and killing/freezing apps that eat too much prevents it from being anything I'd cause a problem. 4 hours of gaming will kill any smart phone on the market outside of a BlackBerry Curve.
3)how is the support for games so far??
Excellent. Not quite at iOS levels, perhaps, but just a hair under, and the phone VASTLY outperforms an iPhone 4.
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone??
There is no real limit. Apps in the market can now be really big (over 50MB), plus they can store hundreds of megs on the SDcard or the 16GB internal storage. Dungeon Defenders on android is over 600MB.
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad??
I have ZERO wifi "problem". The bars are maybe too honest - it will visibly dip - but I get wifi everywhere around my house and garden, and speedtests show me consistently getting over 10mbps.
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality(as even iphone 4's camera is better than sgs2,while it is only 5MP compared to sgs2's 8MP camera,which i think is due to high contrast in iphone's screen quality,so may b u get a better picture with sgs2 when u transfer them to pc.P.S-Don't get me wrong,I really hate Iphone)??
I start to get the picture that you do NOT hate iPhones - first, you keep aluding to problems as if they are proven - you don't ask "is there a wifi problem?", you ask "is the wifi problem that bad?". Second, this question and thje next one allude to areas of alleged iPhone superiority that do not exist. OK, maybe it's just a communication failure, no problem: a) The SGS2 camera, out of the box, destroys the results you get with an iPhone 4 camera. I had an iPhone 4 for around 11 months, and used it as my primary phone for around 5 of those months, and I assure you that this is true. b) The iPhone screen is woefully unimpressive in any conditions next to the SGS2 screen. It has a higher resolution, but I've yet to have that matter to me, while it suffers from INFINITELY lower contrast. I do not have any yellowing on my screen like some users complain of, so I can't speak for them.
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)??
I find the sound quality to be at least as good as an iPhone's in every respect. Using just the handset, it has a louder speaker and much better call quality in my experience. Through my two pairs of (stupidly) expensive earphones (Shure 535s and Klipsch x10i), I get music problems on my mostly MP3 and AAC libraries showing up before I start blaming the phone. The iPhone has much more variability in volume - there are like 12 steps in the volume scale in iOS versus 8 in Samsung Android, but the SGS2 is MUCH louder - 6 on the SGS2 is louder than anything offered up on the iPhone. Even with really good noise isolators (I use foam tips), you can't (or can barely) hear a movie on an iPhone over the sound of public transportation at max volume. Same movie file on the Sammy is OK at 6 and clear at 7, while being too loud at 8.
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)??
I don't see why you would - they are going to release NFC on MicroSDs, SIMs, sticky tape you can put on the cover, basically everywhere. Why wait if you want it now? Can you use it?
big_adventure said:
1)is the overheating problem so bad??
I have no overheating problem.
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware??
Killing the WiFi Sharing app fixes a lot of that, but the Android OS "bug" is a problem with Android 2.3.3 that gets better with 2.3.4 if my Nexus S is any indication? In any event, managing your use of major consumers and killing/freezing apps that eat too much prevents it from being anything I'd cause a problem. 4 hours of gaming will kill any smart phone on the market outside of a BlackBerry Curve.
3)how is the support for games so far??
Excellent. Not quite at iOS levels, perhaps, but just a hair under, and the phone VASTLY outperforms an iPhone 4.
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone??
There is no real limit. Apps in the market can now be really big (over 50MB), plus they can store hundreds of megs on the SDcard or the 16GB internal storage. Dungeon Defenders on android is over 600MB.
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad??
I have ZERO wifi "problem". The bars are maybe too honest - it will visibly dip - but I get wifi everywhere around my house and garden, and speedtests show me consistently getting over 10mbps.
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality(as even iphone 4's camera is better than sgs2,while it is only 5MP compared to sgs2's 8MP camera,which i think is due to high contrast in iphone's screen quality,so may b u get a better picture with sgs2 when u transfer them to pc.P.S-Don't get me wrong,I really hate Iphone)??
I start to get the picture that you do NOT hate iPhones - first, you keep aluding to problems as if they are proven - you don't ask "is there a wifi problem?", you ask "is the wifi problem that bad?". Second, this question and thje next one allude to areas of alleged iPhone superiority that do not exist. OK, maybe it's just a communication failure, no problem: a) The SGS2 camera, out of the box, destroys the results you get with an iPhone 4 camera. I had an iPhone 4 for around 11 months, and used it as my primary phone for around 5 of those months, and I assure you that this is true. b) The iPhone screen is woefully unimpressive in any conditions next to the SGS2 screen. It has a higher resolution, but I've yet to have that matter to me, while it suffers from INFINITELY lower contrast. I do not have any yellowing on my screen like some users complain of, so I can't speak for them.
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)??
I find the sound quality to be at least as good as an iPhone's in every respect. Using just the handset, it has a louder speaker and much better call quality in my experience. Through my two pairs of (stupidly) expensive earphones (Shure 535s and Klipsch x10i), I get music problems on my mostly MP3 and AAC libraries showing up before I start blaming the phone. The iPhone has much more variability in volume - there are like 12 steps in the volume scale in iOS versus 8 in Samsung Android, but the SGS2 is MUCH louder - 6 on the SGS2 is louder than anything offered up on the iPhone. Even with really good noise isolators (I use foam tips), you can't (or can barely) hear a movie on an iPhone over the sound of public transportation at max volume. Same movie file on the Sammy is OK at 6 and clear at 7, while being too loud at 8.
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)??
I don't see why you would - they are going to release NFC on MicroSDs, SIMs, sticky tape you can put on the cover, basically everywhere. Why wait if you want it now? Can you use it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first of all,thank u for ur response,,,,it helped me alot
And i asked "is wi-fi problem that bad" because i know its there,,,forum rules say that i shud search about my query first,,,,i read many thread(not all)and found that almost all the users complain about this..like wi-fi being switched off when screen turns off,etc...And u totally get me wrong,,I TOTALLY HATE IPHONEs.....i alwayz believed that an iphone is just a piece of ****(a costly one)...but recently when i was in a mobile store wid my friend(he is an iphone lover),we decided to take a same snap from both of the phones and compare the zoom level,,,,,And believe me sgs2's was better when i clicked it,,,but after full zooming on both phones ,,,iphone's was a bit better,,,(i really felt ashamed)...i wanted to know if i can solvethis problem thru some software or something,,,
Infact when it comes to samsung i hate every other phone,,,Currently i am using Samsung Jet,,,but its an old baby now,,,m going to buy sgs2..
thanx.
ACP_XT said:
1)is the overheating problem so bad??
Nope - even with WiFi and GPS on its nowhere near as hot as my N97 Mini. The highest battery temp I ever saw was 35 degrees C.
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware??
Appears to be an Android 2.3.3 bug - WiFi direct, WiFi sharing, and the Android OS bug. The next FW may solve it
3)how is the support for games so far??
Not much of a gaming person sorry
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone??
Tons of them if your referring to numbers
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad??
Although the strength shown in the notifications area is low, the signal and range is good on Wifi-G
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality?
Its good enough as it is, I am an amateur photographer with a DSLR, so all I can say is there are limits to a phone's image sensor.
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)??
Its not bad, get some quality earphones and its fine with Poweramp
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)??
I got the NFC version here in Abu Dhabi, dont see any point in having it though
Search around and you can find more info
EDIT: The only real problems that this phone has are the yellow colour down the left of the display and the battery drain bug. Some others have trouble with GPS too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanx alot man,,,,,and yeah i know aout the yellow tint problem,,,but i excluded it because i dont think there is any possible way to remove it,,,and it is not very visible ,so m cool wid that,
ravirajgalaxy said:
Seems, this phone is out of stock already in india. Please do write if u buy one. Me too waiting for the fresh stock, i need to replace my cell for some screen issue. When u buy this phone please have a thorough look at the screen in all possible ways, many have reported issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what do you mean by screen issues?? r u talking about the yellowish tint or something else??
guitarmafia said:
what do you mean by screen issues?? r u talking about the yellowish tint or something else??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A small number of users have reported an anomaly in the shape of a coin on the screen, that could be what he's referring to.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1139123&highlight=coin
Dude, I'd suggest getting the phone first and then looking for the solution for the problem. Right now different people have different problems. So you need to jump in the pool to see.how cold the water is.
In hindi we have a saying - Gaaon basaa nahi mangate pehle aa gaye.
And as Russel Peters once said - "Be a man, do the right thing" :-D
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
yashgupta25 said:
Dude, I'd suggest getting the phone first and then looking for the solution for the problem. Right now different people have different problems. So you need to jump in the pool to see.how cold the water is.
In hindi we have a saying - Gaaon basaa nahi mangate pehle aa gaye.
And as Russel Peters once said - "Be a man, do the right thing" :-D
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, not the smartest thing to advise... Last time I bought Nokia N97 and that was the dumbest jump in water I've ever did, since then, I NEVER buy phones before reading reviews/forums/users points etc...
Same with HTC Sensation, most of them has issues with pocket Lint under screen, and I am more than happy I've read about it before buying, and could change my opinion and buy Samsung instead
Here is one answer bhai from my experience with the phone for two weeks. I had a desire HD for 3 months before.
1)is the overheating problem so bad?? - Yes gets very hot especially while playing games. I had to uninstall a few games like real soccer 2011 due to this. I guess games like that are not optimized for dual cores. The phone can handle heat but no one has any solid proofs of any overheating issues.
2)the battery life is a hardware problem or firmware?? - Indian version is having updated software. So no problem of battery drain. It drains battery at a much lower rate compared to DHD. You should not ask for more from battery though from the present day smart phones. Daily charging is a must.
3)how is the support for games so far?? - Excellent apart from the heating issue
4)the maximum size of game available for this phone?? - Stupid question?
5)is Wi-fi problem that bad?? - No problem with wifi for me. Dont worry. This should not change your decision against the phone
6)is there some way to improve the camera quality(as even iphone 4's camera is better than sgs2,while it is only 5MP compared to sgs2's 8MP camera,which i think is due to high contrast in iphone's screen quality,so may b u get a better picture with sgs2 when u transfer them to pc.P.S-Don't get me wrong,I really hate Iphone)?? High contrast in iphone screen??? Dude.. Nothing betters OLEDs coming to contrast. Even iphone screen.... I personally prefer SGS2 camera. Iphone camera is practically non usable due to the flash omission, and produces grainy pictures. It might produce good images in the showroom where the lighting is perfect, but dont get fooled by that. Take a few snaps from outside the shop and you will see the difference.. Last week we were in a pub and the iphone guy could not even take a snap due to low lighing.
7)any way to improve sound quality(heard iphone's is a bit better)?? The accompanying earphones are not too good, but choices are there in plenty and cheap too.
8)and finally should i wait for the nfc version(i seriously hope ur answer is no)?? No.. Yes if you are planning to use the phone for more than 4 years. I remember showroom guys telling that the phone had 3G support as the biggest advantage five years back for the nokia 6600. No nokia 6600 users would have used 3G in india I reckon!! Even now 3G service is in its infancy.
Finally Touchwiz 4 would not stand a chance against sense, but the OLED is too good to be worried about Touchwiz in my opinion. If samsung plans to up the resolution any time sooner, wait for that phone.. else go for SGS2.
thanx alot guyz,,,
i am really very thankful to all of u for ur help,,,so just as i promised i got my sgs2 today...
and as far as i can tell ..for me-
1)i cant see any ovrheating till now,,,but may b that is due to the lack of any heavy games on my cell(i ws basically playing angry birds)
2)i cant tell about the battery problem so soon,,,as i just bought this phn a few hours ago,,lol
3)i can see alot of games on android market,,,and on some other websites as well,,,though i am sure i have seen more apps for galaxy s or captivate..
4)i ll post the max size as soon as possible,,,just let me find some good games 1st
5)i cant see any wifi issue for now,,
6)i ll try to compare it to my friend's iphone,,,and if what u all are saying is correct then i hope m nt gonna disappoint myself,,
7)sound quality is ok,,,though i wont compare it to SE music phones,,,or even samsung ones...
8)and as u can see i dint wait for the nfc version,,,lol
finally one more thing to add,,,,i dont have any problem with my screen,,,,no yellow spot or tint,,,or any kind of fadeness or anything ,,,even on minimum brightness,,,(it is possible that m missing something microscopic)...SO FAR SO GOOD...thanx again guyz,,
EDIT: ok,,now that i have used gs2 for a while, let me correct myself---
1)there is a bit of overheating,,sometimes(mostly after gaming) it becomes a bit hot for hands,,
2)Battery life is not good,,,but that is the case with most of the smartphones(especially dual cores),,,a fully charged battery last for a whole day with "average" uses(not if u play games alot,,or download data,,or surf through 3g or wi-fi)
3)Not all of the gameloft games(which arethe best hd games awailable on android) are supported(even some of the games from the games hub dont work),,,but according to gameloft they are trying to optimize games for this handset as fast as they can,,,and it will take some time,,,
for eg-N.O.v.A. is supported but not N.O.V.A. 2..though u ll find N.O.V.A. 2 on games hub......And some games work randomly,,,like I ws unable to play Modern Combat 2,,,but some of the users are saying they dont have any problem playing it on their s2,,,,while some,like me, are still unable to play it,,P.S-it is possible that i may b doing something wrong,though i doubt that...
4)i asked this question in the first place cuz i thought the larger the game,the better,,,and well,there are some 1.5 Gb or plus games available for android but they are still very few in numbers..
5)still no wi-fi issues,,,xcept that it drains battery alot,,again it is a dual core problem and not a wi-fi prob.
6)outdoor picture and video quality is supercool,,,i am really impressed,,,but i cant say the same for indoor snaps or vids,,,GS2's camera work poorly during lowlight conditions...even worse than iphone 4's...but surely u can not compare its camera quality while u r out or where there is more amount of light,where it works just perfect..( I lost and won a single bet due to this factor....plz dont ask me how)
7)like before,no sound problem for me..
8)NFC isnt just used for money transfer,blah blah,etc,,but there are many other uses,,,u can do cool things like pairing 2 devices just by touching one's body to another(like 2 mobile phones or bluetooth headset,etc)....although they are going to have a sticker solution but i am not it will be as good as the chip embedded withing the device,,,u can check that here-
http://blog.gsmarena.com/want-to-us...-enabled-handset-here-have-a-sticker-instead/
the most disappointing thing is that u ll be seeing too many nfc embedded devices around u from now on,,,and it will be a bit embarrassing that ur phone,which is the best of the best,doesnt have it,
http://www.gsmarena.com/as_of_2011_all_new_nokia_smartphones_to_pack_nfc_support-news-1750.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/eric_schmidt_shows_off_nexus_s_talks_gingerbread_and_nfc-news-2075.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/ios_43_is_ready_for_next_week_launch_iphone_5_might_have_nfc-news-2361.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_sonic_delivers_nfc_functionality_to_the_masses-news-2808.php
and ofcourse another version of sgs2 itself is coming soon,,which will be even more embarrassing--
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_gal..._in_the_wild_should_be_the_nfc_-news-2703.php
Anyways i am happy with this set,,,i would like to know ur opinion on my probs,,,Godspeed.
Okay, trying to find out all of the relevant things about this phone is a lot more difficult that it sounds, getting some real world experiences from the XDA community makes more sense. I am coming from a Samsung Vibrant, a device still without 2.3 from the manufacturer, that has always had pretty bad GPS, and leaves a lot to be desired..
Feel free to offer any of the positives/negatives you've found switching from your old device, compare, contrast.. anything goes. A few of my specific questions:
Battery life? Under heavy use, not just because you have a million apps with notifications every 5 minutes..
The ease of rooting and recovering if something goes wrong? I've never came close to bricking my old phone, but we have software we can flash(odin) the original software with in download mode-- does this phone have protections like that?
Development and community support? I've never owned an HTC, so I am wondering if they are better about updating devices? Does the dev community here have difficulty getting drivers and such to create new roms(or upgrade to ICS)?
Think about the concerns you had before you upgraded to this phone(for those who actually think things out, not the "oh, shiney!" crowd), did this phone fill your expectations, is there another phone you wish you had bought(or one coming out you would hold out for) that works with T-mobile?
The only thing this phone seems to be missing is NFC, and I'm unsure about how the screen quality is versus my amoled galaxy S. The only other phone I'd consider that is out now is the S II, but something about it leaves me underwhelmed..
Please, be positive, no flaming, no telling me I should spend hours/days using search to find outdated answers to my questions- this has the potential to help other people considering the device!
Silentbtdeadly said:
Okay, trying to find out all of the relevant things about this phone is a lot more difficult that it sounds, getting some real world experiences from the XDA community makes more sense. I am coming from a Samsung Vibrant, a device still without 2.3 from the manufacturer, that has always had pretty bad GPS, and leaves a lot to be desired..
Feel free to offer any of the positives/negatives you've found switching from your old device, compare, contrast.. anything goes. A few of my specific questions:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my signature. This phone suits my needs. The others have been good for what I needed them for (Sensation: similar but the Amaze has better everything; more RAM, better backlit illuminated camera, 2mp front camera, NFC, dedicated video/camera button), (Galaxy Note: has everything I needed, but camera was slightly slower and I have Tmobile and I couldn't handle the EDGE data only) I don't regret getting the Amaze. It is slightly heavier and thicker than the Sensation, but its solid.
Silentbtdeadly said:
Battery life? Under heavy use, not just because you have a million apps with notifications every 5 minutes..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life is not that great if you are a power user. I have 3 batteries and it gets me through the day. I usually do not need to use the 3rd battery. I use the phone for practically everything. Gaming: Shadowgun 30mins-45mins, texting: 30-50 msg, Netflix streaming: Yo Gabba Gabba 30mins, Music playing via bluetooth headphone 1hr at the gym, phone calls via car bluetooth for 30mins, regular phone calls 30mins-1hr, surfing the web 20-40mins, xda forum for 30-40mins. With all those things, I use 2 batteries. If I cut the activities in half, I can use 1battery and it will last me around 12-14hrs. (My rooted sensation did better at 16hrs, but I don't mind the 2hrs sacrifice)
Silentbtdeadly said:
The ease of rooting and recovering if something goes wrong? I've never came close to bricking my old phone, but we have software we can flash(odin) the original software with in download mode-- does this phone have protections like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use the search button: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1324177
Silentbtdeadly said:
Development and community support? I've never owned an HTC, so I am wondering if they are better about updating devices? Does the dev community here have difficulty getting drivers and such to create new roms(or upgrade to ICS)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone is roughly a little over a month old. Don't expect the community to be brimming with new things, especially with the announcement of ICS. Most developers do not want to dev something that will last only 2 months and then have replaced by a totally new firmware (ICS). So there will be a slight lull during this couple of months. But there are some great developers like Xboarder56, NRGZ28, mike1986 and Revolution that is keep this phone relevant. I really appreciate these guys.
Silentbtdeadly said:
Think about the concerns you had before you upgraded to this phone(for those who actually think things out, not the "oh, shiney!" crowd), did this phone fill your expectations, is there another phone you wish you had bought(or one coming out you would hold out for) that works with T-mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The build quality is top notch (at least initially) for HTC phones. IMO it is definitely better than the current Samsung phones out now. The Galaxy Note was a nice phone but you can totally tell that it did not use premium material for the overall phone. The glass looked nice, but it did not have Gorilla glass.
Silentbtdeadly said:
The only thing this phone seems to be missing is NFC, and I'm unsure about how the screen quality is versus my amoled galaxy S. The only other phone I'd consider that is out now is the S II, but something about it leaves me underwhelmed..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone DOES HAVE NFC. Check the specs. (Near Field Communications)
http://htc.t-mobile.com/amaze-camera-phone#/Specs
Having come from the Vibrant:
Great battery life-QS1.5.1
Great build quality
Great camera
Easy to root
Easy to backup
Easy to flash
[CWMR]
you can't really brick this phone because we're stuck with s-on. Usually bricking occurs when you mess with bootloader and radio. However, with s-on we can't change that unless its through an OTA update.
Rooting takes a minute, recovery is done with CWM recovery, so it should be familiar.
btw the vibrant sucks balls.
however the gs2 is supposedly a huge upgrade to all their crappy predecessor so you can check that out too if you're afraid of the change from samsung to htc.
You can always invest in a mytouch 4g or sensation to see how it's like. They're both AMAZING phones har har but of course they lack in hardware specs, but they're both better than any other samsung phones out there except the latest ones.
Best T-Mobile phone going right now!
Let me start by saying I have been with Android since day 1. Started with the G1, then Mytouch 3g, the Nexus One, the Vibrant, the Mytouch 4g, and now the Amaze. I have not had a problem with any HTC phones and they are all still running today. The only phone I had any issue with was the one Samsung (also still running). I am not an HTC "fanboy" if something better came along I would certainly buy that.
The Amaze is the best phone T-Mobile offers right now. Compared to your Vibrant you'll be blown away with the quality of the phone the fact that everything works as it should.
HTC has a good track record of updating their devices OS's (Even the Mytouch 3g got Froyo before the Vibrant) and they do it OTA, no Kies. HTC's have always been quickly adopted by the development community for their relative ease of rooting and overall usage of "common" hardware that allows you to make ROM's for several different devices with very little modification.
Gingerbread is not a huge leap from Froyo. Most everyday users would be hard pressed to find a real difference. What will be different is going to HTC Sense from Samsung's TouchWiz interface. This will be a case of "It's up to you" totally depends on your own personal taste. I personally couldn't stand Touchwiz.
Battery life has been a little better than my MT4g was and seems to be about on par with or maybe a little better than my Vibrant. I have not owned a phone since my Palm Treo 650 that I didn't have to charge at least daily so I don't think there will be any surprise for you here.
Lastly, the screen. It is very nice and smooth. The resolution is higher than SGS2 therefore making it very crisp. It is not AMOLED, however, so you will not have the vibrance and deep contrast of the AMO screens. Your blacks won't seem as black and your bright colors will not jump out of the screen at you like the AMO screen does. Once again this is somewhat of a personal preference but compared to the Samsung devices this may be the only slight disadvantage.
This phone has the best camera ever offered in a smart phone. It has as much or more computing power of any phone on the market. The device is very solid, it just feels high quality and it has all of the bells and whistles that any smart phone out now has including NFC. I can't imagine this phone not exceeding any expectation you would have for a smart phone, unless you need a phone with a battery that lasts several days between charges, then you my friend have un-realistic expectations. Ha!
In a nutshell..
Good -
Sharp and Bright screen. Blacks levels are ok light bleed makes it worse. Still better than GS2 screen because of sharpness and IMO color accuracy.
Very fast camera. Dedicated buttons for camera and camcorder. They also wake the phone which is a huge plus IMO.
Eye pleasing . White model looks great IMO. If this were a super light/thin phone itd be a no brainer.
Bad-
Just big , heavy, and Fn bulky. Simply doesnt feel as good as other phones in the hand.
Lack of support. I give nothing but credit for wonderful work by Xboarder and others but take a gander at GS2 forums , or when Galaxy Nexus drops there forum. I just dont expect this place to ever be buzzing with the number of great tweaks , enhancements , and features other phones may get. ICS ROMS will likely be on other phones much sooner than Amaze.
Galaxy Nexus and its HD screen are going to be available soon. Just something to consider. HD screens will be more prevalent and the Amaze fast camera and gorgeous screen wont be as impressive by weeks end.
Love my Amaze
I've had a Nexus One for over a year (prior to that it was a Droid). I've also used the original Galaxy phone as well as the Evo.
I've been waiting patiently for a Galaxy Nexus for months as a replacement for my Nexus One. After seeing the camera shots - which are identical in shot quality to the (poor) camera on my Nexus One, I knew I could not possibly get a Galaxy Nexus. For me, camera quality is very important, since my phone *IS* my point-and-shoot, and the Galaxy Nexus camera simply blows. So I gave up waiting to get a GN.
I went into the T-Mobile store to play with the GSII side by side with the Amaze. Both are very good. For me, I went with the Amaze.
1. Build quality, IMO, is top notch. Yes the phone is heavy. To me it has a really solid feel. It's like comparing a S300 Mercedes to a Fiat - both may actually provide similar reliability, but the Mercedes feels far better built.
2. The screen is excellent. I suspect the GN will be better, but side-by-side with the GSII the Amaze had the better screen IMO. The GSII's AMOLED "pops" more but the improved resolution on the Amaze made the real difference.
3. The camera on the Amaze took better photos, and I liked the software better. The flash is amazing for a camera phone.
4. Battery life has been a huge improvement over my N1/Cyanogenmod phone. In normal use I go all day easily without charging. If you aren't playing games or heavily using Maps, I suspect you'll never need to "top up."
5. Great network performance. I haven't benched the speed, but the network feels 3X faster than my N1.
6. The new Sense is much better than TouchWiz IMO.
I want to say this is some great quality feedback, definitely hit everything I asked then some. I have a multitude of reasons for wanting to upgrade from my vibrant besides the "oh, shiney!" factor. Not a huge fan of touchwhiz, poor gps performance, lack of updates, no camera button, etc.. The biggest issue I have right now is price, I'm not willing to go contract with tmobile, and I don't want to pay the current full price like I did with my vibrant-- so if anyone decides they want to get a different phone and knock a fair chunk off of their amaze to get rid of it, bookmark me(I'm looking at you deleriousbb!)
The best points for me I've read about so far:
picture quality, I do want a good camera in my phone since it is the device I have with me always, who knows how many pictures I've lost by not having a dedicated button too..
I forgot it DID have a NFC- that was the original thing I was looking for when looking for a phone, trying to find one that is a little more future proof, this phone being the only one that I could find with hardware specs that sounded good.
Hell, it even has FM radio, something I wish I had a few times now..
Heavy- I actually LIKE this, my vibrant felt far too light, I want to have a solid feeling phone, and if it can double as a brick to be used for self-defense-- so be it.
Overall this sounds like a phone worthy of upgrading to(I really want to make sure I am upgrading) from my vibrant, more or less future proof.. the only thing it doesn't have that I see in the near future is a quad core processor, and those only interest me because of the battery savings they are supposed to offer.
I don't know about the s-on thing someone mentioned, that locks the radio too? That would be the only downside I've seen so far, changing radios has been the way I get the best battery out of my phone thus far, but I suppose I can deal(and have something to research). I also don't know much about how the qHD led screen compares to the vibrant, I was looking forward to better battery life because I know amoled screens use more power than most and using black reduced that..
I guess the only question that didn't get answered is if there is a phone out or coming out that people wish they had held out for? I am not impressed by the galaxy nexus- no external sd, no camera button, lower mp camera(yes I understand better quality sensor), and a few other things.. but I am a hardware guy, and this phone is superior in specs, and the feedback makes me feel good about that.
Also, is there anyone who thinks they may be trying to sell their phone anytime soon? I see myself buying this used rather than going contract(I hate contracts), so I am going to have to wait till there is a price I like more..
Thanks again everyone for the great info, besides everything about the phone that sounded so great, it sounds like you guys are pretty friendly, supportive, and overall helpful!
Check out XDA's market there are some pretty cheap phones there. usually range about $400 for amaze. So you can sell your vibrant for iono $150? on CL and pay $250 more for an amaze.. on contract you already pay $200?
So anyways I actually have a gs2 in hand right now so i'll add some things, although it is similar to what manmythlegend said.
the gs2's connectivity is actually on par with the amaze. I would say amaze's gps is slightly faster but gs2's wifi connectivity is a bit stronger and has quicker connection time.
amaze's camera is better, GS2 appears to have more options on the camera and has their own scenes to choose from, BUT it does not compare to the amaze's scenes at all. BTW I love how the amaze's dedicated button works even when phone is locked.
Screen. the super amoled compared to the amaze's screen reminds me of mt4g good and bad displays. gs2 looks awesome when you view it from every angle. Amaze reminds me of an old LCD when you view from different angles the blacks become like gray. However, I hate how gs2 looks all stretched out and it's not as sharp. think iphone 2-3 vs iphone 4. Amaze is defintely more uhh pretty, its like the UI and icons actually pop out at you compared to gs2' where everything looks blended in a bit.
Another factor, I do not like gs2's blue tint when viewing websites or anything with a white background, it actually feels bad for my eyes. oh and amaze's color seems to be more true.
But remember this, Amaze's battery right now is SO SO, so if you're a heavy user make sure to carry a spare or your charger around.
This may seem like a bias review, but I'm actually pointing out what I normally use on a daily basis that the gs2 would not do for me as the amaze would.
keypoints
1. CAMERA (love amaze's camera and its scenes)
2. Web browsing or anything that has to do with a white background (XDA APP ahem), blue tint is no go for me..
3. base on user preference. I like the weight of the amaze. It tells me that my phone is in my pocket and that it's sturdy to carry around. The amaze's curve body makes it feels better in my hand.
There's something about the gs2 that just doesn't feel right. probably the width or depth of the phone, not exactly sure. I have about an average adult male size hands and the width of the phone might be the thing that is bothering me or that it's actually too thin that makes it feel weird, idk grip both phones, you'll see what i mean.
things that will bother you on the amaze:
the light bleed from the bottom (fixed with screen filter or other ways) and possibly the mediocre battery life.
GREAT GREAT reviews here. Just what I was looking for.
My G2 has some wear and tear and TMo said they would do an early upgrade where I could get the Amaze for $250. I went to the store and played with the Amaze, and it was a pretty nice looking phone at face value.
I, too, wanted to wait for the Galaxy Nexus to drop on TMo, but I despise Samsung. If I had to use Odin every time I flash, I'd be pissed. HTC is perfect for people who love to flash roms, and I am that guy.
Really thinking I should do this...only thing that had me thinking, was whoever said that development for this phone would be weak. xboarder is a BEASt, though - dude was in the G2 forum for a few months and had things going.
Should I do this?
enserio said:
GREAT GREAT reviews here. Just what I was looking for.
My G2 has some wear and tear and TMo said they would do an early upgrade where I could get the Amaze for $250. I went to the store and played with the Amaze, and it was a pretty nice looking phone at face value.
I, too, wanted to wait for the Galaxy Nexus to drop on TMo, but I despise Samsung. If I had to use Odin every time I flash, I'd be pissed. HTC is perfect for people who love to flash roms, and I am that guy.
Really thinking I should do this...only thing that had me thinking, was whoever said that development for this phone would be weak. xboarder is a BEASt, though - dude was in the G2 forum for a few months and had things going.
Should I do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the SGS2 uses CWM recovery to flash too, you only need odin to install the recovery, after that you're golden.
I'm testing out the sgs2 for the day, and i'll update my opinion on it by the end of the day... so far battery life is good, camera is definitely no comparison to amaze, camcorder seems better though. wifi and bt connectivity is definitely stronger and connection time is quicker on the sgs2. HD games, amaze is better (more details). anything with fonts/texts goes to amaze.
It does support NFC btw, and also AT&T 4G bands.
Screen resolution is great, and its better than the S-AMOLED of the SGSII (which has some discoloration issues it seems).
The SGSII S-AMOLED has a very bright and saturated screen so the colors are shot at you, but if you are a pro as I think you are, and not a "oh, shiny!" fella... You know that definition is better and more important than brightness.
Unless you don't care, then that's different.
4G on the phone is pretty fast, and so its installing apps.
The 1.5 dual-core does not score that high on quadrant as the SGSII (especially the Exynos) does, but you know that they are to be taken with grano salis, and in everyday usage its pretty fast.
Camera is amazing, period.
Video quality is great, but sound recording should be much better on a device like this.
The HTC phone itself however, does have downsides:
Reception (its fair, but not amazing).
Battery, with heavy usage on 4G, will last you few hours. On 2G, a bit more. Phone does get warm by the way. Its not something that should worry you, but it is bothersome when you are on the phone playing a video or what have ya, you get a phone call and have to talk to a distance of the device.
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
The touchscreen is tricky. It seems pretty responsive overall, but I did have doubts sometimes. But overall no big issues for me so far.
The phone also does have an heft. It doesn't seem that big a deal, until you place this 4.3" monster phone in your pocket. Its bothersome, at least to me.
Final words: I am trying to sell the HTC Amaze 4G. It is a great media device, but an horrible communication device. This solely depends on you. I have been using a BB 9700 for the past two years and I went back to it after 8 days of impossible phone calls with the Amaze, battery that lasts nothing (on the Amaze of course), and I personally suck and can't stand typing on screens. Sure, the Amaze thrashes my 9700 on so many levels, but for what I need, the 9700 does a far superior job than the Amaze.
Hope this helped.
Capitan Totti said:
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you have a defected phone or earpiece. From what I know the amaze doesn't come with an earpiece. I use my old mytouch 4g one and i do not get this issue. well good luck with your deals!
edit: that sounded sarcastic lol, I wasn't trying to be haha
The reception on my amaze is light years ahead of my old samsung galaxy s 4g. I would have one bar on the highway to town and the amaze has a full signal. (2g) just amazing.
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
I don't have this issue at all. It sounds to me (like someone else mentioned) like you have a defective Amaze.
Teo032 said:
Sounds like you have a defected phone or earpiece. From what I know the amaze doesn't come with an earpiece. I use my old mytouch 4g one and i do not get this issue. well good luck with your deals!
edit: that sounded sarcastic lol, I wasn't trying to be haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By earpiece I mean the speaker part.
FranzDages said:
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
I don't have this issue at all. It sounds to me (like someone else mentioned) like you have a defective Amaze.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, what do I do now? Can I go back to the store and try another one? And see if its defective or not?
Capitan Totti said:
By earpiece I mean the speaker part.
So, what do I do now? Can I go back to the store and try another one? And see if its defective or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have a minimum of 14 days to exchange it from where you purchased it. After that you might have to send it in to HTC for repair/replacement.
enserio said:
GREAT GREAT reviews here. Just what I was looking for.
My G2 has some wear and tear and TMo said they would do an early upgrade where I could get the Amaze for $250. I went to the store and played with the Amaze, and it was a pretty nice looking phone at face value.
I, too, wanted to wait for the Galaxy Nexus to drop on TMo, but I despise Samsung. If I had to use Odin every time I flash, I'd be pissed. HTC is perfect for people who love to flash roms, and I am that guy.
Really thinking I should do this...only thing that had me thinking, was whoever said that development for this phone would be weak. xboarder is a BEASt, though - dude was in the G2 forum for a few months and had things going.
Should I do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have obviously owned a Nexus S. We don't use Odin. Anyone who uses Odin on any Nexus (from Samsung) is a moron. Rooting and flashing recovery is all performed via fastboot and then make a clockwork backup like normal. The Galaxy Nexus will be the same way. All you need is fastboot.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
Capitan Totti said:
So, what do I do now? Can I go back to the store and try another one? And see if its defective or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep if you can't exchange at store anymore then call Tmobile to do an exchange.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using XDA App
14 days are now gone guys...
And when I went back and told them, they said that I had to pay $50 dollars... which I found ridiculous... So I didn't do anything apart from trying to sell the phone.
As no-one has asked this question I thought I might as well.
How many gs3 owners are so dissatisfied that they are considering returning their product?
Also state reasons please.
I know this won't be a popular thread with some diehard fans, might even get abuse from some but I'm sure there are people not happy with gs3.
I for one after playing around with gs3 aren't convinced this product is a huge improvement on the gs2.
I absolutely hate the build quality more so now then before, it feels and looks cheap.
Led notification is way too bright and visible through the surrounding body rather then just the actual place this makes the build quality look even cheaper.
S-voice not accurate at all.
Screen is good but not much of an improvement on the gs2.
Surprisingly it lags.
You might not be happy with camera quality?
Video playback quality?
To add galaxy s3 is more fragile then s2, 4s, HOX. This is maily due to design and material usrd Is this of putting for you?
It would be interesting to see how many people hate their device so much so they are considering returning it, selling it. Or are very happy with it.
I don't have the Galaxy S III yet, ordering from Handtec but then the bank holiday and diamond jubilee thing so I won't receive it until maybe the 11th.
I am currently using the Galaxy Fit.
Even if it as bad as you describe I'd still love it.
It's way better than what I currently have so yeah.
I had three one x's which I ultimately returned and replaced with a galaxy s3 due to defects and problems. I'm way impressed with s3 so far. The hox lagged, overheated, died within 3 - 4 hours with average use. Even the galaxy s3 screen is ultimately better in my opinion. The only thing I would of kept hox for was tegra games, otherwise an awful device that they probably released way to early to get into the market before Samsung.
rickssj4 said:
I had three one x's which I ultimately returned and replaced with a galaxy s3 due to defects and problems. I'm way impressed with s3 so far. The hox lagged, overheated, died within 3 - 4 hours with average use. Even the galaxy s3 screen is ultimately better in my opinion. The only thing I would of kept hox for was tegra games, otherwise an awful device that they probably released way to early to get into the market before Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You had three HOXs?
Why not just one?
Sir-Awesome said:
I don't have the Galaxy S III yet, ordering from Handtec but then the bank holiday and diamond jubilee thing so I won't receive it until maybe the 11th.
I am currently using the Galaxy Fit.
Even if it as bad as you describe I'd still love it.
It's way better than what I currently have so yeah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will love it since its best galaxy phone.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
rickssj4 said:
I had three one x's which I ultimately returned and replaced with a galaxy s3 due to defects and problems. I'm way impressed with s3 so far. The hox lagged, overheated, died within 3 - 4 hours with average use. Even the galaxy s3 screen is ultimately better in my opinion. The only thing I would of kept hox for was tegra games, otherwise an awful device that they probably released way to early to get into the market before Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree first batch of HOX did have several issues, did seem HTC rushed them through but since then HTC have sorted the issues out. I had 4 and the last one was brilliant no issues.
I disagree the sg3 screen is better, certainly colours are more vibrant but not natural. The viewing angles on the HOX are far superior, the text is clearer and sharper this especially evident when surfing the net. The text becomes blurry when scrolling on the sg3.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Are you serious? Return it because i`m disappointed??
I`m sorry but I disagree with some of your points and i`ve come from a Galaxy Nexus.
I absolutely hate the build quality more so now then before, it feels and looks cheap. I love the build on it. Ok a bit plasticy and not iPhone standard but its way better in the hand than i originally thought it would be.
Led notification is way too bright and visible through the surrounding body rather then just the actual place this makes the build quality look even cheaper. I like the fact a larger area glows. It makes it easy for me to see it when i come into the room for missed calls etc.
S-voice not accurate at all. Did we ever think it would be? Its not so great on the iPhone either. But I can text with it and so far its been pretty accurate.
Screen is good but not much of an improvement on the gs2. This I cant comment on as I havent had a S2. Compare to my Nexus though i think it looks stunning.
Surprisingly it lags. I have had a few instances of this. Mainly when returning to the home screen from within the settings or app menu. I`m sure this will be fixed with an update.
You might not be happy with camera quality? Noooo way!!! So impressed.
Video playback quality? So far so good. Downloaded a few 1080p`s to try. So i`ve still to see on this one.
Considering all the above there is no way I would return it. I have it down as the bset phone i have owned to date. And I have had a few!!
No returns thus far but 50% people were expecting more for their money, this is very understandable.
Screen is good but not much of an improvement on the gs2.*This I cant comment on as I havent had a S2. Compare to my Nexus though i think it looks stunning.
Having owned nexus, note, sg2, 4s, SXL, HOX I can tell you its not hugely impressive probably just behind HOX and 4s as far as screen quality is concerned.
Coming from nexus you will be impressed with gs3 camera, infact pretty much on all accounts screen etc
I've always been a smartphone addict and I've had a decent amount over the years. Untill i bought myself an Iphone 4 and i was completely happy with it for 2 years (my absolute record, smashed all other records by 18 months atleast).
I decided it was time for a change and bought myself an android device. I was curious to see if Android had caught up with IOS. In almost every aspect it has or it's closing in, except for the Marketplace, companies are still focussing IOS over Android which is annoying.
Also 5 homescreens hardcoded ? The ****?
The only real Galaxy problems I have atm:
The battery is said to be awesome, it's not. My Iphone performed better under a full days use than this device does.
It should've been metal, even though I'm getting used to the plastic.
The only people "disappointed" in this phone are the ones that believe all the pre release hype, or the ones that even after it was announced expected more. So far from what I've seen it lives up to what was announced by Samsung and then some, what';s there to be disappointed about?
no screen improvement from sgs2 to sgs3??? time to check your eyes.
it seems you have clearly decided to return the device and making reasons for that
bala_gamer said:
no screen improvement from sgs2 to sgs3??? time to check your eyes.
it seems you have clearly decided to return the device and making reasons for that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol I think you could do with visiting opticans yourself.
I never said no improvements but not much improvement.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Already ordered one. No 30days return privileged here. So I'm going to stuck with it whether I like it or not. But coming from Inc S, I'm sure I will like it very much
Sent from my Incredible S using XDA
ive had the hox the gnexus gs1 iphone 4 and 4s. This phone is the best by far. About same camera quality as 4s and sometimes even better!. Screen is fabulous! I find it the most beautifull screen ive ever seen on a phone. I think its because the glas is so thin so everything is much clearer!
Its going to be the same as the iPhone it has the same sensor & I am probably one of the few that wants to return the device. It is an amazing device but I just prefer sense and the one x so I will try and get one of those again
Gone from 4s > HOX > GS3. Been using a few days now. I like it more than I like either the 4s or the HOX.
The only issue I have right now is that reception seems to be worse than both my 4s and my HOX. I havent heard anyone else talking about that, so I suspect I may have a faulty handset.
If anyone can care to comment about their (cell) reception I would appreciate it, thanks.
eldorado89 said:
Also 5 homescreens hardcoded ? The ****?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Number of screens is launcher-dependent: apex and nova launcher allow for 9, I believe, while launcher 7, for example, doesn't really have screens at all.
Looks like most people who have voted are happy with their GS3, mainly inmho due to their previous mobile being a far inferior handset possibly a last year model.
quite satisfied with SGS3
Not suprinsingly, I am quite satisfied with the phone, since my previous phone was a Google Nexus One which, although it has served me well (stock -> CM7 nightlies -> texasice ICS 4.0.4), was showing his age and the ICS ROM has some glitches (camera, SoD, random reboots, etc.)
I have been reading about SGS3 for several months, and before the official anouncement, I was dragged by the hype (full hd, 1.5GHz, 2 Gb RAM, 12 Mp camera, flexible screen, liquid, ...). That said, I find the final hardware more than enough.
However, SGS3 notable strenghts for me are:
* unlocked bootloader
* rooted before release and extremely easy to follow instructions to root
* odin
* easily SIM unlocked
* alive & knowledgeable community @xda
* separated partitions
* removable battery
* external sdcard
all in all, 8/10
Before I begin please let me say that his is not meant in an way to bash HTC, the Rezound, nor this community in any way. This is simply a review, if you will, comparing the two. I loved the Rezound so I wanted to give my $.02
Let's start with the physical appearance. (I'll including screen review with hardware) There are two things that are quite obvious: The GSIII is, of course, a larger screen at 4.8" with the Rez at a 4.3". The S3 seems to have a smaller bezel in comparison which is certainly made possible due to one thing I've always wanted to have: No Verizon branding on the front. The Galaxy S III simply has "SAMSUNG" resting below the main ear piece and between the LED and the sensors/camera. While the HTC Rezound has four red soft keys at the bottom, the GSIII as an oval home button and that is all you see. When the phone is on, you are greeted with a menu key on the left and back on the right, both giving a soft white glow. I've sat there for about twenty minutes trying to see any kind of outline for the keys and found none. I have to tip my hat to Samsung for making them "discrete."
The Rezound has the power button on the right corner of the top of the phone, making it very easily accessible with it's 4.3" display. The GSIII has the power button on the right side of the phone closer to the top, making it easy to hold your phone and keep your thumb either on or around the button. (The home key is a hard key, not soft, so it can be used to turn your screen on.) The volume rocker is a single piece that can be easily pushed in either direction. While the rocker on the Rezound seemed a bit low profile, the GSIII's sticks out nicely and doesn't give me an trouble.
The back of the GSIII is made of polycarbonate, giving it a nice "firm" feeling instead of the traditional cheap plastic feel. Since you hold the phone more towards the bottom, Samsung has put the speaker next to the camera, whereas the Rezound had it at the bottom. This was never a problem for me with the Rezound due to how I held it, but I no some people aren't a fan, saying it's placement was awkward. I will say that it provides a lot of noise that's clear and doesn't sound too distorted, as opposed to the Rezound where I felt like it was somewhat muted and crackly. The Rez sports a dual-LED flash while the GSIII has a single. Now, while it seems that the flash on the GSIII is brighter, I've noticed a big issue: It sits kind of "low." Because of that, when I have my flash turned on I have light spilling out at the top through the gap between the battery door and the phone. While this isn't bothersome since you can't see it from the front of the phone, it is annoying because it doesn't flow with the polished design that Samsung tried to give.
Now, hardware!
The Galaxy S III has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU that clocks in at 1.4GHz, while the Rezound uses a Snapdragon S3 clocked in at 1.5GHz. For those that aren't too familiar with CPUs: Even though the Rez is clocked in a .1 higher, the S4 is newer and has the upper hand. The GSIII has 2GB of RAM (while the international version just has 1GB but a quad-core over dual) and the Rezound has 1GB. I've come to quickly realize it's because of how much memory Touchwiz uses. At the moment of me typing this, I have every app closed on my GSIII (minus the launcher) and I have 803MB of my RAM used. That being said, I never run into an issue of almost running out of RAM (I'll get into management later when I review software.)
Both phones use 8MP camera on the rear capable of recording in HD. However, as known, a higher MP count does not automatically mean a better camera. No matter what ROM I use, I seem to have issues getting my GSIII to focus from time to time. Even when I can get it to focus, it just seems that the Rezound takes a slightly better picture. I would post comparison shots but I no longer have my Rezound.
Now, for the screens. The Rez uses a 720p SuperLCD IPS display and packs a whopping 342DPI, making it one of the best displays out. The GSIII uses an HD Super AMOLED with a 720p resolution. While it has a smaller DPI count (320) it provides very crisp (but not as sharp compared to the Rez) images with "true" colors. I did a side-by-side comparison of a few images at full brightness and the GSIII was superior. Now, as I said though, it isn't as "crisp" as the rezound. However, unless you have the phone an inch from your eyes, you can't really tell.
On a side note, I would like to point out that the radio isn't as bad as everyone was saying it is. I've honestly noticed no difference in signal strength from my Rezound to my GSIII.
EDIT: Forgot to talk about battery life. The Rezound has a 1,620mAh battery while the GSIII has a whopping 2,100mAh. The difference is understandable given the screen size. However, I've noticed that with LTE on, screen at max brightness, and all of the motion controls and "Smart" actions, I'll get around 12 hours with a screen on of about 3 1/2 hours and be at about 25-30%. And AOSP battery life just isn't fair lol.
Software! When it boils down to it, we mainly care about our user experience and how quickly we can get things done. Since the GSIII is using newer hardware, I'll just point out features (With Sense 4, to make it fair.)
Sense 4 out of the box is customizable compared to other OEM skins. Being able to swap skins on the fly is very handy. The only issue I ever had was not being able to swap individual components (Navbars, clocks, lock rings, etc.) but still loved the fact that I could. My biggest pet peeve with Sense 4 relates to animations and the fact that they only really happen when you're using Rosie. If you use Rosie and open Messages, you get something along the lines of a flying out animation. A simple animation that's nice, but I don't know why HTC restricted it to Rosie. Stock TouchWiz implements the AOSP ICS animations that are very fluid, giving the UI a nice snappy-feel while keeping it smooth. When it comes to sharing in Sense 4, you have a lot of standard options. An example being Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Email, Picasa...but I always hated that it missed a simple one system-wide: Texting. I wasn't a fan of how it was selective about what you could share via text (such as facebook photos and photos from different websites) so I have to give this one to TouchWiz seeing as it gives you every option you can think of at all times.
While Sense 4 does provide a nice user experience with the apps included and how you can stream (just as on previous iterations), Samsung upped the ante for all other OEMs with a flood of amazing user-friendly features (possibly in response to Apple saying "You don't innovate.") Your GSIII is sitting in another room and you get a text? As soon as you come back and pick up your phone, it will vibrate to let you know you have a notification then flash a blue LED to let you know it's a text. Get a text that says "Call me?" you just swing your phone up to your ear and the phone will automatically call that person (can also be done while just viewing the contact.) You have the ability to be playing a video on your phone and just have it "popped up" in the corner of your screen so you can watch it while, say, typing an e-mail. The limitation I've noticed is it has to be a video saved on your phone. Another interesting thing I've found is being able to set the vibration pattern for a single contact or groups. You have a few stock patterns but have the option to make your own very easily. The way the S3's task manager handles things seems to be a bit more solid than others. I never notice an choking of my system. Doesn't matter much, seeing as a fresh application still loads like it had been quietly running the entire time.
In short, Sense 4 is a great UI experience compared to earlier versions of Blur, Touchwiz, and Sense itself. But Samsung really went the extra step with "Nature UX" to blow the competition out of the water. While I do understand that many don't like the color scheme of Touchwiz/Nature UX (whatever you want to call it.) but it is by far the best UI I've ever dealt with. It's smooth, VERY smooth and provides features that simply make you and your phone feel more connected.
This all being said and done, I love this phone. How it feels in my hand, the styling of it, the hardware. I haven't had a Samsung since the first Omnia running WM 6.1 and I have to say I'm more than impressed and very happy.
Thank you for this, make me more jelly lmao
Sent from my aokp_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2
Funny thing is i went to nexus after having the rezound. Nexus was great but random service drops got me sooo annoyed. So i bought a gs3 yesterday. Little do you know a jb leak with radios comes out and i havent dropped service yet. Now my nexus is a great phone. But i might return my gs3 maybe not i like newer toys. But great review. The rez screen beats both imo tho
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Thadrow said:
Funny thing is i went to nexus after having the rezound. Nexus was great but random service drops got me sooo annoyed. So i bought a gs3 yesterday. Little do you know a jb leak with radios comes out and i havent dropped service yet. Now my nexus is a great phone. But i might return my gs3 maybe not i like newer toys. But great review. The rez screen beats both imo tho
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Yeah, that's one of the reasons why I turned down the Nexus and went for a GSIII. That and I heard the III had better battery life so I figured "why not?" I don't think a leak has come out for the GS3 for Jellybean. Well, one has for the T-Mobile version but not Verizon's. Glad to hear it helped you out, though. And thanks! Yeah. The viewing angle and sharpness are better, but I love color depth, so I'm sold. First time I pulled up Power Amp on my GSIII my eyes were in love haha. The main theme is black with blue trim so it looks stunning.
I think this would be more appropriate in the SIII forum possibly, if people wanted to find out more about the SIII i don't think they would go here.
edit: well at least now i know what to tell people when they ask me what's a new good phone.
RoryHe said:
I think this would be more appropriate in the SIII forum possibly, if people wanted to find out more about the SIII i don't think they would go here.
edit: well at least know i know what to tell people when asking me for what new phone's are good.
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Maybe, but I think it goes here too. Many people are talking about the GS3, so it is good to hear what a Rezound owner thinks.
RoryHe said:
I think this would be more appropriate in the SIII forum possibly, if people wanted to find out more about the SIII i don't think they would go here.
edit: well at least know i know what to tell people when asking me for what new phone's are good.
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Did you see the are you switching to the gs3 thread? This could of went there but pointing out that it's relevant.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
blestsol said:
Did you see the are you switching to the gs3 thread? This could of went there but pointing out that it's relevant.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
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It might be me but I don't understand what you just said.
When I get mine ill post a review in here.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
RoryHe said:
It might be me but I don't understand what you just said.
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There's a popular thread talking about moving to the gs3. This thread could of just been added in that thread. I'm pointing this out to show you that the thread is relevant and people do care, even though it's the rezound forum.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
blestsol said:
There's a popular thread talking about moving to the gs3. This thread could of just been added in that thread. I'm pointing this out to show you that the thread is relevant and people do care, even though it's the rezound forum.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
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Some people just automatically think that because a thread is about a different phone that it's the worst thing in the world, even if it is to inform people. You're probably right, though. Can a mod just move the OP into that thread or should I just flag this one to be deleted and post the review in that thread?
Love the hardware... hate the software... miss my sense 4 roms.... but one glaring issue that has me contemplating selling and going bk to using my rezound as my dd is the radios are horrid.... constant data drops and slow speeds are killer on this phone... and yespecially I've tested in about 4 huge markets across t he us.... so def miss my rezound in certain aspects
Sent from my unlocked VZW Galaxy SIII
vdChild said:
Love the hardware... hate the software... miss my sense 4 roms.... but one glaring issue that has me contemplating selling and going bk to using my rezound as my dd is the radios are horrid.... constant data drops and slow speeds are killer on this phone... and yespecially I've tested in about 4 huge markets across t he us.... so def miss my rezound in certain aspects
Sent from my unlocked VZW Galaxy SIII
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I just love the simplicity of TouchWiz, really lol. I can understand different tastes. Just send your S3 in to Samsung (if you have warranty.) I have great service with mine. I found out I'm pulling faster speeds, actually. I managed to hit 39.6/14.1
Glad the OP likes his new phone but I always get the feeling when I read things like this whether the person is trying to convince him or herself rather than us that they made a good purchase. Don't get me wrong, I think we all have that need especially when it comes to electronics. It's funny to see how the GNote2 blows the GS3 out of the water already so shortly after the latter's release and if the rumors are true about LG's next superphone it seems like we will only have to wait a short while before the latest Galaxies are a distant memory again. If only I was a celebrity..I'd show my face on each and every one of these new device announcements just to get the freebies.
@ all: I would just remind you a couple of things:
1st Do not try to make Mod job, if you don't like a thread just refrain yourself to post no sense words.
2nd Moderate your language, words like dbag or fag are not tollerated against another user.
Thank you.
I see ive been moderated.......oops!
Anyway, thanks for posting the review. Ive been looking at the gs3 too.
I think we all knew how this story, ahem review was going to turn out. I doubt a flagship device such as the SG3 was going to lose out in this comparison. Just the fact that its a shiny new toy wins it a few brownie points. That being said I think the rezound still holds up well after almost a year since release, and now that we have kernel source and fully functional AOSP on the near horizon our little device has never looked better
You're in denial. Switched myself and 100x faster, cool as all get out and oh the screen.: ) and stable cm 10. The rezzy was great but I must say you can't say the s3 isn't baller
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The galaxy nexus is also a good option to switch to. The new jellybean radios are nothing short of a miracle. No data drops, crazy speeds, and great reception now. Its smoother than touchwiz especially on jellybean. New radios also improved battery a ton. They are also much more likely to exchange a defective rezound for the nexus as well.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
blackhand1001 said:
The galaxy nexus is also a good option to switch to. The new jellybean radios are nothing short of a miracle. No data drops, crazy speeds, and great reception now. Its smoother than touchwiz especially on jellybean. New radios also improved battery a ton.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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I gotta agree here. With the radio kinks worked out, I'm tempted to find the nearest nexus on craigslist. No way am I paying retail price.
just wondering how well S4 Zoom in the market? S4 Zoom owner pls sign in tell us more what you feel after got ur Zoom.
the development doesn't seem expending bad product? or any other reasons?
since the samsung pixon12 i was waiting for a phone like this.
its not a popular phone and i like it stay that way.
opdrago said:
since the samsung pixon12 i was waiting for a phone like this.
its not a popular phone and i like it stay that way.
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I agree with you it is not as popular as other smartphones. I think this is heavily due to its size and the probably the lumia 1020. But so far i am using the s4 zoom for 2 weeks i have not yet encountered any problems. I have use its camera in day and night and the picture quality really makes me dont care about its size. Bought straps to pull it out easily from my pocket and a cover that protect the screen so that i could the phone upside down without the scare of scratching my phone. Many of my friends were like "what is that is a phone?" when the phone rings. A few of my friends said the would buy it but majority of them did not like the big size of the phone. I am quite impressed with its battery life. For my normal usage with my data plan turn on it could easily last one and a half day. However if i snap a lot of pictures using the xenon flash it could only last for one full day which i am still more then happy with it. In terms of gaming apps i haven't yet put it to the test yet. So far for apps not even a single app has crash and the phone has never went on a software crash. Fought with my friends iphone 5 siri and was quite happy with results. I am starting to love this unique phone.
annukman said:
I agree with you it is not as popular as other smartphones. I think this is heavily due to its size and the probably the lumia 1020. But so far i am using the s4 zoom for 2 weeks i have not yet encountered any problems. I have use its camera in day and night and the picture quality really makes me dont care about its size. Bought straps to pull it out easily from my pocket and a cover that protect the screen so that i could the phone upside down without the scare of scratching my phone. Many of my friends were like "what is that is a phone?" when the phone rings. A few of my friends said the would buy it but majority of them did not like the big size of the phone. I am quite impressed with its battery life. For my normal usage with my data plan turn on it could easily last one and a half day. However if i snap a lot of pictures using the xenon flash it could only last for one full day which i am still more then happy with it. In terms of gaming apps i haven't yet put it to the test yet. So far for apps not even a single app has crash and the phone has never went on a software crash. Fought with my friends iphone 5 siri and was quite happy with results. I am starting to love this unique phone.
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I don't mind to have a multi purpose device even through it's size is bigger It always my dream to have a camera + smart phone together. :victory:
but shame of samsung, it doesn't launch LTE at my region
I agree with you. Most of the cellphone are pretty much the same, big screen, better cpu's etc... i want my device to be more than that. To be a multi function device.
Sent from my SM-C101 using xda app-developers app
opdrago said:
I agree with you. Most of the cellphone are pretty much the same, big screen, better cpu's etc... i want my device to be more than that. To be a multi function device.
Sent from my SM-C101 using xda app-developers app
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Yeah
I love my new s4 zoom too.:laugh:
I was previously using note2 which function well but without optical zoom
the s4 zoom 24-240mm equivalent lens and the relatively bigger sensor make it a perfect handy backup camera for daily use.:good:
as a father of 2 children, I can hardly always carry my sony NEX mirrorless system around
looknsee said:
just wondering how well S4 Zoom in the market? S4 Zoom owner pls sign in tell us more what you feel after got ur Zoom.
the development doesn't seem expending bad product? or any other reasons?
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Seems this phone not popular cuz of the design, its a CAMERA with phone function . But i bought one to replace my trusted camera phone PV808 (symbian :crying. this camera + android function really a good choice for casual photographers
totally love it ! yeah, our phone/camera -multidevice its something more then casual trend, but why not, we are geeks My "problem" was, that i won it in one competetion, & i was not really decided if i want it, keep it or sell it... but ive decided to keep it, start using it & from that time its really hard for me to leave him for a sec im totally amazed, photos are perfect (for me as a casual photographer), performance is great, ive tested all the new games (asphalt8 too) and they works without any problem.... i love my SGS4 ZOOM !
ericwww said:
Yeah
I love my new s4 zoom too.:laugh:
I was previously using note2 which function well but without optical zoom
the s4 zoom 24-240mm equivalent lens and the relatively bigger sensor make it a perfect handy backup camera for daily use.:good:
as a father of 2 children, I can hardly always carry my sony NEX mirrorless system around
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Haha Someone with a similar thought process as me. Im a NEX owner (not a father though, does a dog count?). Im due for an upgrade in the next few months and have been umming and arring about this one. I tend to carry a point and shoot with me everywhere. My thoughts were that this, although much bigger than my blackberry that I currently use, would be a smaller alternative to the combination I carry with me on a day to day basis.
I also have a Nikon v1, but thats a discussion for a different forum.