[Q] S3 dilemma - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I am trying to decide which version to get. I currently use my iphone4 to check mail, stocks, news, facebook, internet radio, play some games, etc. I usually update all my apps when I am at home on wifi since 3g is slower. I never use it as a hotspot. My 3g service is unlimited but LTE will not be so. So the dilemma...
1) I can get the 3g version now. My bill will be about the same price. It has 1gb of ram.
2) I can wait a few weeks and get the LTE version here in Korea which will have 2gb of ram. My bill will definitely increase, I will lose unlimited data. I never had LTE so not sure if its worth it but I don't watch videos on my phone so I can't see why I need it. In my eyes the 2gb of ram is what is better.
Is LTE going to change my world for what I do? Worth the extra money? Is 1gb vs 2gb going to be very noticeable also?
What would you do in my shoes? Don't just think about the whole ohhh you got quad core with LTE and DMB (that I'll never watch)!

1)How much is money important to you? How much do you use your phone for surfing the web? The question whether you need LTE is for only you to decide...no one else can help you since it depends on how the individual uses the phone. If you feel that 3G is holding you back, then by all means LTE is the way to go. If you are happy with 3G then there is nothing that LTE will really give you but bigger bills. Honestly from what you have said, I don't think you need LTE.
2)No. Right now, 2GB RAM has no significant advantage over 1GB RAM and that will be true for at least another year.
In my opinion from a random internet stranger, there is no need to get the LTE version at all.

Related

HSPA+ .. is it all hardware? or software? or??

I was a G1 user forever... And I remember there being talk of making the G1 able to utilize the HSPA network... so does that mean it is possible for any phone utilize it? or.... ??? I am kinda confuised... maybe it can utilize it... but not be able to utilize the maximum HSPA+ speeds....
It's hardware. Don't you think every phone would have HSPA+?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
renocivik said:
I was a G1 user forever... And I remember there being talk of making the G1 able to utilize the HSPA network... so does that mean it is possible for any phone utilize it? or.... ??? I am kinda confuised... maybe it can utilize it... but not be able to utilize the maximum HSPA+ speeds....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you heard right. pretty much all the newer tmo smart phones will be getting a boost, but they will not be getting the full speed unless they have the hardware. So, you will get the full 3G speed and depending on your reception, you might go a little faster. Almost like a speed boost. To take advantage of the full 4g or HSPA+ you will need the hardware.
I heard there isn't a HUGE difference as of yet between the normal HSPA and HSPA+ hardware in terms of speed. I was in LA two months ago and I was getting 4.5 megs down with my Nexus One which isn't HSPA+.
Maybe later on down the line when HSPA+ is full rolled out across the country and they bump the speeds up even more then at that point having the HSPA+ hardware will make a difference but I don't see that happening for a while.
In the meantime, here's to hoping we all get covered by the network soon!
i live in So Cal with normal 3g now. a few months ago when i had mt3g, I Went to an area where they had to new network. it was MUCH faster. and this was with mt3g
"The Vibrant will have HSPA+ when the Froyo update comes out. T-mobile Is dropping it this month. So really soon." was searching for that same question of the vibrant getting some sort of update that would allow the hardware to decode the data packages, its the same thing like the g1. when the towers updated to hspa+ from regular hspa it was only a software upgrade what makes anyone think that these new powerful phone wont be able to get a software upgrade also? so the answer is more to yes than no. and to "It's hardware. Don't you think every phone would have HSPA+?" why dont you think about that for a little. g1 did it so can this & yes the original galaxy s has hspa+ hardware but i think it was disabled in the us version until we would need it since it would use more power just being left on without it being used. also rumor is that the hummingbird chip is running at 1.2 gighertz in the i9000 so i overclocked my virbrant at 1.2 gighertz & its running with no problems! also we might need those extra 200 hertz to keep things running normal if we get the hspa+ upgrade im pretty sure it will need it.

[Q] Would you still buy sgs2 without LTE?

nothin is confirm yet but just for kicks!
For all the verizon and sprint users! Would you still buy this phone, if no LTE or WIMAX?
Since they want to keep the Form-factor of the original SGS2
The poll excludes Tmobile and ATT user, since im sure theres 4g for them.
Yes
Sent from my HTC Hero CDMA using XDA Premium App
Definitely, I'd rather have HSDPA+ and good battery life than LTE and terrible battery life.
I would much rather have Verizon's LTE (if this phone comes out in time before they kill the unlimited data plans in the summer) but I will still buy the T-Mobile version with 21 Mbps HSPA+. However I refuse to buy AT&T (no unlimited data, no free tethering) or Sprint (service and speeds are terrible in my area and in buildings even in NYC).
Yeah. LTE is expensive and not available in my area.
Probably not, as I'm in an LTE area.
With VzW's aggressive LTE rollout plan, I think it's going to be problematical for them to sell high-end phones not capable of supporting it. Those phones will have a very short shelf life and fail miserably in VzW's largest markets.
i'll prefer 3G+4G it's more universal than WiMax technology
No LTE = no thank you. The Verizon version better have LTE, or I'm guaranteed to be waiting for HTC's flagship dual-core LTE product.
3G has always been enough for me, and I'm sure that once 4G starts to become a more natural and everyday thing, if I ever go back to 3G I'll be like "Damn this is slow". But as of now the 3G is enough for me and it has HSPA+ or whatever the **** is, which is not 4G, but a faster 3G, and AT&T has that.
Also, I have been on AT&T for not even a year yet(before then I had T-Mobile for a long while) but I was lucky enough to get onto it just a while before they stopped the unlimited data plan, and so now I am grandfathered into it. So anyone just now looking to join AT&T, I'd see why you don't want to, but for me it's great. (This part was kinda directed to the guy who said he wouldn't buy AT&T.)
Anyways my point is this is one of the fastest and thinnest and best smartphones so far and probably for the year. There are some other phones that can compete, but this definitely kills anything I've seen. Just look at that flash performance! Straight in the browser, watch a video, or whatever, no lag. I could really care less when it comes out, as I have to wait till June anyways for my 1 year upgrade(which I hope is not too expensive, since AT&T seemed to raise the price on that) but if it's not out by June that's okay with me too because I know it will come soon afterwards and I can be one of the first to get it!
But guys the S2 with LTE has a 1.5 Ghz Dual-Core processor. Reason for this is due to the addition of the LTE, so If you are not going to use LTE then wouldn't that mean you get 1.5 Ghz for your apps processing requirements ?
Wouldn't it be better to get the 1.5 Ghz version rather than 1.2 Ghz version ?
Refer: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/26/samsung-announces-galaxy-s-ii-lte-and-galaxy-s-ii-hd-lte-handset/
infaas said:
But guys the S2 with LTE has a 1.5 Ghz Dual-Core processor. Reason for this is due to the addition of the LTE, so If you are not going to use LTE then wouldn't that mean you get 1.5 Ghz for your apps processing requirements ?
Wouldn't it be better to get the 1.5 Ghz version rather than 1.2 Ghz version ?
Refer: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/26/samsung-announces-galaxy-s-ii-lte-and-galaxy-s-ii-hd-lte-handset/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think they'd be the same processor due to the higher data speed.
Disfected said:
I don't think they'd be the same processor due to the higher data speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's what I meant, so don't you think we will be able to use all the 1.5Ghz goodness .(Under the condition we are not using the LTE at the time). for our apps ?

[Q] Quick games question (Samsung Exhibit II)

Eventually, I'm going to get a Galaxy Nexus or the next latest and greatest - a few months down the line. Right now I've got Cricket and a Huawei Ascend II. The problem? The thing is so slow when it comes to games. Hanging with Friends, of all things, slows down and I have to close it. It's got a 600 mhz processor in it.
So I was thinking about switching to T-Mobile prepaid but didn't want to throw a ton of money at a phone right now. 4G (or rather, HSPA+ I guess) is a must because I want some decent speeds when I can. More than anything, I don't want games to be so damn slow.
I'm not gonna game a lot. Just Hanging with Friends and things like that, and I need a faster connection than Cricket's terrible 3G. Is the 1 ghz processor in the Samsung Exhibit II suitable for my needs? If not, is there anything else that I could use T-Mobile prepaid that won't be much more than $200? I need HSPA+ at the very least.
EDIT: And if not, are there any dual-core phones that are "4G (hspa+)" that will work on T-Mobiles prepaid without getting much higher than $200-$250?

Is LTE actually worth it?

I have an i9100 right now and run data on the non-smartphone unlimited plan. I've only had the i9100 since October, but I'm thinking of eBay'ing it and getting the S3.
My question is, would I be better served to wait for the AT&T version so I could get LTE or just get the i9300, live with slower non-wifi speeds and enjoy a new, unlocked, unfettered phone?
AT&T prevented the One X from unlocking their bootloader; to me, that already says enough.
mfratella said:
I have an i9100 right now and run data on the non-smartphone unlimited plan. I've only had the i9100 since October, but I'm thinking of eBay'ing it and getting the S3.
My question is, would I be better served to wait for the AT&T version so I could get LTE or just get the i9300, live with slower non-wifi speeds and enjoy a new, unlocked, unfettered phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is awesome, i have the skyrocket and Galaxy Note LTE versions. and they are super fast on the network, but i am bypassing the LTE and going the international SGS3 because i know that At&t is going to butcher this device stateside. not that it wont be fast.....but i want something un tainted by them......at least till the NOTE2 comes out, then i will all over that LTE phone....lol
mfratella said:
I have an i9100 right now and run data on the non-smartphone unlimited plan. I've only had the i9100 since October, but I'm thinking of eBay'ing it and getting the S3.
My question is, would I be better served to wait for the AT&T version so I could get LTE or just get the i9300, live with slower non-wifi speeds and enjoy a new, unlocked, unfettered phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is great! But you need to weigh it against the cost of having it.
In no short order, to obtain LTE on AT&T, you must:
Give up the incredible Exynos quad.
Deal with ATT bloat.
Deal with ATT hard-branding.
Deal with ATT redesign (likely losing the physical home button).
Deal with ATT kernels/firmware and potentially locked down components.
Have less dev support (international versions always attract more devs-- myself included).
Be locked into using only ATT (or paying for a SIM unlock code).
Deal with (usually much) slower official OS updates and patches.
Know that you're "in the system" at ATT because they have your IMEI.
Deal with having no idea when the device is actually going to be released.
I'm sure I missed some.
So, how badly do you really want a faster cell connection?
Hopefully that helps you.
thebobp said:
AT&T prevented the One X from unlocking their bootloader; to me, that already says enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more.
Plexicle said:
LTE is great! But you need to weigh it against the cost of having it.
In no short order, to obtain LTE on AT&T, you must:
Give up the incredible Exynos quad.
Deal with ATT bloat.
Deal with ATT hard-branding.
Deal with ATT redesign (likely losing the physical home button).
Deal with ATT kernels/firmware and potentially locked down components.
Have less dev support (international versions always attract more devs-- myself included).
Be locked into using only ATT (or paying for a SIM unlock code).
Deal with (usually much) slower official OS updates and patches.
Know that you're "in the system" at ATT because they have your IMEI.
Deal with having no idea when the device is actually going to be released.
I'm sure I missed some.
So, how badly do you really want a faster cell connection?
Hopefully that helps you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great points, makes me feel even better about importing the S3 esp since this will be my first time doing so.
Also, a few have mentioned you can downgrade your data plan to medianet and save $ since the Int. S3's IMEI won't be in the ATT database & it's not considered a "smart" phone.
I will be happy to have the "home" button back since using my ATT Note that lacks it.
MoJoePin said:
Great points, makes me feel even better about importing the S3 esp since this will be my first time doing so.
Also, a few have mentioned you can downgrade your data plan to medianet and save $ since the Int. S3's IMEI won't be in the ATT database & it's not considered a "smart" phone.
I will be happy to have the "home" button back since using my ATT Note that lacks it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go with that media net plan do you still get 3G speed - Hspa speed ? Or what ?
Sent from my GALAXY.
manny05 said:
If you go with that media net plan do you still get 3G speed - Hspa speed ? Or what ?
Sent from my GALAXY.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and yes HSPA+ which is being called 4G but is not LTE. Have LTE on my Note and while it's fast it sucks the life out of a battery. Will not give up quad core just to be on a LTE Bloated devices.
I usually get 1 or 2 down and right around 1 up which is more than fast enought to stream videos, internet works great, etc. Not that it matters to me anyways because my LTE connection speed is zero, there is no LTE in my area and it appears it is still several years away. Makes it a no brainer really... lol
Once you go LTE its kinda hard to go back to HSPA+
if you have wifi constantly its a no brainer.
Able to surf the web and stream HD videos on the road is very satisfying.
that's why Im so torn if i should get the unlock or wait for the LTE version.
shinshoryuken said:
Once you go LTE its kinda hard to go back to HSPA+
if you have wifi constantly its a no brainer.
Able to surf the web and stream HD videos on the road is very satisfying.
that's why Im so torn if i should get the unlock or wait for the LTE version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can Stream HD video on my HSPA+
bbgt2 said:
Yes, and yes HSPA+ which is being called 4G but is not LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, if you want to go there, LTE is not true 4G either.
shinshoryuken said:
Once you go LTE its kinda hard to go back to HSPA+
if you have wifi constantly its a no brainer.
Able to surf the web and stream HD videos on the road is very satisfying.
that's why Im so torn if i should get the unlock or wait for the LTE version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree, personally. I had my Note LTE for a few months that I just sold last week and have since been using the HSPA+ Atrix until the S3 is released. The LTE was great, mind you, and sometimes I had speeds up to ~50 down. Honestly though, the HSPA+ speeds I'm getting now are noticeably slower, but only when I'm actually downloading something. Really, that's usually only podcasts and app updates anymore, and the speed difference in the end usually nets to an extra ~10-15 seconds of waiting. I have zero issues streaming HD video and music to my phone with HSPA+, so the LTE would literally do nothing for me in that case (except for perhaps consuming more battery).
With data caps, it's even less of an issue. You wouldn't want to be downloading any large files over the cell network in either case, so you'll end up on WiFi for that stuff whether you're LTE-equipped or not.
Furthermore, the LTE radios right now are so power-hungry that I wasn't very comfortable using it on my Note. You actually use a lot less power with your WiFi radio ON.
Put that all together and weigh it against the benefits of importing the international variant. For me personally, that's the "no-brainer."
To me its not for a couple reason, 1.) We dont have LTE where I live 2.) Only time I use data is to send picture/video messages otherwise I'm always wireless. Also agree with everyone else on the ATT front, they really do ugly the thing up. I'd also rather have a quad-core than LTE. I'm a hardware over network guy.
thebobp said:
Also, if you want to go there, LTE is not true 4G either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK
Hspa+ is 3.5G
LTE is 3.99g
All good now?
bbgt2 said:
OK
Hspa+ is 3.5G
LTE is 3.99g
All good now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Err, it's hardly 3.99G when 4G mandates 1Gbps and LTE can still fall into the "single digit Mbps".
Well were I live LTE is about 8mbs up/down on AT&T and H+ is 3-5mbs down and 1 up so no big deal for me. That non RGB 720p screen is, but I am still thinking about it.
I was on ATT before with 3G before, but not LTE and I haven't looked at their plan for a while. Can someone explain to me:
When you sign up for their LTE plan, do you get 3G also or no?
If no, can you also buy 3G and how much more is it?
If you can't have 3G free with LTE I think its not so good, especially if you are not living in a well coverage area, which 3G still has a wider coverage.
eksasol said:
I was on ATT before with 3G before, but not LTE and I haven't looked at their plan for a while. Can someone explain to me:
When you sign up for their LTE plan, do you get 3G also or no?
If no, can you also buy 3G?
If you can't have 3G free with LTE I think its not so good, especially if you are not living in a well coverage area, which 3G still has a wider coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your phone will toggle between 4gLTE -4G-3g-and Edge. but 85 percent of the time my Note is on LTE.
if your area has LTE why would WANT to buy 3g as well......lol
the2rrell said:
your phone will toggle between 4gLTE -4G-3g-and Edge. but 85 percent of the time my Note is on LTE.
if your area has LTE why would WANT to buy 3g as well......lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats my point, what if you have an LTE phone and your area don't have LTE, or you go out of town to an area without LTE, and you have no 3G plan. You'll be stuck with 2G.

[Q] S3 HSPA+ vs iPhone 4 3G?

I was just wondering how much faster HSPA+ on the International ver. will be vs my iPhone 4 on 3G? Are we talking twice as fast or more?
MoJoePin said:
I was just wondering how much faster HSPA+ on the International ver. will be vs my iPhone 4 on 3G? Are we talking twice as fast or more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SGS3 can technically do up to ~21Mbps down and 5,8Mbps up, the iPhone 4 is apparently only 7Mbps down and 5,8Mbps up according to my google search.
FISKER_Q said:
The SGS3 can technically do up to ~21Mbps down and 5,8Mbps up, the iPhone 4 is apparently only 7Mbps down and 5,8Mbps up according to my google search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. Hopefully others will chime in with their feelings on HSPA+ I'm thinking it should feel a lot faster for me coming from 3G. I do have LTE in my area though so the US LTE S3 is kinda in the running still for me. Ive read rumors it may come to AT&T as early as 6/20 with the lesser processor but 2GB of RAM possibly.
MoJoePin said:
Thanks for the info. Hopefully others will chime in with their feelings on HSPA+ I'm thinking it should feel a lot faster for me coming from 3G. I do have LTE in my area though so the US LTE S3 is kinda in the running still for me. Ive read rumors it may come to AT&T as early as 6/20 with the lesser processor but 2GB of RAM possibly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Between iphone and sgs3 you will not see much difference. Yes the sgs3 will be faster and in real world scenario you may be get around 4-5mbps down regularly depending on where you you are. Personally this is more than enough for browsing and streaming video compared to lte. Yes lte would work awesome but not a deal breaker for me. Currently I have an international one x and iphone 4s on att, and I get similar speeds on both of them.
I would still go for international sgs3 instead of the us version since the carrier versions will be really cluttered with their branding and crapware
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
i agree
kirdroid said:
Between iphone and sgs3 you will not see much difference. Yes the sgs3 will be faster and in real world scenario you may be get around 4-5mbps down regularly depending on where you you are. Personally this is more than enough for browsing and streaming video compared to lte. Yes lte would work awesome but not a deal breaker for me. Currently I have an international one x and iphone 4s on att, and I get similar speeds on both of them.
I would still go for international sgs3 instead of the us version since the carrier versions will be really cluttered with their branding and crapware
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ATT has been noted for its crapware, and i heard that they specifically reserve 1 core for their own processing or atleast thats what they did on the dual core phones as per an employee at Qualcomm
does HSPA+ count as LTE use on ATT in USA? i have a iphone 4 with unlimited data and im about to return my HTC one X...that i know of LTE lets you use up to 5GB of data before getting slow down on unlimited data grandfather..on 3G use on my iphone 4 i get slowdown when i hit 3GB of data a month which i got slap once ..i use close to 5GB of data a month sometimes over a bit or under 5GB of data..
im looking to get a unlocked GS3 to avoid crap ware and faster updates...or just suffer a bit with my iphone 4 and wait for a pure google phone "nexus"
anyone know if HSPA+ lets you use up to 5GB of data on unlimited ATT or its 3GB of data..
markysd said:
does HSPA+ count as LTE use on ATT in USA? i have a iphone 4 with unlimited data and im about to return my HTC one X...that i know of LTE lets you use up to 5GB of data before getting slow down on unlimited data grandfather..on 3G use on my iphone 4 i get slowdown when i hit 3GB of data a month which i got slap once ..i use close to 5GB of data a month sometimes over a bit or under 5GB of data..
im looking to get a unlocked GS3 to avoid crap ware and faster updates...or just suffer a bit with my iphone 4 and wait for a pure google phone "nexus"
anyone know if HSPA+ lets you use up to 5GB of data on unlimited ATT or its 3GB of data..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get your question.. Whatever is your current plan you get to keep the same. Just pop your iphone or your current sim into gs3 and you are all set. Maybe you need to manually enter the apn settings but other than that whatever limit you currently have on your account will remain the same. You don't even need to talk to any att rep to do anything because most times what they say is bull****
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
kirdroid said:
I don't get your question.. Whatever is your current plan you get to keep the same. Just pop your iphone or your current sim into gs3 and you are all set. Maybe you need to manually enter the apn settings but other than that whatever limit you currently have on your account will remain the same. You don't even need to talk to any att rep to do anything because most times what they say is bull****
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree most the stuff they say is BS...
as for my question... on unlimited data grandfather on ATT lets unlimited customers use up to 3GB of data before they get throttled down which sucks. but when you upgrade to a LTE phone they slow you down when you hit over 5GB of data on LTE.. i was wondering if HSPA+ gets throttle at 3GB or 5GB of data usage..
markysd said:
i agree most the stuff they say is BS...
as for my question... on unlimited data grandfather on ATT lets unlimited customers use up to 3GB of data before they get throttled down which sucks. but when you upgrade to a LTE phone they slow you down when you hit over 5GB of data on LTE.. i was wondering if HSPA+ gets throttle at 3GB or 5GB of data usage..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have gathered from users on xda is that if you import the S3 you can call up and tell AT&T that your phone isn't a smartphone and you can get the MediaNet plan which is cheaper/unlimited and you should get HSPA to HSPA+ speeds. The IMEI of the Int. S3 will come up as a non-smartphone if they do ask for it.
MoJoePin said:
From what I have gathered from users on xda is that if you import the S3 you can call up and tell AT&T that your phone isn't a smartphone and you can get the MediaNet plan which is cheaper/unlimited and you should get HSPA to HSPA+ speeds. The IMEI of the Int. S3 will come up as a non-smartphone if they do ask for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah agree... this will be the best option.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

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