Hi guy
I hope this is the right forum. I currently have the Galaxy Nexus (maguro) and i was thinking of getting a new device. I have an option to get the S3. Wanted to hear from you, the guys who use this phone daily, if its worth buying. Pros cons and other issues?
Thanks in advance
everything is fine with GS3. no issues with the phone except the cable used for charging being faulty. if you are wealthy enough, i would even prefer GS4. :good:
read dozens of reviews on the internet. you won't hear anything new here. also read other identical threads
Its hard to say. No doubt its a better device than the g-nex. Although if you're an aosp fan, the i9300 probably isn't your best bet.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
It's an amazing phone, but as rootSU said if you prefer pure android experience as aosp,cm..maybe it's not the best. Surely you can flash aosp based rom, but you'll lose most of touchwiz features which is a shame
It's a pretty great phone!
If you like the AMOLED screen on the GNex, then I think you'll be quite happy with the S3. The screen is the only thing I'm not too happy with - I would have preferred an LCD - but you may like it, I can't speak for everyone
The camera is really good, the specs are still good even in 2013, and you have some nice customisation options: you can replace the battery (including with an extended battery), insert a SD card for extra space, buy a new back cover if you don't like Samsung plastic ...
So if that all sounds good for you, and something better (like the S4 or HTC One) isn't an option, definitely go for the S3.
Danny044 said:
It's an amazing phone, but as rootSU said if you prefer pure android experience as aosp,cm..maybe it's not the best. Surely you can flash aosp based rom, but you'll lose most of touchwiz features which is a shame
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Click to collapse
Its not so much about losing the features. The problem is lack of exynos sources. This means developers are fighting hard to release stable and quality works. For instance, the camera is no way near as good as touchwiz
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
thanks for the answers! i dont really care about touchwiz features, so i dont mind losing it. I read a lot about phones just die out of nowhere (something related to memory\motherboards flaws?). So you say there aren't many quality roms since its hard to work with the exynos cpu.. arent the drivers released for the developers community?
un.droid said:
thanks for the answers! i dont really care about touchwiz features, so i dont mind losing it. I read a lot about phones just die out of nowhere (something related to memory\motherboards flaws?). So you say there aren't many quality roms since its hard to work with the exynos cpu.. arent the drivers released for the developers community?
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Click to collapse
There are only kernel sources available. there ARE good AOSP roms, but if this is your MAIN INTENTION, you would be better off with something else. I use AOSP ROMs and have no problems.
I'm running Purelook (based on stock ROM) as my main ROM and SlimBean (AOSP based) as my 2nd ROM. I think there are excellent ROMs here for the S3 - a guy I see fairly regularly has an s$ and my tweaked S3 runs rings around it in performance and 'feel.'
From what i have seen, if I was coming in new, I might buy the S4 but I don't think it is a better-enough phone to pay the extra. And from the Sammobile site, the S3 will be getting Android 5 so I am looking forward to that.
Yes, it's still worth buying.Well I don't wonder why so much people hate Touchwiz because for example Contacts,messages,camera or settings apps takes about 3-5 secs to open xD So better choice would be to flash different ROM to avoid this problem,and also some people complaining about 1GB RAM,but it's enough,especially when you delete bloatware,turning off unnecessary services with "DisableServices" app,and locking apps in memory (you can find some tutorials how to do it on XDA) it's really enough (except if you want to keep running high graphical games in memory,or tons of apps which you just forget to close after while xD
If about battery, for me it's stand for 8-7 hours on hard usage (but to some people it stands even for 20 hours or so on)
thank you all for your tips and advises.
Touchwiz is nice features but it runs like Sh!te random slow downs lag when touching stuff. Launchers not loading
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Just be sure you're not getting the one with the eMMC chip that is prone to sudden death
Otherwise it's a great phone only problem maybe is short battery life but that's the problem with all smartphones today no?
When will they invite some magical battery?
verynoob said:
Just be sure you're not getting the one with the eMMC chip that is prone to sudden death
Otherwise it's a great phone only problem maybe is short battery life but that's the problem with all smartphones today no?
When will they invite some magical battery?
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Click to collapse
S3 is pretty much at the top of the pile regarding battery life, so saying it is short isn't really true by comparison to similar smartphones
slaphead20 said:
S3 is pretty much at the top of the pile regarding battery life, so saying it is short isn't really true by comparison to similar smartphones
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Click to collapse
You're right but I wait for someone to come out with like 4000 mah battery compressed to a stock battery size or a super fast charging battery:fingers-crossed:
verynoob said:
You're right but I wait for someone to come out with like 4000 mah battery compressed to a stock battery size or a super fast charging battery:fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is no technology to improve battery capacity right now, in fact
sriram231092 said:
everything is fine with GS3. no issues with the phone except the cable used for charging being faulty. if you are wealthy enough, i would even prefer GS4. :good:
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Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more.
Maybe you can be more specific with what's most important for you from the smartphone spec?
There are people that speakers quality is the most important, there are people that battery life, etc.
You should write down your 5 most important issues inside smartphone spec, and than compare between the models you are intrested in.
There is np 100% answer.
Related
Hi all, I am a member here coming from an AT&T Galaxy S3. I just ordered a Galaxy Note an hour ago and wanted to know some hands on user experiences? I have looked at youtube videos and they just don't seem to do the trick. I would like to know if they are really smooth and if they have good functionality, battery life, and if the development is good?
With the GSM SIII's losing IMEI's left and right, and all the bugs already, I am wondering how good the note really is.
I am not really looking for a 'persuasion' opinion because I will have both devices here before too long when the note gets here. I just want to know everyones experience and if the phone is laggy or anything, or any known bugs.
Any help is greatly appreciated and I will thank all members that give me some feedback.
Thanks! :good:
First off congrats on getting your note.
Stock 2.3 had some lag issues for me but ics fixed that and is smooth even stock.
As far as development goes i haven't tried allot out but have seen allot going on there are some great stockish roms with only a few tweaks but my choice right now is the collective aocp cp1 ROM .
epic1 said:
First off congrats on getting your note.
Stock 2.3 had some lag issues for me but ics fixed that and is smooth even stock.
As far as development goes i haven't tried allot out but have seen allot going on there are some great stockish roms with only a few tweaks but my choice right now is the collective aocp cp1 ROM .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate this. I am hoping it will be good. I have like 8 devices now and I am trying to keep it on just one lol. I am stuck between my GSIII and now the Note when it arrives. I am sure each will have its perks. I just wanted user experiences.
Right now, in my opinion, the Note is the best phone on the market. We have awesome dev support. Any worries of lag you can pretty much throw out the window. The stock ROM, debloated, is very smooth and performs well, I have been quite happy with debloated stock ICS, and it it's legitimately the first Android I have used where the stock ROM is bearable, let alone satisfactory.
However, the work the devs have done will likely make you want to flash a custom ROM fairly quickly. We have official CM9 nightlies, and to make that even better, Cyanogen himself is the developer for that. We also have AOKP variants, as well as a few hybrids and AOSP roms. I'm currently running Gubment Cheeze by rasroygbiv, which is a CM9 variant, and I couldn't be happier, this thing flies and sips battery; highly recommended by me. I've tried most everything in the development forum as I'm a flashaholic, and I can tell you that the Note will not disappoint. JB is also in the works by several of our developers, and we should have stable builds very soon. Dev support is awesome to say the least.
There are no issues with IMEI switching that are know, and we have plenty of options to return your Note to complete stock, including a flash counter reset, so you shouldn't have any worries flashing. In addition, it's a Samsung, which means unless you're dumb and rush things, it's damn near impossible to hard brick. And even if you do manage to hard brick, there are JTAG services available for like 40 bucks that will fix that.
Battery life is slightly above average which is nice. Most people get around 3.5-4 hours of screen on time, and generally anywhere from 12-18 hours of standby or more depending on what all you have running/syncing. So there shouldn't be any worries there.
Plus, we have this beautiful 5.3" monster of a screen that will make you fall in love. It isn't even a question that you'll love the Note. It's a question of if you'll still love your other phones. =]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
That pretty much summed it up for me. If I could thank you 5 ttines I would
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
I just wanna say that was the best feedback I have ever got on here. Thank you again.
No problem, glad I could help. =]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
First thing I would recommend is go with either a stock debloated ROM or even better would be going with h0tw1r3's ICS kernel and DAGr8's AOKP milestone 6 ROM. This combination for me has been beyond excellent. Incredibly smooth, rock solid stable and a pleasure to have. With my current CPU setup I'm at 15 hours off the charger and still have 70% battery (1 hour of screen on).
You can expect about 4-5 hours of actual screen on time.
If you can get past the size of the phone - which is honestly the biggest stumbling block for most new comers to the note, there's very few devices out there that are as good as the i717.
Good luck with your new note!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
netsyd said:
First thing I would recommend is go with either a stock debloated ROM or even better would be going with h0tw1r3's ICS kernel and DAGr8's AOKP milestone 6 ROM. This combination for me has been beyond excellent. Incredibly smooth, rock solid stable and a pleasure to have. With my current CPU setup I'm at 15 hours off the charger and still have 70% battery (1 hour of screen on).
You can expect about 4-5 hours of actual screen on time.
If you can get past the size of the phone - which is honestly the biggest stumbling block for most new comers to the note, there's very few devices out there that are as good as the i717.
Good luck with your new note!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am limited to 8 thanks per day, which I am pretty sad about, but I will be sure to thank you tomorrow haha.
I am not worried about the size, just the lag issues I have heard about and the quality of the screen.... can you differentiate between pixels to the naked eye or anything?
Optimizer said:
Hi all, I am a member here coming from an AT&T Galaxy S3. I just ordered a Galaxy Note an hour ago and wanted to know some hands on user experiences? I have looked at youtube videos and they just don't seem to do the trick. I would like to know if they are really smooth and if they have good functionality, battery life, and if the development is good?
With the GSM SIII's losing IMEI's left and right, and all the bugs already, I am wondering how good the note really is.
I am not really looking for a 'persuasion' opinion because I will have both devices here before too long when the note gets here. I just want to know everyones experience and if the phone is laggy or anything, or any known bugs.
Any help is greatly appreciated and I will thank all members that give me some feedback.
Thanks! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new one is coming or being announced in two weeks. My note with the ROM I'm currently using is just as fast as my S3, and much more capable due to the Samsung apps-- I.e. S Note, the widgets, and the ability to flash S3 apps and widgets because of phMod and the touchwiz framework support inherent in such a configuration.
You absolutely ant go wrong. I had a macbook pro, which I used for browser duty/media, and an iPhone for gaming and news. I stopped using my iPhone and my macbook pro when I got my TF101. I then got my Galaxy Note, and stopped using my tablet for anything but reading, and I split news duty between my Note and Transformer.
Even with the Snapdragon S3, ICS & the custom ROMs (and gingerbread earlier on) made it so the performance was as smooth or smoother than on any other device I touched, including the Prime.
Even games like Dead Trigger, with the Tegra 3 graphics effects enabled run well. They don't run at 60FPS, but to be honest, the display quality is such that you'll be wowed by the resolution and color vibrance and won't notice when you're only running at 30-40 fps. The gpu was the only area where I could've used just a tad bit more power-- I had that power with the GPU over clock that came with the first over clock kernel that was available here. I haven't seen that GPU OC make a comeback in ICS, even after the kernel source was released--disappointing.
Some suggest that the new Note will have a quad core S4, or the new Exynos wit baked in LTE (they won't give up LTE)....so I really think you're cutting yourself short. On the other hand, the enthusiasts and developers are, and will be here, likely for another year, when on contract, they can get an early 18 month upgrade, unless they buy retail.
You have a vibrant, CM and Indie supported community here, with the turkey, the gravy, and all the trimmings. Its impossible to guarantee that wit a new device-- especially one that had a predecessor released what, 4 or 5 months ago (Jesus christ!).
So weigh an established device that is supported, vs a SoC upgrade....because the Note 2 won't be much different. It wont have a better screen-- in fact, the screen resolution will stay the same, and if the rumors are correct, screen size will increase, resulting in a lower pixel density. It will be unproven, and might get better battery life (I say it might, because the rumors say it will get thinner....something that will impact the battery capacity, when in combination with a change to a more efficient, would likely balance out). It will have a less dense, but bigger screen.
I will however tell you that virtually e v e r y o n e that's used the Note, would likely pick it over any device on the market anywhere.
The form factor and screen quality trumps virtually every other ace in the hole out there.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app
With the new kernel, and AOKP - I have ZERO lag. And the screen is on par with the best I've seen (including the 4s).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
See, I don't game alot. Main things are
Texting
Calling
Internet a little
Facebook
Xda
Twitter
And music.
If the note can handle those super smooth with no issues I have a feeling I'm going with thst
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Optimizer said:
See, I don't game alot. Main things are
Texting
Calling
Internet a little
Facebook
Xda
Twitter
And music.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't be disappointed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
I can't compare the Note with your S3, but I have the Note and the international quad core S3. My quad S3 is definitely a hair smoother, but that doesn't make up for the extra screen real estate, and s pen functionality. The extra smoothness of the S3 is hardly noticeable, versus when I pull out my s pen and start taking notes. That's a noticeable difference.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Optimizer said:
I appreciate this. I am hoping it will be good. I have like 8 devices now and I am trying to keep it on just one lol. I am stuck between my GSIII and now the Note when it arrives. I am sure each will have its perks. I just wanted user experiences.
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Click to collapse
i have never used the s3 but the note is by fast the best phone o have used or even seen the screen is amazing very fast and is a very solid device. Every one that sees it is like omg that's a phone.....so it makes a good conversation starter.
Sent from one Epic Phablet!
sizemore2000 said:
I can't compare the Note with your S3, but I have the Note and the international quad core S3. My quad S3 is definitely a hair smoother, but that doesn't make up for the extra screen real estate, and s pen functionality. The extra smoothness of the S3 is hardly noticeable, versus when I pull out my s pen and start taking notes. That's a noticeable difference.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
honestly I will probably NEVER use the SPen lol.... I just like the bigger screen and I hear great development for it.
I just dont wanna go from my S3, to a Note, and then be disappointed. Granted I can always switch back, but I just spent X amount of money a new in box sealed note. I am pretty hopeful it works good. Thinking about donating some of these other phones I have to Devs that have bricked or something. I litterally have 2 iphone 4's, 2 iphone 4s's, a One X, a Note now, an S2 and S3, and like the older G1's and stuff. May do that when I finally decide what device to keep.
Hey all just looking for some opinions on whether I should wait for the n4 or just upgrade to the s3 now. I'm on tmobile, so the lack of lte is not a big deal to me. My biggest concerns are with the non removable battery and lack of sd on the n4. Plus the s3 has a ton of development already.
As you can probably tell, I'm pretty conflicted. Just wanted to hear some other opinions.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
ninjasalad said:
Hey all just looking for some opinions on whether I should wait for the n4 or just upgrade to the s3 now. I'm on tmobile, so the lack of lte is not a big deal to me. My biggest concerns are with the non removable battery and lack of sd on the n4. Plus the s3 has a ton of development already.
As you can probably tell, I'm pretty conflicted. Just wanted to hear some other opinions.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Nexus 4 is the better phone. It has a better display that the Galaxy S 3, it is cheaper and does not require a contract. It has a faster processor as well as better battery life. It's development will take off faster than you can even imagine, this is because it is a nexus, one of the most heavily developed upon devices.
One other device you might want to consider is the Galaxy Note 2, it runs circles around the Galaxy S 3, it is already out for T-Mobile. It isn't for everyone, but I have the first one and absolutely love mine.
Is space a big thing? If so get a s3. Battery on the s3 is about 28hrs with around 4hrs screen time of moderate use, thats on the stock battery and they have expanded ones that double.
What phobe are you coming from? Do you like touchwiz? Or would you run a AOSP rom on the s3? If i had the choice i would go with the Nexus but a lot of people love the s3 too.
The s3 has a bigger screen which is nice if u watch stuff a lot. The s3 is kind of slippery if you have sweaty/greasy hands (which i do and hate it). They just announced today that the 64gig international is open for pre sales so not that long for the states i would think. That and a 64gig card and you would have a 128gig phone which is awsome! But really its up to you.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
willblake13 said:
Nexus 4 is the better phone. It has a better display that the Galaxy S 3, it is cheaper and does not require a contract. It has a faster processor as well as better battery life. It's development will take off faster than you can even imagine, this is because it is a nexus, one of the most heavily developed upon devices.
One other device you might want to consider is the Galaxy Note 2, it runs circles around the Galaxy S 3, it is already out for T-Mobile. It isn't for everyone, but I have the first one and absolutely love mine.
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Click to collapse
You could say that the N4 is better if you want. But that will never translate into fact. Because better is an opinion based on what is better suited to ones needs. I can tell you this, to me personally the N4 is not an adequate device. The s3 on the other hand is by far superior in my opinion. I can almost guarantee that most people will not be able to tell the difference between either screen's. And if they could, it will be minor at best. Reason for it is because the screen's are to small to make a big impact on the difference.
So the N4 has a better processor? Perhaps it is faster. But does any one know how it truly runs in a real world use? No they do not. It is not out yet. Now, when I tell you that the S3 is fast. I mean it. It is fast, and on the stock firmware at that. With JB on here it is even better even wit a JellyWiz ROM. This phone is fantastic in all aspects.
To the OP, what is the most important feature to you. Base your decisions on that.
For me a removable mSD card is invaluable. And a removable battery is also. I am not a cloud person when it comes to certain business practices and or personal info. That is where the removable media comes in for me. Also, take into consideration data charges. All carriers will move to step data pricing. Even TMobile will eventually. Heck I have VZW and unlimited data. And I still want a card slot. The screen and processor upgrade and supposed better battery does not do this for me. And I would expect it wouldn't do it for you either.
Granted the N4 will have development or updates far after the S3. But quite frankly, that does not concern me. Once I got my phone working g exactly the way I want bit with the ROM and Kernel. I am golden. I don't need.
Question is, do you want to control your data. Or do you want to hand over your data freedom to that of corporations and governments? Do you eventually want to pay extra fees if you are in a pick and need to sent and or receive info from the cloud? All because data fees are stupid expensive?
Just so that you know. The S3 mSD slot is positions in such a way that is easily on the fly with a battery in.
@ willblake13. I would love to try out the Note2. Sounds like a very awesome device.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Jaytronics said:
You could say that the N4 is better if you want. But that will never translate into fact. Because better is an opinion based on what is better suited to ones needs. I can tell you this, to me personally the N4 is not an adequate device. The s3 on the other hand is by far superior in my opinion. I can almost guarantee that most people will not be able to tell the difference between either screen's. And if they could, it will be minor at best. Reason for it is because the screen's are to small to make a big impact on the difference.
So the N4 has a better processor? Perhaps it is faster. But does any one know how it truly runs in a real world use? No they do not. It is not out yet. Now, when I tell you that the S3 is fast. I mean it. It is fast, and on the stock firmware at that. With JB on here it is even better even wit a JellyWiz ROM. This phone is fantastic in all aspects.
To the OP, what is the most important feature to you. Base your decisions on that.
For me a removable mSD card is invaluable. And a removable battery is also. I am not a cloud person when it comes to certain business practices and or personal info. That is where the removable media comes in for me. Also, take into consideration data charges. All carriers will move to step data pricing. Even TMobile will eventually. Heck I have VZW and unlimited data. And I still want a card slot. The screen and processor upgrade and supposed better battery does not do this for me. And I would expect it wouldn't do it for you either.
Granted the N4 will have development or updates far after the S3. But quite frankly, that does not concern me. Once I got my phone working g exactly the way I want bit with the ROM and Kernel. I am golden. I don't need.
Question is, do you want to control your data. Or do you want to hand over your data freedom to that of corporations and governments? Do you eventually want to pay extra fees if you are in a pick and need to sent and or receive info from the cloud? All because data fees are stupid expensive?
Just so that you know. The S3 mSD slot is positions in such a way that is easily on the fly with a battery in.
@ willblake13. I would love to try out the Note2. Sounds like a very awesome device.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Hit the nail on the head, One thing I would have to argue with is that the nexus 4 will be late to get updates. Nexus devices are usually the first to get new operating systems. Just look at the Xoom. Once the development takes off, this device will be light years ahead of all of the other's in terms of updates. It launches already packed with 4.2! Google looks out for their nexus device users.
As for the SOC of the Nexus 4 I. I have to agree that we will not know for sure until we get our hands on it. But look at the Nexus history, seems like they are the phones that are pushing the companys that make the hardware that android runs on to do better. This is just my opinion.
I'm currently using an HTC Sensation running cm10. I hate touchwiz, wish the manufacturers would stop adding their own skins. I could understand it in earlier versions of android, but with the introduction of ics I see no need. They just slow down updates. However, I plan on flashing an aosp rom if I get an s3, so that's not a big deal.
My contract is a 2gb cap, so this push to cloud storage and streaming isn't really for me. I like removable batteries, as I am a bit of a flashaholic. I'm not sure of the impact on battery life the quad core will have, and dual core seems more than sufficient (perhaps not in 2 years?) Oh, camera is a big deal too, doesn't the s3 have a superior ffc? I'm not a huge fan of the plastic chassis of the s3, but it's not a big concern to me.
I guess I'm just wondering on how much development there will be for the n4. Alas, it's all speculation, from performance to battery life
Are any s3 users planning on upgrading?
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
ninjasalad said:
I'm currently using an HTC Sensation running cm10. I hate touchwiz, wish the manufacturers would stop adding their own skins. I could understand it in earlier versions of android, but with the introduction of ics I see no need. They just slow down updates. However, I plan on flashing an aosp rom if I get an s3, so that's not a big deal.
My contract is a 2gb cap, so this push to cloud storage and streaming isn't really for me. I like removable batteries, as I am a bit of a flashaholic. I'm not sure of the impact on battery life the quad core will have, and dual core seems more than sufficient (perhaps not in 2 years?) Oh, camera is a big deal too, doesn't the s3 have a superior ffc? I'm not a huge fan of the plastic chassis of the s3, but it's not a big concern to me.
I guess I'm just wondering on how much development there will be for the n4. Alas, it's all speculation, from performance to battery life
Are any s3 users planning on upgrading?
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are just wondering about development, head on over to the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus forums. That should give you an idea
The whole cloud thing was a wasted argument until we know how much media OP will be using. For most people, 16GB is enough, and even 8GB will be enough for some. MicroSD is a whole different problem, since the ability to take out your storage and use a card reader, or if your phone breaks then you have no way of retrieving your data are pretty important to me. That's just something to remember, it won't matter if you be careful.
This brings us the the whole nonremovable battery problem. What this would cause is the inability to swap out a new battery or use an extended battery. There is a virtual battery pull option which is hardware triggered, so battery pull problem solved. The fact that the battery is nonremovable boosted the battery size though, since a removable battery causes changes to the inside of the phone to make it easier to take out actually lowers battery capacity.
Extra cores helps with battery life, especially when they are all not being used. And people do know how it runs in real life usage. LG Optimus G, ever heard of it? The S4 Pro rivals the Apple A6, and the regular S4 does not match up. Without the LG skin to slow it down, the Nexus 4 should be even faster.
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
Hey guys, my contract expires in a month and I am looking at a couple of new phones to buy. I currently own a Droid Incredible, and I absolutely love it. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it has poor battery life, and it's kind of slow. Things that I do like about it are that I have a plethora of roms to choose from and it has great development support. Some phones that I am looking to buy are the Droid Razr Maxx HD, Samsung Galaxy S3, and the Google Nexus. Can you tell me about the pros and cons of the S3? How is the developer support for this phone? I appreciate any help!
Developer support isn't the worst but it isn't the best, the Exynos 4412 is Faster than it needs to be, don't go for a Snapdragon S4 Quad just because its faster... the differences are minimal.
If I was you I would get the Nexus 4 over the Galaxy Nexus if you were to get a Nexus device.
Cons:
Not much.
ra9b said:
Hey guys, my contract expires in a month and I am looking at a couple of new phones to buy. I currently own a Droid Incredible, and I absolutely love it. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it has poor battery life, and it's kind of slow. Things that I do like about it are that I have a plethora of roms to choose from and it has great development support. Some phones that I am looking to buy are the Droid Razr Maxx HD, Samsung Galaxy S3, and the Google Nexus. Can you tell me about the pros and cons of the S3? How is the developer support for this phone? I appreciate any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CUSTOM ROMS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1566
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1685
je
everything is great with this phone, developer community, xda support community is good, frequency of software updates from samsung is also good compared to other OEMs at the moment...overall phone experience is excellent and you will not be disappointed...however, sgs3 suffers from two issues...
1) stock Contacts & Phone App lags, takes 3-4 seconds to open for the first time and will not stay in memory for a long time for fast opening..this sucks...work around is avaliable like Exdialer app from play store or Jkay mod for SGS3 to keep contacts and dialer app in memory always.
2) heavy apps installed from market cannot be moved into external memory (memory stick)...work around available though I guess..!
If you are comfortable flashing a custom rom, kernel or mods, then it's a wonderful phone.
Stock experience is good but has some shortcomings like mentioned before.
Overall, I think it's the most balanced device right now. Removable battery and micro sd slot surely give it an edge and it's not as large as a Note.
Xperia Z would be also a great choice if you decide to wait. Seems that it would be a better choice IF you can wait a month or two.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
@TheCraig: what do you mean it isn't the best? Like, the dev support for the droid incredible is great. The phone is 3 years old but we still have about 5 jelly bean roms, and 2 4.2 unofficial nightly roms which is great!
@gchindi: well, i am not too worried about the contacts and phone apks taking a while to load. and how big apk files are we talking about?
@drakester09: yeah, i am addicted to flashing. I have a gtab 2 so i'm familiar with the rooting process for samsung devices as well. i don't like the stock interface too much. i can't stand touchwiz for some reason lol.
thanks for your help guys. can one of you upload a screenshot of your battery usage graphs too? just for comparison with my battery life. i'd greatly appreciate that.
ra9b said:
@TheCraig: what do you mean it isn't the best? Like, the dev support for the droid incredible is great. The phone is 3 years old but we still have about 5 jelly bean roms, and 2 4.2 unofficial nightly roms which is great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he was talking about the SGS3, I thought you were too
Glebun said:
he was talking about the SGS3, I thought you were too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha let me clarify. i was telling him what the dev support is like on the dinc so that he could compare it to the dev support on the gs3.
oh, I got you.
ra9b said:
@TheCraig: what do you mean it isn't the best? Like, the dev support for the droid incredible is great. The phone is 3 years old but we still have about 5 jelly bean roms, and 2 4.2 unofficial nightly roms which is great!
@gchindi: well, i am not too worried about the contacts and phone apks taking a while to load. and how big apk files are we talking about?
@drakester09: yeah, i am addicted to flashing. I have a gtab 2 so i'm familiar with the rooting process for samsung devices as well. i don't like the stock interface too much. i can't stand touchwiz for some reason lol.
thanks for your help guys. can one of you upload a screenshot of your battery usage graphs too? just for comparison with my battery life. i'd greatly appreciate that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant to say the dev support for the Galaxy S3, which isn't massively impressive compared to the Nexus, but that's expected as AOSP is made for Nexus.
TheCraig said:
I meant to say the dev support for the Galaxy S3, which isn't massively impressive compared to the Nexus, but that's expected as AOSP is made for Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh OK. I was going threw the development forum and it looks pretty good.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
It's has great hardware but horrible software specially Ram Management.
For example, you wanna enjoy some tracks while browsing web ?
Forget it, the songs start to shutter .
eggman89 said:
It's has great hardware but horrible software specially Ram Management.
For example, you wanna enjoy some tracks while browsing web ?
Forget it, the songs start to shutter .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easily fixed with a new kernel or ROM.
Worst thing about Samsung bloatware, but that isn't as bad with the I9305 and its 2G ram.
I'd wait for the SGS4!
LG, Lucky Goldstar anything but...
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Yeah, I'd hold off for a few months if you can - get a discount off your monthly bill from your service provider, save that money, then pull the trigger on a brand new S4 when that comes out. S3 is a great phone, and there's nothing else I'd rather have at the moment (except maybe the i9305 with more RAM, although a much weaker dev scene). But with the S4 release within spitting distance now, you'd be mad not to wait. Unless cost is an issue, in which case I'd still say wait, cos the S3 will drop in price quite a bit when the S4 is released. Might as well get yourself synced up with the Galaxy S release cycle now, cos once you have one you're unlikely to want to go elsewhere. I did buy myself a Nexus 4 when that came out, but the only benefits that had was the software (if you're into vanilla Android) and two gigs of RAM. EVERYTHING else was inferior to my S3, so I ended up sending the N4 back.
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setspeed said:
Yeah, I'd hold off for a few months if you can - get a discount off your monthly bill from your service provider, save that money, then pull the trigger on a brand new S4 when that comes out. S3 is a great phone, and there's nothing else I'd rather have at the moment (except maybe the i9305 with more RAM, although a much weaker dev scene). But with the S4 release within spitting distance now, you'd be mad not to wait. Unless cost is an issue, in which case I'd still say wait, cos the S3 will drop in price quite a bit when the S4 is released. Might as well get yourself synced up with the Galaxy S release cycle now, cos once you have one you're unlikely to want to go elsewhere. I did buy myself a Nexus 4 when that came out, but the only benefits that had was the software (if you're into vanilla Android) and two gigs of RAM. EVERYTHING else was inferior to my S3, so I ended up sending the N4 back.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was thinking about waiting for the s4 but i don't know when exactly it will come out. regardless, i probably won't buy it since i personally think that it might be too over powered and the battery life will take a hit, but hey, you never know. you're right about the S3's cost dropping though. i was looking at the nexus 4, but the no microSD card
(at least that's what i've read) was a complete turn off for me.
40 million S3 units sold, having come from HTC I can see why just on the quality of components Samsung uses in it's phones. I had a choice between the new nexus and the S3, the removable battery and sd card sold it for me but I'm very impressed by how well the software works. All my phones up to now had AOSP, this is the first that has ( albeit a stripped down version) a stock ROM onboard after three months use.
boomboomer said:
40 million S3 units sold, having come from HTC I can see why just on the quality of components Samsung uses in it's phones. I had a choice between the new nexus and the S3, the removable battery and sd card sold it for me but I'm very impressed by how well the software works. All my phones up to now had AOSP, this is the first that has ( albeit a stripped down version) a stock ROM onboard after three months use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the s3 is pretty great. I've played around with it and I really like it. Is the battery life good with touchwiz or is it better with cm10.1?
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
Its all about choice. I have a nexus 7 which is a bigger version of the Google nexus in theory. Do you mean Google nexus or the nexus 4? I have to say that I love the jelly bean on the nexus and especially the user interface which I think is very simple to use on my nexus7. The RAZR maxx has the best battery life out of any phone I have seen on the market. My friend has one and funnily enough I have a s3. The s3 is brilliant you can really feel and see the quality Samsung put into making their phones. I came from HTC myself after having alot of issues with the one x . I would recommend either the nexus 4, simply because of the software and easy access and the s3 because of the removable battery and SD card which is what made me go for the s3 rather than the nexus
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
ra9b said:
i was thinking about waiting for the s4 but i don't know when exactly it will come out. regardless, i probably won't buy it since i personally think that it might be too over powered and the battery life will take a hit, but hey, you never know. you're right about the S3's cost dropping though. i was looking at the nexus 4, but the no microSD card
(at least that's what i've read) was a complete turn off for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I highly doubt this will be the case - the battery life will be no worse than the S3 (most likely better). Chances are it will have a bigger battery as well as a better CPU (which will have better power management). The possibly larger screen and 1080P will obviously have a negative effect. This is obviously basing off rumour specs (and no one will really know until the phone is released), though point is, just because the phone is more powerful doesn't mean the battery life will be worse. The S3 is more powerful than the S2, though has better battery life (for me anyways).
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samkent6 said:
Its all about choice. I have a nexus 7 which is a bigger version of the Google nexus in theory. Do you mean Google nexus or the nexus 4? I have to say that I love the jelly bean on the nexus and especially the user interface which I think is very simple to use on my nexus7. The RAZR maxx has the best battery life out of any phone I have seen on the market. My friend has one and funnily enough I have a s3. The s3 is brilliant you can really feel and see the quality Samsung put into making their phones. I came from HTC myself after having alot of issues with the one x . I would recommend either the nexus 4, simply because of the software and easy access and the s3 because of the removable battery and SD card which is what made me go for the s3 rather than the nexus
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the Nexus 4. What was wrong with your One X? But yeah, I think I'm going to go with the S3. It has a lot of roms (so that beats out the raxr) and it has a micro SD(beating put the Nexus). Having a rooted droid incredible has kind of made those two things a necessity for me.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
I'm getting my S3 tomorrow and im planning to get away from stock as soon as possible.
I would like a aosp or aokp based rom with good battery life, good music quality and good camera.
Im moving from a iPhone 4S and the music quality on that thing is amazing so i'm looking for something similar, but I hate the Samsung interface as i've played with my friends.
Does anyone have any recommendations, battery life is very important.
Thanks in advance guys
I like the look of the SuperNexus Rom but apparently the battery life is pretty bad
Ok, I'll say this only because I think honesty lasts longer..
You're basically asking for an aosp rom that will never exist for the S3 because Samsung doesn't provide any decent source for its exynos 4 chip. AOSP for the i9300 has an inferior battery life, inferior music quality and an inferior camera.
You should have bought a Nexus 4 if aosp is your priority. Or if you can live with the S3, I'd suggest beefing it up with a 3000 mAh battery.
Next time, do not post anymore threads asking about what rom to flash, etc as those are all subjective, and also because we seniors get a little cranky.
Don't expect an answer here, you'll have to try them and see which one fits your needs, like the rest of us do. If you're a first comer I'd advise against the CM/Aosp Roms because they are can be unpredictable at times and sound quality is inferior to Samsungs. Since you also hate the Samsung interface that rules out the rest of the Roms as well. I'd suggest Mac OSX if you can get that running on the S3.
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I had HTC Desire for nearly 3 years, and it is a great phone, but I think it is time to upgrade, because:
- it is annoyingly slow with my regular set of programs installed, even on fastest available roms
- it doesn't have kernel 3.0, and because of that JB roms have shortcomings
- a little bit too small screen for GPS navigation
- really crappy camera
- somewhat short battery life
Some time ago I had a chance to look at Galaxy S2 in person and it looked like a perfect phone (at least for 2 minutes I had it in my hands).
Somewhat bigger screen, more internal storage, kernel 3.0.
I use custom roms, so big development community is important for me. I have been spoiled by Desire as it (still) has a large one.
Galaxy S2 would cost me around 170-200 euro to get it.
Then there is S3, which looks like a better phone alltogether, even if more expensive (~350 euro).
But the doubts about that one after reading user opinions are:
- quite dark screen, worse than One X
- bad build quality
- flimsy home button
- external speaker on pair with Desire
I would welcome SGS3 owners views on the above.
My general requirements (compared to HTC Desire):
- larger screen (not necessarily much larger)
- solid build quality
- large development community
- noticeably faster CPU than Desire (Dual+ core would come in handy)
- microUSB
- good/very good camera
- good battery life
- have a good and loud external speakers for listening to podcasts
- would be nice if it had FM transmitter (not receiver) but it is not necessary
- it must by BLACK or therebout
the s3 fits each one of those requirements.....
Hi there. I was an owner of HTC Desire for 2 years. I loved that device and still have it in my drawer. I recently bought a Galaxy S3 to upadgrade my old DS. The transfer from Desire to Desire S was something logical to me back then. Almost the same device but newer software. I was searching for a new phone and I thought that one X was the only road for me. I had a chance to compare one X with SGS3 side by side. The screen on one X has more natural colors for me and I think the sound quality is better. Honesty I picked the SGS 3 cause of the community that has here in xda the removal battery the sd card slot and I think the camera quality is better. Im still new here and haven't managed to explore the hole forum but I found a lot of things and I'm amazed by the community
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There are better options market than s3 at this point of time
sent from the state where marijuana is NOT illegal !
kangerX said:
There are better options market than s3 at this point of time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this informative post. Could you share those better options?
I am not going to pay more than 350 euro for it, so unless those better options are the same price or cheaper than SGS3, mentioning them is pointless.
impactor said:
Thanks for this informative post. Could you share those better options?
I am not going to pay more than 350 euro for it, so unless those better options are the same price or cheaper than SGS3, mentioning them is pointless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the S4 i9505. Better dev support due to no exynos. Get 2nd hand
Got to be honest, if i was in your shoes, i wouldn't. Not for 350€. Would be a different thing if you had an awesome deal at hand, but if you're just getting them from a regular store, for the full price, no.
I've seen you don't require neither external sd nor an removable battery so i'd easily go with a nexus 4 if i could. Around same price point, best bang for the buck specs wise. Also, you get updates directly from google instead of waiting forever for samsung
If you're not into the nexus 4 (which isn't easy to come by for every country) you may want to take a look at the oppo find 5. Seems a fantastic phone, has even better specs than the nexus and therefore a bit more expensive. Easy to get in europe and they even throw in a few extras like NFC tags and a (flip?) cover for your phone. Also the developer openly encourages custom roms so there shouldn't be a problem having updates.
Moar ram (this is REALLY important on the S3 since 1Gb is not nearly enough for a samsung rom), no-bul**** touchwiz with a lightfast pure aosp rom (with the nexus) or anything close with the oppo and no exynos with closed sources, making custom roms not being able to be all they can. You won't get some somewhat useless bells and whistles (smart stay, camera effects, multiwindow, etc) but that can almost all be reinstated with 3rd party apps if needed. Samsung has a bad history of kind of neglecting their phones who're not flagships anymore - by this i mean they say they will update but only when convenient to them and that means waiting forever with no ETA at all. Not to mention you may get a unit with the screwed up chip which is apparently not in danger of suddently dying anymore but it's fix has been reported causing severe lag. It's not a bad phone at all, it's just there are better alternatives out there.
The S2 though is still a fantastic phone and it's probably the cheaper you'll get. It's just it's old and most likely not supported (or about to be, not sure) by samsung by now.
kaynpayn said:
i'd easily go with a nexus 4 if i could. Around same price point, best bang for the buck specs wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a really good point.
I think the price points are still a little high
You should expect after September 5 or so, and then check prices for:
- i9300 unlocked new and second-hand; IMHO the best thing about it is the form factor + huge availability of ROMs; major downside = only 1 GB RAM
- i9305 unlocked new and second-hand; it fixes the problem with just 1 GB and also has LTE, but much less development and fewer ROMs to choose
- N7100 (note 2) unlocked new and second-hand; IMHO a good choice that fixes most problems with i9300 and i9305, BUT creates a new one - size; that one is a deal killer for me
- also look at the prices for note 3 (will be launchd around September 4-5) and i9505 (might drop a little, eventually the i9506 might become available).
Thanks guys.
- I never used stock rom on any android phone I had. I root and install custom rom instantly, so I am no bothered by Sense or Touchwiz or whatever bloat there is in stock.
- Nexus 4 has one major flaw - only 16gb, and not expandable. In my Deisre, I have a 16gb card and btween GPS maps, podcasts and backups, I am almost constantly out of space. Plus, it has lesser camera, and screen.
- SGS3 would be in silicon cover anyway, so I don't care much about the build quality EXCEPT for the front panel/home button.
impactor said:
Thanks guys.
- I never used stock rom on any android phone I had. I root and install custom rom instantly, so I am no bothered by Sense or Touchwiz or whatever bloat there is in stock.
- Nexus 4 has one major flaw - only 16gb, and not expandable. In my Deisre, I have a 16gb card and btween GPS maps, podcasts and backups, I am almost constantly out of space. Plus, it has lesser camera, and screen.
- SGS3 would be in silicon cover anyway, so I don't care much about the build quality EXCEPT for the front panel/home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SGS3's problem is that AOSP devs cannot make ROMs as quickly (or make the "fully functional" as quickly) due to having an Exynos CPU. I personally would look for an S4 i9505 2nd hand if I wanted a good phone with AOSP support. It has no Exynos.
S4 is way to expensive for me.
How about HTC One X?
impactor said:
Thanks for this informative post. Could you share those better options?
I am not going to pay more than 350 euro for it, so unless those better options are the same price or cheaper than SGS3, mentioning them is pointless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would be pointless is buying a exynos device paying 350 euro.. N4 / oppo find 5 great devices / or second hand i9505 / one x
sent from the state where marijuana is NOT illegal !
impactor said:
S4 is way to expensive for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the UK I found a 2nd hand i9505 for £330, 384 Euros on buy it now (ebay).
Wait a month or two, it will be lower. Worth considering. Or look for an auction instead. I'm confident it can be done.
Oh you didn't mention the need for more than 16gb. That actually weights in a lot. The oppo finder 5 should be a good candidate then, I believe it's the best price you can get for a phone with those specs that already brings 32gb (if bought new)
If you understand and don't mind the exynos, the 16gb+sdcard lte s3 is also an option (2gb ram), not sure about prices though.
Also, for what's worth, I've compared the camera of my s3 with the n4. Didn't think it was all that different apart from effects I don't really use. Phones are cool for the casual shot (and actually take very decent ones) but if it's serious quality I'm after, nothing beats a good, dedicated camera.
Edit: oops didn't realise you couldn't spend more than 350. I still wouldn't get the s3 and would wait out for the prices to get lower. Still, if you must change your phone now, for that price point, with your requirements is probably the best bet.
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---------- Post added at 02:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:24 PM ----------
rootSU said:
In the UK I found a 2nd hand i9505 for £330, 384 Euros on buy it now (ebay).
Wait a month or two, it will be lower. Worth considering. Or look for an auction instead. I'm confident it can be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Main issue I find with ebay uk sellers, they won't send to any other country, even if its their neighbor Portugal few miles below
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kaynpayn said:
Main issue I find with ebay uk sellers, they won't send to any other country, even if its their neighbor Portugal few miles below
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasnt suggesting buying from Ebay UK. It's just an example.
rootSU said:
SGS3's problem is that AOSP devs cannot make ROMs as quickly (or make the "fully functional" as quickly) due to having an Exynos CPU. I personally would look for an S4 i9505 2nd hand if I wanted a good phone with AOSP support. It has no Exynos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure what is the problem with S3 cpu. S3 seems to have great support community, a lot of roms, etc. I do not really care if I have the newest subversion of Android available on my phone 5 days after the newest Android was released.
I just want it to work, and I couldn't care less if I have to wait a month, or 3 months for Android 4.3, if I have fully workin 4.2.2, with great battery life, photograps, excellent GPS, screen, and pretty great for a mobile audio quality (headphones, and speakerphone).
Considering that, would you still disadvice me an S3? I looked at prices of S4 and even 380 euro is a bit of a stretch, considering I wanted to spend 200 euro initially, and 300 for S3 is already a significant budget enlargement.
And what about HTC One X? Would that be better than S3?
Exynos documentation lacking. No sources. Poor camera. All devs complain including cyanogen. Read their threads, posts and blogs. Research. Or buy blindly. You choose
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rootSU said:
Exynos documentation lacking. No sources. Poor camera. All devs complain including cyanogen. Read their threads, posts and blogs. Research. Or buy blindly. You choose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are results of my research:
1. Stable CM10.2 available on S3
2. S3 camera is one of the best among mobile phones
3. Considerable amount of roms available for S3.
I just don't see the point you are making. I do not want to get S3 blindly, but neither do I want to blindly reject it.
impactor said:
Here are results of my research:
1. Stable CM10.2 available on S3
2. S3 camera is one of the best among mobile phones
3. Considerable amount of roms available for S3.
I just don't see the point you are making. I do not want to get S3 blindly, but neither do I want to blindly reject it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Cyanogen refused to release 10.1 as "stable" release. Remains nightly build forever due to lack of exynos sources and documentation. Same with 10.2
2. Touchwiz rom camera great. Since samsung didn't release camera HAL, aosp camera not very good.
3. Loads of aosp roms. None meet their own potential due to the issues mentioned above.
4. Battery life poor on aosp roms.
S3 is great of you're happy with touchwiz. Bloated and slow but good pics and great battery life. But if you know you'll be using aosp roms, its a poor choice - and im sure any aosp dev would agree with that. Yes there's lots of choice. I even use aosp all the time but it cannot exploit the devices potential.
Also a lot of devs are starting to move on now. Kernel development for aosp is down to about 3 or 4 good ones.
Im trying to be Frank and save you buying a dying devices thinking it will be as good as you think it is. I wish I had known about the exynos issue before buying. Would I have held out and bought something else? Probably not. It was the only device that met my requirement 14 months ago. That said, would I recommend it now? No.
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