Related
I am still within the window of returning my G Note (which i love except for a few things) and possibly getting a SGS3.
I really like the GNote and the massive screen, the extra real state is really nice! I am on AT&T and really like the idea of the HSPA network backup to the not yet present LTE here in South Florida. I am getting avg between 4-6 mbps DL.
NOTE (AT&T):
Likes:
* HSPA Network on AT&T
* Screen Size
* S-Pen (I actually use the thing)
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
* No OC on ICS (might be wrong here)
* Potential for less Dev support once SGS3 comes out.
SGS3 (VZW):
Likes:
* Camera...I have toddler at home and a quick camera would be great (this is my biggest factor for considering this phone)
* Power...this things seems like a beast!!!
* form factor
* ICS, although I am not as concerned about software bcs it's a matter of porting by one these great devs in XDA.
Dislike:
* Smaller Screen
* Slow 3G speeds when not on LTE area about 50% of time!
Any thoughts that might help me rationalize this decision is greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Crey23 said:
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
davaj said:
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not limited to Launchers, but they do affect normal navigation. I had ran GO, ADW EX, and Holo....and Holo being the "fastest". I just installed Go Ex and it's really fast. I think it more to do with one the widgets that I was running.
But lag can be seen while unlocking, but I hear that the SGS3 is the same...something to do with deep sleep that Samsung uses. It can also be seen while playing some games like Angry Birds. It ran kind of choppy on my old htc Vision(G2) Oc'd @ 1.2 Ghz, but the Note sometimes shows that choppiness too.
One thing that also concerns me is that the RAM is ually running at 65%-75% capacity anyone else?
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3. I sold my international note for the one x and didn't like that phone so I would probably regret trading for the gs3 as well. Once you get used to the screen on the note its hard to downgrade. Believe me when I say that the note's screen looks way better than the one x, even the guy at Walmart's at&t store agreed with me. Hopefully when we get a kernel source it will speed up our notes, although my note isn't that bad now.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
First and foremost determine what you need in a phone, do you need the Horsepower of a quad core? Most apps aren't designed to work with the quad cores and I would believe that the support of them in ICS is kind of like windows, yes they will use them, but will it use them effectively? Do you want the screen or the camera more? I know for my needs I prefer the screen and the camera is plenty quick enough for what I do, but I don't have kids. As for lag, if it's really that bad, I'd exchange it for another. I only saw lag on my phone after I had launched 20 or 25 apps, running tons of widgets and hadn't shut my phone down in 3 weeks.
So in the end, the trade off is what will you utilize more and what would be best for you. I for one wouldn't trade my note for anything, but again I came from a streak and make full use of my very large screen and not the camera so much. Not to mention, you could wait to get the S3, get it, and in a year they'll probably release a phone that has 3.2GHz quad cores with brand new LTE system that's 10x faster than what we have now.
Technology has always grown faster than we can keep up with, the real question is, how long will you wait to get the latest and greatest? That's the reason why I haven't upgraded my home PC. There's always a new CPU coming out with a new form factor, or the next best graphics card is going to be released in a month or two. My current logic with it now is, hey it works, it works well, I'll keep it until it doesn't suit my needs anymore.
Just my thoughts on it.
Apex launcher is the best launcher for the note no lag on my end. I couldn't see myself going to a smaller screen. My hands fit the phone perfect.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I will share my views with my days with the ATT Note. If you are running stock ROM..it was a HORRIBLE experience. I had my Captivate at the time and it was super smooth compared to the ATT Note stock.
If you are cool changing ROMS, which I think you are since you are here, I would expect it to be a lot better.
As for the dev on the ATT one dying after the GS3 comes out...well , unless you are buying an international GS3, I wont expect the dev for it to be that huge either compared to the international version but this is just a guess.
davaj said:
If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this.
lyall29 said:
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly my concern.....Yes it might be all that, as the hox was when it came out, but after I played with it for a bit I was not convinced and actually opted for the GNote instead despite the additional $70 that it cost me.
I guess I like to be a s bleeding edge as possible, being that at the speed of industry... in two years, by the time my contract is over, there will be 6.8Ghz eight core, 0.5 TB solid state drive phones with 21MP cameras that wipe my butt too.... But reality is that it might be overkill.
The other thing that attracts me to the SGS# is that finally an Android phone will have as many accessories as an iPhone given the number of pre-sales, and the fact that it will be the flag-ship device for the 5 major carriers in the US/Canada. I am tired of walking into a best buy and see 90 different cases for the iPhone and, if I'm lucky, finding the $hitty Speck case for my Note lol.
Lastly, my other concer is that in order to get the SGS3 I would have to go from AT&T to VZW, and I am not convinced at all of going from lightning fast VZW LTE to crawling speed 3g EV-DO signal. It is reliable in the area, but LTE does not reach 50% of my territory.
I guess I'm going to keep the GNote, root it and wait for a kernel to break 2.0 Ghz blazing fast phone. I have read a few reviews that measure web processing throughput and the Note beats the SGS3 in the benchmark. Also some of the ROMs available have been tweaked to improve DL perfromance quite drastically.
The camera is pretty snappy too....It seems to take long, but when the picture is revealed it look amazing!
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
littlewierdo said:
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
lyall29 said:
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
lufc said:
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks lufc, hadn't realized that I wasn't in Q&A. :
Well I bit the bullet..... I switched to VZW. Specs wise the sgs3 seems to be superior, but push come to shove, a $35 a month savings with unlimited voice and text and 4gb gigs once the new pricing plans kick in at the end of the month.
I will miss the huge screen and te s- pen. And I might regret it, but I had to do it from a logical perspective.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Crey23 said:
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
littlewierdo said:
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I hear ya.....I have seen multiple videos on the the SGS3 and it seems like an incredibly fluid device. I have to say the screen real state i will miss, but since I am returning my Note today, and will get the SGS3 in early July I am back on an Blackberry Pearl 8130...the screen size is about 1/4 of the Note's....maybe less LOL. So I think by the time i get the G3 it will seem like a huge screen!
I will miss the S-Pen....I did use it quite a bit. I stopped taking my notebook to meetings bcs all I needed was my note.
pyro254750 said:
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right in the sence that many phones just need to be optimized in order to get them smooth. I did that with my htc Vision/G2 once I rooted, swaped kernels, flashed a "few" ROM's including ICS and had it OC'd to nearly 2x it's rated processor speed. BUT, and you know a but was coming....
There is something to be said of the posibilities of a device being launched nearly simultaneously on all 5 major carriers in the US...no other device has ever done that (at least under the same name, and never in so close proximity of one from the other).
The other thing impressive about the G3 is the hardware, it's got 2GB of ram, and incredible camera, a very good processor (though not the latest), and note like beautiful screen. For me the camera alone draws my attention, and the fact that the spec are as close to bleeding edge as we can get in a production device, makes me pretty happy to know that I can pull of 2 years of no upgrades.
In fact, when I purchased the htc G2 on T-Mobile nearly 2 yrs ago, it was the only phone on 4G network, and it was the best phone out there for a while, and I found no reason to envy any other devices. I switched from it bcs I got tired of the poor data strength of T-mobile in my area, and the fact that sitting at my office, getting signal was a hit/miss situation, but the device itself it's still kicking....it's my toddler's mini tablet at the moment.
littlewierdo said:
my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
wase4711 said:
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive seen it first hand (the international version). The screen is probably the biggest thing about the SG3, its a better quality screen than the Note.
Samsung has NAILED every phone. Would people be buying it otherwise? Look at the world wide sales, look at the tech reviews, there is hardly anything negative to say about it.
In fact, the only negative is that it doesnt have the latest processor, big whoop in my opinion. Oh, and maybe touchwiz, but touchwiz is decent now, nothing like the pile of poo it was on the Captivate.
Hi guys, I just sold my S3 LTE , as I cracked the screen and didn't want to repair it. I was looking for upgrade before that, so now the time has come.
I need a device that is a bit more rugged, not necessarily waterproof and so on... I read that the S4 is even more fragile though.
Anyway. I'd really love a high end device, so I don't have to upgrade it for the next 2 years.
I don't play games but do a lot of browsing, emailing and other work related stuff. I have good cameras so the camera on the phone just needs to be OK, but It should bebetter than the S3. I'm now using an iphone 5 and while it's a marelously well build and fast, I'm not quite sure I could deal with it's quirks. I've been on Android for almost 6 years, so you get what I mean.
I'm looking at :
LG G2 16GB
LG Nexus 5 16GB
Galaxy S4
Huaiwei Ascend P6
HTC ONE
Anything else you might recommend, except for Sony...
axlastro said:
Hi guys, I just sold my S3 LTE , as I cracked the screen and didn't want to repair it. I was looking for upgrade before that, so now the time has come.
I need a device that is a bit more rugged, not necessarily waterproof and so on... I read that the S4 is even more fragile though.
Anyway. I'd really love a high end device, so I don't have to upgrade it for the next 2 years.
I don't play games but do a lot of browsing, emailing and other work related stuff. I have good cameras so the camera on the phone just needs to be OK, but It should bebetter than the S3. I'm now using an iphone 5 and while it's a marelously well build and fast, I'm not quite sure I could deal with it's quirks. I've been on Android for almost 6 years, so you get what I mean.
I'm looking at :
LG G2 16GB
LG Nexus 5 16GB
Galaxy S4
Huaiwei Ascend P6
HTC ONE
Anything else you might recommend, except for Sony...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LG G2 - Very Good Choice
Nexus 5 - Awesome (but not the best camera)
S4 - Sucks
P6 - Friend has it, not bad, but battery life is terrible
HTC One - Awesome.
Also, look into the Xperia Z2, another good option for you.
Personally, i'd go with the new HTC one.
Havoc-X said:
LG G2 - Very Good Choice
Nexus 5 - Awesome (but not the best camera)
S4 - Sucks
P6 - Friend has it, not bad, but battery life is terrible
HTC One - Awesome.
Also, look into the Xperia Z2, another good option for you.
Personally, i'd go with the new HTC one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like the One too, but can you give some more details why would you choose it. And with the new model just around the corner - I'm no sure. I'm interested in the N5 too, bu tI'm put off by the small-ish battery
Friend of mine has the current One, played with it quite a bit. Its just everything i would want in a phone. Its really well made, fits very comfortably in your hand. I'm a fan of IPS LCD over AMOLED. Operations are much smoother and faster than Samsung. Blinkfeed is awesome (for me personally) and you have all the freedom of Android with a very good display incased in a very good body. Also i dont really need crap like airwave and air gesture, in fact, since 4.3 my smart stay barely works.
The One is just my personal choice, i think its the most balance between design, UI and performance. LG G2 isnt far behind. If you going to go with the One, u might as well wait for the new one. If you dont plan to get the new one, i'd probably go the G2 over the Old 1. The Snapdragon 800 will last u much longer than the 600 in the One (2013 edition) The G2 has IPS LCD as well and is very very fast. Only thing lacking is the aluminum body and blinkfeed. Also LG has a pretty good multi-tasking interface, it opens small windows of apps. I suggest you Check out YouTube for the G2.
Depending on how much you want to wait, you should definitely also consider the oppo find 7. This phone's a beauty in my eyes. Specs are great too.
Another interesting phone is the oneplus one with cm. Its going to be 5.5inch with the size of a 5 inch sony z1, qualcomm s800 and its supposed to cost less than 400$. Too bad that there arent any real pics yet and the release is going to be somewhere in Q2 of 2014. So, it can be 1 month or almost 3 :<
I would suggest you go for the All New HTC One or the Xperia Z2 ...both of the devices r going to hit the shelves with in weeks !!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
techno-np said:
I would suggest you go for the All New HTC One or the Xperia Z2 ...both of the devices r going to hit the shelves with in weeks !!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not buying a Sony, that's for sure. The htc one is another thing, but I'm afraid it will be quite expensive at launch, at least that's the way it is where I live. The way I see things is I have two options - get the G2 now or wait for the M8, hoping it won't be THAT expensive
Check out the oppo find 7! Big, cheap, blows everything away
Havoc-X said:
LG G2 - Very Good Choice
Nexus 5 - Awesome (but not the best camera)
S4 - Sucks
P6 - Friend has it, not bad, but battery life is terrible
HTC One - Awesome.
Also, look into the Xperia Z2, another good option for you.
Personally, i'd go with the new HTC one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does galaxy s4 sucks ? Although I do agree the design is same and somewhat boring especially when upgrading from s3 but its a practical design. For me, its best choice among the given choices, especially if you can get the qualcomm version, as its google play device so you have option to seamlessly put aosp roms. That negates the N5 advantage as it is..
For LG G2 and Nexus 5, you have limitation of fixed storage, do remember on 16GB devices you get only about 11GB of usable space. Also camera and battery on nexus 5 will be a downgrade for you coming from s3. HTC one although awesome design but has ultrapixel camera which didn't do very well and again a restricted memory.
gsw5700 said:
Check out the oppo find 7! Big, cheap, blows everything away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not an option. I'm getting a device from a local carrier, and they don't have oppo.
gsw5700 said:
Check out the oppo find 7! Big, cheap, blows everything away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mafioso said:
Why does galaxy s4 sucks ? Although I do agree the design is same and somewhat boring especially when upgrading from s3 but its a practical design. For me, its best choice among the given choices, especially if you can get the qualcomm version, as its google play device so you have option to seamlessly put aosp roms. That negates the N5 advantage as it is..
For LG G2 and Nexus 5, you have limitation of fixed storage, do remember on 16GB devices you get only about 11GB of usable space. Also camera and battery on nexus 5 will be a downgrade for you coming from s3. HTC one although awesome design but has ultrapixel camera which didn't do very well and again a restricted memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason I'm not sure I want the S4 is that it's deemed even more fragile than the S3. It's slower chipset is also a bit of a disadvantage.
I can get the qualcomm version, so yes - vanilla OS is possible.
As for the G2 - it's awesome and I don't think storage will be that much of an issue. The HTC one is also an option, but the same as S4 - slower chiset and I hera the camera just sucks, but I have a DSLR and a mirrorless camera so I'm not going to expect much from a phone camera anyway. I'm using the iphone 5 now and while typing on it is a real pain, the size is really nice refresh fromthe huge slate the S3 was. I really miss the huge screen though.
The whole thing is quite complicated, as my wife has the RAZR I, but wants an Iphone, so I got one to test it out while waiting for my next android, and I actually like it a lot but the battery is basically on par with the S3, but the screen.... it's so small. It's superior when it comes to actally using it as a phone.
Which one of these handsets is most durable when dropped? I think the g2 would have a bad time due to edge to edge design.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
axlastro said:
Which one of these handsets is most durable when dropped? I think the g2 would have a bad time due to edge to edge design.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iphone 5s for durability.
For me:
1-Note 3
2-Sony Z2
3-Iphone 5s
4-S4
This year I am leaving my S3 also and this is the list of devices I am targeting of buying from !!
I will get one of these bad boys --->
1. Note 3 (appealing in every aspect)
2. HTC ONE 2014 (has microSD card support)
3. Xperia Z2 (Sony really stepping up their game)
4. iPhone 6 (a really good phone for basic telephony)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
I recommend nexus & S4 from the point of view of a good battery and high specs and features, Also the nexus 5 has good feature which is wireless charging, The S4 has higher features than the nexus as usual samsung strikes with stunning technology.
-Mina
I am getting a new phone in two months. Got an S3 now. This is my top choices :
1. Note 3
2. Xperia Z2
3 HTC one (2014)
4. S5
Very difficult to choose
I'm between n5 s4 and g2 for now...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mafioso said:
Why does galaxy s4 sucks ? Although I do agree the design is same and somewhat boring especially when upgrading from s3 but its a practical design. For me, its best choice among the given choices, especially if you can get the qualcomm version, as its google play device so you have option to seamlessly put aosp roms. That negates the N5 advantage as it is..
For LG G2 and Nexus 5, you have limitation of fixed storage, do remember on 16GB devices you get only about 11GB of usable space. Also camera and battery on nexus 5 will be a downgrade for you coming from s3. HTC one although awesome design but has ultrapixel camera which didn't do very well and again a restricted memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know a few people with S4's, both versions. They both completely suck. In all honesty, the design isnt that bad, it looks very similar to the s3 but the feeling is alot better. However, Samsungs OS skin just down right fails. The ui is laggy, and please dont say theres no lag. i dont know how people dont notice this crap. The UI lags. Maybe the galaxy s4 google play edition, is a viable option.
There is literally nothing that the S4 has over its competitors. If you compare it to the HTC one (2013), then really, the One beats it hands down. You really dont need crap like the air wave.
SGH-m819n galaxy mega running the megafire v5 rom. Ive had two people literally sell their note3 after seeing how big and fast my phone is. 60 dollar truly unlimited unthrottled LTE data on tmobiles network though metro is a pretty nice perk, too.
How's it going guys I currently have the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and in 15 days I'll be able to jump to a new phone. I have a question for you guys... What are some pros and cons on the s5? I'm huge into flashing roms don't want to be stuck with another phone where the development is kind of dead.(Not knocking on the devs for the T-Mobile note 2 but development was pretty much non extent)
I recently made the jump both to T-Mobile from Verizon and the Galaxy S5 from the S3. I really liked the LG G3, but development there seemed to move at a snail's pace and there's still not much happening. For me it helped that I always ran Beanstown (Alliance) ROMS on my Verizon Galaxy S3 and seeing that team move to T-Mobile was a huge incentive. I like to tinker and maybe somewhere out there people are cooking up some good stuff for the LG, but the T-Mobile Galaxy was both familiar and easy to root, put a recovery on and flash new "available" ROMS. The phone it's self gets the job done and there are even some nice surprises once you plow through all the features. So long story short, if development is important to you, I don't think you can wrong with the Galaxy.
Yes. Absolutely. I've had the g2 and the 5s. The s5 was a huge upgrade from those phones
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
roote223 said:
Yes. Absolutely. I've had the g2 and the 5s. The s5 was a huge upgrade from those phones
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im extremely happy with this phone even more so after putting alliance on it . I had a Att GS4 for 2 months and it had to go..It had a locked bootloader so there was no kernel flashing what so ever . Only custom roms based off stock . I also was thinking about the G3 until i took a look in the development thread and under original development it said NEVER. Everything meets my standards . Very VERY happy with my purchase
i have always loved stock android for its speed and customization , but with the s5 and xposed it just works very well and the battery life is awesome getting like 3 days on a charge on stock rom .
Also another happy user. When the S5 was announced I was disappointed but later down the line decided to try it again. I love the speed, camera, screen and feel of it. It really makes the s4 seem like a cheap toy in comparison. Used to be a nexus only guy, but will continue to support the galaxy s line.
Thanks guys looks like this will be the phone I'll be upgrading to.
I miss my note 3 and still like the LG g2 over my crapsung s5
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
the device is very powerful and im mostly happy. the one thing that really bugs me is the phone doesnt work very well as a phone. dropped calls when i use wifi calling the person on the other end doesnt hear me sometimes. volte is screwy sound goes in and out during calls. maybe t mobile network is not developed enough,? idk i came from att with galaxy s3 the international one without lte and i had much less problems.
this morning i tried 5 times to make a call finally after reboot i was able to.
again not sure if its the phone, tmobile or my settings or a combination of all. but im not happy
Wait for the Note4, the s5 is a real disappointment.
Especially the childish looking OS, what a real drag!
AxAtAx said:
Wait for the Note4, the s5 is a real disappointment.
Especially the childish looking OS, what a real drag!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 4 is too big. S5 LTE-A as the base flagship device would have been nice though. Otherwise, i came from the S4 and i love my S5. Overall its smoother, battery lasts forever even when downloading all day. Only down side of the phone is i had to pay for it ha.
had good battery life at first then the update killed that, still better than most.
the stock rom has tons of problems glitches errors all that, touchwiz is amazingly bad at everything, the camera is SO bad at focusing and actually taking pictures is a pain, every menu is just a huge wall of choices, no planning or thought went into streamlining TW
music playback skips (still)
tethering will not connect unless using a custom rom
phone slides out of my pocket like it was designed to do it
pixels visible on certain colors because its still a stupid pentile
msg to samsung; please copy the sense 6 msg app exactly, its lightyears ahead of yours
so other than halfway decent battery this phone is disappointing
on my 3rd replacement because data stops working all the time and calls are just pure static but the update fixed that
aburgthing said:
I recently made the jump both to T-Mobile from Verizon and the Galaxy S5 from the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same thing for all 5 of our lines (ETF pay off was the draw). The S5 is a great device. My mother has an S3 and the screen now looks small compared to the S5. The S5 has fantastic battery life and is very responsive in everything it does.
Very happy with the S5.
Also very happy with T-Mobile.
Overall I'm happy and would do it again.
I have to agree about the camera focus issue.....esp. closeups. I kind of think the the s4 camera was a bit better.
And I've had the s3, s4 and s5 and have always disliked the side button. The s5 is worst of all. I constantly look down at my pocket and my phone is doing things, like I pulled it out one time and it had brought itself into the playstore(!!!).....It has made multiple pocket calls on it's own. No kidding. I think I'm pressing the side button while slipping it into my pocket.
I ended up going with the Note 4 so far so good maybe I'll pick up an s5 to play with the roms in a few months
I was not happy with my AT&T S5 due to the locked bootloader. I am very happy with the TMO S5. Very customizable not toooo big, not too small. Doesn't lag, but gets a couple days of battery with medium use. Got a nice case and glass screen protector so it's pretty safe. Very dependable with Omega rom. What's not to love?
Very Pleased!
I am VERY pleased with my T-Mobile S5. It's my favorite phone I've owned thus far. I had the S3 before this and really liked that phone and also the Vibrant prior to that (which I was also pleased with). This is actually the 1st Galaxy phone that I've kept the TouchWiz base on though. I really enjoy the customization options on AOSP as well as the appearance, but I also enjoy the stability of KitKat TouchWiz base on this one (using XtreStoLite ROM by Edgar).
I like the Note 4 Specs, but it's just too big for me it wouldn't be comfortable in my pocket, and it's not like I wear skinny jeans either. Another nice luxury is the water resistance that the S5 offers, and the Note 4 does not. I hope that you enjoy your Note 4 though, best of luck!
JDM Civic EG8 said:
How's it going guys I currently have the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and in 15 days I'll be able to jump to a new phone. I have a question for you guys... What are some pros and cons on the s5? I'm huge into flashing roms don't want to be stuck with another phone where the development is kind of dead.(Not knocking on the devs for the T-Mobile note 2 but development was pretty much non extent)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even at the end of the year, I still very much like my Galaxy S5. The reasons I purchased it are still completely valid for me, even with the release of the Note 4 as well as several competitor's phones. Part of the criteria is that while I have a larger display, it shouldn't be too much larger in overall footprint than my prior phone. This put it over the Note 3 as the Note 4 was not available at that time.
Couple feature notes:
1. Screen size/quality. Prior to the Note 4, the S5 was also Display mates "best display ever" report winner. The Super AMOLED display at 5.1" also had phenomenal color matching when the display settings are set to Cinema.
2. Camera. 16 megapixel ISO cell outperformed in daylight conditions and in my opinion eliminated the low light issues I had with the Galaxy S3. Note 4 has optical stabilization, so it's a better camera if this is your number one feature.
3. micro SD card. Important feature, I use it extensively to get the most out of my phone. Pictures, Music, Movies do not consume storage on the phone and some applications support installation to SD card.
4. Environmental protection. The S5 is IP67 against dust and water. While it's not water proof, I've started YouTube and thrown it into pitchers of water for 15 minutes or so for the brag factor. So the feared toilet dunk is not as much a concern as you can wash it with soap and water after retrieval.
5. Fingerprint reader. Yeah, it's not perfect but when properly trained, you'll find it works pretty well. I use it not only to unlock my phone, but in combination with Last Pass (has support for S5 fingerprint reader) and Pay Pal applications (fingerprint to pay). There are more on the way. Would be nice if Google adopted the API as a standard so that Google Wallet used it as well.
Pros:
Moving from one Samsung phone to another is extremely easy, especially with the use of the Kies software to backup your content/settings.
Excellent display quality over Galaxy Note 2.
Greatly improved camera.
USB transfers are faster at USB 3.0
Pretty close to waterproof.
Great audio with headphones.
Solid Bluetooth functionality.
Touch Wiz UI has been greatly reduced in footprint and is actually useful.
Great battery life and the ability to go Ultra for days of power.
Fingerprint reader is supported by several third party developers besides just Samsung apps.
Official Samsung Qi wireless charging options are available (charging back or S View wireless cover).
Numerous case options
Cons:
USB cover must be closed for IP67 waterproofing.
Wireless Qi Charging Back from Samsung makes the phone FAT.
Touch Wiz UI as memory/performance impact.
KNOX security has a "electronic fuse" that once tripped voids warranty. Flashing ROMs may trip that fuse if proper methods are not followed.
Fingerprint reader is not as accurate as desired.
Plastic build (low on issue meter as case hides this, other premium build phones have their metal hidden by cases so it's no big deal)
Even well over 8 months after release you'll find that the Galaxy S5 is a great challenger to even the latest released phones. Processor and Video performance are still incredible.
That said, there is rumors of the S6 coming sooner, depending on if you are willing to wait until March you may find the newer product has specs worth waiting for. But if you have to upgrade now, I believe the S5 will continue to be a solid workhorse for a few more years. Which is good, at $600 it's expensive to get every single generation point release. I skipped the S4 for example when waiting to upgrade from my S3.
New to the s5, maybe 2 mths. I had one a few mths ago but the lack of dev made me sell it and stay with my s4 for a few more mths. Then I came across another s5 and decided the best way to fall in love with it was to donate one to my fav developer. So if you want to fall in love with your s5 check out my man @The Sickness and his sick and twisted rom....trust me you will be in love with it as i am. Support on the rom is far one of the best in my opinion, all due respect to all other threads.
OK but moving to note 4 in a couple months when I can jump
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
I've had the Note 3 for some time now and even though I love this thing I felt the need to go back to something smaller. I've had a Galaxy S3 and a Nexus 4 in the past and just felt the urge to try the alpha. Should be getting it later this afternoon.
I came from an S5. This thing just feels so much better in your hand than 5"+ devices.
How are you able to deal without having no SD slot? my Note 3 has a 128gig mini sd card so going from that to only 32 gigs is a bit of a bummer but I'm hoping I can overlook that.
It doesn't bother me that much tbh. I've had an 32gb LG G2 and a 32gb HTC one before and I never came close to running out of space. I usually keep around 5gb of music on my device and back up my photos to dropbox. The S5 was only 16gb though so I bought an expensive 64gb card for it which is now sitting in my desk drawer!
Came from a Nexus 5. Love the reduction in size.
I don't get the concern about only 32GB really, or not having a micro-SD slot... It supports OTG so I just use my Meenova OTG Micro-SD reader and blam! Instant and removable storage. Job done
I currently own a LG G2 32gb, and cannot wait to buy an Alpha after my vacation! :fingers-crossed:
It seems like a nice device, but I'm wondering how does it really with the S5 and N4. Is it a tweener phone with good specs and storage or is it a stretch to be high end?
Came from G2, before him I had Z2.Two weeks with Z2 and Im sure for me - over 5 inch NEVER Again. Alpha is so so comfortable and very very beutiful ...and luxury.
Sorry for my English!
Using OG pro and planning to get this baby soon.. just waiting for those spare batteries (ZL) to pop up in amazon..
Hello everyone, my first post here in xda. I'm not new to forums or Android or anything -- just haven't joined xda yet. But I've used it for years as a resource.
At any rate, I thought I'd join in the Alpha discussion, since I got one a couple of weeks ago. And indeed, I came from a bigger phone -- the original Samsung Galaxy Note. I was a late adopter to it -- the Note 2 was already one sale, but I preferred its wider-screen aspect ratio, so I got it before they stopped selling it.
I may be a bit older than the average xda member -- part of the reason why I didn't need such a big screen anymore is because "I retired." While working, yes, I spent every lunch hour in my cube browsing the web on the Note, but now that I'm retired, I'm just not doing that anymore. I've gone through far more tablets than phones -- I currently have the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 LTE. And if I really want a bigger screen, well, I just grab a tablet.
So, when my two-year period was up (I've been with AT&T forever), I felt it was time to take a load out of my pocket, and I was just thrilled to see the Alpha announced just a week or so before my period was up. I wanted a smaller phone, but wasn't seeing anything that I liked much -- until the Alpha was announced.
So far, I'm very happy with the Alpha -- I definitely appreciate the smaller and lighter device in my pocket. And as for the lack of a MicroSD card slot, well, I've got 128-gig cards in both of the tablets -- those are my "massive multimedia devices," whereas the phone is really just, well, "a phone," and something to read e-mail messages on and do a very light bit of web browsing when needed. I had a 32-gig card in my old Note, and I only had about 10 gigs of it filled -- that helped me make the decision that I could live with "only" 32 gigs.
I decided to give myself a 5GB limit on "multimedia files," and I've been able to live with that nicely. I just want a few music files for "demo" purposes -- like connecting to speakers I might want to buy in stores, or to play for friends and family on occasion. I don't need my whole library. The same goes for video files -- I loaded up a few, which will be enough. And I've got a good selection of my pictures loaded up, so I can show those to folks. But, again, I'm well below 5GB, and that's absolutely "enough." And that should leave plenty of room for apps and such, so I have no worries at all about having enough memory for what I want to carry on the phone.
In the end, the Alpha fits my needs just about perfectly -- far better than any other phone available at this time. I'm happy with the little bugger.
thoots
imi coming from the nexus 5, glad to be going back to a smaller phone.
For me it seems very small as I am using my daughter's to get a feel for it.
alpha is a small phone. Smaller then the nexus 4 which has the same screen size but felt alot better in my hands.
Before the Alpha I had the OnePlus One. Even with my big hands the One was too big. I tried the Nexus 5 but at the end the Alpha was the best compromise. For me 4.7" screen is the best size.
i come from the HTC m8 ... so I'm a little bit spoiled concerning "perfect ui experience", lagless workflow, recharging every 1-2 days...
at least the interface feels lagless, but the battery is a mess and the ui is cluttered. still trying to get along. BUT now i can use the phone with one hand (which simply wasnt possible with the m8).
the feel of the m8 was better then the alpha but its way lighter which makes it easier to hold for a long time (f.e.: reading in bed).
overall really nice phone with problems where u can only shake your head and ask yourself why a company with so much experience would for example add a battery that lasts exactly 8 hours (while the m8 with the same usage would last at least 24 hours).
pmcee said:
i come from the HTC m8 ... so I'm a little bit spoiled concerning "perfect ui experience", lagless workflow, recharging every 1-2 days...
at least the interface feels lagless, but the battery is a mess and the ui is cluttered. still trying to get along. BUT now i can use the phone with one hand (which simply wasnt possible with the m8).
the feel of the m8 was better then the alpha but its way lighter which makes it easier to hold for a long time (f.e.: reading in bed).
overall really nice phone with problems where u can only shake your head and ask yourself why a company with so much experience would for example add a battery that lasts exactly 8 hours (while the m8 with the same usage would last at least 24 hours).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Thankfully there appears to be a bigger capacity battery kit coming out soon.
I never really had a problem with Touchwiz when I had a Note 3, but with the Alpha I am getting quite a bit of choppiness and can only contribute it to the extra bloat on this phone (along with AT&T's).
My most recent Android phone was the OnePlus One, and as great as that phone was, I couldn't get over the large size.
The Alpha will be my favorite phone as soon as the battery kit is released and someone finds a way to unlock the boot loader on the AT&T version of the Alpha.
u coming from note3 and choppiness on Alpha ?
may be , u are using S801 version of alpha or something wrong with ur phone .
I will soon buy Alpha , but I have used my friend's Alpha Exynos 5430 version , he is coming from Note3 too and I think his alpha Exynos is Faster and smoother than note3 and even S5 also .
If I get an Alpha it will by necessity be the 801 because
as far as I know, the only way to get LTE here, and will
need the Canada Bell unlocked version for Metro/TMo
Bands.
The UI is kind of a maze with the short time,I played with Alpha , without rooting, can most of that be straightened out ? Lol.
What do you guys think the SOT will be with the Samsung 2500 mah battery on the Qualcomm 801 ¿
came from note 3 with lot of features but i rarely use those...so alpha is perfect for me
Hello all, I'm currently on the s7 edge and I've had it with this locked bootloader. This phone feels like an iPhone to me. You can't do anything with it but use it. The edge of the screen is troublesome when using the phone without a case.
Basically I want to know if the v10 is still worth getting? Or should I wait for something else? I'm on T-mobile.
I love huge screens(which is another issue I have with this phone)
Don't care for camera
Don't care about gaming speed. That's what my DS and other handhelds are for.
Don't care about battery life if it's replaceable.
remix435 said:
Hello all, I'm currently on the s7 edge and I've had it with this locked bootloader. This phone feels like an iPhone to me. You can't do anything with it but use it. The edge of the screen is troublesome when using the phone without a case.
Basically I want to know if the v10 is still worth getting? Or should I wait for something else? I'm on T-mobile.
I love huge screens(which is another issue I have with this phone)
Don't care for camera
Don't care about gaming speed. That's what my DS and other handhelds are for.
Don't care about battery life if it's replaceable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a great phone and is now easily rootable on both Lollipop or Marshmallow (depending on which it ships with). Custom TWRP recovery exists and that's helpful when flashing updates. There's a very solid stock ROM with various debloat, dedeox, etc variations to try from. Also a couple non stock ROMs like CM13 and Resurrection Remix that are WIP that are pretty close (working camera being the big gating item).
On the con side it's not the latest and greatest and the G5 of HTC 10 has better performance (at least in tests like Antutu). Also i wish there were more devs actively working on this phone....seems like its really only a couple folks and if they get bored and move on...
Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope it helps. Come join the fun.
A great device, had mine for less than two months now and for the current price it is hard to beat
This beat out the nexus 6p for me due to the removable battery and expandable storage
The second screen is a bit gimicky still, I can't find a reason to use it much other than for always on notifications
The two front facing cameras... well the could have stuck with just the wide angle and I would be happy. But rear shooter is still hard to beat by anything
Build quality is solid, screen is great, battery ain't so good but the fastest charger to date can't beat a battery swap
Other forums may have more development but this one is moving along nicely and with the smaller size feels closer (my big name phones always had way too many people to keep track)
I plan on holding on to it for two years, can't see a good reason not to.
Hope to see you around the forum!
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Yeah, what these guys said. I just got my V10 this month so only a couple weeks with it but I'm quite happy. Has all the features I require: swappable battery, SD card support, good camera with OIS, and fingerprint support. I love big screens and this certainly has it plus the second screen I find moderately useful though not a requirement. It's also built like a tank which is nice (but heavy). I don't see anything in the market that competes with the V10 if you have the same requirements as I do. I think the only thing that might get me jealous in 2016 is a V11. This one will likely last me several years, I think.